As part of their ongoing virtual programming, Nexicom Presents 4th Line Theatre @ Home, 4th Line Theatre has announced the release of Beau Dixon’s Sizzlin’ Series. This video series will focus on regional BIPOC residents who are leading fascinating and inspiring lives.   

“We are excited to present Beau's series and discover people living in our region and the contributions they are making,” says Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell. “We are committed to a more embedded strategy of inclusivity, equity and diversity here at 4th Line.” 

Each episode in the series will feature an interview with a local BIPOC resident who will reflect on their occupation, career and daily life. The theatre company will release new episodes weekly on their YouTube channel starting Monday, March 1st. Read More

Kim Blackwell will chat with acclaimed artists Linda Kash, Theresa Tova, Andrea Scott and Beau Dixon

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4th Line Theatre is making the most of extra time indoors this winter with an Artist Talk Series during the month of February.

Kim Blackwell in Conversation With … will be held virtually, similar to the talk series the Millbrook theatre company hosted in May 2020. Last year's series has been viewed by more than 2,900 people around the world since they originally aired.

“Our Artist Talks have always been some of our most highly anticipated events at 4th Line Theatre,” says Blackwell.

“When we went online with our talks in 2020, we were not sure what the response would be to the new format. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who watched my conversations in 2020. I am thrilled to  Read more...

The Jon Kaplan Mensch Award has been given to Kim Blackwell, managing artistic director of 4th Line Theatre, by theatre critic Lynn Slotkin.

Although the theatre had to postpone its 2020 season, Blackwell established a weekly farmers’ market on the theatre’s grounds to help local farmers survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

The market also provided employees of the theatre with work despite shows being cancelled.

Blackwell also organized a series of 27 monologues from past shows that supporters of 4th Line Theatre could arrange to hear by phone for free.

Along with Lindy Finlan, Blackwell also co-wrote “Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales,” an outdoor, nighttime play for Halloween that was staged in the fields of Winslow Farm near Millbrook in Cavan Monaghan Township.

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Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre is working with students from Lakefield College School’s Ondaatje House to collect purses and fill them with personal care items for area women in need.

People can donate a new or gently used purse containing personal care items, donate a new or used clean and empty purse, personal care items to fill the purses, or donate money that can be used to purchase items.

Organizers are looking for feminine hygiene products (pads, liners and tampons), deodorant, soap bar or body wash, toothpaste, tooth brush, hair comb or small brush, cloth face masks, washcloths and small towels, body lotion, hand sanitizer or wipes, cotton balls and swabs, lip balm and moisturizers, socks and slippers, gloves, mittens, ear muffs, hats and scarves,    Read More

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A dynamic new initiative is providing an opportunity for local artists to showcase their work in a digital space. 

Hosted by 4th Line Theatre, the Digital Festival of Light & Dark will foster virtual engagement between local artists — those based in Millbrook, Peterborough, Lakefield, Port Hope, Cobourg and the surrounding environs —  and community members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We want to support local artists, even in a small way; and to generate art throughout the winter of 2021, when people might be more housebound than normal,” stated managing artistic director Kim Blackwell.

4th Line is currently seeking project proposals from local artists for original or existing artworks to be featured in the digital festival.

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In the time of the coronavirus, a Toronto-based theatre critic in search of plays to review must head off the beaten path. He might even find himself slipping along a muddy one leading through a farmer’s field in the pitch dark on a frosty October night.

On Tuesday evening, I made my long-overdue acquaintance with 4th Line Theatre, which has been performing outdoors on a 100-acre farm in Cavan Monaghan Township since 1992.

It’s just under two hours from Toronto, about half an hour from Peterborough and a few minutes from the main street of Millbrook, an ultra-quaint small town that recently played the role of Charlottetown in Anne with an E, but doesn’t, be forewarned, have much in the way of pre-show dining  Read More

The long awaited return of live theatre has finally come to Peterborough with the Open Spaces Theatre Festival, running at outdoor venues in downtown Peterborough from Thursday, September 24th to Sunday, September 27th.

Open Spaces, in association with 4th Line Theatre, will bring four (plus one!) original productions to safely distanced audiences. Tickets are now on sale via 4th Line Theatre.

