Page 100 - ESCARPMENT MAGAZINE | Spring 2013
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Escarpment Magazine Spring 2013
ESCARPMENT FEATURE
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community theatre thrives in meaford...
That fall the group took on a different type of production with an anthol-
ogy called
Women & War
. This production featured true stories, intertwined
with songs, of how different women were affected by wars past and
present. Greg produced
Women & War
while Suzanne co-directed it with
Gary Simon. The first part entailed stories told by the women themselves
of the trials they faced during war while the second part presented a
short play called
The Pen of My Aunt
by Gordon Daviot (Elizabeth Mackin-
tosh). The Remembrance Day show played to an enthusiastic and emo-
tional crowd at Meaford Hall on November 10
th
2011.
Women & War
saw
a repeat performance in 2012 with new stories and songs.
Buoyed by the success of their first two productions, the Meaford Com-
munity Players attempted to tackle a drama,
Marvin’s Room
, by Scott
MacPherson. Again the executive committee chose a play with many
characters so more members of the community could take part. Though
the play proved to be a critically acclaimed production, the audiences
were not what the group had hoped for. During the summer they took
a realistic look at what happened, and decided that heavier drama
proved to be a hard sell. Also, it was decided that whenever they could
they would include local stories which seemed to have the best audi-
ence response.
The group feels lucky to have a facility like the Meaford Hall at their
disposal. The acoustics are considered to be among the best in Ontario
and the renovated Hall is a showpiece setting for their productions. The
hall comes equipped with a professional lighting and sound crew, and
even though the theatre group doesn’t have to concern themselves on
that front, the downside is, they have to pay for these facilities and crew.
Greg and Suzanne know this is preferential over having to find volun-
teers with perhaps limited skills or experience to do these jobs and they
couldn’t imagine this marvellous venue not being used to its fullest po-
tential.
After the last three years of producing and putting on shows the
Meaford Community Theatre group has recently been expanding its
membership and training other members to direct and produce plays.
Each show is a stand-alone production and therefore a producer and
director are chosen for each play.
Though Greg is producing the current play, he hopes he can eventually
pass on some of these duties to other talented people. The company is
small but Greg and Suzanne are amazed by the talent and enthusiasm
that comes from this small community.
The latest show being staged by the Meaford Community Theatre is a
classic comic farce by Anita Loos and John Emerson called
The Whole Town’s
Talking
. The play was adapted for film in 1926 as a silent feature staring
Edward Everett Horton. Gordon Rowatt has agreed to direct the play.
Mr. Rowatt has extensive experience as both an actor and director and
has actually directed this play twice before. Greg Brown is again the
producer but this time he has an added acting role in the production. I
sat in on a rehearsal and though it was still in the early stages of devel-
opment, it was easy to laugh as the crazy story unraveled before my
eyes.
The future is looking good for the Meaford Community Players. In the
fall the troop is planning another Remembrance Day program. This time
it will focus on youth and therefore be titled,
Children & War
. Greg said he
isn’t sure if he has another play in him following this one, but the group
is actively searching for local stories to adapt for the stage. There was
talk of a project that Harley Greenfield is working on which incorpo-
rates a local bent. Let’s hope it materializes into another
Harvest Moon
. With
a wonderful facility like the Meaford Hall and a local group of enthusi-
astic volunteers that comprise theMeaford Community Theatre, I’m sure
they will continue to put on a great show.
The executive committee for Meaford Community Theatre for 2013:
Greg Brown – President
Wayne Bryant – Vice President
Harley Greenfield – Treasurer
Carol Hethrington – Secretary/Membership
David Blackburn & Michelle Biggins – Directors at Large
This is a not-for-profit community group and they are always seeking new people
with fresh ideas. Anyone with an interest in acting, props, directing, costumes or
even writing should contact Greg Brown at
or Carol Hethrington at
E|
The grand finale and curtain call for Harvest Moon.
