The Citizen, 2001-07-18, Page 18Dress maker
Designer Charlotte Dean has created a costume to portray
a whimsical and magical creature in the next show to open
at the Blyth Festival, Corner Green. (Mark Nonkes photo)
Peter Findlay brings woodworking
to K-W's Schneider Haus Museum
MS lives here.
MS is the most common neurological
disease affecting young adults in Canada.
MIlia Society of Canada
e Multiple Sclerosis
1.800-268.7582 www.mssociety.ca
(Wytif geaivett
Cd
presents
July 12 - Sept. 2
CRUEL TEARS
By Ken Mitchell
Music by Humphrey & the
Dumptrucks
Let your toes keep time with
the music as you get swept
away in this classic Canadian
musical
Media Sponsor:
519-523-9300
1-877-862-5984
www.blythfestivalcom
r gOAct rnor. Ftk' Y n.11, VArr--
PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2001.
Designer brin
s love of abstract to Hagge
Peter Findlay, 1995 Folk Artist-in-
Residence returns to .Joseph
Schneider. Haus Museum on Sunday,
July 22 from 1 - 4 p.m. with his latest
adventure in woodworking.
Findlay has just completed a com-
missioned work of art and the public
is invited to a special open house to
see it.
This scale model of a 1931
Chrysler Imperial is 52" long. He
used 12 species of wood and has
devoted 1,000 hours to this
project.
The Joseph Schneider Haus
Museum is located at 466 Queen St.
S. in Kitchener. Call 742-7752 for
more information.
By Mark Nonkes
Citizen staff
Charlotte Dean thinks in abstract
terms; it's a requirement, for design-
ing.
When developing the costumes for
Corner Green, the next show to open
at the Blyth Festival, abstract think-
ing was exactly what the show called
for.
In the show there is a dream-like
character called the Hagge, a charac-,.
ter who haunts an old man and is
described as a hangnail.
When designing a character there
is a process a designer goes through,
Dean said. It starts with reading the
script and talking with the director.
A good exercise when creating a
character is to think of the character
in terms of adjectives, Dean said.
Name all the things the character can
be described as, then narrow it down
to one word. That one word is some-
thing that should be translated to
stage.
The same process can be used with
an animal. The animal process was
key to designing the Hagge.
The Hagge is very bird-like, Dean
said. On the costume are bits of
From July 25 to 28, some of the
continent's best ragtime, blues and
boogie-woogie music will be enter-
taining the crowds as Theatre on the
Grand in Fergus hosts its annual
Ragtime Festival.
Perennial favourite Bob Milne will
be presenting all six performances
along with guest artist Sue Keller.
A professional pianist from Lapeer,
Michigan, Milne is well known
throughout North America as a rag-
time pianist, and holds a degree in
Music Performance (French horn)
from the 'Eastman School of Music.
In his 30 years of performing, Milne
has written over 40 piano rags, as
well as many original classical com-
positions, including two concertos:-
Since appearing at Theatre on the
Grand last October, Milne has com-
pleted another trans-continental tour
which took him from Boston to the
west coast and many points in
between. In December he spent a
week in Japan on a tour that included
a concert in Kanancho, in the district
of Tohoku; a concert at the American
School in Japan (Tokyo), where his
ragtime and boogie-woogie delighted
Americans and Japanese alike; and
the highlight of the trip was when he
had the honour of accompanying
Kosen Kagami, mater of the ancient
Japanese art of temple juggling.
The Ragtime Festival runs per-
formances at 8 p.m. daily, and an
additional 2 p.m. matinee on
Check out The Citizen's
WEBSITE
at www.northhuron.on.ca
Celebrate the International Year
of the Volunteer by coming out
to a Habitat for Humanity build.
NQrries 13 /4,44,._
9 -4\0)
Habitat for Humanity
For more information on
Habitat for Humanity
and to contact your nearest
affiliate, contact us at
1-800-667-5137
Email: habitat@habitat.ca
www.habitat.ca
feathers to represent the island feel
of the story, as it is set in
Newfoundland.
"She is as old as time and always
present. There is lots of stuff and
fluff that she has picked up along the
way," Dean said.-
A character sketch is made after
the colours, texture, form and look of
the costume is weighed. .The magi-
cal and whimsical character of the
Hagge is wonderfully portrayed
through the rich and unique costume.
"Another designer could take this
project and come up with an entirely
different Hagge," Dean said.
Plans from the original sketches
changed when Dean and head of
wardrobe Julia Hale went shopping
for fabric. A green algae-like materi-
al jumped off the rack.
Since the material was stretchy it
allowed for a lot of movement in the
costume. The flexibility was tested
when actress Susan Hogan came in
for a fitting. In a fitting, an actor
tests the costume out before it is used
on stage and recommends changes
that need 'to be made. The outfit
needs to work on stage.
For Corner Green, Dean not only
focussed on the Hagge's costume but
Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are
$18 for the Wednesday, July 25
evening performance and $21 for the
Thursday and Saturday matinees.
Tickets for the Thursday July 26
through Saturday July 28 evening
performances are $25.
Theatre on the Grand is located at
244 St. Andrew Street, West, in
Fergus and the Box Office may be
reached by calling (519)787-1981.
&cc% & Vac
BECKY EARL &
CHRIS BEUERMAN
Saturday, July 28
8:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Monkton Arena
Age of majority
Lunch provided
Music by DJ
Tickets $6/each
Call 887-6401
the entire cast's costumes and the set.
The play has a unifying colour pal-
let, everything gently works togeth-
er.
"I didn't want the Hagge to clash
with everything," Dean said.
According to Dean there is plenty
of clash that comes out of the
Hagge's mouth that no more was
needed with the costumes.
Dean tries to put a little abstract in
every costume she makes. Whether
it be a hanky or something the audi-
ence can't see, the abstract is usually
there.
"It might seem a bit compulsive
but I think it gives them more full-
ness-and life," Dean said.
This time she honed in on those
abstract skills.
Corner Green, written by
Canadian legend Gordon Pinsent,
opens Thursday, July 14 and runs
until Aug. 11. For ticket information
call the Blyth Festival at 523-9300. "
WEDDINGS
Performed - your location or our
indoor or outdoor chapel
(non-denominational)
For brochure call:
REV. CHRIS MORGAN
ALL FAITHS PASTORAL CENTRE
BENMILLER, 524-5724
CHRISTENINGS Ragtime at Fergus