Blyth Festival Visits The Farm

BLYTH FESTIVAL – INTEREST 2013 Season Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THE BLYTH FESTIVAL VISITS THE FARM Blyth Festival, March 08, 2013 – Hibernation has ended early in Blyth and seven writers have arrived to get a head start on the 2013 Blyth Festival Season. The cold months of winter usually find Blyth under a foot or two of snow, and activity at the Festival is usually contained to planning and preparation, with the odd fundraising show to break up the winter blues. This March is considerably different than the “norm”.

The administration offices are full of activity, with writers coming and going, arranging rides and regaling the staff with the latest story. This isn’t your regular writer/research retreat. There are no creative types secluded in quiet rooms, tapping out the next mainstage hit on worn out laptops. This week, the writers’ best friend might just be the rubber boot – and we aren’t talking about the restaurant across the street!

Our fearless seven have been to the farm and back again! These men and women have been visiting Huron County farms, veterinarians, CSA’s, and any other stop in between, all in the name of research.

The information they are collecting will eventually become the 2013 Blyth Festival mainstage production Beyond The Farm Show.

It has been an intimate experience for some. Jamie Robinson, new father and talented stage performer and writer, had the opportunity to become more familiar with the southern end of a cow. Attending the ultrasounds of unborn calves was considerably different than the appointments he had attended with his wife. “They reach in and do the ultrasound,” he said with a look of surprise, “and they keep pulling out… (whatever might be in) the way.”

There have been surprises, humorous and touching and the stories we’ve heard make us all eager to hear more. Director Severn Thompson will pull the play together in time for the opening night, but not before there are a few more eye popping moments. The collective will meet again in early April and will be visiting farms throughout the spring for more research.

To hear and see more of these experiences as they happen, be sure to bookmark the new Blyth Festival website where we will be posting new blog posts, videos and pictures as they become available! Head to www.blythfestival.com to keep in touch. Until then, we’ll see you on the farm.

Lisa Justine Hood Marketing & Publicity Coordinator Blyth Festival P: (519) 523-9300 x. 209 E: lhood@blythfestival.com