Christina Adams, the founder of the festival, was travelling in Australia when the pandemic hit. Like thousands of Canadian nationals across the globe, Adams was forced to cut her travels short and return home this spring. Witnessing the utter havoc the pandemic has wrecked upon the arts and culture sector in Peterborough and the world over, Adams was inspired to do   Read More

 Tickets now available for their Halloween-themed 'Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales', premiering at Winslow Farm in Millbrook this October

Millbrook’s renowned outdoor theatre company 4th Line Theatre, which had to postpone its summer season for the first time ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recently announced their return to live theatre this fall with the Halloween-themed production Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales.As a theatre nerd, it has been impossible for me to experience this pandemic without thinking of William Shakespeare. This is due, in part, to that pesky meme in circulation that scorns my incompetence with the incessant reminder that: “When Shakespeare was in quarantine because of the plague, he wrote King Lear.” No pressure, right?

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4th Line Theatre will return with their world premiere Halloween production, Bedtime stories and Other Horrifying Tales

Theatre audiences will be invited to venture into the dark and unknown with 4th Line Theatre’s comeback production this fall, both in their imaginations and on foot.

Bedtimes Stories and Other Horrifying Tales, co-written by Lindy Finlan and Kim Blackwell who will also direct, is a creepy production inspired by the images and creatures that fill children’s nightmares, alongside a story of the devastating consequences of forbidden love. With the backdrop of the historic Winslow Farm, this world premiere Halloween Read More

One-hour sessions of physically distanced yoga are free of charge thanks to Nexicom  

Beginning in August, 4th Line Theatre will be hosting outdoor yoga sessions at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook.

4th Line’s artistic director Kim Blackwell told kawarthaNOW in early July the theatre company was planning on hosting yoga at the farm.

With the postponement of its 2020 summer season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the yoga sessions are just the latest in a series of innovative initiatives 4th Line has undertaken to engage people who would normally be in the theatre’s audience.

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  CBC Ontario Morning -

Friday July 3, 2020 -  Part 1

Kim Blackwell, the managing artistic director of 4th Line Theatre tells us about the Festival Friday Farmers' Market that they are hosting.

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Listen to the full interview here starting at the 20:02 mark.

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https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1760025667552/

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The company, based in nearby Millbrook, Ont., announced Tuesday morning that following a meeting on Monday, the board of directors decided to move both productions scheduled for 2020 to summer 2021.

The company was scheduled to stage The Great Shadow, written by Alex Poch-Goldin and directed by Deb Williams, in June. In August, the company was to present the premiere of Maja Ardal’s Wishful Seeing, directed by 4th Line’s managing artistic director, Kim Blackwell.

In a letter and email Tuesday, Blackwell stated it was a difficult decision and says she held out   Read more...

4th Line Theatre is hosting its second virtual show of the season, this one featuring Maja Ardal’s “The Cure for Everything”.

Manager of Marketing & Development Sara Mountenay says it’s important to keep their audience involved with the theatre.

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Listen Here

The one-person show will be held on Zoom for 100 viewers, which are  first-come, first-serve.

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 One-person show 'The Cure for Everything' is a follow-up to Ardal's 'You Fancy Yourself'    

Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre has announced its second virtual play reading this spring, with a live-streamed performance of Maja Ardal’s one-person show The Cure for Everything on Thursday, June 4th.

The play is a follow-up to Adral’s You Fancy Yourself, which 4th Line also presented as a virtual play reading on May 7th. That play was nominated for three Dora awards, with Ardal winning for outstanding performance.

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What’s the old saying for ‘The Hyde House’? It’s worth the drive to Acton.  Well, I’ll tell you, for the last two summers, it has been well worth the drive to 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook, Ontario to see some phenomenal surprises at this gem of an outdoor summer theatre.  There’s good stuff going on here.

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I remember writing the first review for 4th Line the first summer I attended and figuratively kicked myself in the behind why I hadn’t made it out there before. 

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4th Line Theatre made the difficult decision to postpone their first show of the season.

The Great Shadow, written by Alex Poch-Goldin and directed by Deb Williams will instead open the 2021 season.

The Board of Directors has decided to wait a bit longer to make a decision about the second show in the 2020 summer season, Maja Ardal’s ‘Wishful Seeing’,

Managing Artists Director Kim Blackwell says she is thinking about all of their loyal audience members during this time and in the not so distant future, she knows they will meet again to partake in great theatre under a beautiful Ontario sky.   

