4th Line Theatre is proud to open the 2026 Summer Season, its 34th season, with Leanna Brodie’s Schoolhouse, directed and choreographed by Monica Dottor. Set in 1938 in rural Ontario, Schoolhouse unfolds within S.S. #1 Jericho, a one-room school just outside the fictional village of Baker’s Creek. When 18-year-old Melita Linton—newly graduated from Normal School—takes on her first teaching position, she encounters a lively group of students and a community rooted in tradition. Rich with humour and humanity, Schoolhouse beautifully evokes a vanished era in Canadian rural history.

As Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell explains, “I chose to bring Schoolhouse back to 4th Line this summer, nearly 20 years after it was first produced here, because it so beautifully captures rural Ontario life at a particular moment in time. At its heart, the play is a tribute to the profound and lasting role teachers have always played in the lives of their students.”

When Brodie began writing Schoolhouse more than 20 years ago, she says wanted to write a play about a community that is loving and accepting but also has its boundaries for some outsiders. As she explains, “I did just that, as Schoolhouse explores the idea of ‘will I be accepted or will I be pushed out?’”

Schoolhouse has been produced across Canada and the United States but the play is rooted in the history and stories of Millbrook, Cavan and environs.

“Schoolhouse is a play about memory—how it lingers, reshapes itself and quietly insists on being heard,” explains director/choreographer Dottor. “The classroom becomes more than a setting; it becomes a landscape where belonging is negotiated, where resilience takes shape and where small moments carry lasting impact.”

Schoolhouse will feature Alex Pearce in the titular role of Miss Linton. Pearce, a third year acting student at Toronto Metropolitan University, will be making her professional acting debut with 4th Line Theatre this summer. Also making their debut at 4th Line are Alexei DeLuca, Rainbow Kester and Kyle Orzech. Returning actors include Mark Hiscox, Ian McGarrett, Zach Newnham and Robert Winslow.

The student of the one room school include: Indigo Chesser, Jasper Chesser, Iris Muir, Darragh O’Connell, Aengus O’Reilly, Evie Wallace and Padrick Wilson.

Community actors include: Poppy Alderson, Michelle Chesser, Islay Dechaine, Hazel Evans, Andria Fisher, Cadence Fisher, Theo Greisman-Blank, Charli Rae, Mahi Sahadeo, Rita Smith, Lew Street, Lucia Wallace and Gillian Woodhouse.

The production will feature a cast of 29 professional and volunteer actors and musicians.

The creative team includes Director/Choreographer Monica Dottor, Costume Designer Chelsea Day, Set Designer Michelle Chesser, Musical Director and Composer Justin Hiscox, Intimacy Director Greg Carruthers, Sound Designer Steáfán Hannigan and Fight Director Edward Belanger. The stage management team includes Frances Bundy and Kaleigh Castell.

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Schoolhouse

Written by Leanna Brodie

June 30 - July 25, 2026

Directed by Monica Dottor

Previews: June 30, July 1

Opening Night: Thursday, July 2

Tuesday to Saturday at 6 pm

With an added Monday performance on July 20^th

Visit www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca