Blyth Festival Artists Support Summerworks, 7/15

A group of artists currently working at the Blyth Festival will be making a show of support for their colleagues at Toronto's Summerworks festival this week. Thirty-nine days prior to its annual opening date, Summerworks received news that its federal funding had been cut. The cut amounts to 20% of the festival's operating budget.

Noted Canadian playwright, Michael Healey, recently appealed to theatres across the country to stage a public reading of Homegrown by Catherine Frid on Friday July 15. Healey, along with many supporters in the Canadian
theatre community, believes that the 2010 production of Homegrown at Summerworks raised the ire of the Prime Minister's Office, resulting in the funding cut.

Blyth Festival's artistic director, Eric Coates, weighs in on the issue: "Whether or not this play triggered the funding cut is not my major concern, as I have no way of establishing the veracity of such a statement. What does concern me is the notion that arts funding can be withdrawn without warning. The arts are a central economic driver throughout Canada. Like healthcare, education, transportation, and sports/recreation, the arts rely on sustained public support to create a flow of revenue that benefits all of us."

The public reading of Homegrown will be presented free of charge in the Lower Hall of Blyth Memorial Hall at 4:30 on Friday July 15. Any proceeds will be donated to Summerworks.