4th Line Theatre will present an Artist Talk at TheatreBooks in Toronto with playwrights Sky Gilbert and Shirley Barrie on Tuesday, May 1st from 7:00 to 8:00pm. This free event offers an insider’s look at the theatre’s 2012 productions of Queen Marie and St. Francis of Millbrook. Gilbert and Barrie will be joined by 4th Line Theatre’s Artistic Producer Kim Blackwell who will direct both productions.
This unique event is an opportunity for audiences to hear both playwrights read from their plays and talk about how they approached their characters, their creative process and how they developed their works specifically for the outdoor barnyard stages of the theatre’s rustic 5th generation Winslow Farm in Millbrook Ontario.
Barrie, playwright of the musical comedy Queen Marie, will talk about her motivations and research into the life of Cobourg-born Marie Dressler, one of the greatest and best loved stars of Broadway and Hollywood who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1931. She has received two Chalmers Awards and a Dora Award and was President of the Playwrights Guild of Canada from 2009-11.
Gilbert will discuss his inspiration and motivations in writing his play St. Francis of Millbrook, a stunning coming of age story about growing up gay in rural Ontario. Gilbert’s play is about a young man who loves playing hockey, working on the family farm and pop star Madonna, maybe a little too much. One of Canada’s foremost playwrights, Gilbert has won the Pauline McGibbon Award for theatre directing, the Margo Bindhardt Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation, The Silver Ticket Award from the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts and three Dora Mavor Moore Awards.
Founded in 1992 by Artistic Director Robert Winslow, 4th Line Theatre this unique theatre celebrates the region’s history by telling local and Canadian stories that educate and entertain the audience with unforgettable outdoor, epic theatrical experiences. Thousands of visitors, young and old alike fall in love with the farm experience complete with picnics, birdsong and sunsets in the country.
TheatreBooks, Toronto: 7:00 – 8:00pm, 11 St. Thomas Street, off Bloor Street between Avenue Road and Bay Street
