Blyth's Duncan McGregor to bring 'The Streamliners' to The Livery stage
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
This fall, Blyth-based Renaissance man Duncan McGregor will be bringing Andy Sparling and James White’s ambitious new play The Streamliners to The Livery Theatre. The show seeks to shine a light on a fascinating chapter of local musical history that all involved believe needs to be more widely recognized. McGregor is no stranger to the theatre world - he’s staged everything from historical dramas to the adapted works of Robert Munsch. The Streamliners promises to be a formidable production, so The Citizen sat down with McGregor at his home to have a quick chat about how he became involved with The Streamliners and what it is about this show that has him excited.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), which means there couldn’t be a better time to draw attention to this musical military story. The RCAF Streamliners started out in 1941 when a few professional musicians-turned-servicemen came together to play some songs in St. Thomas. The initial group included trumpeter Billy Carter from Goderich, as well as Jack Perdue and Phil Sparling of Clinton. The group’s membership grew steadily, eventually touring internationally during wartime as a top-notch ensemble that gained widespread recognition. At the height of their popularity, Major Glenn Miller called The Streamliners the best band in Europe, besides his own. “They were an extraordinarily good band,” McGregor explained. “They went to Europe during the final stages of the war, and they got into some fairly difficult times when they were there.”
One of the play’s writers, Andy Sparling, feels a real connection with the material. Andy is the son of band member Phil Sparling, and he’s found that researching and writing about his father’s time with The Streamliners has helped him fill in some of the gaps in the story of his family. The other author, James White, is a Goderich resident who gained appreciation for the lauded military band after a presentation by a local historical society. The two teamed up, and began writing a play about The Streamliners. Fitting together all the fantastic stories about Canada’s most famous wartime band in a way that could translate to the stage proved to be quite a challenge, so they eventually brought in McGregor to help bring the story to life. Through a series of Zoom meetings, McGregor helped the writers hone in on what kind of story they were trying to tell.
The writers were hoping to bring their take on The Streamliners to the Blyth Festival, but the Festival already had its hands full with the programming for its 50th anniversary season. They then turned to Goderich’s Livery Theatre, which has been bringing shows to Huron County audiences for over 75 years. McGregor couldn't be happier about the venue at which they’ve ended up. “Blyth would have been fine for the play - but The Livery is a really lovely theatre.”
A year has passed since McGregor first looked over the script, and in that time, he’s moved on from his initial advisory role and settled into the director’s chair. He thinks that what they’ve come up with is going to appeal to a wide audience that will include music fans and history buffs alike. “We’ve made it very, very accessible and human. It’s not a docudrama. When doing something that has a historical level, it’s got to relate to the audience in some way, or in all ways.”
He also thinks that The Streamliners will really resonate with theatre-goers who have a personal connection to the brave men and women who risked their lives in WWII. Several of the show’s early sponsors have chosen to show their support by funding an individual performance of The Streamliners in honour of a veteran close to their heart.
To match the big energy of this big band, this show is going to be pulling out all the stops. They are lucky to have a number of high-quality recordings of the original Streamliners band that they’re going to be using in the show, so the audience will be able to hear what all the fuss is about. “The music is just superb,” said McGregor. “And you’ll never see one instrument on the stage.” What you will see on stage will be swing dancers - a lot of them. They’ve already been training for the show’s dance sequences, and will be ready to wow audiences on opening night.
Every scene in the play is based on one of the always interesting and often incredulous stories of The Streamliners band. In looking over all the tales amassed by the writers, McGregor often found himself in a state of near disbelief. “Some of them, you just want to say ‘What? How did that happen?’” The action took place on land, at sea, and, of course, in the sky, so building a cohesive story out of this band’s truly wild times became the key to crafting a show to which people would respond. “I had to think of what I was going to do to illustrate this play so that the audience can understand what’s going on. Theatre allows people to identify with things other than themselves and the reality of their lives, when it’s done properly.”
McGregor is hoping that The Streamliners will both dazzle audiences and let them into the lives of some heroic Huron County musicians who gave their all to the troops and represented the power of Canadian artists in WWII. To support this upcoming production, donations can be made directly to The Livery Theatre, either in-person or through their website.