You’ve probably attended a house concert at some point in your life, but have you ever attended a house play?
Following the conclusion of its 34th season on August 29 with the final performance of Megan Murphy’s Wild Irish Geese, 4th Line Theatre has announced its new Salon Reading Series.
Taking place during the off-season, the series will see staged readings of works by acclaimed playwrights Drew Hayden Taylor and Brad Fraser, along with 4th Line’s own managing artistic director Kim Blackwell, with each reading taking place in a different local home.
Limited to as few as 20 audience members per reading, each evening will also include food and drink. The location of each reading will be supplied a few days before it takes place.
In a media release, Blackwell describes the series “as a way to bring people together around great Canadian plays in a warm, intimate setting.”
“There’s something magical about gathering in a beautiful local home, sharing food and a glass of something, and then experiencing a play read by extraordinary professional actors just a few feet away,” she adds.
“With works by Brad Fraser, Drew Hayden Taylor, and myself, these evenings are also about conversation — giving audiences the rare opportunity to talk about the play, the ideas it raises and the stories we tell as Canadians.”
The first staged reading will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 15 and will feature The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light by award-winning Ojibway playwright, author, journalist, and filmmaker Drew Hayden Taylor of Curve Lake First Nation.
The play, which premiered in April at the Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver, was inspired by the issue of counterfeit works attributed to Ojibway painter Norval Morrisseau.
It tells the story of Nazhi, who runs an art gallery on the Otter Lake First Nation specializing in the work of Morrisseau and other renowned Indigenous artists. When a reporter begins to dig into the world of counterfeit Indigenous art, a discovery is made that risks jeopardizing careers and relationships, forever. The play asks important issues about authenticity, identity, and the cost of truth.
The second staged reading is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11 with Brad Fraser’s Shelley’s Shadow, which was commissioned by Bridge Street Theatre in the town of Catskill in New York State and premiered in 2022.
Based on the playwright’s actual experience, the play follows David, a struggling writer in his late 50s who becomes unexpectedly involved in the life of his elderly upstairs neighbour Shelley, whose memory and independence are increasingly affected by dementia. Alongside Shelley is Shadow, her much-loved and rather unusual dog.
Described as funny, tender, and ultimately heartbreaking, the play explores aging, dementia, caregiving, loneliness, chosen family, and the unexpected ways people become connected.
Taking place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 14, the third staged reading will feature Blackwell’s play The Death Dinner Party.
As a woman prepares for a medically assisted death, she gathers those closest to her for one final dinner, forcing them to confront grief, unfinished business. and what it truly means to say goodbye.
The play is described as “a darkly funny and deeply human exploration of love, family, and choice.”
Tickets are $60 per reading, or $150 for all three readings, and will include food and drink. Seating is very limited for each reading.
To purchase tickets, call 4th Line Theatre’s Box Office at 705-932-4445 or visit www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca.