The annual Artist Talk series at Millbrook's 4th Line Theatre is going online this spring. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the theatre has established livestreams of the series, as well as a play reading event, to allow patrons to stay at home to prevent the spread of the virus.

Managing artistic director Kim Blackwell is launching this year's series as part of the theatre's Emerging Women's Directing Project.  Titled "Kim Blackwell in Conversation With…," the project    Read More...

4th Line Theatre’s Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell invites members of the community to join her for an afternoon of hockey-themed stories, memories and reminiscences, with an eye to creating a hockey-themed play in the near future.  Canadian actors and playwrights Paul Braunstein (4th Line’s The Shadow Walk of Millbrook) and Courtenay Stevens are excited to be working with 4th Line to create a play about hockey 

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Thievery, accusations and intrigue: Bring a little mystery to your holiday season with "The Fool of Cavan: A Christmas Caper."

Set in 1960s Millbrook, this Nancy Drew-style mystery finds a church congregation divided after props and costumes for an upcoming Christmas concert go missing. Accused are The Needlers, a band of local young people who take to the streets to try to solve the mystery and clear their names. This 4th Line Theatre production, written by Lindy Finlan   Read more...

Millbrook's 4th Line Theatre has a cast in place for its winter production of "The Fool of Cavan: A Christmas Caper."

The play will take place Dec. 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, and sees the audience on foot, following the action through downtown Millbrook. The show starts at 7 p.m. at St. Thomas Anglican Church and covers about a kilometre, with a warning from 4th Line that this production isn't suitable for people with mobility or health issues.

Described as a "Nancy Drew-type" story, the all-ages play is making its world premiere.        Read more...

Have you always wanted to act onstage?

Want to be part of an epic outdoor production in your community?  Have you ever wondered how 4th Line productions come to life? Interested in learning new skills and working alongside professional actors, directors and choreographers?  4th Line Theatre is looking for volunteers to perform in its production of Lindy Finlan’s The Fool of Cavan: A Christmas Caper.Read More...

Kim Blackwell, left, and Lindy Finlan of 4th Line Theatre accept Trillium Foundation funding from Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott at the Millbrook theatre. The funds will be used to renovate seating and rebuild the box office building. Millbrook's 4th Line Theatre has received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to make improvements and produce holiday-themed plays.

The funding was announced Aug. 8 when Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott       Read more...

Written by Lindy Finlan and directed by Kim Blackwell, The Fool of Cavan: A Christmas Caper is a Nancy Drew-style mystery. Set in the 1960s in Millbrook, a church congregation is divided when props and costumes for the upcoming Christmas concert go missing. The Needlers, a band comprised of local young people, are accused of being the culprits.    Read more...

4th Line Theatre founder being recognized for his passion for live theatre and creating a company that celebrates local history

This is the seventh in a series of stories profiling this year’s Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame inductees. Ten businesses and their owners will be formally inducted during a ceremony at The Venue on George Street in Peterborough on May 23.

A cool spring breeze rustles long grasses as it rolls through a field into the quiet outdoor stage at 4th Line Theatre.  Read more...

This year, Kim Blackwell is marking her 25th year at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook.

The managing artistic director has played an integral role in the development of the outdoor theatre company for more than two decades.

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Born in Toronto and raised in Peterborough, Blackwell was involved in the local theatre community from a very young age. It was while performing in a play in 1992 at the former artist-run The Union Theatre  Read more...

In wake of scandals in entertainment world, Kim Blackwell wants employees to know sexual harassment will not be tolerated.

At the Golden Globes last night (January 7), the issue of sexual harassment dominated the ceremony, with stars wearing black and various presenters and recipients using the opportunity to express solidarity with victims.

Host Seth Meyers opened the awards by saying “Welcome ladies and remaining gentlemen. It’s 2018 and marijuana is finally allowed and sexual harassment finally isn’t. For the male nominees in the room tonight, this is the first time in three months it won’t be terrifying to hear your name read out loud.”

Meyers was of course referring to the flood of sexual harassment accusations that began with Hollywood film mogul Harvey Weinstein and then spread like wildfire to include various male actors, sports figures, and other celebrities, prompting the #MeToo movement on social media where women recounted their own experiences of sexual harassment.

