The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-08-03, Page 22'PAGE 9A—GODERICH.S OVAL -STAR, THUR : )AY, AUGUST 3, 1978
You don't have to be
Not too many actresses
starting out to play the
role of a "crazy" woman .
say they enjoy it because
"I feel- it's close to me,"
but Karen Weins„does.- _
Ka'n tackles one ' of
�e
the most challenging
dramatic roles ever at
the Blyth Summer
Festival when she plays
the title role in Gwen-
doline, a drama about an
eccentric town woman
around the turn of the
century. Gwendoline„
Karen says, isn't really
crazy, though she is a
little unbalanced through
a traumatic childhood
experience.
What makes her
"crazy” is that she
doesn't conform to how
other people think she
should behave.
"You are what you are
in other people's eyes,"
Karen says. "If we could
act without` worrying
about social pressures,
we'd all be Gwen-
dolines."
Gwendoline, by James
Nichol, is set in the
mythical Ontario town of
Kingforks in 1907 and
deals with themes of
intollerance, love .and
jealousy. It provides a
challenging role for
Karen to play the com-
bination of innocence and
mystery that surrounds
Gwendoline.
As a small town girl
herself from a strict
Mennonite upbringing in
Dundern, Saskatchewan,
Karen feels she has a
special understanding of
the character. The play,
she says, is about people
hiding their true selves
from each ` other, but
because Gwendoline
doesn't hide, she's judged
by the other people of her
town.
The other characters
are so caught up in what
other people think, that
they can't be themselves.
"It's also a play about
what love can do to
people," Karen says,
"and the fact that
Gwendoline, being so free
and open, could reach out
and touch other people
and help them."
While some , people
might see the play as an
indictment of small town
life, Karen, a small -
towner herself, says it's a
play about people and
could have taken place
anywhere, not just in a
small town. Small towns
are good places to set
The woman behind.....
• from''page 1 A
admits, but being a
seasonal operation does
have some drawbacks too
in that there is a large
turn -over of staff, who
must be re-trained every
summer.
"It's really helpful if
you have the same
workers for more than a
season because they
know, where things are
and how they are run,"
she says.
For instance, the box
office girl has been with
the Playhouse for three
years now and Barbara
can relax in that area,
knowing that this girl is
completely capable of
handling box office
responsibilities.
The box office,
however, is Just one small
part of Barbara's job as
Director of Operations.
_Sbe_stil.l. does, P. payroll
and looks after all the
Pla-yhouse's revenue
making sure the box
office is always balanced.
"At least now we have
a production manager so
I don't have to worry
about wood and nails and
money for that too," she
says.
Barbara must also
keep on top of equity
(actors' union) rules and
fill out contracts. Her job
is somewhat of a
diplomatic one in that she
must make sure the
actors''needs are met.
"We have an unique
situation here where we
house some of the actors
and actresses for three or
four weeks and some for
as long as 12," says
Barbara.
Artists tend to be very
tempermental, she says
and she must make sure
their stay is satisfactory:
In this regard, she must.
also oversee the -kitchen
operations where two
cooks prepare three
meals a day for the
company.
"I don't envy their jobs.
I hate to cook so James
and I take all our meals
at the Playhouse kit-
chen," she says. "At the
end of the season it
means I have to go back
to cooking again."
Barbara also helps do,
paperwork for grants for
the „Playhouse.
Sometimes these grants
are difficult to obtain but
at least now, in its
seventh season, the
Playhouse does get some
recognition for what it
has, accomplished, she
says.
Barbara has also
helped to cultivate an
audience or ` fhe
Playltonse which is now
experiencing sell-out
crowds for most per-
formances. However, she
credits the publicity
people with this. It takes,
a long time to cultivate an
audience....and.._..being
located in Grand Bend
means concentrating on
drawing people from
around a 60 mile radius.
"We want local people
to feel comfortable
here," says Barbara who
believes there is a
misconception about
theatre that says plays
must deliver a message
and are only for cultured
audiences.
"We get everything
from long gowns to blue
jeans here," sbe says to
prove that theatre can be
enjoyed by all.
As if to show just how
busy Barbara Murphy is,
the phone begins to ring
and people pop in and out
of her office depositing
items on her desk and
asking questions on a
variety of topics.
NEVIN
reak in this action,
allows Barbara, to talk a
bit about her little boy.
"I.'m .finding it_ tough
this year. I'm torn as to
where my place should be
-- here at the office or at
home with Nevin when
he's at such an "im-
presionable age," she
says.
However, after going
through three babysit-
ters, she says she' has
, finally found a good
reliable live-in sitter who
she is satisfied with. The
fact that the Murphys live
right next door to the
Playhouse also helps
because it means that
Nevin can visit his
parents at their work or
Barbara can take a break
and visit •him and •is also
nearby in case of
emergencies.
