The Citizen, 2019-08-22, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019. PAGE 19.
MT waits on cannabis bylaw
‘Eco Echo’ brings young voices to Phillips Studio
Being seen and heard
This year’s iteration of the Blyth Festival Young Company focused on the environment and
climate change for this season’s production of Eco Echo: A Play for Greta Thunberg under the
direction of Pippa Johnstone. The group finished its three-show run last week at the Phillips
Studio. From left: Madison Draper-Paley, Emma Marcy, Lauren Zemmelink, Crystal Snyder
and Audric Cherrey. (Photo submitted)
After seeing other municipalities
react to potential problems with
cannabis production sites, Morris-
Turnberry Council wants to take a
more measured approach.
During council’s Aug. 13 meeting,
Chief Administrative Officer Trevor
Hallam indicated by way of a report
that a bylaw could be discussed that
evening, however, council could
defer the issue as well.
Hallam, in his report, explained
that a stakeholder meeting between
Chief Building Officers and county
planners has been set for September.
The meeting will focus on regulating
production facilities in a way that
protects the communities and
promotes economic development.
“Additional information that may
be of use may come out of that
meeting,” he said in his report. “As
such, it is the recommendation of
staff that council direct the planning
department, through Planner
Jennifer Burns, to draft a report for
council’s consideration regarding
the potential housekeeping
amendment with a more holistic
approach to ensuring that any
commercial development related to
cannabis production or processing
occurs in a way that is compatible
with surrounding uses.”
Council agreed with Hallam’s
suggestion, saying that proceeding
with the bylaw once all information
was available just made sense.
The issue will be brought back to
council after the meeting of Chief
Building Officials and planners in
early September.
This year’s Blyth Festival Young
Company production, Eco Echo: A
Play for Greta Thunberg, started
with a focus on the environment, but
allowed the five young creators the
freedom to express themselves on
the Phillips Studio stage.
The show was produced thrice last
week to good audiences in the
Phillips Studio, allowing Emma
Marcy, Audric Cherrey, Madison
Draper-Paley, Lauren Zemmelink
and Crystal Snyder to put their own
spin on a story that affects us all.
The play was framed within a
climate protest. The five young
people all arrived with their own
ideas of how to change people’s
minds about climate change and
shock them into action.
Cherrey came armed with facts,
statistics and a hard-nosed style,
while Zemmelink baked cupcakes
and hoped to hug climate change
deniers into agreement.
Draper-Paley was more
aggressive, announcing that she
brought enough fake blood for all
the protestors. When her proposed
“die-in” failed to grab attention,
however, it was the lack of fake
blood behind the apathy.
The group tried all of the age-old
methods of persuasion. There were
protest signs and chants, petitions
and thoughtful discussion, but
nothing seemed to work for them.
The show was told through
frequent digressions, expertly
transitioned by director Pippa
Johnstone. Not only was
Johnstone’s direction evidenced in
the work from scene to scene, but
the new and improved Phillips
Studio was also on display.
Audience members would be “at
the protest” with the cast members,
only to be transported in a matter of
seconds, thanks to musical and
visual cues made possible through
the studio. Whether it was the wild
west, the future on Mars (complete
with a fashion show) or a world
climate summit, the shifts were
flawless and that’s a testament to
the direction and the newly-
installed technology at the Phillips
Studio.
The young actors were all great in
their chosen roles, leaning into their
own personalities to mine a
character not unlike themselves who
might attend a climate change
rally.
They clearly had fun with the
production. It was very often funny
and poignant at times, but always
stayed on point thanks to
Johnstone’s direction and guidance.
Marcy is the clear leader of the
group. As a three-year veteran of the
Young Company, beginning with the
one-woman show From Sallows to
Selfies in 2017, Marcy is no stranger
to the work of the Young Company
and credits it with much of her love
of drama – which she discussed as
this year’s Blyth Festival opening
night keynote speaker when the
season opened earlier this summer.
The group has also benefitted
from another steady hand in the
process, as Annika Balzer, an
alumnus from last year’s Young
Company show, worked as the
Young Company co-ordinator on the
show as well.
The Young Company at the Blyth
Festival has a rich tradition of
theatre for young people. Some
years, the play is left completely up
to them, while in other seasons there
is a clear goal. This year’s goal was
to focus on the environment and
climate change and the participants
found a way to express themselves
perfectly through that ever-
important lens.
This play is a rich, funny and moving family drama about life on the
home-farm, complete with its nostalgia for the way things used to be, and
the struggles for succession.
THE TEAM ON THE HILL
Written by Dan Needles| Directed by Severn Thompson
Season Sponsor Media Sponsor Hospitality Sponsor New Play Sponsor
For Tickets Call 519.523.9300 Toll Free 1.877.862.5984 or visit blythfestival.com
July 31 to September 5
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Happy 50th
Gerry Exel!
Love your family
Entertainment Leisure&
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Quite the skill set
Lucy Meanwell, a member of this season’s Blyth Festival
company, appearing in Jumbo and The Team on the Hill,
can now add published poet to her list of accomplishments.
Meanwell held a special poetry reading and book launch at
the Queens Bakery in Blyth, celebrating the release of her
collection, The Last Green Thing. (Denny Scott photo)