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k t I By Mark Reesor The hardestp art of doing 'M'e Wizard of Oz' is, having peo piaemeaure your. performance Jgintudy PGarland and the other great actors in the famous movie. It' a touh act tfellow, but the Whitb Courthouse Thatre has matnaged very wel,' holding.its audience's attention from beginniing te, end - not an easqy thing to do when the audience knows the stoiy almost as well as the actors do. A lot of credit bas to go te director %ob Corbett and choreographar Lou Burgess for using every inch of the theatre te best advantage.ý If's tough enough to compete with the likes of Garland in a Hollywood classic but managing it on a small budget and in a place the size of the CourLtffouse Theatre had to be a real challenge.. Thare s lots cf movement with the production using the theatre aisle as part of the Wl1ow Brick Road, witb Dorothy and the rest exiting and antering as they traval te Oz. A live band and excellent use of ligbhting adds te the effect, maldng it easy teforget one's surroundings. Cred't also las té go to set designer Peter Emmink and his construction crew - tIhe sets add a lot to the play, aspecially a rather menacing, large green rock (at least, tbat's what I think it is), which is used in a number cf scenes. Costumes were very well done, (I still haven't figured eut bow- they made, the scarecrow's outfit), a task made more diffic u*t since they had te be easily and quickly removable, as aIl but oeaof the principal acters played two roles. Sound affects, fog and spacial ligbting made a, nuxnber cf people' jump the first time the firýst time the wicked witch appeared. 1The cast turned in excellent performances despite a. few miscues peDrhaps due te opening *iht *itters(there wèea a few- t!ttars When Gultèh closed her bgaskeèt on Toto's. nosa, for example). Dorothy, played by Laura LeBreton, was outstanding in a very demanding part, as was the rest cf the cast - net a fiat' performance among tbem. Heather -Sassions deserves special, mention for ber perfor- mance as the Wicked Witch - sha just oozed wickednessi The Wizard continues Nov.'12 te 15 and Nov. 19 te, 21 at the Ceurthouse Theatre. 7 COS Radio Network I -. 'THE EXPERIENCE of Place: A Silent Language,' an exhibition of work by Whitby photographer Mary Ellen McQuay, is at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery until Dec. 6. McQu>ay is 'shown with 'Salinas Dream' (lefi) and 'Saplings, ' both hand-painted silver prints and two of many photos, she. took- in Canada,' Central and South America and Britain. McQuay says her travels reinforced her-belief that "people and their environment participate in mould- ing and -shaping each other. We react consciously and uncons ciously. to the places in which we live, whether they be natural or constructed environments." Photo by Mark Reesor. Whltby Fiee Prass Open, audition for 'The Road to Mecca' Durham Shoestring Perfor mers will hold an open audition on Tuasday, Nov. 17 at the arts rasource centre, Oshawa city hall complex, starting at 7:30 p.m. Athol Fugard'a 'Te oad te Mecca,' the second play cf the Durhami Shoestring Performers' l9tb season, bas -been ,acclaimad as "Fugard's wisest, most balanced. and most nearly universal play.le Director. David Millar will need three actors, two female and one nmale. The rola cf Miss Helen, an eccentric widow who bas spent th"taZ er hic er husband's deat tranfomig har home inte an intricata and dazzli-ng work cf art, will be played by an actress aged 60-70. The part cf bar young friand Elsa, a teacher, requires an actress agad 25-35. Pastor Marius- Bylaveld, aise a friand cf hMiss !Ielens will be played by an acter approximately aged 60. Performa<îces are schaduled for Jan 29, 30, Feb. 4, 5, 6 at the arts resourca centre, Oshawa. Durhami Shoestring Performers aise, welcomaa pao ple wbo wisb te work on this production in other capacities. 11 D ds St.E.Wîb FdaNov. 13, GREY TOWN Saturday, Nov. 14 THE SHAKERS Friday, Nov. 20 A FTER DARK Saturday, Nov. 21 THREE AMIGOS To borrow a script for advance reading, or te find eut more about Durhamn Shoestring Performers, cail Carolyn Wilson,, company's artistic director producer, at 725-9256. the and Arts council to hold, annual mee ting The Oshawa and District Ceuncil for the Arts will hold its annual meeting Wednesday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m., at the arts reseurca centre, 50 Centre»St. S. ini Oshawa. The election cf officers for the 1992-93 season will take place, and -Anthony Jones, cf the applied arts -division cf 'Durham Collage will ba the faaturad speaker. Jones wilI discuss tha entertainment :administration progran at the collage. where' ha teaches Canadian entartainmant, tbeory, facility, -management introduction te computer applica- tiens, fundraisingý and grants- manship, and volunteer land board management. The Oshawa and District Arts Council helps te, promoe the activities c f area . arts ognations througb press eeaespecial a vents, the OUCA Arts Diary. and a quarterlIy newsletter. It aise p rasansa coarslip at the Osh8awa/hty Kiwanis Music Festival. More than 35 organizations and individuals are membeïs cf the ODCA. Representatives cf membe r orgim zations and the ' general I ulcare.învited te the annual meeting. Refreshments. will be. served. The ODCA is now oelebrating its 29th- year cf service te the comxnunity. 'Silk Road'.. programs are' shown at -McLaughn nhe fail ses cf Brown Bag Filmi began Nov. 4 at the Robert MLaughIn Gallery. -' Thé program features «<The 511k Read,' a eS series that follows tbe*route cf the âiaders inMarco Pclo's time, who madie journeys te the East and-brought back incense and gold, tapestries and raw silks for trading in the arýkets cf. Europe. .The series ineludes a.-loek at soeaof the artifacts that have survivad, those ancient ýtimhes as well as a look at'the people and their culture. Soea recent archeological finds are included in the senies. The programs are held eacb Wedniesday at 12:05 p.mn. 'The Art Gallery in theDesere will be shown- Nov. 18; '«The Dark Castia,' Nov.-' 25;- 'In Searcb cf the Kingdom cf Lou Lan,' Dec 2; 'Across the TkaaknDesert,' De. 9. JAIl ara. welcoma to attend. Bring a lnch, coffea will be servad. .a Page 12. Whity Free Press, Weadnesday, November 11, 1992 I -Nu op luffl M&lwEtq