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4th Line Theatre has announced they are launching a new initiative this month, the Propel Weekly Writing Program, adding to the company’s virtual programming as part of the Nexicom Presents 4th Line Theatre @ Home event series. 

Anyone interested in participating is invited to join Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell for one or all in this 11-week series of online writing/creation workshops. The workshops are designed to inspire writers and creators and to allow them to commit time to their projects. There will also be time in each session to discuss work and collect feedback from Blackwell. 

“It is so challenging to carve out the time to devote to your artistic endeavours, especially your writing projects,” says Blackwell. “The Propel Writing Program will allow interested participants to... Read More

4th Line Theatre provided 13 regional artists micro-grants to create a dozen five-minute digital showcases of their work

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In an innovative approach to promoting local artists during a pandemic, 4th Line Theatre presents their first-ever Digital Festival of Light and Dark, that launched online on Jan. 25.

Members of the community are invited to engage with the artists’ creations from home through a digital video gallery from the comfort of their own home for free.

“We wanted to support local artists. That was the genesis for the idea which ultimately became the Digital Festival of Light and Dark,” explains managing artistic director Kim Blackwell.

“I am excited to showcase the work of so many talented local artists from almost every conceivable discipline. These short, digital  Read more...

The Jon Kaplan Mensch Award recognizes Blackwell for the Millbrook theatre company's 2020 pandemic programming

Every year, renowned Toronto theatre critic and writer Lynn Slotkin recognizes outstanding work in theatre with her series of “Tootsie” awards.

This year, 4th Line Theatre’s artistic director Kim Blackwell has been recognized with Slotkin’s prestigious Jon Kaplan Mensch Award. Named for Jon Kaplan, the late theatre reviewer for NOW magazine, the award recognizes recipients as people of integrity and high honour.

Slotkin, who is considered to be one of the preeminent voices in professional theatre both nationally and internationally, publishes The Slotkin Letter, a monthly newsletter that chronicles her theatre-going experiences in 

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4th Line Theatre has announced that award-winning Canadian actor, writer and composer/musician Beau Dixon has joined the theatre as an Artistic Associate. 
Dixon will assist 4th Line in further developing its inclusivity and diversity initiatives and strategies. WIth Dixon’s assistance, 4th Line Theatre’s objective is to establish a talent bank of racialized artists, uncover local racialized stories, and liaise with racialized community partners. 

Dixon’s research, and the relationships he forges during this project, will aid in future artistic programming and play development. Dixon’s deep ties to Peterborough and area will allow him to delve deeply into the issues of inclusivity and diversity, to ensure lasting strategies for the theatre.
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Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre is launching the new Digital Festival of Light & Dark, which will provide an opportunity for artists in Millbrook, Peterborough, Lakefield, Port Hope, Cobourg and the surrounding area to exhibit their work in a digital environment.

Proposals from local artists are now being accepted. These may feature one or more art forms, including dance, film, theatre, music, visual art and photography. Priority will be given to artists who explore the concepts of light and/or darkness, in whatever medium they choose to work, states a 4th Line press release.

Six grants of $250 will be awarded.

Proposals must include a 300-word description of the project and the artist’s bio.

The deadline is 5 p.m. on Nov. 24. Email proposals to Jess McDougall, 4th Line’s artistic administrator, at 

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Original outdoor Halloween production runs from October 20 to 30 at Winslow Farm in Millbrook

Symbolically, there’s something marvelous about the return of live performance to 4th Line coinciding with a rite of autumn. Halloween is, after all, the time of year when it is believed that spirits can pass easily between realms; when the veil between the living and the dead is lifted,

Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales, an original production co-written by 4th Line Theatre’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell and general manager Lindy Finlan during lockdown, summons the ghosts of 4th Line shows past.

The idyllic Winslow farm, a place familiar to many as a summer must-see for artistic excellence in outdoor theatre, seems somewhat foreign in the autumn. 

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4th Line Theatre is pleased to announce a new fall production where they can welcome audiences back to the historic Winslow farm to participate in their new Halloween production, Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales, co-written by Kim Blackwell and Lindy Finlan. This creepy production is inspired by the images and creatures that fill children’s nightmares, alongside a story of the devastating consequences of forbidden love. The show will be directed by Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell.

