Townsman, 1991-07, Page 30nizers were pleased with the success.
"We were really quite elated," Mr.
Currie stated. "We had many unso-
licited compliments on the quality,
which made us feel, if nothing else,
like we were on the right track."
Headliner Ronnie Prophet, a very
well-known country and western
entertainer, said in an interview fol-
lowing the show that he was pleased
to have been part of it. He sees the
concert as a "mini Grand 01' Oprey",
adding that it has all the right ingredi-
ents to work.
"I had an excellent backup band
and the audience was really respon-
sive," Mr. Prophet said, noting that
organization was precise and "every-
body's got their stuff together."
In addition to Mr. Buck,the pro-
duction team behind Primetime Coun-
try, responsible for keeping the stuff
Production crew
"an incredible
team"
together consists of Gary Ballagh, and
Frank Leahy as Associate Producers,
Ernie LaPalme, Stage Director and
Rcg Titian as Sound, Lighting and
Recording. "They are an incredible
team," applauds Mr. Currie. "They
kept everything in that first show
nailed down."
At the organizational helm of
Primetime Country is a seven person
board of directors, comprised of peo-
ple from the Wingham arca. Al Skel-
ton and Dianne Thynne are the key
liaison people between the board and
the Production team. "We have a team
spirit here that is incredible and the
real strength and commitment comes
from the volunteers who help us,"
said Mr. Currie.
He also gives credit to another
"little engine that thought it could",
the people at nearby Blyth, who began
a theatre 17 years ago and have built it
into one of the primary places to see
the best in Canadian dramatic presen-
tations. "They have been very sup-
portive of our venture and helped us
28 TOWNSMAN/J! 'LY -AUGUST 1991
along the way with questions we have
had. We are appreciative of the spirit
of Blyth Festival and feel indebted. A
contact has been established and
hopefully we will be in a position to
reciprocate their consideration in the
future," Mr. Currie said.
"Right from square one we have
found it an exceedingly exciting con-
cept to be doing something of this cal-
ibre. We can join with the theatre
venue that exists in southern Ontario,
in places like Blyth and Grand Bend
and if we get through year one we will
hopefully have a degree of profession-
alism in presenting country music
similar to what they have achieved in
the dramatic arts. It's to the credit of
Canada and it's within our grasp right
now."
Mr. Currie says that while coun-
try music is their priority right now, if
Primetime Country is the success they
hope for, the expectation is to expand
the music and the season, perhaps
from May to October. "We recognize
that country music is a given and
highly appealing format for initiating
into this theatre concept. However, we
also recognize that other styles have a
constituency that should be noted as
well. It is our intent to incorporate that
into Primetime Country. It is our
desired approach for the future."
One problem with this year's
format was the necessity of booking
the shows on Sundays. With no credi-
bility, it was difficult to book the pro-
fessionals at any other time. "We had
to get them when we could and when
we could afford them," explained Mr.
Currie. Sundays, he said, seemed to
work best, but he hopes that the show
will gain credibility and that Prime-
time Country will be a serious enough
contender that professional performers
will be knocking on the door to be
part of it. "Then hopefully, we can
have our performance time on a more
traditional day of the week."
"I want to stress that our major
commitment this year is to support
and help the up-and-coming Canadian
talent, who have never had the consis-
tent opportunity to be seen and heard
in a professional setting," Mr. Currie
said. "They deserve their place in the
sun and we're going to attempt to give
it to them."
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