The Citizen, 2008-08-28, Page 33THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2008. PAGE 33.Entertainment Leisure&
This year’s Blyth Festival Young
Company have been invading Blyth
homes for the past few weeks
compiling material for their
production,Teenage Home
Invasions,which will begin at the
festival on Sept. 9.
The 2008 installment of the Young
Company, consisting of nearly 15
youths from the area, has a slightly
more aggressive angle to it this year.
The gang has implemented a style
of drama coined social acupuncture
by its creator Darren O’Donnell. It
involves ordinary people,
demonstrating that the real lives of
real people can be fascinating in
their simplicity, says director
Rebecca Picherack, and the project
will seek to engage the audience at a
community level.
The group, in its entirety, went
from home to home around Blyth
and interview residents in their
homes. The interviewees came from
all corners of the world, with
members describing their cross-
section of Blyth as consisting of
“Biker dudes, teenagers, little girls
and boys, the elderly, religious, non-
religious, teachers, retired teachers,
hippies,” and the list went on.
Their interviewing process took
them into just over 20 homes, each
with its own distinct views and
flavours.
The interviewee was free to not
answer any question he or she didn’t
want to, but Picherack says very few
people refused to answer questions.
In addition, all of the interviews
were videotaped and will be used as
part of the performance. Releases
were signed by all but one of the
interviewees.
While discovering information
about people in your own county
may be scintillating enough, three
members of the team are from Blyth,
and knew several of the interviewees
prior to the interview.
Aislinn Bremner, Sadie Chalmers
and Jon Hakkers knew some, but not
all, of the people the Young
Company interviewed. They agreed
that it was fascinating to discover
new facts and history about people
they had known for years.
Hakkers, in fact, was part of an
interview with one of his cousins,
which he wasn’t quite certain of at
the time of the interview. He said he
knew they were related, but that he
didn’t know in what capacity.
Not surprisingly, there were some
subjects that people were more open
about than others and some people
who were more forthcoming than
others.
Curtis teBrinke of Clinton and star
of Innocence Lost, currently running
at the Blyth Festival, says he found it
difficult to stay neutral when
discussing certain topics with some
of the interviewees. Picherack said
this was one of the most difficult
challenges. When asking questions
about war, abortion, religion and
sexuality, there are bound to be
differing opinions, strong views and
heated discussions, she said.
Most of the interviews ran
between 30 and 60 minutes,
although a time limit was never
placed on any of them. The Young
Company, in its entirety would settle
into the interviewee’s living room or
kitchen and begin to ask questions
with no format. Any member could
ask any question at any time.
Some people were intimidated by
this interview format at first,
Picherack said, but eventually, in
most cases the subject would warm
up to the group of young people in
their house.
Brett Brownlee of Dublin said that
the “biker dudes” were the most
open of the bunch, answering very
intimate and personal questions with
ease, while a school teacher,
currently working at an area school,
who had taught some of the
members of the Young Company in
the past, tended to be more reserved
and professional during the
interview.
All members of the Young
Young Company invades local homes
Come and Go
40th Wedding
Anniversary
Celebration
for
Murray & Ruth
Lowe
on
Sunday, August 31
2-4 pm
at the home of
Mike and Nicole Noble
781 Ainley St., Brussels
Best wishes only or a
donation to the
Food Bank.
Happy Belated
B-Day Mama
August 19
Love: Colton, Rachel,
Heather, Sarah, John & Joel
P.S. Isn’t it time to Retire?!!
Open House
to celebrate
Leo and Rita Deitner’s
50th Wedding
Anniversary
on Saturday,September 6
at the Brussels Legion
from 2-4 pm
No gifts please.
Donations to the food bank.
Wedding Announcement
Jim and Crystal Taylor
and
Steve and Julie Gibbings
are pleased to announce
the forthcoming marriage of
Jenna Anne
to
Jordan William.
The wedding will take place on
September 13th, 2008
with a reception to follow at
the Blyth Community Centre
at 9 pm,
with everyone welcome.
Happy 16th
Birthday
Allison
Love Grandma and
Grandpa Bridge
In good company
This year’s Young Company, as some may already know, spent their days invading the homes
of the community to interview the people of Blyth for the company’s upcoming show, Teenage
Home Invasions. Back: Haley Hunt. Middle row, from left: Liese Bornath, Emilia MacIsaac,
Curtis teBrinke, Veronica Tyndall and Sadie Chalmers. Front row, from left: Beth Beardsley,
Dan Moran, Brett Brownlee, Becca Beardsley, Aislinn Bremner and Katey Bornath. Missing is
Jon Hakkers. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 34
Happy 60th
Birthday
Love
family
&
friends
Happy 1st Anniversary
Mike and Nicole
Noble
September 1, 2008
Love your
family and friends