Curtain call - Blyth Festival
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curtain call
YOUR GIFTS AT WORK FOR THE BLY TH FESTIVAL | FALL , 2020
Pandemic or
YES! Outdoor theatre no pandemic,
there will be live
for you next summer theatre in Blyth
next year. And
your safety is our
top concern.
It’s almost certain we won’t be keep you safe, shaded and dry also new: travelling
able to gather in our beloved – and you’ll be able to sit back performance space
theatres any time soon. But and enjoy the great Canadian
experts agree outdoor spaces can theatre you love. We’ll also be In other news, if you can’t get
safely be made socially distant. augmenting existing washroom to Blyth, Blyth will come to you.
So, like restaurants, sporting facilities, and programming Thanks to your amazing support,
events, and family weddings, the performances in the evenings to we’ll also be building a mobile
Blyth Festival is moving outdoors. avoid the hottest part of the day. theatre space for 2021.
We’ve secured a beautiful space Artistic director Gil Garratt is This travelling performance space
near the Blyth Fairgrounds, where excited about the possibilities will bring Blyth shows to town
we’ll build a brand-new outdoor this move will open up for writers, squares, farmers’ fields, and
stage. We’re still working out the designers, and performers. Says playgrounds around the county.
details, but audience members Gil, “For example, one of the We’ll keep you posted as this
may be seated in individual issues we struggled with while project develops.
seating “pods.” Our hope is that developing Lorna Bray [about a See inside for another exciting
these pods will seat two-to-four woman obsessed with airplanes way we plan to bring you live
guests, and that each will have and flying] was this: how do we theatre during unprecedented
its own roof or shade sail. bring the sky into the theatre? times. And thank you so much
Now we have a whole new for all your support – we couldn’t
Alternatively, we may cover the
toolkit for potentially solving dream of doing any of this
entire space with an open-sided
this problem.” without you!
tent. Either way, our aim is to
NEW PLAY OUR SPONSORS : Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative Ltd., Carlyle Peterson LLP, Sparlings 519.523.9300
DEVELOPMENT Propane Ltd., McGavin Farm Equipment, Roberts Farm Equipment, Watsons Home Hardware, Edward 1.877.862.5984
SPONSOR
Fuels Ltd., Foxton Fuels, Orr Insurance & Investments, West Wawanosh Mutual Insurance Co., Trillium blythfestival.com
Mutual Insurance Co., Howick Mutual Ins. Co., Kildonan House B&B, K2 Wind, Falconer Funeral
Home, Royal Canadian Legion 420 & Ladies Auxiliary, RBC, NWMO, McCall MacBain Foundation
Message Dearest Members,
from All around the world theatres
have been silent for months
And in a strange way, I find myself
grateful to see it. For it to be seen.
Artistic now. Everyone from the local
Little Theatres, to Andrew Lloyd
Webber is washing their hands,
We are living in a moment where
sometimes it feels like hope
Director, masking up, and praying for a
way through that lets our stages
comes at a premium, and it seems
easy to despair… but I can’t think
Gil Garratt
of a time in my entire life when
sing and our storytellers
major policy decisions were being
re-ignite. Canada needs its artists
contemplated and informed by
right now. Between Coronavirus,
huge, vital, national headline
Climate Change, Black Lives
conversations about poverty,
Matter, the heartbreaking
race, access, and deeper ideas of
treatment of Joyce Echaquan
justice. And that gives me hope.
in a Quebec hospital, the loss
of ice in the Canadian Arctic, As an artist today I sometimes
the call for us to come together feel paralyzed. But I also feel
has been constant. For artists, a privileged. We are living, together,
community who spends so much in a moment of profound
of our time imagining, we are opportunity for positive change
now living the unimaginable. in the world, and that will, by
necessity, be reflected in our art.
Artists and audiences around
Artistic Director Gil Garratt, in isolation at his
the world are asking: how does I can’t really describe how badly
home farm in Huron County.
theatre respond to this moment? I long to be back in a rehearsal
“We are living Just this morning, one of
the biggest headlines in the
hall. It is an ache like I have never
known. But I do know that I will
in a moment country, was the front cover of
never take the experience for
granted again, and that might
the Globe and Mail business
of profound section declaring that COVID19
be the most valuable gift an artist
can receive: seeing anew the
opportunity for has amplified inequities in our
economy, and the findings from
thing we love the most in
positive change a new BDO/Angus Reid report
cited in the article made clear
this world.
