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The Huron Expositor, 1978-07-06, Page 26have enough money and decided she had had enough training in mime. So, she came back a couple of months later and ended up in Toronto, where she. has just done a couple of shows. She has also done bit work with the CBC and sonic bit work with films. Karen got the job with the Blyth Summer Festival ' when she auditioned for artistic director James Roy and got the job a couple of. weeks later. "I was so glad to get out of the city," Karen said. KAREN WIENS THE.:BLVTI-1 SUMMER FESTIVAL ISSUE, July 5, WS s. Actor Keith 'Knight has done and -radio mime, TV. Keith Knight, an actor with the Blyth "Summer Festival got his first equity contract this year. Keith was born in Toronto, but has spent the last five years at Sault St. Marie doing amateur SI Her ob i' more than- cutting Although her official pdsition with the Blyth SumMer Festival is listed as cutter, Kathryn Kiernan- Molloy does .a. lot more- for the-- theatre than just 'cut costumes. Her job means she had to be a wardrobe co-ordinator , fin ding materials for costumes and turning them into the right period. , . . • She got some costumes from a costume place in Toronto that was •• selling out. Elizabeth Hanna's Main career is acting but she has another interest on the side. She does geriatric-. nursing. Elizabeth was born in OttaWa, lived there most 'of' her, life and attended Carleton ..University 'where she got her B.A. in philosophy. After that she went to National Theatre School in Montreal for three years. • She went to Ottawa after she graduated'then worked at, theatre in London. Later she worked.with artistic director James Roy on a show in Petrolia on a script called Mirror, Mirror taken from the different works of Canadian Wo- men authors. That play was later brought to Blyth. Then she did a show in Toronto directed by Jack Blunt, a Met-fiber Of the Blyth Summer Festival cast last year. James Roy asked Elizabeth to come to Blyth this year since she had worked with him before. Elizabeth approacheS 'her characters, "differently every time. It depends on the people I'm working with., the script. I - operate from instinct great deal of the time, Of theplay, she was working on at-the time of being interviewed The Huron tiger, she says she had to discover relationships - with other characters that weren't in. the script,. - "The hardest thing is listening, but it's the most important thing. Wheii-1 -have any problems 1 go hick to reading and listening.!' Elizabeth doesn't have a pre- ference vet between live theatre KATHRYN KI EBNAN; !VIOL LOY beading for those costu mcs,• says their' clothes had to be. "as good inside as •outside:— t. . . - Kathryn came to Blyth after james and Anne Roy 'asked the costume professor • at York for a recommendation. Kathryn had an .interview with produCtion manager Bjarne Christensen and was given , the job. ' "I was really glad when I found out I got the job. It's a really good opportunity to come out -• from university to be a cutter. "You used to have to be an assistant first.'Becouse this was a sniall theatre, I was given a lucky break." Kathryn said. Asked about any ambitions towards the Stratford Festival Theatre, Kathryn, who is from Toninto,. said that given` 'the, chance• she would like -to go the. Stratford Festial as a cutter. Reflecting on possible future ambitions, Kathryn, said,, "I'd also like 'to get in there as an, assistant designer. Kathryn is going to England in September and staying there for eight or nine months where she hopes to get a job in a theatre in London. and 'barn. - love io . do films. I know that I'd like-to explore. There arc • pros and cons to both.," - she said. What doeS'she.enjoy about live theatre? "There's nothing that confronts more of you -more Often. More aspects, of you ,that. I can - think of. It's very very hard work and. endlessly fascinating." Besides a geriatrics. nurse Elizabeth works for an private agency and gets sent out to patients. 8lizabeth is going to be working ort a .play with another woman after the Myth season is' .over. The, play specific character retains the barriers that age sets up. and the enormous,-adjust- meats it necessitates: ``Elizabeth said. shows three years of touring children's theatre.' The only theatre training 'Ile had was at the Canadian Mime School at Niagra-On-the-lake. Last fall, Keith started going out to get professional roles, and got a job in Montreal doing profes- sional .childre.n.'s_lbeatre. In May he auditioned for James Roy and was cast. In'the last five years. he has done about 60 amateur shows. "It was really kind' of nice, because th.e last . amateur. .thing I. .did . was at Theatre Ontario Festival , in