The Citizen-Blyth Festival 2002, 2002-06-05, Page 4McKILLOP MUTUAL
INSURANCE COMPANY
Best Wishes for another great season!
Box 819, 91 Main Street S.
Seaforth, Ontario NOK 1 WO
Office: (519) 527-0400
1-800-463-9204
Fax: (519) 527-2777
Workshops help polish scripts
Continued from page 2
Rounding out the season is the
return of The Drawer Boy. This play
was workshopped in Blyth and was
part of Chislett's third season,
selling out its run. It has since gone
on to phenomenal success. She tried
to remount it last year, but David
Mirvish was doing a national
touring production and while the
Festival would have been allowed to
perform it, they couldn't advertise it,
says Chislett. "That really didn't
seem like a good idea," she says,
tongue firmly planted in cheek, "so
we decided to wait."
Written by Michael Healey, The
Drawer Boy has been lauded by
Time magazine and believes
Chislett, will probably outstrip Peter
Colley's huge success, I'll Be Back
Before Midnight in popularity. "It's
on that level. If people haven't seen
it, it's something not to be missed."
Making it even more special for
Chislett, and Blyth audiences, is the
return to the Festival stage after an
absence of two years of Jerry
Franken. Franken, who created the
role of Morgan in the play, is taking
on the role of Angus for the Blyth
production.
Having once said that she couldn't
imagine a season without Franken,
who has spent almost two decades
of them in Blyth, of this year
Chislett says, "It's great to have him
back."
With this season underway,
Chislett has begun to set the rhythm
for next year. Besides the stacks and
stacks of scripts, insight is also
gained from the workshops done
each year.
Currently development is
happening on The Perilous Pirate's
Daughter, "which is hopefully a
sing-a-long musical"
The story is based on the daughter
of "Canadian pirate" Bill Johnston,
who from 1812 to the 1840s was;
says Chislett, known for "naughty
escapades on the Great Lakes."
The family show is one that
Chislett hopes to be bringing to the
Blyth stage for the 2003 season.
Saying that she's never certain
what plays will be workshopped, the
process basically depends on who's
ready. While there are currently a
few in various stages of
development, Chislett hopes to have
two or three more on the go
depending on how things progress.
For each show a different
approach is taken. Occasionally
there are public readings, sometimes
improvisation, often readings and
discussion. There are also times
when those talks extend to the set
designers and technicians. "There is
room for everyone's vision. Writers
write by themselves, but then in the
workshop it becomes team support.
•Others help express the vision.
Hearing people read your play can
give insight into a character and the
writer often finds out what's left to
do."
Another big benefit of the
workshops is that it gives Chislett
time to think and plan. "The
advantage of doing the plays one or
two years ahead of when we would
produce them is that it gives me the
leisure to try and bring a season's
rhythm as close to perfect as is
humanly possible."
The Blyth Festival
Salute
is produced by
The Citizen
A division of North Huron
Publishing Company Inc.
PO. Box 429, Blyth, ON
NoM 1Ho
Phone 510-523-4792
Fax 519-523-9140
Email:
norhuron@scsinternet.com
•
PAGE 4. BLYTH FESTIVAL SALUTE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2002.
2002 season includes
2 new scripts, 2 past
hits, 1 Canadian classic
THE OUTDOOR DONNELLYS: The sold-out hit of the 2001 season
returns, not in Memorial Hall but outdoors at the Blyth fairgrounds and at
various sites around the village. The huge story of the acrimony that
surrounded Lucan's infamous Donnelly family, and the eventual murder of
five members of the family, is told in eight vignettes by both the professional
company and 40 community members at locations around the village. The
climactic story is told by the professional company at the grandstand show,
complete with charging horses and deadly fire. The Outdoor Donnelly's runs
from June 7-29.
GOODBYE, PICCADILLY: Audience-favourite Janet Amos stars as Bess
Brickley who has run a comfortable country inn "The Spinney" with her
husband Brick for 43 years when circumstances suddenly change her life and
her business. Directed by Diana Belshaw, Douglas Bowie's script delivers
both hilarity and deeply touching moments. It opens the main stage season
and runs in repertory until Aug. 9.
FILTHY RICH: One of George F. Walker's early plays fills the Festival's
"Canadian Classic" slot for 2002. Randy Hughson stars as Tyrone Power, a
reporter who has retired to write a novel but gets dragged into a murder
mystery that's filled with leggy dames, fearsome thugs and a loveable
deadbeat. Filled with comedy and witty surprises, Filthy Rich also features
the return of Jerry Franken to the Festival after a two-year absence. It's
directed by Linda Moore. It opens July 11 and runs until Aug. 10.