Set on a dark fall night in 1835, Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales, follows 10-year-old Samuel Deyell as he goes into the darkest night, in search of his missing mother. Samuel is joined on his quest by his two best friends. In the shadows, the children encounter the darkest secrets and most horrifying facets of Millbrook and Cavan.  Read More

 Four films will screen for free at Winslow Farm, with safety protocols on place

Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre is continuing its efforts to engage the community, with the cancellation of the outdoor theatre company’s 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic,

This time, 4th Line is launching an outdoor movie night at Winslow Farm (779 Zion Line, Millbrook) on four evenings in August, screening blockbuster family-friendly films from the ’80s and ’90s.

“We continue to explore ways to invite people to come to the farm and join us for some community togetherness in these unpredictable times,” says managing artistic director Kim Blackwell. “And we want people to know that their safety is our number one priority for all of our in-person events.”

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World premiere of Halloween-themed 'Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales' runs for 10 COVID-safe performances   

Millbrook’s outdoor theatre company 4th Line Theatre announced on Thursday (August 6) that live performances will return to Winslow Farm in October, with the world premiere of Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales.

The Halloween-themed production was co-written by 4th Line’s general manager Lindy Finlan and managing artistic director Kim Blackwell, who will also direct the show, with musical direction and original compositions by Justin Hiscox.

Set on a dark fall night in 1835, the play follows  Read More

This morning I received a phone call from Reverend Bobby Angel.

The insidious evangelistic preacher from the play Gimme That Prime Time Religion, last staged at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook in August 2015, brought down the fist and fury of the almighty in a fiery sermon about the purity of the soul in the troubled times we live in.

It was passionate, persuasive and, at times, frightening to be sitting on the other end of the phone with one of local theatre icon Rob Winslow’s most vivacious and intense characters.  No, COVID isolation hasn’t made me start imagining conversations with theatrical characters from summers past. The phone call was part of 4th Line Theatre’s new @ Home Monologue Series.    Read More

Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre will be hosting a farmers’ market beginning July 3.

The theatre is opening its historic Winslow Farm to operate the market, which will take place every Friday in July and August.

Sara Mountenay — the theatre’s manager of marketing and development — said in a statement that as everyone began to ease back into the newly opening world, the team at 4th Line Theatre began looking for ways to safely engage local residents. She said their team wants to promote all of the amazing products and services that local communities have to offer. “With the decision made to postpone the 29th Summer Season, 4th Line  wants to continue to welcome the community to the  Read More

Scheduled plays 'The Great Shadow' and 'Wishful Seeing' will be postponed until 2021

4th Line Theatre in Millbrook has cancelled its entire summer season for the first time in 29 years due to continued uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a letter from managing artistic director Kim Blackwell, the outdoor theatre company’s board of directors made the “difficult” decision at a special board meeting on Monday (June 8).

In April, the board had already decided to

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Kim Blackwell, Managing Artistic Director of 4th Line Theatre, talks about the important relationship between Mentor and Mentee and the mentoring programs in place at 4th Line Theatre.

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Watch the full expert talk          Here

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While it’s usually nice to be the ‘first’, local cultural groups would rather not have the title when it comes to hosting events during COVID-19.

On Tuesday (May 12), Peterborough Musicfest general manager Tracey Randall had the difficult task of announcing the cancellation of this year’s season. The organization has been in regular contact with health authorities, the province and the city for the last eight weeks, she says, but no one has a “crystal ball.” Organizers have been looking at                    Read More...

In this unprecedented time, the 4th Line Theatre is doing its part to encourage people to stay home by delivering some if its regular live events through live stream.   In May, the company will offer a series of free-of-charge virtual live stream artist talks as well as a play reading to provide some welcome diversions as well continue to follow stay home orders.

The series is part of Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell’s Emerging Women’s Directing Project, and will focus on Canadian women theatre artists who are pioneers in their field.  4th Line’s Epic Women’s Directing Project Read More...

The start of the 2020 season for Millbrook's 4th Line Theatre has been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The theatre's board of directors announced Tuesday it made the "difficult decision" to do so, while holding out hope an August run for a play will still be possible.

As of right now, it's too soon to know for sure. The summer outdoor theatre series on the Winslow farm in Cavan Monaghan Township had planned to open the season with the debut of "The Great Shadow," written by Alex Poch-Goldin Read More...