The Citizen, 2008-05-22, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2008. PAGE 19.Entertainment Leisure&Roulston wins fund for play development
The Blyth Festival has announced
that Canada’s award-winning
country trio, The Wilkinsons are
appearing in Blyth Memorial Hall
for one performance only on
Thursday, May 22.
Solid lyrics, soaring vocals and
tight harmonies have vaulted this
family trio to the top of the charts
with number one songs on country
radio both in Canada and the U.S.,
as well as number one videos on
CMT and GAC.
The trio received nominations for
the CMA’s Horizon Award and
Vocal Group of the Year in 2000, as
well as a nomination for Single of
the Year from The Academy of
Country Music Awards. They have
twice been nominated for a Grammy
Award for Best Country
Performance by a Duo or Group and
have a Juno win and four
nominations under their collective
belts.
All three Wilkinsons (father Steve
and siblings Amanda and Tyler)
contribute to the songwriting and the
family’s dedication to crafting solid,
memorable tracks like their 1998 hit
single 26 Cents and more recently
Nobody Died, a ballad that raises
awareness about the devasting
effects of bullying.
Amanda’s sassy Walk Away
and Jimmy’s Got a Girlfriend
featuring Tyler’s vocals strike the
balance.
The Wilkinsons have appeared on
Access Hollywood, CBS This
Morning, Good Morning America,
PAX TV, The Donny and Marie
Show, E! Entertainment, CBS
Saturday Morning, Extra, CNN
Showbiz Today, The American
Music Awards, The Country Music
Awards, Canada AM, The Canadian
Country Music Awards, The
Academy of Country Music Awards,
Fox & Friends, Crook & Chase,
TNN’s “Century of Country” and
Prime Time Country. They recently
starred in two season of their own
television show The Wilkinsons on
CMT.
The Wilkinsons will appear by
special arrangement, replacing
Shane Yellowbird who has had to
withdraw for medical reasons.
Tickets are just $30 and are available
by calling the Blyth Festival Box
Office at 519-523-9300 or toll free
1-877-862-5984.
Local playwright,Citizen and
Rural Voice publisher, Keith
Roulston of Blyth was one of two
winners of 4th Line Theatre’s new
play competition.
“We are constantly amazed at the
new play ideas that come our way,”
said the theatre’s artistic director
Robert Winslow. “Our history
continues to provide incredible
inspiration for our theatre. Our goal is
to succeed not only as a producer of
plays, but as a grower of new works.
The competition gives us the seeds to
plant for later harvest.”
4th Line Theatre is Canada’s
premiere outdoor theatre company.
Located on the fifth generation
Winslow Farm in Millbrook, it
attracts thousands of theatre-goers
every summer.
The competition was open to any
playwright who has had a full-length
work for the stage professionally
produced.
Winners receive seed funding to
begin work on their plays, then
further develop the play through
workshops with a director and actors.
Then if the project is considered the
writer will be commissioned to create
a first draft. From those, selections
are made for further development in
production workships.
The other winner was Dave Carley
a Toronto-based playwright who
writes for theatre, radio and
television. His stage plays, which
include Test Drive and Big Box seen
by Blyth audiences, have had over
300 productions internationally. His
Writing With Our Feet was a
Governor-General’s Award nominee.
Roulston was a co-founder of the
Blyth Festival in 1975. His fires play,
The Shortest Distance Between Two
Points, was produced there in 1977.
Since then he has written or co-
written eight plays.
Powers and Gloria was his sixth
play to be produced by the Festival in
2005. The following year it was
produced at Theatre Northwest,
Prince George, B.C.
He co-authored Another Season’s
Promise and Another Season’s
Harvest with co-Festival founder and
former artistic director Anne Chislett.
Train’s Coming!, proposed for 4th
Line Theatre by Roulston, revolves
around the rise and fall of the railway
and its effect on rural communities.
Inspired by the Midland Railway and
how it opened up the village of
Millbrook to the world, this play will
explore the romance and drama of
railroads, as well as the lives of the
people who rode, waited for and
dreamed of them.
Canadian Rajah to be written by
Carley is based on the life story of
Esca Brooke, who spent his life
fighting for his inheritance as the
rightful Rajah of Sarawak on the
island of Borneo. Born on the island
and adopted out to a penniless bipolar
Anglican priest and his wife,
Brooke’s journey took him to the
colonial wilds of Canada where he
discovered his secret and majestic
heritage.
Winslow said the submissions
reflect the theatre’s mandate of
preserving and promoting Canada’s
cultural heritage through the
development and presentation of
regionally-based, environmentally-
staged historical dramas. As well the
mission is to develop and present
original Canadian works of the
highest quality which explore
regional themes, history and heritage.
Wilkinsons perform in Blyth
UPLIFTING THE
LEGION
Viewing
Friday, May 30 7 pm - 9 pm
Saturday, May 31 12 noon - 4 pm
Bidding closes at 4:00 p.m.
Food, arts, crafts, tools, baking, knitting, vouchers and MORE!!!
Silent
Auction
at
Brussels Legion
Happy 80th
Birthday!
Join Bill Eckmier
and his
family and friends
at a
‘Come and Go’ Social
Sunday, May 25
2~4 pm
Ethel United Church
Best wishes only
The family of
Murray and Betty
Cardiff
invites you to a
Come and Go Social
to celebrate their
50th Wedding
Anniversary
Brussels Legion
Sunday June 1
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
A donation to the Food Bank or
charity of your choice would be
appreciated in lieu of gifts.
Please come out to celebrate
Pal Somers’
65th Birthday
Sunday, May 25
Walton Hall
2 pm - 5 pm
For more information
call Judy 519-887-9372
or Sandra 519-523-9598
SSHHH!!
It’s a surprise!
Happy 50th
Anniversary
Mom & Dad
(Jim & Joan Chalmers)
May 24
Love your family
Dancing Queens
It was disco night last week at East Wawanosh Public School with the school’s spring operetta,
Disco Knights on stage. The play featured disco-era references and humour, with tunes and
dance numbers that may have jogged the memory of more than a few in the audience. From
left: Kaitlyn Michie, Sydney Jarvis and Stacey Hallahan. (Shawn Loughlin photo)