*Based on the novel of the same name by Janet Kellough, published by Dundurn Press.
Photo of Rachel Brittain, Welcome Death, 2009.
Photo by Wayne Eardley, Brookside Studio.
Written by Maja Ardal
Directed by Kim Blackwell
Starring Robert Winslow as Thaddeus Lewis
World Premiere
August 4 - August 29, 2020
Previews: August 4, 5
Opening Night: Thursday, August 6
Tuesday to Saturday at 6 pm
Additional performance Monday, August 24, 2020
The Winslow Farm, 779 Zion Line, Millbrook, ON
Wishful Seeing, based on the novel of the same name by Janet Kellough, published by Dundurn Press, tells the story of saddlebag preacher Thaddeus Lewis, who stumbles upon a murder mystery on the shores of Rice Lake in 1853. A historical thriller with a colourful cast of characters set against the backdrop of a rapidly growing pre-confederation Canada. Reminiscent of the popular CBC television series “Murdoch Mysteries,” this world premiere from Maja Ardal, the writer of the sell-out hit The Hero of Hunter Street, is sure to be a 4th Line classic.
“When the book, on which the play is based, was given to me in the summer of 2016, we were in the midst of our 25th season. I finally got around to reading it in late August and immediately thought that the novel would make for a super script. It is an intriguing story of religious melancholia, obsessive and uncontrollable attraction and how delicate reputations can be easily destroyed in a small town. I thought all three themes were unusual and not ones we normally explore in our plays. I think Maja has beautifully captured small town Ontario in the 1850s and she breaths life into the variety of people attempting to make their way in the new world. These people had to be hard because their lives were punishingly hard. In this play I constantly feel our ancestors all around us. And I love a murder mystery in the style of Agatha Christie or PB James, this play is reminiscent of the works of these giants in the genre.” - Managing Artistic Director, Kim Blackwell.