The Murphys didn't.
always live in the house
next door. It was only
built recently. Previous
to that, they lived in the
white frame house on the
Playhouse complex. They
had the whole house in
winter but in summer,
they had to pack up all
their belongings and
move into the part of the
house which was actually
the wood -shed in order to
make room for the
threatre company who
were housed there while
working.
"It was tough and when
I got pregnant it was an
impossible situation,"
says Barbara. That's
when she and James
decided theyhad to move
elsewhere.
"Our new house offers
a nice psychological
break. Living in the other
house right on the
Playhouse property was
SAVE ENERGY
and
$
Insulate U.P. Foam
& Fiber Insulation
Serving Huron County
1$ years
COMPARE...CONTACT
STEWART'S
ALUMINIUM &
INSULATION
20/ Huron Rd. Gaderiih
414101.
524-8821
like being at the
Playhouse 24 hours atlay.
Now I can get away from
it," she says.
Two summers ago, it
was a difficult summer
for James while she was
pregnant, says Barbara.
She had to spend several
months in hospital and
James had to do a lot of
her administrative work.
While he is quite capable
of doing this work, his
interests really lie in the
artistic area.
"We make a very
workable team," says
Barbara. "I'm more
interested in the ad-
ministrative side of
things while James likes
the artistic side."
She says she has never
had any aspirations to act
on stage. Before meeting
James, she had no
background in theatre at
all... and -classified -herself
as only "a casual play-
goer"'in Toronto.
"I have nothing but
admiration for actors
who can get up on stage
and perform in front of all
those people. I'd be
terrified," she says.
In fact, she continues,
she has this recurring
dream that someone is
pushing her out onto the
stage and telling her she
must perform and not
knowing what to say.'
She laughs. Maybe this
does mean that deep
down inside ,..
de she wanfs°to
act, she says. She has
come to love both the
theatre and her job. It's
not boring because it's
never the same, she says.
And every opening night,
she still finds herself
getting very excited
knowing that, in her own
way, she has helped get
another production un-
derway.
Those who visit the
Playhouse to see the
various performances,
only see the actors on
stage and realize the
work that has gone into
the . memorization, of
lines, etc., in preparation
for the plays. But next
time, they should think of
all those "behind the
scenes" people who keep
the Playhouse running
smoothly and help build
up its reputation year
after year. They should
think of Barbara and
James Murphy. What a
team.
PROCLAMATION
To the Citizens
of the
Town of Goderich
As directed by resolution
of the Municipal Council
hereby Declare
MONDAY, AUG. 7th, 1978
A Civic and Public Holiday
and call upon aIi citizens
to govern themselves accordingly.
D.J. (Deb) Sh9wfeIt
Mayor
plays because they are a
microcosm of the wider
world, bringing all
elements of society into
sharper focus.
For Karen, being back
in a small town this
summer at Blyth bas
been a happy experience.
When she moved in from
Toronto, where she has
been living the past few
years, the 23 -year --old
actress said she could
feel like a giant burden
had been taken off her
shoulders. Just having
the clean air, the space,
the sky, was an uplifting
experience. Growing up
on a farm, she says,
nature is a huge part of
her life.
Acting seems a strange
occupation for a girl from
a 'Mennonite background
in a Saskatchewan far-
ting. community, but it
was at .a Mennonite
;boarding school in
2osthern, Sack;:, That she
caught the theatre bug
from a teacher.
Later She 'studied .at
rplaees swill a tthe nit
Sehonl tttgiagaareautdhe-
1 ake, ailti'wwo ketL atsslltih
' Am:.wstern t:O-Tr adliiam
theatres as Mitt `Stmt
.EIouse Lin $aak:ttoon .anti
11ersaritune '11Ehaa rr e;
*trete s33ae itt►u at1 lin tit*
eitFersesdfa.il gretautttirm
tt nettra.l erwax&im
1Tarmtto hhtts Imam rmxa;.4tly
sw tth free IPaszwe
5Mt ra:il.it.
ftsveaspeatappriv
ftistossanmunuen
MISSIBSIKAAMMEIR
HIGHWAY 1 SOUTH
Ciarnm '
irmalikeena Saks
strunal
1111111.1(7
elpun /Rand*,Sag.71--11MA
A&P
MET.
FURNITURE WORLD
NAKAMURA GUARDIAN
PHARMACY
SANDY'S ;A<
GARB & GEAR
CHILDREN'S
SHOPPE
GODERICH PET SHOP
ORMANDY'S JEWELLERY
IRENE HILL
SOUND CENTRE
TD BANK
CAMEO HAIRSTYLING