I miss you all.
in the world. that Canada is leaving swaths of – Gil
And that will, the population behind. Similar
articles have appeared since May
by necessity, in major publications across the
country.
be reflected
in our art.”
2
NEW Online Charity Art Auction
get ready to score
gorgeous, one-of-a-kind
artwork, all donated
by our generous local
artists. online charity
auction launches
november 10th at 10 a.m.
One day, Cindy Fisher and Laurel
Armstrong were remembering the
“3x3” charity art auctions held in
Blyth about 20 years ago.
Those events took place in the
Bainton Art Gallery, where guests
were free to share wine and
snacks, and admire the art in
person before placing their bids.
Well, those days are gone. For
now. But Cindy and Laurel
wondered if they could be
recreated virtually.
Thus was born this year’s “10x10
in 2020” an online charity art Volunteer organizers Cindy Fisher & Laurel Armstrong. These women are amazing. Thank you!
auction to support the Blyth
Festival. Local artists have been
hard at work creating brand-new,
original 10”x10” pieces of art,
“C ulture is an absolute necessity
and you’ll be able to bid on them in today’s world, and I’m happy to
starting at 10 a.m. November
10th. Bids will be accepted until support Blyth’s work to enlighten
December 10, and proceeds will
support the Blyth Festival this
us all through music, drama,
winter. comedy and art.” – Bill Creighton, oil and watercolour artist
This is your chance to score some
beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces of And, of course, to you for making
art, patronize local artists, and the magic.
10X10 FOR 2020
support the Blyth Festival. All
All pieces will be delivered or ONLINE ART AUCTION
right before Christmas. Could it F O R B LY T H F EST I VA L
mailed out in time for Christmas
get any better?
(depending on location). Details NOVEMBER 10 TO
Our thanks to Laurel and Cindy to be announced soon. Photos DECEMBER 10, 2020
for taking this on, and to all and bidding instructions will be B LY T H F EST I VA L . C O M
the artists who’ve given so posted live at 10 a.m., Nov. 10th
generously of their talents. at blythfestival.com. Please bid high, and bid
often! Thank you 3
Pandemic Layoffs Force
Goodbyes to 3 Amazing Women
Josie MacDonald has been the
smiling face running floor to
floor throughout Memorial Hall,
helping you find your seats,
get you sorted, and pulling
your winning 50/50 tickets at
intermission. Josie has been a
shining frontline House Manager
for us these last two years, and
brought nothing but patience,
care, and well worn sneakers to
every performance. **Amazingly,
Josie started her relationship
with the Festival as a teenager
in our Young Company!**
Only some of you had good
fortune to connect with Elyse
Critchlow who seamlessly joined
our team in March. Elyse came to
us from the Perimeter Institute,
bringing fundraising and event
Former Blyth Festival front-line team, from left, Lisa Harper, Josie MacDonald and Elyse Critchlow planning expertise, and a genuine
down-to-earth way about her that
The change we are experiencing when you’ve phoned in, and the was an instant fit with Blyth’s
has also brought some hard forks first face you’ve seen when you team. Elyse had exactly 5 days in
in the road. We want to give walked in the door, for over six the office before the pandemic
our enormous thanks to some years now. Lisa has been the sent everyone home.
invaluable people to whom rallying champion of our legion
we’ve had to say goodbye. of volunteers, and her heart has We wish them all the absolute
been the backbone of treating best.
Lisa Harper has been the first
members like community, not
voice most of you have heard
just customers.
519.523.9300 | 1.877.862.5984 | blythfestival.com
4
Your gifts helped create
this exciting new work
playwright marcia johnson on her new script, where
1800’s toronto meets shakespeare’s taming of the shrew
“B lyth donors are inspiring… I promise to write
something that will make them proud.”
