The Citizen, 1994-09-07, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7,1994.
Grand announces creative teams for season
Martha Henry, artistic director of
The Grand Theatre, announced
Aug. 29 the creative teams for The
Grand Theatre's 1994-95 Mains tage
season.
Marti Maraden will direct the
season opener, Noel Coward's Hay
Fever, with the set and costumes
designed by Patrick Clark and
Louise Guinand will design the
lighting. Ms Maraden directed /
Ought To Be In Pictures at The
Grand last season. Mr. Clark
previously designed Wrong For
Each Other, and Ms Guinand, who
has contributed to more than 30
Grand productions, most recently
designed the lighting for Shirley
Valentine in 1991.
Hay Fever is being presented in
association with Canadian Stage
Company.
Jane Wagner's The Search For
Signs of Intelligent Life in the
Universe marks the return of
director Miles Potter, who directed
A Christmas Carol in both 1992-
and 1993. Mr. Potter will be joined
by newcomer Warren Carrie who
will design the set, costumes and
lighting for the production.
Originally produced by the Belfry
Theatre (Victoria, BC), The Search
For Signs of Intelligent Life in the
Universe is co-remounted by the
National Arts Centre English
Theatre (Ottawa) and The Grand
Theatre.
Distinguished actor and former
Grand Theatre opens
doors for Open House
Martha Henry, artistic director of
The Grand Theatre, announced
Aug. 29 the details of an Open
House which will be held on
Sunday, Sept. 11 from 12 noon to
5 p.m.
The open house will captivate
both young and old alike with its
colourful displays, demonstrations,
entertainment, refreshments, mock
auditions, a giant poster sale and
advance subscription opportunity.
During the open house
subscriptions for the 1994-95
season will be available in the main
lobby of the theatre. This will
afford those attending the first
opportunity to scout out a seat in
the theatre, talk to staff about the
playbill and purchase subscriptions
prior to the opening of the single
ticket box office to the general
public the following day (Monday,
Sept. 12).
Ms Henry, the staff, and Grand
Theatre volunteers will be on hand
to guide the public on backstage
walking tours for a behind-the-
scenes glimpse of The Grand
Theatre. Take a closer look at some
costumes, see a few set models on
display, watch a demonstration on
stage properties, check out the
dressing rooms, step on The Grand
Stage, experience a light and sound
show, learn about the fascinating
history of the theatre and maybe
even run into its resident ghost,
Ambrose Small!
A bus will whisk the adventure
some off to the Neptune Crescent
location of the Carpentry Shop and
Costume-Prop Warehouse where
an array of items will be shown,
including the almost complete set
for The Grand's season opener, Hay
Fever. These are just a few of the
free activities in store
Town Crier Sir Justin Time (Bill
Paul) will add a theatrical ambience
to the event. Members of the public
will also provide their own
entertainment by participating in
"mock auditions" being staged in
the McManus by Grand Theatre
Artistic Associate Charlie Thom-
linson. Laff Guards will entertain
the young folk with clowns, face
painting and balloon animal
creations.
Theatre enthusiasts can lop off
the day by purchasing a poster from
The Grand's vast collection of
production posters that span the
past 10 seasons.
Grand Theatre Artistic Director
William Hutt will direct Paul
Ledoux's adaptation of Frances
Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret
Garden. Designers John Thompson
and Charlotte Dean, who designed
the sets and costumes respectively
for both Ned Durango Comes to
Big Oak and A Christmas Carol
(1992 and 1993) return.
Stratford Festival lighting
designer Michael J. Whitfield also
returns to The Grand, where he
designed the lighting for Wrong
For Each Other in 1993.
Martha Henry will direct David
Mamet's Ole anna, with the set and
costumes designed by Astrid
Janson and the lighting designed by
Kevin Fraser. Ms Janson's exten
sive list of Grand Theatre design
credits include The Miracle
Worker, Dancing at Lughnasa and
The Stillborn Lover, among others.
Mr. FraSer's previous Grand
credits include Dial M for Murder,
The Affections of May and The Odd
Couple.
Larry Lewis marks his Grand
Theatre debut as director for The
Rez Sisters. Mr. Lewis directed the
original production of his Thomson
Highway play for Act IV Theatre
and Native Earth Performing Arts
Inc. in 1986. John Thompson will
return to design the set and
Stratford Festival designer Debra
Hanson will design the costumes.
Artistic Director Martha Henry
will direct Neil Simon's Broadway
Bound. Joining her will be Phillip
•Silver, a veteran designer of more
than 20 Grand Theatre productions,
who returns to design the set and
lighting. Mr. Silver originated the
set for the Jerome Family Brooklyn
home when he designed Brighton
Beach Memoirs for The Grand in
1986, also directed by Ms Henry.
Debra Hanson will design the
costumes.
Casting will be announced in the
near future.
FITNESS IS FUN
Exercise classes with Drusilla Leitch
Starting
September 20 at 8 p.m. «
/fl
Brussels
Public School Gym
See You There! f M
Bring your step and weights V
By John Schedler
I guess with all the activity surrounding back to school, home video
companies are not offering any big new releases this week, but there are
still some interesting titles on store shelves.
Heading a list of classic movies are the computer colourized Shirley
Temple films from Fox Video, available for under $20 each. The titles
include The Little Colonel, Curley Top, The Littlest Rebel and Heidi.
