Village Squire, 1979-02, Page 26UPDATE
Centre Stage
back from the dead
"The report of my death was an
exaggeration". So cabled Mark Twain
from Europe after newspapers in America
reported he had died. The same quote
could go for the Centre Stage theatre in
London's City Centre Mall.
The theatre had been left high and dry
by a shortage of funds several months ago
and it looked like the theatre, the theatrical
world's version of Perils of Pauline, had
finally bit the dust. As a theatre with little
government support and little box office
revenue (there are only about 100 seats in
the theatre compared to Theatre London's
Grand at 800, Grand Bend's Playhouse's
500 and Blyth Memorial Hall's 400),
Centre Stage had had a precarious
existence since the first.
The season was assured with an
unprecendented donation of $20,000 by the
Richard Ivey Foundation of London for
operating expences. The foundation
normally only gives to capital projects. The
grant will cover two thirds of the costs of
mounting productions over the season. In
the meantime an organization is being set
up under University of Western Ontario
professor Sid Noel to raise funds on a
continuing basis for the theatre and
changes are being made in the Mall
complex to make access to the theatre
easier.
As part of his pledge to the Ivey
Foundation. artistic director Ken Living-
stone is going after more popular plays as
well.
Opening the new season Feb. 7 will be
Toronto author George F. Walker's
Zastrozzi which played in Toronto last
season, opened recently in London
England and is scheduled for production by
the famous Joseph Papp organization in
New York next year.
The second opening will be American
Buffalo by the hottest American playwright
of the moment David Mamet. Mamet's
works The Duck Variations and Sexual
Perversity in Chicago were featured in the
1977-78 schedule of the theatre. It plays
from March 7-24.
The final play will be Treats, a British
comedy about a love triangle. It will play
April 4-21. Seasons tickets are now
available at $10 for three plays for midweek
and Saturday matinee and $12 for Friday
and Saturday evenings.
HEAVY CROP OF APPLICANTS
While on the subject of theatre, James
Roy. artistic director of the Blyth Summer
Festival knows one thing: plenty of people
want his job.
The board of directors at the Festival is
still sifting through more than 30
applications for the position of heir
apparent to Mr. Roy. The successful
applicant will work at the Festival assisting
Mr. Roy this year and if all goes well, will
step up to the number one position
beginning next fall.
The job of the directors in choosing the
right person is that much harder because of
the special position of the Festival in a
small village with a close relationship with
the community and a mandate to serve that
community in the work it puts on stage. In
the past the policy has meant putting on
plays with a rural and small town .
significance, often new plays because of
the dirth of material dealing with those
subjects.
You are invited
to come to the factory
and see the quality
for yourself.
FACTORY OPEN FOR INSPECTION
WEEKDAYS 8:30-11:30 a.m., 1-3 p.m.
OR BY APPOINTMENT.
7%.•
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24 Village Squire, February 1979