Toronto-based playwright Marcia tragedy. I wanted Kate to triumph one of them will be proud they
Johnson spoke to us via Zoom – to be able to speak for herself. helped create.
about Kate and Bianca (working And I wanted to show how much
Marcia’s most recent play,
title), a new play she’s developing damage can be done to someone
Serving Elizabeth, premiered
for Blyth. who’s suppressed this much.
at the Western Canada Theatre
What’s your new play about? In my story, Baptista (the father) in Kamloops, BC right before
Well, it’s about a lot of things. has two daughters. Kate is dark- the pandemic, and has just
But it started out being the story skinned, while Bianca is light. One been published by J. Gordon
of a real-life man named James is sweet and kind, and the other Shillingford. Keep your eyes on
Mink, who lived in Toronto in is less so. this space for news of when Kate
the mid-1800s. Mink was a black and Bianca will appear at Blyth.
Why do you think this story is a
man who became quite wealthy
good fit for Blyth?
and powerful, running several
Blyth audiences are amazing.
successful businesses and serving
They’re sophisticated and
as a city counsellor.
intelligent, and always willing Notice Of Annual
At the same time, I’d been to engage with challenging General Meeting
thinking about a new treatment stories. Plus, since we’re so close
of Shakespeare’s Taming of The to Stratford, I hope many will be Blyth Centre for the Arts,
Shrew. And suddenly I realized familiar with and intrigued by Blyth Festival
I could mash these two stories the Shrew angle.
together, give my character a THURSDAY DECEMBER 10, 2020
What has the support of Blyth at 7:00pm EST
difficult daughter to marry off,
patrons meant to you during this
and come up with something
pandemic? This meeting will be held online.
really interesting.
It is so special for a group of Please email info@blythfestival.com
Why Taming of the Shrew? people to believe in theatre to RSVP and receive
I’d always wanted to do so much that they support it more information.
something with Shrew. It’s beyond the price of their tickets.
All Members are Welcome!
usually played as a comedy, Quite frankly, it’s inspiring. And I
but to me it seems more like a promise to write something every
5
Blyth to build “virtual reality”
performance in 2021
You heard it here first. Blyth personnel. Consumer-level
will build its first-ever “virtual” technology is developing quickly,
production as part of its 2021 and you can now take VR vehicle
season. test drives, go on VR real-estate
tours, or even take a VR recruiting
There’s been a lot of “Zoom
tour with a prospective employer.
theatre” since last spring’s
Can VR theatre be far behind?
lockdown. Zoom performances.
Zoom readings. Zoom-prov We’re still working out the
comedy. details of how to deliver this
programming to you. But it’s
This may be better than nothing.
definitely something we need to
But, in our opinion, it’s a bit flat.
close to replicating the live- explore, so we can always bring
It somehow lacks the spark that
theatre experience. you the great Canadian stories
makes live theatre so magical.
you’ve entrusted us to tell. Stay
Instead, Gil (Garratt) has been Virtual Reality, or VR, was
tuned!
investigating another technology first developed to power flight
– one that he feels comes pretty simulators for pilots and military
Notes on 2021 requires for outdoor gathering,
we cannot know what audience
The complicated news we’re
sharing today is that while we
capacity might be. There are are grateful for those tickets
do you still have tickets
other unknowns: how do we bring left on account, we cannot
on account from 2020?
a group of actors together to accommodate that purchase next
if so, please read on:
rehearse? Where will they live? year. With reduced audiences and
Normally at this time of year, How will housing be impacted? number of shows, the 2021 season
Gil would announce next How many artists can we bring will be too small.
season, pass prices and box together including the actors,
The only way that Blyth can
office order dates. But as you the crew, the stage managers?
possibly survive a 2021 season
know, the pandemic is causing Will artists have to quarantine?
with such limited capacity is to
huge disruptions, particularly These unknowns make planning
start over.
in performing arts. The Blyth a season daunting.
Festival is not immune. If you have a purchase on
In the spring we contacted
account, we will soon be asking
We are certain we’ll have a everyone who had tickets for the
you to either donate this back
season next year, but we know it 2020 season, and your boundless
in part or in full, or issuing you a
will be different and far smaller generosity blew our doors off.
refund.
than anything seen in Blyth in the Some of you donated the ticket
past. Instead of 40,000+ seats to money back to us hoping to see us We hate to do this. We hoped
sell over the course of the season, through to brighter days; others beyond hope we could honour the
we will be lucky to have 7000! elected to keep the faith and purchases made. However it has
leave their tickets on account. become clear that we just cannot.
Until we understand what public
It’s been a blessing.
health measures the province Thank you for your patience.
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