As a longtime journalist, D’Arcy Jenish is no stranger to the practice of “chasing a good story” but he notes that every now and then, a good story has fallen into his lap.
Such was the case when he was commissioned to write the history of Trent University for the post-secondary institution’s 50th anniversary in 2014.
Among the many he interviewed for that piece was noted Canadian historian and Trent professor Joan Sangster who, during the course of their chat, mentioned the late 1965 strike by 35 female employees of Peterborough-based Tilco Plastics — a labour disruption about which she had written an extensive paper.
“As soon as I read it, I thought it was a natural fit for 4th Line Theatre,” recalls Jenish, who subsequently wrote The Tilco Strike, the first of two productions being staged this summer at the Winslow Farm, Robert Winslow’s beautiful farm property off Zion Line near Millbrook, as part of 4th Line Theatre’s 31st season.
During a media day hosted Wednesday (June 14) by the outdoor theatre company, Jenish reflected on the significance of what was “a long nasty strike” that started small “but blew out of proportion” because of the company’s threat to seek an injunction that would that limit the workers’ action and “kill the effectiveness of the strike.”
“There were 43 of these things (injunctions) in the previous 20 years,” Jenish notes. “There had been a lot of labour unrest in Ontario. The Peterborough Labour Council got behind the women. There were mass pickets (involving workers from other Peterborough factories such as General Electric). Sheriff McBride had to read the riot act. They arrested 26 men. They wound up in jail.”
“Tilco was the last straw for the government and they called a Royal Commission into labour practices. Tilco was the trigger for a major public inquiry into labour practices that ultimately changed the labour landscape in the entire province. They didn’t ban injunctions outright but employers were hesitant to apply for them, and judges were reluctant to grant them when they did.”
To bring The Tilco Strike to life, 4th Line Theatre managing artistic director turned to a familiar face and talent, enlisting Cynthia Ashperger to direct. No stranger to the summer theatre company, Ashperger played roles in two previous productions before directing last summer’s The Great Shadow.
“I root for the underdog and they (the striking Tilco workers) were a clear underdog,” says Ashperger, a member of three unions who was immediately attracted by the story and its wider significance. “It’s important that workers have rights. It’s important to have someone backing you up when the need comes. It’s important to have some recourse when you’re being unfairly treated. These people took an enormous risk … young girls standing up to a big boss. They really stood for something.”
“I really hope they (audience members) will reflect on how they stood for something. How they stood for solidarity. How they stood for unity. How they stood for the rights of workers. That they were brave. That they paved the way for us to be able, in a unionized environment, to ask for our rights. That you don’t have to shut up and take it — you can stand up.”
As you’d expect of a tale that has antagonism at its centre, there is a character seen as the villain by those who side with the workers. In his portrayal of Harold ‘Dutch’ Pammett, one of the co-owners of Tilco Plastics, M. John Kennedy is well aware of his place in the narrative.
“In my mind, I’m not the villain but I think in a lot of other people’s minds, I might be,” says Kennedy.
“When we were doing the introductions around the table for the first read-through of the play and I said who I was playing, the cast booed. But D’arcy and, hopefully I, have done a pretty good job of trying to find (Pammett’s) humanity. My job is to defend the character I’m playing, and D’arcy gave me a lot in the script to do that with.”
“One of the things that came up through rehearsals are these scenes where Dutch is alone with another person. He seems a lot more open-hearted. You feel more empathy for him in those moments. He doesn’t need to put on this tough guy facade. I really get to open up his vulnerability in those scenes, which I really enjoy doing. I hope I’m able to generate some empathy for Dutch. I hope people don’t leave the show saying ‘He was an out-and-out pure villain.'”
For her part, 4th Line Theatre’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell admits to having known nothing about the Tilco strike action until she read Jenish’s script.
“But I remember the factory … that iconic Tilco Plastics sign at the corner of Parkhill (Road) and Park (Street),” Blackwell says. “I was fascinated by the story of how these 35 women in Peterborough and their fight for pennies on the dollar and a $25 signing bonus, that would have cost their bosses something like $800, deteriorated into such a wild and ultimately unsuccessful strike but rallied 54 trade unions in Peterborough.”
“My dad worked at GE. I remember the heyday of Fisher Gauge, Outboard Marine, GE, Britton Carpet, Quaker … the list goes on and on. This was a real factory town. I love looking at that piece of our history.”
Sharing her excitement as opening night nears is Jenish.
“These are just words on a page until an actor brings them to life with physicality and movement and gestures,” he says. “That’s when it’s exciting. That’s when you see it come alive.”
“You’re going to see a great story and a very entertaining piece but, by the end of it, you’re going to feel justice was done. Standing for one’s principles still means something.”
Blackwell, meanwhile, has another reason to be excited as 4th Line Theatre’s 31st season dawns.
“While last summer was awesome, we were about 20 per cent short of revenue targets. This year we are record breaking. We have never been this far ahead with ticket sales at this point.”
“Robert had a vision,” Blackwell says, referring to 4th Line’s founder Robert Winslow. “The aim is to keep the vision going and build on it.”
That vision began when Winslow’s play The Cavan Blazers premiered at the Winslow Farm in 1992, setting the outdoor stage for the 65 productions 4th Line Theatre has mounted since then in its mission to preserve and promote Canadian cultural heritage through regionally based and environmentally staged historical theatre. In August, Blackwell will be directing the company’s second play of the season: the sixth restaging of The Cavan Blazers.
Along with M. John Kennedy, The Tilco Strike also stars Katherine Cappellacci, Nathan Simpson, Ellyse Wolter, Sierra Gibb-Khan, Sarah McNeilly, Trent University student Laurin Isiekwena, one of five artists participating in 4th Line Theatre’s first Interdisciplinary Residency Program, and more.
Behind the scenes, musical direction is by Justin Hiscox, who also penned the original compositions, with costume design by Korin Cormier, fight direction by Edward Belanger, and set design by Esther Vincent. The production is sponsored by CIBC Wood Gundy – The Pyle Group and The Gainey Foundation.
Performance dates for The Tilco Strike are Tuesdays to Saturdays from June 27 to July 22 with curtain at 6 p.m., with preview nights on June 27 and 28 and opening night on June 29.
Tickets are $50 ($45 for children and youth ages five to 16), with $38 tickets available for preview nights.
You can order tickets by visiting www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca, calling 705-932-4445 (toll free at 1-800-814-0055), emailing boxoffice@4thlinetheatre.on.ca, or in person at 4th Line Theatre’s box office at 9 Tupper Street in Millbrook.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of 4th Line Theatre’s 31st season.
