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CHEX Newswatch Visits 4th Line Theatre

4th Line Theatre presents the return of The Right Road to Pontypool
4th Line Theatre Artistic Director Robert Winslow is proud to present the return of the wildly successful The Right Road to Pontypool – the second production of the 19th summer season.  It is a fascinating story, the likes of which audiences have come to expect from this internationally-renowned company.  4th Line has distinguished itself with a knack for peeling back history to reveal compelling stories of the lives of rural Canadians.

Written by Alex Poch-Goldin and directed by Kim Blackwell, this loving chronicle of one man’s sun kissed dream for Toronto’s working class Jews in the early 1900s became a sold-out audience favourite in 2009 and had the critics calling it “remarkable,” “magnificent” and saying it “should not be missed.”  In its heyday, Pontypool, in the heart of Protestant southern Ontario, was a summer haven for thousands of Jewish immigrants, mostly garment workers from Kensington Market.  In the era when the signs at Sunnyside Beach in Toronto said “No Dogs or Jews” and when Jews in Europe were facing unimaginable peril, the village of Pontypool, Ontario became a haven --Toronto’s little Catskills.   

“I am very excited about the return of The Right Road to Pontypool,” states 4th Line Artistic Director Robert Winslow.   “This play not only illuminates the past but it is also about community, family and how we pull together through both difficult and happy times.  And it is always gratifying to work with quality artists, new and returning, who will bring the world of this play to life.”

Playwright Alex Poch-Goldin is also excited, “As a Jew of Russian heritage, discovering this untold history affected me.  I felt that this story was my story and that I had a responsibility to tell it.  Writing The Right Road to Pontypool has been an incredible, eye opening experience for me, revealing both the dark and lighter aspects of the Jewish experience between 1916 and 1960.  Today it is a cherished memory of a world that was."

The much anticipated return of The Right Road to Pontypool will once again be directed by the sure hand of 4th Line veteran, Kim Blackwell and with a cast of 37 including renowned Canadian actors Ellen-Ray Hennessy, Richard Greenblatt and Dov Mickelson as the larger than life Moishe Bernstein and 4th Line Theatre Artistic Director Robert Winslow as Zev.    

Not only was last season’s production sold out, but it attracted theatre-goers from across the Ontario and, perhaps not surprisingly, many people who spent their summers in Pontypool.  Director Blackwell calls this production ‘my reunion play.’ “Almost every night we had someone in the audience, often groups or whole families, which had some connection to the Pontypool resorts.  It was heart warming to see people re-connect at our performances.”   The Right Road to Pontypool will run Tuesday to Saturday from August 4 to the 24th.  Previews are August 2 and 3 until August 28 with an added performance Monday August 23.
 
The Right Road to Pontypool features Ellen-Ray Hennessy (Nightwood Theatre’s The Age of Arousal; Vancouver Playhouse’s The Edible Woman) as present day Doris, Dov Mickelson (CanStage/Citadel’s Amadeus; Catalyst Theatre’s Frankenstein) as Moishe Yukle Bernstein, Richard Greenblatt (2 Pianos 4 Hands; Theatre Passe Muraille’s Yichud [Seclusion]; Theatrefront’s The Mill, Parts 1, 2 and 3) as Harold, Caitlin Driscoll as young Doris, Matt Gilbert as Bernie the Schohet, Mark Hiscox as Mr. Henley, Justin Hiscox as Rudy, Marie Jones as Annie Manetta, Jordan Kanner (Stratford Festival’s The Count of Monte Cristo) as Sam Manetta, Leora Morris as Rifka Bernstein, Bridget Norris (Fringe Festival’s The Bacchae; Gairbraid Theatre Co.’s Much Ado About Nothing) as Rita Schmirler, Tim Walker as Jackie Miller and Robert Winslow as Zev.

