We are excited to present our 18th annual Breaking Ground on Sunday, February 4th at Bagnani Hall at Catherine Parr Traill College in Peterborough featuring a free public reading of excerpts from Megan Murphy’s Wild Irish Geese, a new play about the story of the Irish settlers to the Peterborough region. Peter Robinson was the architect of an 1820s emigration plan which saw thousands of Irish families come to Canada to escape the brutal poverty which they were facing in Ireland. Eventually 2,500 impoverished Irish settled in Scotts Plains, later renamed Peterborough, to honour Robinson. These new Canadians planted deep roots in the Peterborough area and have thousands of descendants both locally and across the globe.

4th Line is proud to be working on this new project with Murphy, herself a descendant of Peter Robinson emigrants who settled in Peterborough, and a much-loved 4th Line collaborator. Murphy was most recently seen by 4th Line audiences in the summer 2023 production of Maja Ardal’s Wishful Seeing and in the summer 2021 production of her play, co-created with Kate Suhr, The Verandah Society in Residence at 4th Line Theatre.

This free event will take place at Bagnani Hall at Catherine Parr Traill College in Peterborough on Sunday, February 4th at 2:00 p.m. Seating is very limited so book early to avoid disappointment. Bagnani Hall at Traill College is located at 315 Dublin Street, Peterborough. There is plenty of free parking available on London and Dublin streets and the hall is fully accessible.

Breaking Ground is part of 4th Line Theatre’s New Play Development program, designed to support, nurture and encourage the creation of environmentally-staged historical plays. This ongoing process of dramaturgical support, workshops and public readings is vital to 4th Line Theatre’s commitment to provide audiences with the highest quality Canadian drama.

“Public readings are an important part of the creation of plays,” says Kim Blackwell, 4th Line’s Managing Artistic Director. “This forum gives the writer the opportunity to figure out what resonates with audiences. The audience’s feedback during the discussion afterward may be the most valuable aspect of Breaking Ground.”

Kim Blackwell will direct and dramaturge the reading which will feature: 4th Line Theatre Founder Robert Winslow, alongside Jonathan Cullen, M. John Kennedy, Kelsey Powell, Patti Shaughnessy, Nancy Towns, Hilary Wear and Lindsay Wilson.

This project is proudly supported by The Hickey Family Bursary.

Breaking Ground: Wild Irish Geese

Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.

Bagnani Hall at Catherine Parr Traill College - 315 Dublin Street, Peterborough, ON K9H 0C3. Free street parking available on London and Dublin streets. The hall is fully accessible.

Seating is very limited. To reserve a seat call 4th Line Theatre’s Box Office at 705-932-4445 or email boxoffice@4thlinetheatre.on.ca