While agriculture plays a crucial role in Peterborough County’s economy, the Winslow Farm has grown a different type of crop for more than three decades — one that draws more than 17,000 people each summer to the picturesque Millbrook farm.
Now in its 33rd season, 4th Line Theatre has been bringing Canadian history to life on its outdoor stage since 1992.
Under the artistic direction of founder Robert Winslow until 2014, when his long-time collaborator Kim Blackwell took on the role, the not-for-profit organization presents original Canadian plays, written by and about Canadians, that chronicle and explore the region’s cultural heritage. All of this is done on the outdoor barnyard stage of the rustic fifth-generation family farm in the Township of Cavan Monaghan, one of eight townships in Peterborough County.
4th Line Theatre stages two epic historical plays each summer, often telling little-known stories of the people who settled, lived, and worked in Peterborough County’s rural small towns. In 2025, the theatre company will present two world premieres in July and August written by local playwrights. Robert Winslow and Ian McLachlan’s The Housekeeper follows a mysterious woman with progressive views who arrives in Millbrook in 1955 and becomes the housekeeper of a widowed farmer, and Megan Murphy’s Wild Irish Geese depicts the 1825 journey of thousands of Irish settlers to the Peterborough region.
Each summer, 4th Line Theatre employs around 40 people and offers volunteer opportunities to more than 100 local residents. Throughout the year, the company also serves as an incubator for the theatre industry by offering its Emerging Voices Program to help youth explore a career in the arts and its New Play Development Program to help playwrights develop new theatrical projects, as well as administering the Ontario Arts Council’s Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators program that provides grants for new works.
But it’s not just Canadian talent that is grown on the Winslow Farm, as the theatre company has an economic impact of approximately $4 million each season. 4th Line Theatre works with partnering businesses to offer packages of accommodations, entertainment, and hospitality to patrons coming from out of town for extended stays in The Kawarthas.
Audiences can get a taste of these offerings while attending a production at the Winslow Farm, as 4th Line Theatre sources from local purveyors to provide food and beverage options at the farm, like charcuterie snack boxes courtesy of Peterborough’s Elegant Edged Catering. Other food vendors include Millbrook’s Weenie Land and Vadney’s Island Spot and Peterborough’s The Good Baker. The venue exclusively serves beer from Bobcaygeon Brewing Co. and cider from Baltimore’s Rice Lake Hard Cider.
A list of dining options available at the Winslow Farm, along with dining and take-out options in Millbrook and the surrounding area (including Millbrook Mercantile, Mitchel’s Cake & Chocolate Co., Moody’s Bar & Grill, The Peddler, Springville Tap & Grill, Doo Doo’s Bakery, and more) is available at www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca/local-dining-and-take-out.
These are only some of the more than 50 local businesses and organizations that 4th Line Theatre partners with to make such a vital cultural and economic impact in Peterborough County. Included in that number are long-standing sponsorship support from local businesses including Nexicom, EXIT Realty Liftlock, Grady’s Feet Essentials, Miskin Law, and many more.
Over several years, 4th Line Theatre has also developed a close relationship with Peterborough’s Trent University, gaining discounted billeting access at the Catharine Parr Traill College. Showing the love back, the theatre company was a partner in the establishment of the Jalynn Bennett Amphitheatre at Traill College in downtown Peterborough, demonstrating 4th Line Theatre’s steadfast contribution to arts and culture in Peterborough County at large.
For more information, visit www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca or follow 4th Line Theatre on Facebook and Instagram.
The Local Advantage in Peterborough County is a branded editorial feature series about locally owned independent businesses in Peterborough County, created in partnership with Peterborough County’s Economic Development & Tourism Division.
As part of its response to the impact of U.S. tariffs, Peterborough County is showcasing the many unique businesses located in the county, both by sharing their stories of success and how they support both residents and other businesses in their communities.
Whether by shopping at local businesses, dining at local restaurants, staying at local accommodation, or enjoying local experiences, residents and visitors can enhance the economic resilience of Peterborough County during these challenging times and help establish a sustainable foundation for the future.
For more information about economic development and tourism in Peterborough County, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/ecdev and The Kawarthas Tourism at thekawarthas.ca.
