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The 4th Line Theatre Proves you can be successful in the arts business

Guest post by: David Cohen

Article Overview: I had a marvelous time this past summer attending two fantastic plays at the 4th line Theatre Company in Millbrook, Ontario...they put on wonderful topical plays set in the barn courtyard of the Winslow Family Farm in Millbrook. Millbrook is in the rolling hills of the Lindsay-Peterborough Area...and the Theatre experience at the 4th Line is absoulutely wonderful. I spoke with marketing director Simone Georges on their success formula.

The 4th Line Theatre Proves you can be successful in the arts business

SUMMER MAGIC …DINNER, THEATRE AND A REALLY NEAT TIME AT THE BETHANY HILLS BED AND BREAKFAST…

This summer I had the most magnificent experience on my holidays. I decided to see a play at the 4th Line Theatre Company and stay at a nearby Bed and Breakfast, and then go out to a local restaurant for dinner after the play. It was a dinner, theatre and Bed and Breakfast Package.


I interviewed Simone Georges…marketing director of the 4th Line Theatre Company in Millbrook. If you think you have no marketing budget try marketing a theatre with all of its various expenses…I think you will enjoy my chat with Simone and finding out more about the 4th Line Theatre Company…

Simone...how did the idea of doing outdoor theatre on the Winslow Farm become a reality?

After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1974, he had been an actor for several years, performing in the Blyth Festival, Theatre Network in Edmonton, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Cincinnati Playhouse. Locally, he worked with the Gordon Best Theatre, the Peterborough Theatre Guild and Showplace Peterborough. He performed in R. Murray Schafer’s The Enchanted Forest in 1994. He has also undertaken acting roles on CBS Television and with Rhombus Media. In 1988 he founded East City Productions in Peterborough and began directing and writing for the stage. But he confessed to Beth McCarthy in an interview for the Canadian Theatre Review (Spring, 1995) that “I didn’t really like theatres very much … I was sick of dark rehearsal halls. And I thought it would really open up a lot of possibilities to stage things outdoors”. Accordingly, he converted his farm into an open-air theatre.

Robert Winslow is a passionate storyteller who has taken what he knows best, the oral narratives and traditions of his home place, and brought them to his fellow citizens fully formed as dramatizations, contextualized in Canadian history. His ancestors arrived in Cavan from the Derrylin area of Ireland in the 1840s, building the farmhouse in which Rob himself grew up. An only child, Rob inherited the family farm in 1990.

His first production at the farm was Cavan Blazers (which inspired Mark Starowicz to produce the CBC series Canada: A People’s History). That part of history intrigued Robert and he wrote the play. At the time, religious conflict was still a contentious issue and he presented it in such a manner that spoke to both positions.


What were the early days like in terms of drawing a crowd and filling the seats?

The audiences actually built quite quickly in the early years. I would say it was the uniqueness of the presentation (horses, real fire) and the controversial nature of the subject matter that garnered the company national media attention (CBC, MacLean’s); large casts, approximately 30-40 community actors helped create awareness certainly; and the outdoor farm venue. Also, Robert wrote plays about what had happened in our collective history, this made the story very personal for our audiences. We’ve presented Cavan Blazers five times in 15 years and the production still sells out, as did Doctor Barnardo’s Children for two consecutive summers.

Businesses in the arts generally don't have a huge marketing budget...what have you done from a marketing perspective to have so many "sold-out" performances this past season?

The company does work on a very limited marketing budget. The keys to our success are in part contributed to 1) the good will of the media in promoting our work; 2) making the Farm experience an exemplary one so our patrons will continue spreading the word and returning with friends and family; 3) connecting and partnering with organizations that have a vested interested in the topic. We continually try to raise our profile with partnerships with local businesses; chambers of commerce’s; BIA’s; and Rob often does speaking engagements which help a great deal as well to connect to organizations.

Due to recent events that affected the decline in tourism (SARS, West Nile, 9/11), 4th Line Theatre was able to access supplementary tourism marketing funding from the Ontario Provincial Government that provided us with a temporary increase in our marketing budget in the past two years. That funding allowed us to leverage advertising purchases on radio and television as well as increase brochure/poster distribution into the GTA. The funding has been a remarkable gift.

In conversation with Simone Georges, marketing director of the 4th Line Theatre Company in Millbrook, Ontario…

We also identified key markets to develop; group bookings being a major market. Since we aren’t able to work with tour bus groups like indoor summer theatres, we implemented a group campaign that works for us. This part of the business has seen dramatic growth and this year accounts for 10% of our ticket revenues. And of course, what is tantamount to presenting excellent productions is providing customer service - the more people come out and enjoy themselves the more friends they tell about their experience.


What was Robert Winslow’s mission when he began the theatre company?

Since its establishment in 1992, 4th Line Theatre has never wavered from its founding mandate:

To preserve and promote our Canadian cultural heritage through the development and presentation of regionally based, environmentally staged historical drama.


Has it changed over the years or is the dream and the mission still the same today?

The dream still remains today...to present plays that help us better understand each other
and to help us prepare for a better future.

The one thing I got from attending the two plays is how incredible the experience was...here I was outdoors, in the rolling hills of the Bethany/Millbrook region near Peterborough...and I was sitting in the barnyard waiting for this play to begin...I had no idea about what the play was really about...but Dr.Barnardo's Children I found was emotional, transformative and powerful...I have to tell you the play and the experience was one of my most memorable life experiences...is this what your aim is when someone comes to buy a ticket?

That is exactly what we hope to achieve!
One on one with Simone Georges…The 4th Line Theatre Company…

What are the criteria you use in choosing the plays you present?

The plays have to match the mission statement, promote Canadian heritage and be regionally based or have an emotional connection to the region. The company does hold an annual play competition, because we are always seeking new ideas to present on stage. Our new play development process often takes three years from inception to stage.


There is a strong local theme to them, isn't there?

Yes, and that is part of what the attraction is I believe, not only the strong local theme, but very often the themes are not well known, whether because of their controversial/secretive nature or at the time it wasn’t an issue on the world stage. Leanna Brodie’s Home and Country was centered around the Women’s Institute and the impact that organization had on rural Canadian women in the first half of the 20th century. The stories in the plays resonate for many of us and the history lesson is told in an interesting way.

Talking about local...you have done something else very unique from a marketing perspective...You've joint ventured...teaming up with Paul and Britt from the Bed and Breakfast in Bethany to the dinner at the "Ranch"...Whose idea was it to do that and how successful has that package been for you?
In a small rural village, there wasn’t a lot to offer in terms of food and accommodation in the area, and we realized that to encourage those who live beyond the 40-minute drive to come to Millbrook, we would have to offer more services in a convenient package. We have major partners in promoting the packages, the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership and The Association of Summer Theatres and many local sponsors. This is our third year, and it has been very worthwhile because we want to encourage tourism in the region and we are a major cultural attraction, so this joint venture makes sense.

So Simone…What happens now during the off-season? Do you all go to Florida or is this when the real work begins?
The work continues – we work on play development with four to six in the works for upcoming seasons presentations. As well, all the fundraising activity to support the theatre begins now and continues until the spring when we shift into preparing the site and rehearsals start. And we begin all over again!

If you want to attend the walk through of next seasons play call Simone at 1-800-814-0055…it’s taking place in Peterborough on Sunday November 12th and may make a good November pick me up…oh, and it’s free to attend!

Log onto www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca for more information…and book for next years plays. They are powerful, poignant and relevant.

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