Actors in the 4th Line Theatre’s upcoming production of The Schoolhouse, from left to right: Alexei DeLuca, Alex Pearce and Rainbow Kester.
This 4th Line Theatre season opens with the return of the popular Leanne Brodie play called “The Schoolhouse”.
The story is set in 1938 in rural Ontario, in a one-room school house where a newly graduated 18 year old teacher begins her first teaching job and finds herself facing challenges as much social as they are academic. With only a few years between the age of teacher and some of her students, there are boundaries to set and positions to understand, including that of a mysterious older student recently released from a juvenile detention facility. The play uses humour to illustrate timeless themes of compassion, fear of the unknown and hope. There is a broad mix of children and adult cast members, including a 9-member chorus of youngsters whose message is interwoven into the action.
This play was originally produced in 2007 and 2008 under the direction of 4th Line Theatre’s Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell. This season it will be Monica Dottoir wearing the Director’s hat. Monica brings a wealth of experience to her role, both internationally and with the 4thLine Theatre itself where she has performed in has acted in seven productions. She is also an experienced choreographer and brings the critical eye of a set and costume designer to the production.
Relaunching a successful play brings its own challenges as some audience members may arrive with a vision established by the former productions. Fortunately, Monica has never seen a production of this play, which helped free her to interpret the manuscript with her own spin. She has taken full advantage of this liberty and is eager for audiences to see this new interpretation.
Monica stays on at the 4th Line for the August production of Wild Irish Geese for which she is the choreographer. She recently completed a MFA in Theatre at York University.
Performances of The Schoolhouse run Tuesday through Saturday from June 30th to July 25, with preview performances on June 30th and July 1st.
For more information or to book tickets, visit www.4thlinetheatre.om.ca/ ,call 705-932-4445 or visit the Box Office at 9 Tupper St.,Millbrook.