37th Blyth Festival Season Opens with World Premiere of Hometown

The world premiere of Hometown by the Hometown Collective officially opens the 37th Blyth Festival season on June 24.

Hometown tackles the question, "what does the word hometown mean to you?" Is it the prairie village where you learned to ride a bicycle or is it a condo by the ocean? Is it the town where you played hockey for ten years or is it the city where you watched your favourite team for thirty years?

The play takes the shape of six short stories written by playwrights from across Canada- Jean Marc Dalpé (Montréal, Quebec), Mieko Ouchi (Edmonton, Alberta), Mansel Robinson (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), Martha Ross (Burnaby, British Columbia), Peter Smith (Barrie, Ontario) and Des Walsh (New Bonaventure, Newfoundland), with music by David Archibald (Newburgh, Ontario) and translation by Maureen Labonté of Montréal. Through memory, stories and song, this dynamic group of artists shines a light on Canada's hometowns from coast to coast.

Artistic Director Eric Coates says, "Where else can you walk into a theatre and literally watch your entire country unfold in front of you? This is an event as much as it is a play. I would love to see the idea continue to grow in other parts of Canada, with different writers and musicians creating their own versions of Hometown."

Hometown is the 112th play to premiere at the Blyth Festival since 1975.

Familiar faces appearing in Hometown include Marion Day (Bordertown Café, Innocence Lost) and David Archibald (Homegrown, The Ballad of Stompin' Tom). The cast also includes Kira Guloien and Phil Poirier, making their Blyth Festival debuts, and Ryan Bondy, who first appeared at the festival in the 2009 production of Innocence Lost. Hometown is directed by former Blyth Festival artistic director Peter Smith­­.

Preview performances of Hometown run June 21 -23, prior to the official opening on June 24. Hometown plays at the Blyth Festival in repertory until August 7.

The Blyth Festival's 2011 season runs June 21 to August 27 and also features Vimy by Vern Thiessen, Rope's End by Douglas Bowie, and Early August by Kate Lynch. For more information please visit www.blythfestival.com or call 1-877-862-5984.

Hometown is sponsored by the Blyth Lions. Media Sponsors are CKNX Radio - am920, 101.7 The One and 94.5 The Bull. The 2011 Season Sponsor is Sparling's Propane Company Limited and the Season Media Sponsor is CTV.