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The Citizen, 2013-09-26, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013.McHenry brings wealth of experience to Blyth For John McHenry, becoming the Director of Marketing and Development for the Blyth Festival was a matter of good luck and a long history in theatre. McHenry, a native of England who came to Canada when he was 17 years old to be with his family, has more than 30 years experience in Canadian theatre and was debating some changes in his life when the opportunity for the position came up. Having worked at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company until it closed its doors approximately a yearand a half ago, and PresentationHouse Theatre in Vancouver sincethen, McHenry said he was reallydebating whether he wanted to con-tinue in theatre.“It’s really all I’ve ever done andall I’ve ever known,” he said.For more than 30 years, he hasworked in marketing and communi- cations, but has also sang, acted, danced, and been both a choreogra- pher and director for both communi- ty and professional playhouses. “Looking back, I decided yes, I want to because it’s just who I am and what I do,” he said. “Theatre is all I do. Whether it’s work or fun, I enjoy it.” Soon after asking himself that question, he heard about the position in Blyth and applied. Having previ- ously worked with theatres in Ontario like Sudbury Theatre Centre, the Huron Country Playhouse and Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, he said that the position would offer him a chance to come back to Ontario and see his friends. “I was coming back to be in Ontario and be with my friends, and then I got wind of this job opportuni- ty in Blyth,” he said. “I applied and I kept my fingers crossed.” Soon after that he was in the mid- dle of a Skype (an internet video chat service) interview with Festival General Manager Deb Sholdice and Artistic Director Marion de Vries. “A week after that, I was driving across the country to move back to Ontario and for an in-person inter- view,” he said. “After that, it all seemed to happen, everything just lined up.”McHenry, who has been on the jobfor a month now and has moved toBlyth, said that his experience withthe Blyth Festival, prior to the jobapplication, was one of being apatron. Having worked close by, hecame to see shows and said that thereputation of being integral toCanadian theatre was a well deserved one. He also said that the people he has known who have worked with the Festival are very pro-Blyth and he can see why. McHenry is excited about the future of the theatre because, between both he and de Vries, who is preparing to set up her first season of plays as the new artistic director, there is a lot of room for new ideas and new thoughts. “I’m still in my early days here, but I think that this is going to be a new and great experience with a new artistic director,” he said. With an eye on the 40th anniver- sary of the Festival in 2014, McHenry said that there is a lot to be excited about as well. “We’ve already started looking into the archives and I think it’s going to be a great experience,” he said. In a press release from the Festival, Sholdice said that she was excited to have McHenry joining the team and that his move to Ontario coinciding with them looking to fill the position was a fortunate happen- stance. “He brings a wealth of experience to the Festival and he is well respect- ed within the theatre community,” Sholdice said. The former Wingham Campus of Maitland River Elementary School was recently purchased by North Huron Township on behalf of the Wingham and District Hospital. The school, which would have gone to auction had the township, one of the few bodies allowed to pur- chase it before that happens, not partnered with the hospital, is one of several buildings surrounding the hospital. Karl Ellis, President and CEO of the Wingham and District Hospital, said that the purchase, which will be complete once the hospital purchas- es the building and land from the township, was quickly decided on but also one that was necessary. “Anyone familiar with the commu- nity knows the hospital is land- locked,” he said in an interview with The Citizen. “The school is on one side and we have residences all around the building. This opportuni- ty to expand is a once in a generation opportunity and we had to take advantage of it for future considera- tion.” The new building provides an immediate response to needs like the lack of parking adjacent to the med- ical clinic, Ellis said, as well as some more detailed plans later on. “On any given day, you can find 10 to 12 cars parked on Catherine Street because of the lack of parking,” Ellis explained, adding that future plans would be figured out for the proper- ty in the next two to three months. “We’re going to spend some time figuring out how to best use the space,” he said. Ellis explained that several staff and board members from the hospi- tal toured the building and decided that it’s well maintained and in fairly good shape. “We anticipate using the building or portions of it in one form or another,” he said. The strategy of every small, rural hospital, according to Ellis, is to cre- ate a medical campus providing dif- ferent services. He said that the school building will help the hospital gather services like community support, public health, mental health and the clinic all in one campus or facility. “It allows multiple organizations to share overhead and allows staff to work closely together and collabo- rate,” he explained. “That doesn’t always happen.” The exact use of the building is still up in the air, Ellis said, however there are plenty of good ideas for what to do with it. “We hope to be able to pull togeth- er a community vision for types of services and tenants that would be appropriate in the space,” he said. “We’re looking for feedback and suggestions on how to best utilize what we hope becomes a community asset.” Hospital buys school through North Huron New blood John McHenry was recently named the director of marketing and development for the Blyth Festival. He brings more than 30 years of theatre experience to the position and hopes to help make the upcoming 40th anniversary of the Festival as enjoyable and memorable as possible. (Denny Scott photo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roud to be farmer owned since 1937. HDC IS READY TO RECEIVE YOUR GRAIN AT A LOCATION NEAR YOU! 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