All the latest news and reviews from the Blyth Festival Theatre
The mission of the Blyth Festival in tiny Blyth, Ontario, is to produce new Canadian work on rural themes. That might seem a tough nut to crack, but they’ve been at it successfully for 45 years now and the quality of the plays I’ve seen has been remarkable, writes Kelly Monaghan in his blog The Intrepid Monologue. Not everything they …
If you’ve ever entered food in a competition, you already understand the angst surrounding such a contest and some of the unbelievable levels to which people will stoop in order to win. That’s the setting for the Blyth Festival‘s sweet, fast-paced comedy, “Cakewalk,” which opened Friday night in a most decadent fashion, writes Liz Dadson, of The Kincardine Record, an …
Congratulations to Blyth Festival alumni for their nominations and wins announced last night during the 40th annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards ceremony, presented by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) to celebrate excellence in Toronto theatre, dance and opera. First of all, congratulations to nominees who are part of our 2019 Company: Actor Catherine Fitch, for her nomination in …
From The Star’s theatre critic Karen Fricker. He was, in the words of David Suzuki, “the world’s first animal superstar.” Jumbo was an African elephant who was exhibited in the Paris and London zoos and controversially bought in 1882 by the American circus entrepreneur P.T. Barnum. Jumbo’s story is tied to Southwestern Ontario for tragic reasons: he was struck and …
Bruce Power has become the ‘New Play Development Sponsor’ of the Blyth Festival, as it enters its 45th summer this month. Bruce Power has pledged $125,000 over the next five years to the festival as part of the sponsorship, said James Scongack, Bruce Power’s Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Operational Services. “We are supporting the Blyth Festival because it aligns …
Blyth Festival Art Gallery presents the first of its three professional-level exhibitions, featuring artwork by Roman Turczyn and members of his family, beginning June 13. A practising architect for more than 40 years, Turczyn played a leading role in the completion of a significant number of projects in Canada and the Middle East. His professional career was spent studying, planning …
CTV Kitchener’s Rosie Del Campo sits down with Blyth Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt to talk about the 45th Season, which brings two world premieres, a remount of a delicious favourite, and a return of two popular playwrights. Listen here.
Go behind the scenes at the Festival and meet playwright Sean Dixon, director Gil Garratt, set and costume designer Eric Bunnell and Gemma James Smith – builder of the life-sized Jumbo puppet. The production will be “every bit as big as its subject,” says Bunnell, who enjoyed the challenge of designing the sets and costumes. In the early fall of …
OTTAWA – MP Ben Lobb stood up in the House of Commons on May 1 to recognize the work of the Blyth Festival. His comments come while The Pigeon King is on stage at the National Arts Centre. Watch his comments here: https://www.facebook.com/BenLobbMP/videos/338636050122422/UzpfSTI2Mjk5MTU4OTE4ODoxMDE1NzI3NDg3MTM5OTE4OQ/
Photo cutline: Watercolour by Alexandra Beehler, Grade 12, Stratford Northwestern The Blyth Festival Art Gallery’s Student Show 2019 will kick off the Gallery’s 44th season of exhibitions. Beginning Monday, May 6, this annual celebration of student creativity will feature the best work by students in Grades 9 to 12 in Huron and Perth County secondary school art programs. Visitors can …
