Times Advocate, 1997-08-06, Page 13v 1: i t
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Second Section August .6, 1997 L
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Huron Country Playhouse Theatre School
- a dramatic option for summer fun
,•
' By Kate Monk
T -A Reporter
GRAND BEND- If you are searching for happy, energetic,
extroverted children this summer, visit the theatre school at
• `the Huron -Country Playhouse.
Last,week's class of eight to 10 -year olds were performing •
their creation Cinder and Ella on Friday afternoon. •
.Throughout, the week the students learned new skills which
they used to write and produce the.play.they call their own._
The week long theatre school includes physical and vocal
warm ups, improvisational exercises and games, puppetry,
, mask work, stage fighting, backstage tours, set copstruction,
voice work, songs and games., •
Danielle Christmas of Exeter, a participant in the school,
agreed theprogram was a lot of fun.
"My mom asked me if .1 wanted to come and I said 'Yes',"
explained Christmas.
Sheila Dougall, the Playhouse director of .
communications,.said"'The kids really enjoy it and make a
lot of friends."
, She explained two girls from different parts of Ontario
who attended last summer's school kept in touch
throughout the year via e-mail and made.sure'they were in .
the same dass.this year.
This is Luisa Appolloni's first year of leading the summer
At left, the class of seven -to 10 -year
olds used their new skills to write
and produce their own production of
Cinder and Ella. The young actors
performed their play to family and
friends on Friday afternoon.
Above, le
:?der Luisa: Appolloni applies
r,aF�'-vp to Danielle Christmas of -
Exeter prior to :the Friday afternoon
performance of Cinder and Ella, 'the
highlight of tileweek long ;Huron
'Country Playhouse Theatre Schoel. .
long school, A few years ago, Appolloni-Was the assistant
, director for Oliver at'the Playhouse: Along with assistants
Joyce Fell and Salvatorie Pace, they try their best to harness
the children's energy while allowing them to have.
a lot of -tun: . '-
Appolloni is a professional actor and director
and -has been teaching for several years..Living in
Toronto, she says being in the Grand Bend area for
the summer "is lovely There s nosmog, no
traffic." -
the feel of the actual stage where they'll be performing.
The facilities allow the children tosee all aspects of a
performance. By touring the paint shops and stage
construction areas, they can see thetechnicians in action and
perhaps decide a career in set design is a better match for
their skills than acting. -
"They get to see thisis what the real world is like,"
expressed Appolloni.,
Students range in age from four to 16. Many build -on their
skills by returning in later years. In list week's class, the
students were from -Exeter, Crediton, Parkhill, Markdale,
Stratford; Toronto,and the United States.
"Some of these ltids have been coming for three or four
years. They come back again and again. Some of these kids
go on to perforin on the main stage. If they fee! comfortable
enough, they may try out for the various productions," she
said.
Appolloni was quick to point out what she thought was -
inost important about theatre school.
"I like the fact they canfree up their,imagination and just
enjoy playing. Nowadays, unfortunately, most of them have
forgotten how to play. Everything is prepackaged for them,
whether it's on_video, computers, movie land, it always
features.those stock characters on screen. If you -can free them
up and explore beyond that and -allow them to find out more
about themselves, I'm happy. I'm not saying 'Please get into
the business, because it's a hard life.I wouldn't recommend
it for everybody. Just enjoy the process." "
The skills the students are learning`wih also helpthemin -
life. ,..
"We're not
- ; turning them
into 'actors.
We,'re. just
giving them an
According'to Appolloni; Huron Country added
Playhouse is an ideal setting for theatre school dimension they
because it's in the environment where -child `ren can •can' take with
see what theatre life is like and take advantage of
the extensive facilities. .
She uses her wide range of s'kills to meet the
needs of the budding, young actors.
"Because I'm'aprofessional actor and director, I
can bring my experience and introduce them to various
aspects of the theatre life," she said, adding, "Particularly for
the smaller kids, if they're afraid to give themselves a
characterization oral voice, by giving them a puppet or. a -
mask, they can project those feelings onto those objects. And -
then they don't feel so inhibited."
