The Citizen, 1991-04-17, Page 23Entertainment
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1991. PAGE 23.
Blyth United Church
hears about mission
Familiar faces back at Bly th
There will be some familiar faces
on Blyth streets as well as on the
stage of Memorial Hall this sum
mer when some long-time mem
bers of the Blyth Festival company
return.
Heading the list will be Ted
Johns who is both the author and
an actor in “Two Brothers”, the
opening play of the season. Ted
was a resident of Blyth for five
years and was familiar on stage
from productions from “He Won’t
Come In From The Barn” to “The
School Show”.
John Jarvis, who played in such
shows as "The Life That Jack
Built” and “St. Sam And The
Nukes” will return to the Blyth
stage in “Barbershop Quartet”
and “Cornflower Blue”. John has
more recently been seen on the
stage of the Stratford Festival
where he was a member of the
company for several years.
Alan Williams who appeared in
Blyth in 1983 in “My Wild Irish
Rose” will return to Blyth to
appear in “Barbershop Quartet”
and “The Stone Angel”. Mr.
Williams, a native of Britain, has
become known as a playwright and
actor since immigrating to Canada
early in the ’80s.
Jerry Franken, a more recent
member of the company who has
appeared in “Perils of Per
sephone” and “Bordertown Cafe”
will return for “Barbershop Quar
tet” and “The Stone Angel”.
Kevin Bundy, the Goderich native
who starred in “Bordertown Cafe”
JOHN JARVIS
Greeters at Blyth United Church
on Sunday were Lloyd and Mary
Walden. Ushers were Barb, Terry,
Kim and Trent Richmond.
Rev. Ramirez opened the service
with Call to Worship and hymn
“Praise My Soul, the King of
Heaven”. A responsive reading of
Psalm 116 and a scripture reading
from John 21: 1-14 were followed
by the hymn “O Master Let Me
Walk With Thee”.
The children’s story was “How
Jesus helped the fishermen with
their nets” and Nicole Kerr assist
ed after.
Rev. Ramirez’ sermon was “The
Church Mission under Christ’s
Direction”. He said when some
thing troubles you work and com
pose your thoughts. Jesus will feed
both your spiritual and physical
needs. The service closed with the
hymn “O Zion. Haste”, benedic
tion and the choral response, “To
God Be The Glory”.
Explorers meet Thursday, April
18 at 4:30 p.m. The new garage
sale is May 3 from 7 - 9 p.m. Pick
up is May 2. Anyone with material
suitable for rags can be left at the
church anytime.
Shirley Vincent’s music recital is
April 22 at 7:45 p.m.
It is finally time
To say you’re past 39
TED JOHNS
Starred in “He Won’t Come in
from the Barn.”
Appeared in “The Life that
Jack Built”.
will have a part in “End of the
World Romance”. David Fraser
will return to play a part in “Two
Brothers”.
Letter to the Editor
ntinaed from page 5 discussion would piggy back theirs,
theatre, lower hall, or the garage
space on Dinsley. Another suggest
ion of Mr. Lapierre’s was to video
the event and send that into the
commission in Ottawa. I am in the
process of setting this up.
The Citizen’s Forum was in
Goderich on April 15 and our
and continue in the question,
“What does Canada mean to
you?” I urge people to come out
and participate. It could be darned
Dreamland opens in TO
“The Dreamland” the musical
that premiered at the Blyth Festival
in 1989 opens in a huge Toronto
production Thursday night amid
much fanfare.
The show, written by John Roby
and Ray Storey, was the largest
production ever staged at Blyth
where the stage had to be enlarged
to hold the huge set. The produc
tion opening at the St. Lawrence
Centre features 27 actors and six
musicians and was called, in a
two-page spread in Friday’s Tor
onto Star, “one of the largest and
most ambitious original musicals
ever mounted.”
Three members of the Blyth cast
will be in the Toronto production:
Patricia Vanstone, Melissa Bell and
Tyler Smith.
In the Toronto Star article Mr.
Roby and Mr. Storey credited the
Blyth Festival not only with helping
their development but in bringing
them together in the first place.
John Roby had come to the Festival
in 1980 to do music for “The Life
that Jack Built” and other music at
the Festival. The next season Ray
Storey was brought to Blyth by
Artistic Director Janet Amos to
workshop his play “Country Chor
ale”. Ms. Amos thought the play
would work better as a musical and
asked Mr. Roby to work on it.
“There was a party at someone’s
house and, in the middle of it, Ray
and I were introduced and told
we’d be working together, just like
that. Lucky I liked the script and
luckier still, we clicked."
“Country Chorale” was never
produced in Blyth but had a
successful run in Edmonton with
k.d. Lang in her professional acting
debut.
The duo was back in Blyth in
1987 with “Girls in the Gang” their
musical about the women behind
the infamous Boyd Gang of bank
robbers in the 1950’s in Toronto.
That play was later presented in
Toronto and winning a Dora award
as best new musical play. The show
was later also produced at the
Grand Theatre in London.
“After the success of “Girls in
the Gang” Katherine Kaszas (then
Artistic Director at Blyth) commis
sioned us to write a large musical
for their rep company. We were in
shock. No one had ever asked us to
write for 30 people before.”
“The Dreamland” was the re
sult, a story about a summer resort
dancehall and Rose Russell, the
women who in 1967 oversees its
closing and remembers back to the
summer of 1933 and the events of
that time.
interesting.
One final thought comes from
Mr. Lapierre, “Hope is as much a
reality as despair.”
PETER SMITH
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR.
Thanks Blyth
Continued from page 5
blessed to have been a part of your
community, welcomed as we were
with open hands, hearts and
minds. We will take with us
throughout our lives, many warm
memories and happy thoughts
about our first summer on Ontario
and will certainly pop in for a visit
when we’re in the area again.
Working at the Festival was a
great experience for both of us, but
it was the charm of the community
and friendliness of its folk that have
left the biggest impression on us.
Thank you. Peace and good weath
er...
TIM RANSON, SHAWNA
BURNETT AND WOODY.
Happy 40th
Greg
Blyth Iw
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Engagement
CULBERT- SIERTSEMA
Mr. and Mrs. Murray Siert-
sema and Mr. and Mrs.
Barry Culbert are pleased to
announce the forthcoming
marriage of Yolanda and
Darin. The wedding will take
place in Blyth Christian Re
formed Church D.V. on
Saturday, April 20, 1991 at
2:30 p.m.
Engagement
Joanne and Bill King of
Brussels and Mike and Liz
Kearns of Lindsay wish to
announce the forthcoming
marriage of their children,
Shelley Lynn and Chris
topher Charles. The wedding
will take place at St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church, Lindsay on June 1,
1991 at 4 p.m.