MILLBROOK – Lakefield College School, Traill College at Trent University and 4th Line Theater have launched the 2022 Young Company, a group of diverse young regional artists and performers who will work with industry professionals to produce readings and live virtual performances this summer.

As part of its Emerging Voices youth apprenticeship program, young volunteers and apprentices from rural communities have always played a major role in the history of 4th Line Theatre.

From the first play at Winslow Farm south of Millbrook in 1992 to this year’s “The Great Shadow” and “Wishful Seeing”, young actors in the community have captured authentic voices in their plays, allowing the theater to continue to create productions in the past three years. decades.

“We are thrilled to support 4th Line Theatre’s Young Company program,” said Anne-Marie Kee, School and Foundation Principal of Lakefield College School.

“As an independent school with a strong extra-curricular arts program, we have seen firsthand how important the performing arts can be in a youngster’s development, providing them with a place to express themselves in new ways. creatively and build confidence, both on and off the stage.We hope to see more young artists flourish at the 4th Line Theatre.

Following last season’s Young Company program, 4th Line Theater has partnered with Lakefield College School to further develop the initiative.

Young Company members will train with industry professionals Victoria Cutler, Pat Maitland, Rebecca Birrell, Simone Georges and Melissa Wotherspoon to bring scripts to life and create original works.

The Jalynn Bennett Amphitheater at Trent University’s Catharine Parr Traill College in downtown Peterborough is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in September.

4th Line Theater is a community partner of Traill College and looks forward to hosting future events of the young company in the new theater space.

Young Company 2022 is led by Young Company Coordinator Rebecca Birrell and its members are: Mackenzie Airhart, Norah Appleby, Sarah Bubteina, Jack Chesla, Zoe Dunaway, Aimee Gordon, Ava Imeson, Laurin Isiekwena, Annie Mancini, Sidney Moon, Ivy Morgan, Neveah Taylor and Bunni Verbal.

Birrell received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Waterloo with a major in drama with minors in psychology and women’s studies. She then studied at Rose Bruford College of Theater and Performance in London, England, completing an intensive six-month internship before completing her Masters in Collaborative Theater Creation.

After graduating, she and her classmates formed The Spilled Tea Collective; a theatrical company whose mission is to create new comic works. Their first play, “Let Me Shake Your Groove Thing”, was performed at the Blue Elephant Theater in London.

After moving to Canada in March 2020, Birrell had opportunities with Zoom Theater.

Her Zoom acting credits include: Terra in “Genesisters” (We All Shine Productions), Pozzo in “Waiting for Godot” (Knockout Theater Company), Liz Essendine in “Present Laughter” (Knockout), Lady Macbeth in “Macbeth” (The Potluck Collective), Katherine in “Taming of the Shrew” (The Shakespearience Group), Miss Marple in “A Murder is Announced” (Knockout) and Mary in “Unity 1918” (Knockout).

She also directed Knockout Theater productions of “Othello” and “The Importance of Being Earnest.”

Young Company’s live performance series kicked off Friday night with “Clown.” Young Company participants worked with director Victoria Cutler, who has a background in comedy including 10 years in competitive improv. The Young Company performed an original piece based on learned clowning techniques.

Admission is free and all live events begin at 6 p.m. on the 4th Line Theater Facebook page at facebook.com/4thlinetheatre

Here is the schedule for future performances:

July 15 at 6 p.m.: The Revolutionaries

Four beautiful, badass women lose their minds in this irreverent female comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.

Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and ribbon fan) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle trail, assassinate Marat, and attempt to repel extremist madness in Paris in 1793.

This grandiose and dreamy comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we really strive to change the world.

It’s a true story. Or total fiction. Or a piece upon a piece. Or a loud resurrection… which ends with a song and a scaffold.

Director: Pat Maitland

July 22 at 6 p.m.: Designing

Young Company members will work with Rebecca Birrell to create an original work on the Northcote campus of Lakefield College School. Birrell is an actor and theater maker who holds a master’s degree in design.

Director: Rebecca Birell

July 29 at 6 p.m. The Drowning Girls

“The Drowning Girls” tells the story of Bessie, Alice and Margaret, three of the many wives of George Joseph Smith, an Edwardian opportunist who made his living by marrying women, taking out life insurance policies for them and then drowning them in their baths.

Three ghostly brides emerge from bathtubs full of water to gather evidence against their murderous, womanizing husbands by reliving the shocking events that led to their deaths. As they plead their case, they discover how they have been victimized not only by George Joseph Smith, but also by society as a whole.

Full of rich imagery, a myriad of characters, a quirky sense of humor and lyrical language, “The Drowning Girls” is equal parts jaw-dropping fantasia and social critique.

Director: Simone Georges

August 5 at 6 p.m.: Unholy

Four female panelists go head-to-head in a wild and intelligent public debate about religion and misogyny.

With the opinions of a Muslim feminist lawyer, an Orthodox Jewish spiritual leader, an excommunicated nun and an atheist lesbian expert, all in a provocative battle of wits, the passion outside the debate fuels the fire on the podium, leaving the women, their hostess and the entire public to plummet.

“Unholy” offers a hilarious, no-holds-barred look at contemporary women in organized religion.

Director: Melissa Wotherspoon

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