With the new full-scale rehearsal area, students can get •
them for the
of their
lives."
rest
Sweet voices mark marriage musical
By Craik Bradford Fact' and Agnes' 'Flaming Agnes' where they both
T A ikRBradford
r • get to show off their wide ranges and have some
fun: Matheson's arrogant vanity in .'Fact' is a riot.
white Finlay vamps It up in 'Flaming'. even adding
f;RAND71JEND` 1 LeaWirit musical-thratrc-trr-some-bumping--and grinding: Both -,sings -are -done
make marriage's ups and downs fun. - • with playful bravado and put a humorous spin on a
That's exactly what Huron Country Playhouse's / not -so -funny situation cheating on your mate.
• Do.' 11)ci' A Musical About Marriage by Tom Jones`` Other enjoyable nuggets include .Agnes' 'Some -
and .Harvey. Schmidt is thanks to the talents of. W.J. thing Has Happened' where she instantly becomes
• Matheson and Melo dee Finlay. nine months pregnant (you have to sec the trick
The musical, taking place he- .� - yourself) and the pair's hilari-
.taeen 1899 and 1950, fi►llows ous off -tune sax and clarinet on
the marriage of a couple from ' r 'When the Kids Get Married'..,
moments before the wedding to f.? Of note was Michael's re -
their golden years. it sweetly .. sponse to a fan's love poems in -
(and sometimes not so sweetly) , spired by Agges: "Dear sir. I've
tackles issues just about every - read your poems twice. 1 advise
couple during that time faced. • you to do the same."
from .those annoying habits that a Another nice touch was the
drive each other crazy. to money couple's fast forwarding to old
problems. ,to 'child rearing and age during the last song, 'This
even infidelity. House'. where they apply their
While setting the musical in own make-up and costume
the Playhouse's small, intimate changes.
stage iI is perfect to showcase There were a few lighting and
Matheson's and Finlay's strong, sound glitches, but they weren't
brilliant voicccs, it isn't the best enough to ruin director David
1 do. W.J. Matheson as Mi -
venue for stage design. Thc set is Nairn's spin on The enjoyable
quaint at best, not upto the pro- chael, left, and Melodee Finlay
q pmusical based on the 1947 play
fessional • standards the Play-
as Agnes star in Huron Country The Four otter byJan deHarto
house consistently .delivers.
Playhouse's , Do! 1 Dol A Mu- The first production of The F'ourr-
While the props and costumes sleet About Marriage. poster by Thc Playwrights'
are of lop quality, neither con- Company at the Ethel Barrymore
veyed well the advancement In eras the couple ex- Theatre in New York City in 1952 featured the late
perience. Jessica Tandy as Agnes and Hume Cronyn as Mi -
But the 18 songs are played with great gusto by chael.
music director Stephen Woodjetts and his crew. if you go
Matheson as Michael has a killer voice and has 1 Do! I Do! A Musical About Marriage runs until
mass charm. even when he's being bad. Finlay as Saturday at Huron Country Playhouse's stage i1. To
Agnes matches Matheson's skill with a stellar set of reserve tickets or for more information, calf the
pipes herself. • Box Office at (519) 238-6000 or 1-800-706-6665.
Highlights include Michael's 'It's A Well Known
•
"We're not turning them into actors. We're just ,
giving them an added dimension they can take
with them for the rest of their lives."
Appolloni's faniily is a good example. With a
mother as an actor, she and her siblings all
learned flow to act as children: However, she's the
only one who madeit a profession. '
'However, they have taken with them the
ability to speak in front of people and articulate
-properly. It life you'always have to be able to go
with the flow and 'improv' games teach them
how to do that,", she explained. -
Organizers inly nearly 140 children attend the.
Playhouse theatre school each summer during the
eight-week period. There are stili openings in the
age 11-12 and 12-16 sessions in August. The sessions which
are a five full days cost $100 per student. •The week-long, 1 /2=
day sessions for four and five-year-old children is $55 and
also have openings. To enroll/call the Huron Country
Playhouse at 519-238-8387 and ask for Tammy.
"It's an experience we provide for tate community, but it
also gives (children) something different to do,"_said
Dougall.
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