The balance of this cast will be filled by local community members including Christina Adams, Graeme Browning, Maude Rose Craig, Linda Driscoll, Joshua Fink, Tesla Storm Guitard, Stuart Hanmore, Tom Keat, Marlys Kerkman, Dan Ladoucier, Sabina Litherland, Nancy Lynch, Bailey Powers, Brayden Mayhew, Gabriel McKay-Robertson, Lauren Murphy, Anika Spasov, Emilie Spasov, Peter Spasov, Renate Spasov and Phil Stott.    

4th Line Theatre welcomes new and returning theatre artists to ‘the Farm’ and is proud to have attracted some of the most impressive creative team members in Canadian theatre.  Anne Redish returns to the company this summer as costume designer and will be assisted by Christina Del Monte and Brianne Gwartz.   Elizabeth Nutting returns as set and props designer and Leora Morris will be creating original choreography.  Justin Hiscox continues his role as the musical director and composer of the original score and soundscapes for The Right Road to Pontypool. 
  
The stage management team includes Tanya Greve, Darcy Patrick, Emile Spasov, Anna Kennedy and is led by Production Manager Steve Ryan.    2010’s summer production team includes Technical Director Michael Nott, Production Assistant Craig Dowson and Site Manager Ray Henderson. 

Artist Bios

Alex Poch-Goldin, Playwright – The Right Road to Pontypool
Originally from Montreal, Alex has written for the theatre, television and radio and has been produced in Canada, Germany and the United States. Alex’s first opera, The Shadow, for which he wrote the libretto, was recently produced in Toronto to critical acclaim. His play Yahrzeit, won the Toronto Jewish Playwriting Award and completed two national tours of Germany. His play Cringeworthy (Passe Muraille) received five Dora nominations including Outstanding New Play. Other plays include: Jim and Shorty (Factory) and This Hotel (Passe Muraille), nominated for six Doras including Outstanding New Play. Alex was also nominated for the 2008 Siminovich Prize for playwriting. His plays are published by Scirocco Press. Alex is currently developing an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel, The House of Mirth with legendary choreographer James Kudelka. Alex is also an acclaimed actor. Stage credits include Intimate Apparel (Canadian Stage/Obsidian) Angels in America, (Canadian Stage) and Scorched (Tarragon National tour). Film and TV includes: “The Kennedy’s,” “Flashpoint,” and “Nero Wolfe”. Alex is a member of PGC and can next be seen in the Canadian Stage/Studio 180’s production of Our Class.

Kim Blackwell, Artistic Producer, Director - The Right Road to Pontypool
Kim Blackwell is a veteran 4th Line director – 2010 marks her 16th year with the theatre company. Selected credits include: artistic associate(2001-2009), directing: The Right Road to Pontypool (2009), Schoolhouse (2007, 2008), The Art of Silent Killing, That Summer, Crow Hill, The Cavan Blazers, Attrition, Gimme That Primetime Religion and many development workshops; stage managing: The Cavan Blazers, Crow Hill, 1837: The Farmer’s Revolt, Moodie Traill, The Farm Show, Stone Angel, Winslows of Derryvore, The Orchard. Selected directing credits include Once A Flame; Fire in the Stable; The Shadow of Genius (Heritage Pavilion); Getting Lucky (Rhubarb!, 2005); Unlucky (Summerworks, 2003). Selected directing credits: The Ugly Man; Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet); Poor Super Man; Unidentified Human Remains…  She also directed a sold-out run of Freedom 85 in the 2008 Fringe Festival and at the 2009 New York City Frigid Festival where it received excellent critical attention and the Audience Choice Award and the See It Twice Award.  Kim has recently been nominated for 2009 John Hirsch Award from the Canada Council.  Kim is a member of Maja Ardal’s Contrary Company and will be directing the Canadian premiere of Frozen for them in 2010.  Kim runs her own communications company – Blackwell Communications -- based in Toronto; her clients include/have included Tapestry New Opera Works, Nightwood Theatre, Dancemakers, Stage Centre Productions and Birdland Theatre.