Oshawa in May and I got the best actor award." ye-wit aye totel atetcrt he h er actors -you're - playing with," Keith says: ``Some parts I approach from the inside out and others I approach from The outside in.!' He said -the character that he is - -playing, -in the 'Huron Tiger-- Thomas Mercer Jones of the'. Canada Company who .is always at odds with Tiger--could very easily become a stock comedy villain if not played the right, way. "It's a very small part but a very important one. It propels the action," he said. In the Sault Keith did the play Marty for television as well as some radio plays. "I like TV but I think I prefer, the live stage. On TV you don't act. You more or less react." Of live theatre he says, "It's a challenge. It' s'a thrill if you know it's going well. It's like being-in a sports event. It's a natural high. "If you hear thunder in the applause, it's a pleasing thing. It's, pleasing to me to know I'm pleasing other people _andalso you develop yourself a great deal." He says another reason he enjoys his profession is because, "actors can be anything they want to be." - _.- After the Festival season is over Keith is going back to the Sault to direct a play The Inspector going knocking on doors for acting jobs. 'As for her preference between television and the theatre, Karen says • she really hasn't clone enough television to know, but, "For now I really enjoy the theatre. In theatre, you have mare of an opportunity to, play roles that you wouldn't play on film because you just- don't look the part." As for her acting technique, Karen says, "It really depends on the company I'm with. I've done so many plays that you just improvise, 'that I haven't really got a set way. Directors work so differently that I try and fit in •the best way I can. "The first thing I try to do is try to make sense of it. I try to have fun with it, she added. Karen will be doing a show with Theatre Passe Muraille at Christinastime and she is also hoping to do some auditions in Toronto after the Blyth Summer Festival season is over. Welcome Festival Visitors - . Best Wishes to the Blyth Summer Festival from Elliott Insurance Agency Limited Blyth 523-4481 KEITH KNIGHT Karen W'iens says Karen Wiens an actress at the.. Blyth Summer - FeStival is originally from Saskatchewan but has been living in Toronto for the past year. Karen has never studied a continuous theatre arts course. Ever since she was in Grade 10 'she took two and .three 'week courses in St. Cathricnes on. the theatre. She started to take an acting course in Montreal but felt that it was too academic. At 'the time I wasn't interested in studying academically I just wanted to 'do the actual work, on scripts. "she said. . Karen' got some training at the Mime School at the Niagra op the Lake. The minx training K aren believes :helped teach her economy in body 'Movement. "It . really helps me to improvise," Karon said. Karen also enjoyed working as a clown at Niagra on the ,Lake where she worked as an' extra. After that she went to , Sask- atchewan and worked there for a year. She worked with the 25th Street Theatre ,'and the Persephone Theatre in a play called. Cruel Tears which they took on tour to Vancouver .and Montreal. Then Karen took off for Paris where she was planning on studying mime .but she didn't The costumes -were. almost the right period .for one of the plays the Theatre people were working on at the time of the interview and it was just, a matter r-- of -a few adjustments. • Of her job, Kathryn says, "It's sort of like making, the two dimensional into the three • dimensional. It's taking .the idea and -translating it into reality.' she 'said. She attended Ryerson Poly- teihnical Institute where she took the fashion arts course but she only stayed there fora year and a half . hen she went, to York University for three years, Where.. she graduated this year with her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree. She did her third- year of York in England at the Wimbledon .Sehool of Art where whe was .a wardrobe supervisor. -• At .York University she took theatre 'production with costume -•design as her major,. She has worked at the Guelph Sprier Fcstiv.11- 4:1t(1 she once worked for a . women who de- signed' clothes for such well- knowns as Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, which Kathryn says Weren't really typical 'theatre costumes. Kathryn, who did sewing and Elizabeth Hanna Nurses on the side ELIZABETH HANNA * * * * * * SHOES — MEN'S & BOY'S Sanditis - Moccasins - Joggers Dress Shoes by - McHALE ,--RITCHIE—DACK 48'2-9352 AIKEN'S CLINTON LEATHER GOODS BUXTON and a wide selection DUEY BRANDS gold initialled FREE! LUGGAGE BY . 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