The Citizen, 2018-5-24, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2018. PAGE 19.
Entertainment & Leisure
Harper marks fifth year as head of audience services
Getting to know you
The Blyth Festival box office is full of smiling faces ready to help theatregoers purchase and
pickup their theatre tickets for the extended 2018 Blyth Festival season. From left: House
Manager Nathanya Barnett who is in her fifth year with the Festival, Box Office Clerk Judith
Hess in her second year, Box Office Clerk Marlayna Kolkman in her fifth year, rookie Box
Office Clerk Jasmine MacAdam and Audience Services Manager Lisa Harper in her fifth year
with the Festival. (Denny Scott photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Lisa Harper is entering her fifth
season as the Audience Services
Manager at the Blyth Festival and
the Blyth resident who grew up in
Huron and Bruce Counties says
she really feels like the village
and the theatre are where she
is meant to be.
Harper only left the area to go to
school and returned soon after,
moving into the village a year and a
half ago.
She said that it's important to be
part of an organization that
endeavours to tell local stories.
"The Festival is the story of us as
Huron County," she said. "It's bigger
than that, though, it tells important
stories."
Harper previously worked at
Community Futures Huron,
previously known as the Huron
Business Development Corporation,
having been a part of that
organization for 14 years. She also
worked for a friend's construction
company and, during some time
between jobs, saw the advertisement
for a position at the Festival and
thought it would be fun.
It wasn't long until she was hired,
despite the warning she received
while being interviewed that people
around the Festival could be a "little
crazy".
"I figured I could fit right in," she
said. "It's worked out really, really
well. A lot of people, when I told
them the story of the interview, said
it sounds like I would fit right in."
Harper said being a part of the
Festival isn't just being a part of a
theatre, it's being part of a
community -driven icon.
"It's good to be part of something
bigger than myself and it just feels
right," she said, adding that she helps
out however she can.
Festival work on stage in Sudbury
John McHenry, formerly of the
Blyth Festival, has taken some of
Blyth with him to the Sudbury
Theatre Centre for his first season as
artistic director.
McHenry, who served as the Blyth
Festival's director of marketing for
several years, left the Festival last
year to take on artistic director
duties at the Sudbury theatre. Last
week, he announced his first season
in the theatre's top job. It will open
with The Ballad of Stompin' Tom.
Happy 60th
Anniversary
May 24th, 2018
Jim & Joan
Chalmers
Love, Christine & Brad,
Dwight & Pam,
Darryl & Lynn, Mike & Kim
& Families
Written by David Scott and
directed by Eric Coates, the show
premiered at the Blyth Festival in
2006 and was remounted the
following year.
The show will open the Sudbury
Theatre Centre's season, running
from Sept. 27 to Oct. 13.
The season continues with Plaid
Tidings: A Special Holiday Edition
of Forever Plaid from Dec. 6-22 and
Here on the Flight Path from Feb. 7-
23, 2019 before another Festival
qpkal
original makes an appearance.
The final show of the theatre's
season will be The Birds and the
Bees by Mark Crawford, which
premiered at the Blyth Festival in
2016 during McHenry's time with
the Festival.
The Birds and Bees is on stage
April 11-27, 2019.
For more information on the
theatre and its 2018/2019 season,
visit sudburytheatre.com.
Harper runs the Festival's annual
used book sale fundraiser, though it
isn't part of her job. She takes her
vacation during the week leading up
to the event and, instead of lounging
somewhere, spends her time sorting
and dusting books and board games.
She said that while her job title is
"Audience Service Manager", there
really is a lot more to it than that.
"I handle volunteer co-ordination
and, really, just whatever ends up on
my desk."
She's also become part of the
solution to the Festival's ongoing
housing problem. Each year, with
more artists involved, it becomes
increasingly difficult to find homes
for them all. This year, Harper is
opening her home to two artists.
Harper said that when it comes to
the Festival and her job in particular,
there is really just theatre season and
preparing -for -theatre season.
"From October to April, there are
six of us in the office, but from May
to September there are 65 to 75
people needing space to get work
done," she said. "It's like a living
thing. The theatre kind of hibernates
during those colder months."
When asked to name the best part
of her job, Harper, without missing a
beat, said it is the patrons of the
theatre.
"The people come through the
door and, in all honesty, they have
stories that may be as interesting as
those on stage," she said. "It helps
that customer service is kind of my
6C` . Wedding, anniuvowup
May 31, 1958
`Bile and .Mu'dee Ccaftej
Come & Go Celebration
Belgrave Community Centre
Sunday, May 27 - 2-4 pm
No Gifts Please
If you wish to make a donation,
please consider a donation to the
Women's Shelter in Goderich
thing, my niche. I've always been in
that role."
While with the Huron Business
Development Corporation, and even
occasionally now that she's at the
Festival, Harper trained others in
customer service, running an
excellence program to help
established and new businesses
know how to deal with customers.
"Eighty per cent of my skills were
learned there and I've brought them
here," she said. "They have
definitely helped and given me
something to teach to the rest of the
box office [staff]."
Harper said the box office staff,
most of whom are only employed
immediately before and throughout
the Festival season, are a great bunch
of young people who usually make
their presence a recurring event. She
said having that kind of consistency
makes for the best customer
relations.
Harper can most often be found,
throughout the season, either
running the box office or managing
the phones in the Blyth Festival
office. She is also at the theatre
during shows helping to make sure
her numerous volunteers have what
they need to get the job done.
Blyth Festival
Orchestra In Concert
Sunday, June 3, 3 pm
St. George's Anglican Church
Goderich, Ontario
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach
Ludwig van Beethoven
Domenico Cimarosa
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Guest Artist: Desmond Gaspar
Admission: $15.00 (adults)
$10.00 (students)
no charge (12 and under)
Tickets at the Blyth Festival Box Office
or pay at the door
GODERICH 519 524 7811
FOR MOVIE INFORMATION...
www.movielinks.ea long distance?7 -800-265-3438
Canadian Theatre
BLYTH
FESTIVAL
June 20 to August 23 I WORLD PREMIERE
�;' THE NEW CANADIAN
CURLING CLUB
i
Written by Mark Crawford
Directed by Miles Potter
From the playwright who gave us The Birds and
The Bees and Stag and Doe, comes a hilarious
For Tickets Call 519.523.9300 Toll Free 1.877.862.5984 or visit blythfestival.com new comedy with a rich heart and fast brooms.
Season Sponsors
eesparlings ► Parkland
FUEL CORPORATION
Season Media Sponsor
OBIT
Co.Production Sponsors
CIEDWARD
FUELS
McGAVINS
•FIIINILY OWNED SINCE
Media Sponsor
C�
101
e