Robert Winslow, Founding Artistic Director, Zev
As one of Canada’s leading theatre artists, Robert Winslow has written or co-written 14 of the original plays based on regional history that have been presented at the 4th Line Theatre since founding the theatre in 1992. He has directed the majority of the productions and performed in several of them.  An established theatre artist, he has been involved in theatre for over 30 years as playwright, actor, director and artistic director. Winslow has performed in theatres across Canada, the U.S. and Britain since 1982, including the Blyth Festival, Edmonton’s Theatre Network, Northern Light, Citadel Theatre, Catalyst, Nexus Theatre, the Cincinnati Playhouse, Calgary’s Lunchbox Theatre and Edmonton Fringe Festival. In 1986 he toured to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Tuffnell Park Theatre in London, England. Winslow has received numerous awards and tributes including the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the J. Hampden Burnham Heritage Award and induction into the Peterborough and District Pathway of Fame. In November 2009 Robert was awarded a Chalmers Arts Fellowship by the Ontario Arts Council. Winslow has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto. He teaches a theatre workshop course in the Cultural Studies Department at Trent University.  Mr. Winslow oversees all of 4th Line’s artistic activity including the company’s new play program and spends a great deal of his creative time researching and creating new work for the company.

Justin Hiscox, Original Composition, Musical Director, Actor & Musician
Justin Hiscox studied composition with American avant-garde composer James Tenney and free experimental improvisation with Casey Sokol while attending York University in Toronto, Ontario. His major writing works include a two-musician, two-actor/singer arrangement of Puccini’s opera Gianni Schicchi for Toronto’s Shoestring Opera Company, several compositions and arrangements for Davey Jones’ Locker (The Peterborough Seashell Choir, of which he is principal soloist and conductor), his own personal songs, as well as music for many of 4th Line Theatre’s productions over the past 11 years. He has been seen in many 4th Line productions, perhaps most notably as Elijah Coe in The Cavan Blazers, The Big Man in The Last Green Hill, Nicolini the Conjuror in Welcome Death, and this season, Charlie Labine in Eldorado Town - The Port Hope Play.

Elizabeth Nutting, Set Designer
Elizabeth graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Drama from Queen’s University. After working for two years at The Banff Centre she furthered her education at the Toronto School of Art, pursuing her dream to work as a set designer. Recent theatre designs include The Right Road to Pontypool with 4th Line; The 39 Steps and The Summer of My Amazing Luck with the Thousand Islands Playhouse and I’ll Be Back Before Midnight with Festival Players of Prince Edward County.

Anne Redish, Costume Designer  
Anne (Thompson) Redish is a costume designer and instructor at Queen’s University where she has been teaching since 1995. She has designed for Theatre Kingston, Thousand Islands Playhouse, and Queen’s Department of Drama. Anne studied Drama at Queen’s University and The National Theatre School of Canada after attending Adam Scott C.V.I. and Edmison Heights P.S. in Peterborough.  Anne has also worked in stage management in Toronto, Montreal and at the Stratford Festival. In July, Anne will return to Thousand Islands Playhouse, Gananoque to stage manage her 22nd show there, a new family musical comedy - Up the River.

Tim Walker, Assistant Director, Jackie Miller  
At 12, Tim played a Page in Cinderella at the Peterborough Theatre Guild and never looked back. A graduate of The International School of Comedic Acting and the George Brown Theatre, this is Tim’s 9th production at 4th Line Theatre and is happy to find himself back on the farm. Recent credits include Hamlet (The Classical theatre project) Peer Gynt (the thistle project) The Skriker (Blackguard Theatre) Twelfth Night (The Classical Theatre Project).

Caitlin Driscoll, Young Doris
Caitlin is returning to 4th Line Theatre this season to reprise her role as young Doris in The Right Road to Pontypool. Other credits include: Irene in Other People’s Heaven (Firebrand Theatre); Madison in True Love Lies (New Stages Peterborough); Oracle in The Penelopiad (Nightwood Theatre); Daisy Ryan in That Summer (4th Line Theatre); Dream Horse in Horse Feathers (Clay and Paper Theatre). Caitlin is a graduate of George Brown Theatre School and is the artistic producer of Firebrand Theatre.

