Photo Karen Graham.
Costume Designer Korin Cormier ensures costumes fit the actors and can withstand the activities required of their roles.
The 4th Line Theatre is gearing up for its 31st season. The first production is a new play dramatizing an historic labour dispute which pitched male bosses against a group of poorly-paid female staff at the Tilco Plastics Company in Peterborough. The conflict began in 1965 over a $25 bonus, and escalated as management pursued a determined effort to crush the women and their union. Soon local picketers were joined by members of other unions, culminating in an historic legal dispute over the use of injunctions that eventually sparked a Royal Commission.
The August production brings another intense confrontation as the company reprises its original play, The Cavan Blazers. Set in the mid-1800’s, this popular play follows the futile efforts by Justice Patrick Maguire to establish a Catholic settlement in Cavan Township, whose efforts were thwarted by a local group of Protestant Orangemen. The audience should expect fire, fights, bigotry and coarse language, and despite any politically correct sentiments, they should expect to laugh.
The 4th Line Theatre is a not-for-profit, cultural and charitable organization that relies heavily on donations, ticket sales, government funding and private sponsorship. But don’t get the impression that it’s all take. Throughout its history, the theatre has actively engaged local artists, young and old, both in front of audiences in performances and in back-of-house production and support roles. This season, the 4th Line Theatre has hired 40 volunteers and roughly 30 paid staff to provide world-class entertainment at the Winslow farm. Many of these jobs are filled by local youth, offering much sought-after opportunities for local summer employment that does not involve hay or hammers.
Costume Designer Korin Cormier is back for a third season at the theatre. The job allows her to apply the skills she is developing in her four-year Fashion Design diploma at Seneca College. She creates many pieces from scratch, particularly pieces for plays set in the recent past. Clothing for these productions are more difficult to purchase because of the popularity of vintage clothing which makes sourcing these items quite challenging. Her favourite project at the theatre to date was creating costumes for last year’s production of Wishful Seeing. Set in 1853, it required dresses with multiple hoops that required careful construction, combining historic authenticity with the practicality required of the roles.
The biggest challenge in costume design, she explains, is getting the right fit. Not only must the clothing look appropriate, it must also tolerate the activities required by the role. Occasionally performers offer to wear some of their own clothes. As tempting as might be, Korin explains that productions are hard on clothing, and personal items might not survive the four week performance run. Items are worn six days a week for a month and require frequent laundering. Because of the action in the performances, clothing is often subjected to abuse. Items are routinely sprayed with a mixture of vodka and water to eliminate odors and address other sweat-related issues. Wool coats and jackets are prime candidates for this treatment after every performance as dry-cleaning them in between is not an option. To help actors keep cool in this attire, Korin has been known to create small pockets inside garments where ice packs are inserted. She thinks of everything!
Perhaps one of the underappreciated features of 4th Line Theatre productions is their use of volunteer actors who work alongside professionals in each production. Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell is particularly proud of this approach which has been branded as a program called Emerging Voices. It is unique for the professionals as well, who tend to embrace their mentorship roles with the young people working beside them. It’s a far cry from the regular union shop culture of other performance situations.
The goal of 4th Line Theatre’s Emerging VOICES (Volunteer, Outreach, Innovation, Community, Education, Skills development) program is to highlight and recognize the crucial role young people play within their community and give voice to their ideas and stories.
Audiences at this year’s productions will appreciate another new feature at the farm: new chairs. A 2022 customer survey indicated that while patrons loved the outdoor theatre experience, they hated the plastic seats. New board member Brian Field chaired a fundraising event in March where supporters were encouraged to donate $200 to purchase a chair which would bear a plaque with their name. There are now 400 new composite wood and metal chairs in place, providing plenty of comfortable perches for the audience this year.
The season opens with the preview showing of The Tilco Strike on June 27th and running until July 22nd followed by The Cavan Blazers which runs from August 1st to 26th. For more information or to book tickets, visit www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca or call their box office at 705-932-4445.
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