BARNBOOZLED: HE WON'T COME IN FROM THE BARN, PART
II: Ted Johns returns as Aylmer Clark, the reclusive farmer who retreated to
his barn because of the state of the 1,orld in Johns' original play. Now Aylmer
tackles issues of modern farming such computerized combines and
genetically-altered organisms. Johns' real-life wife Janet Amos returns as
Aylmer's on-stage wife Rose. Bamboozled opens Aug. 6 and runs in
repertory until Aug. 31.
THE DRAWER BOY: Michael Healey's international smash hit is back
where it began as a workshop presentation as The Drawer Boy, which sold
out in 2000, returns to Blyth. Based on the creation of The Farm Show in
nearby Clinton in 1972, The Drawer Boy tells what happens when a young
actor, researching a part in that legendary show, visits two old farmers and
begins asking questions that eventually upset their lives. The play is
hysterically funny one moment, touching the next. Jerry Franken for whom
the role of Morgan was written, and who toured across Canada in the part,
takes the opposite role this time as Angus. Layne Coleman, who produced the
premiere of the play at Theatre Passe Muraille, returns as Morgan, the role he
played in the smash 2000 production. Playing the young' actor is Jamie
Robinson who played "Corker" in the play of the same name in 2000. Eric
Coates directs. The Drawer Boy opens Aug. 8 and continues in repertory until
Aug. 28.
ARCM
61111111111
ROYAL
HOMES
LIMITED
The Loyal'
,,,...s..,„........................„..„. ,.....",,..............„. „,...,,,............„..s,,,,,,,„.....,„...,,,:.:..„\,,.,,,..,,.„,.,.... ,,,„„......k,„„,„,„i„„,k,,s„,..,,,,„i„..,,,_„.,.„.........„„,„„,‘....,,„..a._..,,.....,.,,,,,v. ,,,,„„,„.„,„,.„.„,,..„,.....„,..„,,,,,,,,,„.„,„....„.„,„,,,.„..„,,A„,..........„,„.„...„,, „v...
„...,,,,,„....,,,,,..„.„A„,i,,,,,,,„,„............,...................„„„ .............................,,...,.........................„,..: ..,..,„„...,...„„,,,,,....,„,. Miwilliminkm,Nommahamy IL\ laix,110063111,11MAWAIMIIIIMAIMMINI1011241,\ letalimmommawswekti NAsAlibmvibmcwwimvemmumMelisvism
ukvolowaviammavvasx1
wommsworamtwockveuvosmirommxvommaimisiumummusarima
,c,",,,,,\,,,,wkwaimmam,a,m,,,,mwma,,,,,,aziom 'k"\"'""4‘'"\'"v"rk‘v""A"'""""w""sL\""'mAI" wavolawoevimaxwes.unniekvaroskslownimusxwearawfamiew* .
, Itmetwinnytwirmagawrio,:comioammamawaaarawikvommea ,
l'As"\I"'"Iwer" "Wer"‘`‘‘‘"‘""t"`"Im"°'111"xV wempermws" %%AN\ Akvomuimiwria. Nava:wimp:4mm ,i ‘,,,Nowszomankvimh‘ wkwaimommonwilameamngsmi,
tvw,mswARekvwwwwialikwumktmlval"4"""'"‘" ' ' kvosmommv,vuuwiohmeaviNomammimmesomaimea liXV.MCV4 \MVAIMX‘XVILWX\11.1.111%WkriViaNtal MAW . V.,M.11000M,N,OMIMANMINWIladaMininemk.VOLViikaaaVOM smiix'aionVOEMMARMINKILANAMMillk% lamAlbaleb,WIEV ,........"..,....maavamond., •vv...volg.s.r.‘v.alook ...19s.,:oottaulo.
,.10106.M.A3Netie• Minall.11101111\1111101111111116, 111111W110. 111 NIUMNaiwk.. VoLANXIIMallaWevealliMsne WiNNIMMI1111~11111111111011111111 1.11111111...1111bMitssi.
YOUR LOT, YOUR DREAM, CUSTOM BUILT
Visit the Royal Homes Model and Design Center
in Wingham on Highway #86
1-800-265-3040 or 1-519-357-2444 www.royalhomes.com
18
ba
le,
di
er
st,
w
OI
sr
T
fc
to
t‘