Kim Blackwell, Managing Artistic Director 4th Line Theatre
“The theatre has been in my blood and belly since I was a little kid.”
Courtesy of 4th Line Theatre.
Joe Szekeres
A recent check-in with 4th Line Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell shows the lady still adores the theatre.
To read my first online conversation with her, go here: https://www.onstageblog.com/profiles/2020/5/11/the-self-isolated-artist-series-torontopeterborough-ontario-profile-of-kim-blackwell.
2024 marks Kim's 30th season with 4th Line, where she has directed 28 productions and 15 world premieres.
The lady seems to have no intention of slowing down in her love of the theatre.
In September 2016, Blackwell was inducted into Peterborough’s Pathway of Fame. In 2020, she received Toronto theatre critic Lynn Slotkin’s Jon Kaplan Mensch Award. Kim has recently joined the Playwright’s Guild of Canada and is working on her first solo, full-length play for 4th Line, ‘The Lost Souls.’
When she answered questions for her first profile check-in back in 2020, Kim stated the following about the effects of the worldwide pandemic on the Canadian theatre scene:
“[It] will reaffirm that we all love the relationship between art and audiences which is at the core of our art practice. And we will be much more sensitive to that innate relationship when we can be together again.”
I’m happy to report that 4th Line’s relationship with audiences has been strengthened thanks to some terrific shows on the playbill and fine on-stage work by local and professional performing artists since we’ve all returned from Covid.
This week, Beverley Cooper’s ‘Jim Watts: Girl Reporter’ opens in preview on July 30 and 31, with opening night set for August 1. Directed by Blackwell, the twenty-eight-ensemble cast tells the story, billed as a fascinating exploration, of the experience of trailblazing youth who illegally flocked to Spain to fight fascism, attempting to stop its march across Europe in the mid-1930s. Jean ‘Jim’ Watts was the only woman to join Canada’s battalion in Spain, the Mackenzie-Papineaus.
Recently, I attended the media call for ‘Jim Watts’ and spoke with her.
What is it about the theatre that keeps her intrigued and motivated?
“Well, it’s been in my blood and belly since I was a little kid.”
She said she diverted a couple of times over the years; however, from when she was twenty-five, she was out at 4th Line. She says she doesn’t want to do anything else.
Does writing for film or television interest her at all?
“They’re not of interest to me. This medium [the theatre] and this connection between art and audience, which is at the heart of the work we do here, is so special and so transformative. I really do see how our work changes people’s lives and changes the world. I see it almost on a daily basis.”
Blackwell referred to the most recent ‘Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: The Farmerettes,’ which concluded its run recently. What touched Kim’s heart was seeing those ladies who were Farmerettes and their families come out and see actors tell their story. That’s pretty extraordinary for people.
With a smile, Kim proudly stated that 4th Line has been doing just that for thirty-two years.
And I truly hope the company continues doing it for another thirty-two years (and beyond).
From what I understand, 4th Line audiences continue growing. Blackwell says 70% of the company’s audiences are from 50 kilometres away— Millbrook, Peterborough, Oshawa, Port Hope, Bowmanville, Belleville, and Lindsay are only several examples. 12% of the audience comes from the Greater Toronto area.
What she once again proudly states about the 4th Line:
“Our audiences are local, loyal, and love to see the stories in this area they didn’t know about.”
As the opening night approaches for ‘Jim Watts,’ what message is Blackwell hoping audiences will take away from the production as a director?
Kim says playwright Beverley Cooper's play raises an interesting question: “Can one person make a difference?”
Are we all struggling with that question right now? Are we, as humans, with so much change going on around us, making a difference?
“It’s all so big,” Blackwell emphasizes. “The problems are so big. There’s division. Can people actually dig in and make a difference?”
Kim then opened up and said she feels this way in her own life. She, her husband, and her daughter moved back to Peterborough in 2020, and she immediately joined various city Boards.
She wants to make a difference within her community.
Jean Watts, the central character in the play, and the young men who went over to fight in Spain all wanted to make a difference. They were trying to effect change.
‘Jean Watts’ is a hero’s journey primarily focusing on Jean Watts, who goes by the nickname Jim. In her belly, Jean is a privileged girl from North Toronto who wants to make a difference. She wants her life to matter and to mean something. She finds herself going from Toronto to Madrid and the battlefields of Spain (what Kim says was a dress rehearsal for World War 2). The play then concludes in Peterborough in the early 1960s.
Kim then made a comment that intrigued me:
“Democracy is fragile. It’s not a guarantee, and if we see what’s happening in other parts of Europe and south of our border, there is a will to see a few people have a lot of power and say.”
As we concluded our conversation, Blackwell said, ‘Jim Watts’ poses many big questions. But there are moments of humour, music, and romance. There will be live animals and a beautiful set that has a revolve.
Is the theatre dying?
“I hope it’s not dying. If people come out, it’s not going to die.”
‘Jim Watts: Girl Reporter’ opens in previews on July 30 and 31, with opening night on August 1. The production runs to August 24 at 4th Line Theatre, 779 Zion Line, Millbrook. For tickets, visit 4thlinetheatre.on.ca or call (705) 932-4445.