Richard Greenblatt, Harold
Richard Greenblatt trained as an actor at RADA in London, England, and has acted, directed and written for theatres across the country and abroad, as well as in radio, television and feature films. He has co-written several award winning plays, including 2 Pianos 4 Hands, which he performed a staggering 750 times, in New York, London and Tokyo. Richard has won four Dora Awards, two Chalmers Playwriting Awards, and received numerous other nominations. He lives in Toronto with partner Tanya Greve and their daughter, Amelia.

Ellen-Ray Hennessy, Doris
Elley-Ray is an international, award-winning actress, writer, director and producer, recently nominated Best Actress for Virginia in The Age of Arousal at the Factory Theatre and chosen as a LuminaTO Mille Femmes for her contribution to the arts. She just starred in the feature film “Then Again,” directed and voiced “Z-Baw” for Paramount Pictures and is in production with two animation feature films for Imagination Films. In September she will perform in Voices Within Walls in Winnipeg which is also going to Prague in 2011. In December she will be in India for classes with the Dali Lama, charitable work and as an extra in a Bollywood movie!

Dov Mickelson, Moishe Yukle Bernstein
Dov is a company member of Catalyst Theatre and has toured their awardwinning House of Pootsie Plunket, Blue Orphan and Frankenstein across Canada and the U.K. Selected theatre: Amadeus (CanStage/Citadel), Reading Hebron (Sage Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (CanStage), Trials of John Demjanjuk (Theatre Asylum/Chutzpah/Hatch), The Amorous Servant (Pleiades), Dying To Be Sick (Pleiades/NAC) and Gladstone Variations (Resurgence Theatre). Dov can also be seen in the acclaimed short film “Found Objects” (Old World Films/Bravo!). Upcoming: Vagabonds (LABCAB).
 
Leora Morris, Rifka Bernstein, Choreographer
A Toronto-based actor, director, choreographer, and collaborator, she is currently developing several of her own works, including The Victorian Ladies with fellow cast member Caitlin Driscoll, with the support of 4th Line Theatre. Past roles include the Mute in The Fantasticks (Red Barn), Jill in Equus (McGill Players’ Theatre), Hoyden’s Nurse in The Relapse (George Brown), and Young Girl in Autobahn (Fly By Night). Leora is a graduate of George Brown Theatre School and McGill University.  Leora choreographed 4th Line Theatre’s The Right Road to Pontypool in 2009.
 
Bridget Norris, Rita Shmirler
Bridget is thrilled to be back for another season at 4th Line Theatre. Recent theatre credits include: Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing (Gairbraid Theatre); Agave in The Height of Madness (Toronto Fringe ‘07); Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Youth (Theatre By The Bay); Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz (Fallen Rock); Serena Katz in Fame (T3). She has also done workshop productions with both Theatre Kairos and Nightwood Theatre.

Matt Gilbert, Bernie the Schohet  
Matt Gilbert is pleased to return to 4th Line Theatre for his 8th summer. He has done over eighty productions in the Peterborough area since 1993.

Mark Hiscox, Mr. Henley  
Mark is back for his 12th consecutive season at the Winslow Farm. When not at 4th Line Theatre, Mark works as a conductor with the New Horizons Band and the Millbrook Community Choir. He was most recently seen playing Moonface Martin in the Peterborough Theatre Guild’s production of Anything Goes and last year’s 4th Line Theatre productions of The Right Road to Pontypool and Welcome Death. Mark will be directing a play for the first time, when he directs My Fair Lady for St. James Players in November 2010.

Marie Jones, Annie Manetta 
Marie is delighted to be returning to the Winslow Farm. Most recently, she completed a repertory season in The Classical Theatre Project’s Oedipus Rex, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Twelve Night and Hamlet, including tours to Ottawa and Nashville, TN. Other recent credits include Twelfth Night (Humber River Shakes.), The Crackwalker (Staged & Confused) and Last Man Hanged (Gairbraid Theatre Co.) Marie is a graduate of George Brown Theatre School and the University of Alberta.
 
