Local high school student Maude Rose Craig has been recognized with a Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for her involvement over the past decade with Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre, a non-profit theatre company that has been bringing regional history to life on the outdoor stage since 1992.
Administered by the Ontario Heritage Trust to recognize remarkable achievements in heritage conservation, the annual juried awards include the Youth Achievement Award, which Craig received alongside Sudbury’s Adam Selalmatzidis.
Ontario’s lieutenant governor Edith Dumont and Ontario Heritage Trust board chair John Ecker presented the 2023 awards at a ceremony in Toronto last Thursday (February 22), where Craig and Selalmatzidis were recognized along with other award recipients.
“Both are innovative and exemplary young people who show the breadth of what is possible in the next generation of heritage,” reads a media release from Ontario Heritage Trust. “Craig integrates theatre and performance into her exploration of history, and Selalmatzidis is a passionate advocate for Sudbury’s biodiversity.”
Other award recipients included Oakville’s Jane Watt who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Toronto’s Dr. Ron Villiamson who received the Thomas Symons Award for Commitment to Conservation, and four projects that received the Excellence in Conservation awards.
A grade 12 student at Lakefield College School, Craig has volunteered at 4th Line Theatre since she was a young child, including as a performer, special event coordinator, production assistant, young company coordinator, and front-of-house assistant.
As a performer, she has worked alongside professional actors to portray more than 15 historical characters — including Hollywood legend Marie Dressler — in 11 main stage plays and several play development workshops since 2010.
Historical plays in which she has performed include The Right Road to Pontypool, The Cavan Blazers, The Bad Luck Bank Robbers, Queen Marie, The Hero of Hunter Street, and Who Killed Snow White?.
“In her work as a young company coordinator, Maude Rose Craig has been a peer mentor to several young people,” says 4th Line Theatre’s general manager Lindy Finlan in a media release. “She encourages and propels other young people to succeed as emerging arts and heritage performers and creators.”
As 4th Line Theatre’s special event coordinator, Craig assisted with fundraising and event management and, last summer, led the organization’s seasonal audience services team as front-of-house manager, where she was responsible for training a large team of volunteers and ensuring a positive experience for audience members.
As part of the Youth Achievement Award, both Craig and Selalmatzidis will receive the Young Heritage Leaders Scholarship, sponsored by Canada Life and the Ontario Heritage Trust, which provides $3,500 toward their post-secondary education.
Craig is performing as Olive Neal in Lakefield College School’s production of Bullets Over Broadway The Musical from February 27 to March 1 at the Bryan Jones Theatre in Lakefield.
