Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre has launched a ‘chair-ity’ fundraising campaign where patrons can purchase naming rights for one of 400 new chairs the outdoor theatre company has purchased for its barnyard venue at the Winslow Farm.
The purchase of the new chairs follows a survey completed last year where 44 per cent of patrons expressed a desire for more comfortable and safe chairs. As part of the 4th Line’s strategic planning process in the fall, the organization’s board of directors unanimously voted in favour of the purchase of new chairs — even self-financing the purchase if necessary.
“Our audiences spoke loud and clear that, while they love theatre, they would like us to address their comfort with different chairs,” says 4th Line’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell in a media release.
Built for stability, comfort, and durability, the new Canadian-made chairs are a composite of wood and metal that can safely hold 500 pounds. With a powder-coated steel frame built to withstand the elements, the contemporary and comfortable chairs will not fade, peel, or crack.
The new chairs will be in place for 4th Line’s upcoming season, which kicks off on June 27th with the world premiere of The Tilco Strike, written by D’Arcy Jenish and directed by Cynthia Ashperger, followed in August by a restaging of 4th Line’s flagship play The Cavan Blazers, written by Robert Winslow and directed by Kim Blackwell.
For a $200 donation to 4th Line’s chair-ity campaign, patrons can purchase naming rights to a chair, which includes a personalized engraved plaque on the chair.
VIDEO: 4th Line Theatre’s Chair-ity Campaign Launch
Brian Field — a Millbrook-based businessman, mortgage broker, co-owner of Field Day B & B, and theatre enthusiast — has stepped up to chair the campaign, which kicked off in March with a generous starting donation by Andrew and Ally Pyle and Pyle Wealth Management CIBC Wood Gundy.
“I look forward to summer evenings spent at the farm in Millbrook, being swept away to days gone by, all while learning quirky parts of the history of the area I now call home,” Field explains. “What I did not look forward to — the case of numb bum I found myself with! I am thrilled to be the ‘chair of chairs.’ Please join me in securing the comfort of 4th Line patrons, now and in the future, with your support of the chair-ity campaign.”
“To have Brian Field offer to chair the fundraising component of this project is truly gratifying,” Blackwell adds.
Both naming rights donations and smaller donations to the chair-ity campaign can be made online at secure1.tixhub.com/4thlinetheatre/online/b_don1.asp, with all proceeds supporting the not-for-profit organization.
“With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day right around the corner, buying a chair is a great gift for a loved one who has everything,” reads the media release. “It is a deeply thoughtful gift which will last for years to come.”
Tickets for 4th Line’s upcoming season can be purchased by phone at 705-932-4445 (toll-free at 800-814-0055), online at 4thlinetheatre.on.ca, or in person at 4th Line Theatre’s new Box Office location at 9 Tupper Street in Millbrook.
