The Citizen-Blyth Festival 2002, 2002-06-05, Page 12Both she and Johns based their
characters on two of Ted's favourite
relatives.
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The hard way
For the 1977 production of He Won't Come in From The Barn,
the cows had to be hoisted into the theatre on a forklift. That's
Ted/Aylmer guiding their progress as any good farmer should.
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PAGE 12. BLYTH FESTIVAL SALUTE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2002.
Aylmer and Rose have entertained for many nights
Going back to the 'Barn'
Ted Johns' character of Aylmer Clark has been a recurring role for him for 25 years, but this year
he's taking on new territory with a new script that deals with up-to-the-minute issues.
Continued from page 11
never realized.
That first Blyth production of
"Barn" also produced one of the few
times Ted Johns may ever have been
upstaged. Even the cows had to take
a backseat in that production to a
rooster. Raised by Festival actor Jim
Schaefer, the rooster seemed to have
picked up a little stage presence
from its owner and soon tried to
make the show its own. Every night
as the stage lights came up, it
apparently thought it was morning
and started crowing. The audience
loved it but the crowing disrupted
the show.
It was decided the rooster could
no longer have free-run of the stage
during the show so each night before
the show began, Ted would come
out and capture the bird and put him
into a cage.
The rooster wasn't about to give
up his moment in the limelight
easily, however, and it became more
and more difficult each night for Ted
to capture the bird. This led to pre-
show entertainment for the audience
that was a great warm-up act for the
show.
By the time He Won't Come In
From The Ram was remounted in
the early 1980s, getting cattle in and
out of the theatre was made much
easier due to the construction of the
north wing of Memorial Hall with its
wheelchair ramp and the cattle could
come out of the theatre every night
and spend their non-stage time in a
real barn down the street.
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When Janet Amos, returned as
artistic director of the Festival in the
early 1990s following the financial
crisis at the theatre, she turned to He
Won't Come In From the Barn again
for a financial boost the theatre
needed to get back on its feet.
Audiences flocked back to see
Aylmer and the cows (though the
chicken used this time was much
more shy).
The 1990s run of the play
produced another story when a calf
was born to one of the cows after a
show.
Amos, who returns as Rose for
Bamboozled, has played Aylmer's
wife Rose in the productions of the
1980s and 1990s. She also took Rose
to Ireland for My Wild Irish Rose.