BF26: Zack Radford pulls on Blyth roots in work with the Festival
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
Zack Radford knows that a well-rounded thespian’s education extends well beyond what happens on the stage. That’s why, this summer, he’ll be working at the Blyth Festival, keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes as a production assistant.
This may be Radford’s first time working at Memorial Hall, but his history as a fan of the Blyth Festival goes way back. “I’ve gone to the theatre in Blyth since I was 10,” he recalled. “My grandparents lived in Londesborough for as long as I can remember. My dad grew up there.”
A few years ago, his grandparents moved to Blyth, and Radford saw a golden opportunity to combine two things he loves. “I applied so I could hopefully come live with my grandparents and be able to spend more time with them,” he told The Citizen.
While Radford’s primary purpose in Blyth is to star in the role of grandson, he figured that he could also spend some time immersed in the theatre world. Last year, he applied for a carpentry job at the Festival. This year, he applied to be an actor. While neither of those roles were in the cards for the Festival’s 2026 season, Radford was offered a job as a production assistant, which he accepted with enthusiasm. His willingness to take on any role speaks to his broad passion for theatre. “It’s my life, man,” he declared. “I love it. I’m going to school for it. I love every part of it. I love every aspect of theatre. I write, I direct, I act, I do tech - it’s almost, basically, everything to me. I love it. How the government is affecting it right now is a little concerning to me, but I love it all the time.”
Radford started his performance career at his high school which, at the time, was experiencing a shortage of performers for the school musical. “That was why I got recruited,” he confessed. “I saw Come From Away the first time I came to Toronto and that was the first time that I looked at the stage and thought ‘oh, that’d be so cool to do!”
At this point in his theatre journey, Radford’s current favourite play is Daughter by Toronto-based actor and playwright Adam Lazarus. “That’s such a student answer,” he laughed. “I’m sorry it’s so preppy! But it’s really such a phenomenal one-person show. It does this great thing of making people uncomfortable in a good way, and really addresses issues within masculinity in a non-aggressive way.”
In Blyth, Radford is looking forward to wearing many hats. “I expect a lot of running around, a lot of jumping around, moving stuff from the outdoor theatre to the indoor theatre, and vice versa,” he explained. “I’ll be playing different roles - doing carpentry work, doing lighting work, doing costume work - just doing whatever I can to help out, and being that helping hand around the theatre. To my knowledge, I’ll be involved with every single show, whether it’s changing over the sets or helping to build them, and probably [some operation of the lighting board]… I just got to sit in on a production meeting and learn how that runs.”
Of course, while he’s game to try anything, there are some tasks Radford is looking forward to more than others. “I know I’ll least like doing costumes,” he confessed. “I’m not good with tiny things - I have big hands, and I stabbed myself a ton of times when I did an introduction course to costuming. I’m really excited for the lighting, and for the carpentry. I love being in the theatre, being hands-on and making cool stuff.”
When Radford spoke with The Citizen, work had begun on Curveball and Sisters of ‘78, but this provident young man is already considering the season as a whole. “I’m looking forward to working on all the shows - they’ve all got really cool concepts,” he said. “I’m excited for the one-person show, because in my next year of university, I have to make my own 10-minute one-person show, so I’m very interested to see that in its own workable process.”
For Radford, the appeal of Blyth has always come down to a sense of connection. “I love really small-town theatre. I live in a small town. It’s very rural. I’ve done outdoor theatre, and that was an amazing experience. I just love the community of small-town theatre. No matter how big the production is, there’s still a sense of community and home in it,” he said. “I also don’t love living in the city full time. I live in Mississauga for school most of the year, and it’s great to be there, and see theatre, and see friends, but it always feels stuffy - I was excited to get out!”
Throughout the Blyth Festival’s 2026 season, Radford will be behind the scenes, looking to experience that unique feeling he only feels when he’s in the theatre. “I’ve done film work as an actor, and as a production assistant, and it’s just repetitive,” he told The Citizen. “You do the same thing over and over and over, and you film the same take 10 times until it’s perfect. And that can be amazing, but there’s something so beautiful about the idea that theatre is only here for a moment. I always heard the analogy that theatre is like making this beautiful sand castle together where everyone has a part in building it, and then you get to watch it fade away. There’s something beautiful in that.”
With a full season ahead and a willingness to jump in wherever needed, Radford is ready to make his mark - even if the audience won’t be able to see it behind the scenes. “There’s so many amazing people that are involved,” he said. “And my grandma is volunteering this year!”