Jordan Kanner, Sam Manetta
Jordan’s credits include Sir Andrew/Malvolio in Twelfth Night (Dora nominated), Laertes in Hamlet (The Classical Theatre Project). Carl in A Christmas Calamity (Acorn Theatre), Kevin/Carl in The Office Christmas Party (Balarney Theatre) and various roles in The Count of Monte Cristo and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stratford Festival). Jordan has appeared in a variety of commercials and short films and had a guest spot on the CBC show “72 Hours - True Crime.”


The Right Road to Pontypool
By Alex Poch-Goldin
Directed by Kim Blackwell
August 2nd to 28th / Previews: August 2nd and 3rd / Opening night: Wednesday, August 4
Tuesday to Saturday at 6 p.m.
With an added performance on Monday, August 23
 
The loving chronicle of one man’s sun kissed dream for Toronto’s working class Jews in the early 1900s. In its heyday, Pontypool, in the heart of Protestant southern Ontario, was a summer haven for thousands of Jewish immigrants, mostly garment workers from Kensington Market.

TICKETS: Single Tickets $29/26/15; $40 for Gala Opening and $20 for Previews
Subscriptions $50/45/23; $70 for Gala Opening and $40 for Previews
Call 1-800-814-0055 or 705-932-4445 or visit                      









 

4th Line Theatre Artist Talk Series at the Farm
4th Line Theatre is proud to announce the continuation of the 2010 Artist Talk Series.  Introduced in August 2009, these events were so successful it was expanded and has become a yearly event.   The 2010 Artist Talk Series, which was presented at the Peterborough Museum & Archives this past spring, will continue at the Winslow Farm this summer.   These free events are a great opportunity to learn more about 4th Line Theatre’s history and the background, writing and production of past and upcoming shows.

The Artist Talks are up ‘close and personal’ chats about the stories and behind-the-scenes world of our region’s premiere outdoor theatre company.   4th Line Theatre Artistic Producer Kim Blackwell and other theatre professionals will discuss various topics involved in the development and production of 4th Line Theatre’s 2010 Season.  Expect conversations about how new plays are developed and environmentally staged on unique outdoor stages plus a sneak peek into upcoming productions.    

4th Line Theatre’s 2010 Season begins this July with the world premiere of Eldorado Town – The Port Hope Play, written by Charles Hayter and directed by 4th Line Theatre Artistic Director Robert Winslow.  From the radium craze of the 1930s to the beginnings of the Cold War, this play examines how a small Ontario town played a significant role in ending WW II and in the coming of the nuclear age.   In August Kim Blackwell will once again direct The Right Road to Pontypool.  This play, written by Alex Poch-Goldin, is a loving chronicle of one man’s sun kissed dream for Toronto’s working class Jews in the early 1900s.  In its heyday, Pontypool, in the heart of Protestant southern Ontario, was a summer haven for thousands of Jewish immigrants, mostly garment workers from Kensington Market.

The Artist Talks Series will continue throughout the summer at the Winslow Farm at 4 P.M. every Friday between July 2nd and August 27th (excepting July 30).

4th Line Theatre scripts for sale!
Five of 4th Line Theatre's best-loved plays have been published and are available for gift giving.

$15 includes tax

'The Cavan Blazers' by Robert  Winslow
 
'Crow Hill: The Telephone Play' by Robert Winslow and Ian McLachlan

‘Doctor Barnardo's Children' by Robert Winslow and Ian McLachlan
 
'For Home and Country' by Leanna Brodie
 
'Schoolhouse' by Leanna Brodie
 

4th Line Theatre Adminstration Office
4 Tupper Street
Millbrook, ON
Telephone: 705-932-4445
Hours: Monday - Friday 9 :00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
 
The Winslow Farm
(open only on performance dates during July & August)
779 Zion Line, Millbrook
Tuesdays through Saturdays from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.