Also worth a look is a newer, almost three hour version of Heidi
($22.95) from the folks at Disney. Originally shown on The Family
Channel, this critically acclaimed movie was actually filmed on location
in the Austrian countryside and stars Jason Robards, Jane Seymour and
Patrician Neal.
With Lassie now back on the big screen almost every previous film
version is now on home video. The best of course is Lassie Come Home
($19.95) a wonderful 1943 technicolour movie about a poor family forced
to sell their dog, who endures a tortuous journey in an effort to return to
them. The first rate cast includes Roddy McDowell, Donald Crisp,
Edmund Gwenn and a beautiful fresh faced young girl by the name of
Elizabeth Taylor.
For fans of the television Lassie, Sony Video is offering four shows on
two cassettes starring John Provost as Timmy. I for one would be more
interested in seeing the original series from 1954 starring Tommy Rettig,
Jan Clayton and George Cleveland.
Most baby boomers and rock music fans will love the 25th anniversary
edition of Woodstock **** (Warner - $29.95/Laserdisc $54.95). This
digitally remixed, remastered and restored version features 40 extra
minutes of never-before-seen footage. Both the cassette and laserdisc are
presented letterboxed which restores the movie's original triple screen
dimensions.
Cartoon fans, especially those who love the animated chaos of golden
age Warners Brothers' "toons", will enjoy Animaniacs **** (Warner -
$12.95). This wacky five-volume set of bizarre and hilarious cartoons
produced by Steven Spielberg for the Fox television network is a cut
above standard run-of-the mill kid's shows. Recommended for viewers
from six to 60 or even older.
The Walt Disney family film collection expands with the addition of
two new to video features. Davy Crockett and the River Pirates ***
($22.99) stars Fess Parker as Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as Georgie
Russel, his trusted friend in this fun frontier adventure. In Island at the
Top of the World **1/2 ($22.99) a wealthy English gentleman mounts an
expedition in a giant airship to a volcanic Nordic island in an effort to find
his missing son.
Thresher^
pp
Blyth, Ontario
33rd Anniversary
Finlay MacDonald and his son, George, from Lucknow, Ontario with their
George White Engine 1919 - Photo taken at Blyth Show.
THIS WEEKEND
SEPTEMBER 9,10,11
Fair Grounds
Blyth, Ontario
-------------------------------ADMISSION--------------------------------
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
8:00 AM
Elementary Student Activity Day, Senior Citizens & Handicapped Day.
Admission for Senior Citizens & Handicapped - $2.00 (Friday Only).
SATURDAY, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10-11
8 AM - 6 PM
Admission: $4.00 per person. Members must have 1994 membership.
Children - 12 & under - $1.00. Children - 12 & under accompanied by an
adult - Free.
Belgrave Kinsmen
Calendar Draw
Aug. 28, Bill & Marg Hallahan,
Blyth; Aug. 29, John & Marylou
Perron, Orillia; Aug. 30, Ken
Scott, Kincardine; Aug. 31,
Norma McDowell, London; Sept.
1, Ron Broome, Seaforth; Sept. 2,
Robert Cook, Holland Centre;
Sept. 3, John & Mary Lou
Pcrrott, Orillia.
Other new and unpreviewed rental titles include, New Eden
(MCA/Universal) a futuristic sci-fi adventure set in a prison colony on a
remote desert planet. (Rated R)
Young Americans (Live/MCA) stars Harvey Keitel as a tough L.A. cop
who is sent to England to clean up a vicious gang of drug dealers. (Rated
R)
In Faraway, So Close (C/FP) an angel becomes earth-bound after saving
a little girl's life. The cast includes Willen Dafoe, Peter Falk, Nastassja
Kinski and former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev. (Rated PG)
|^i^e£j^^^^8ROUGHTTOYOUBV~j
J.R.'S GAS BAR &
TAKE OUT LTD.
Brussels new releases this week 887-6951
Schindler's List, Thumbelina, Blank Check, Major League 2, On Deadly Ground, Grumpy Old
Men, Lightning Jack, Romeo is Bleeding, Beethoven's 2nd, Reality Bites, Blink, Searching for
Bobby Fisher, D2: The Mighty Ducks, Blue Chips, 4 Weddings and a Funeral, 8 Seconds
Children's Movies 99e Regular Movies $1.49 New Releases $2.49
ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
4:30 pm - Parade Review
’’Auditorium - 7:00 pm - Jamboree
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
1:00 pm - Fiddle Competition
’Second Stage -12:00 noon
Tiffins Old Tyme Band
1:00 pm - Opening Ceremonies
4:30 pm - Parade Review
Auditorium - 9:00 pm - 1:00 am - Dance to Joe Tiffins Orchestra
Brussels Pipe Band Performing on Grounds
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Main Stage -10:30 am - 12:00 noon
Church Service and Gospel Music
Dave Chittick, M.C.
2:00 pm - Step Dance Competition
Second Stage - 12:00 - 4:00 pm
Bill Ridout's Backup Group
4:30 pm - Parade Review
Hot Meals available in
upstairs auditorium Concession
Stands on Grounds
Blyth Fire Department Pancake
Breakfast Saturday & Sunday -
7:30 am -11:00 am. Transportation
available from main gate to fire hall.
"We'll see you in Blyth this Weekend"