Champagne toasts Cobourg premiere

by Zena Cherry
Toronto Globe and Mail
August 12, 1983

IT WAS A CHARMING, happy Wednesday evening in Cobourg, Ont., for the premiere of the musical drama Tracks, about a small Ontario town that dreamed of greatness. It was written by Mary Barton and bp Nichol, winner of the Governor-General's Award for Literature.

For some first-nighters, champagne was served before the show at the lakefront home of Col. and Mrs. Cedric Philip Haynes. Mr. Haynes is the former president of Crush International, volunteer president of the Society for the Restoration of Victorian Hall and campaign manager of the $6-million restoration project for the elegant building which was first opened in 1860 by the Prince of Wales.

With Mr. and Mrs. Haynes were their son-in-law and daughter, Martin Philip Connell, chairman of Conwest Explorations Ltd. and a director of Toronto's Festival of Festivals and his wife, Linday Haynes Connell, director of Pueblito (Canada) Ltd., Third World Children's Villages and Training.

Also the Hayneses' son, Philip James Steven Haynes, an award-winning freelance advertising writer, and his wife Hope Thomson Haynes, interior designer.

Then after dinner at the Dressler House Dining restaurant, the party went to the Town Hall Theatre in Victoria Hall for the performance and an after-theatre reception.

Members of the Town Hall Theatre's organizing committee present included lawyer David I. Stewart, with his wife Christine, and Rev. Timothy Coughlan. The three are directors of Horizons of Friendship, which assists projects in Latin America.

Other board members present were Daniel Fernane, investment counsellor Joan Chalovich, Anne Kolisnyk, director of the Art Gallery of Northumberland, with her husband, artist Peter Kolisnyk, Dr. Graham Stratford, Ruth Harcourt, director of the Town Hall Theatre's young company Station 15, and theatre administrator Jennifer O'Rourke.

Other theatre people there included Bryan Thomson, newly appointed executive director of Theatre Ontario; Alan and Blanche Lund, directors of the Charlottetown Festival, and playwright Carol Bolt, best known for her play One Night Stand, who was there with her brother, artist Ron Bolt and his wife, and poet Dennis Lee of Alligator Pie fame.

Another guest was Burton Lancaster, founder of Magnus Theatre Northwest in Thunder Bay, Ont., who piloted this first theatrical season in Cobourg.

Government people included Cobourg Mayor J. Mac Lees; George Harris Hees, Conservative MP for Northumberland; Allan F. Lawrence, Tory MP for Durham-Northumberland; and Howard Sheppard, Tory MPP for Northumberland.

Plus such directors of the Society for the Restoration of Victoria Hall as lawyers J. Bradley Halls and Richard J. C. Irvine; James Johnston, publisher of the Cobourg Star, Richard G. Jones, controller for General Foods, and Allan D. Pollard, president of his own interior decorating firm.

There will be 32 performances of Tracks until Sept. 4.

THE FIRST EXHIBIT in Canada from the Famous Museum of Rock Art in Los Angeles will be held in Toronto at the Canadian National Exhibition's Geodesic Dome.

John Lennon's Bag One Collection will be shown, along with art by such rock stars as Commander Cody, Linda McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks and Klaus Voorman.

Poster art will include the Woodstock Collection and art from the Kaleidoscope and Winterland Ballrooms and the Filmore West. Poster artists present will include Ric Griffin, Alton Kelly, Victor Moscosso and Stanley Mouse.

An enormous photograph display will include works by Dezo Hoffman, who photographed the Beatles, Woodstock photographer Henry Diltz and Herbert W. Worthington 3rd.

Junos won by Canadian artists will also be displayed.

This exhibit, featuring more than 400 pieces of original art, is being presented by Sony of Canada Ltd., CHUM-FM and the Toronto Area Toyota Dealers Association.


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