Maggie MacDonald
Maggie MacDonald | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978 (age 45–46) |
| Origin | Cornwall, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Punk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, playwright, musician |
Maggie MacDonald (born 1978) is a writer, playwright, and musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Early life and education
[edit]MacDonald grew up in Cornwall, Ontario, where she became active in the local independent rock music scene. She put on shows and created a fanzine called Saucy, which gained attention outside of Cornwall as well. Dubbed the "punk-rock valedictorian," she also grew into politics. She served as a student trustee on her school board at the age of 17. She left Cornwall to attend the University of Toronto.
Career
[edit]Returning to Cornwall at age 20, MacDonald ran in the 1999 provincial election as the New Democratic Party candidate in the electoral district of Stormont—Dundas—Charlottenburgh. Facing two redistributed incumbents--(Liberal John Cleary and Tory Noble Villeneuve), for a single seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, she was given next to no chance to win the election.[1] Her innovative campaign strategy, including the use of a guerrilla theatre play called Revolution Mall Style, drew praise and attention.[2]
MacDonald's second play, A Clockwork Gorbachev,[3] won the Hart House Playwrighting Award in 2000[citation needed] and the Robertson Davies Award For Playwriting in 2001.[citation needed]
She began to pursue her musical interests, and joined The Hidden Cameras, with whom she has performed since 2001. She has also been a member of several other bands. The first was Barcelona Pavilion, with whom she recorded a 7" single. She then formed the band The Dating Service.[4] For a time, she was a guest vocalist with Kids on TV, recording "Bitchsy" for the 2005 Lesbians on Ecstasy remixes LP Giggles in the Dark.[5] She became lead vocalist with Republic of Safety, whose first EP, Passport, came out in March 2005. Their second EP, Vacation, was released in the spring of 2006; their third, Succession in 2008.[6]
At the same time, she has had comics and writing published in Toronto publications such as The Globe and Mail, Lola and Broken Pencil.[citation needed]
In 2005, MacDonald published her first book, Kill the Robot. A science fiction novel critiquing consumer society, it is also illustrated by MacDonald.
Her second play, The Rat King, first previewed as a work in progress in early 2004, received a public reading in the spring of 2005 and finally premiered as a full production in January 2006. Later MacDonald approached Bob Wiseman to collaborate on writing music for the songs. The Rat King was then mounted a second time in August 2006 as part of Harbourfront's "Indie Unlimited" series,[7] and then at the New York Fringe Festival.[8][9]
As of 2022, MacDonald was working in communications in the not-for-profit sector.[10]
Publication
[edit]- Kill the Robot, MacGilligan Books, 2005, ISBN 1-894692-14-4[11]
Discography
[edit]- "Barcelona Pavilion" 7" single, Blocks Recording Club, 2001
- The Smell of Our Own, The Hidden Cameras, Rough Trade Records, 2003
- Mississauga Goddam, The Hidden Cameras, Rough Trade, 2004
- "Bitchsy", Kids on TV, Giggles in the Dark, Lesbians on Ecstasy (remixes), Alien8 Recordings, 2005
- Passport (ep)|Passport, Republic of Safety, Independent, 2005
- Vacation (ep)|Vacation, Republic of Safety, Ta-Da Records, 2006
- Mixing Business With Pleasure, Kids on TV, 2007
- Succession, Republic of Safety, Independent, 2008
References
[edit]- ^ Scallen, Shawn. "Maggie MacDonald, May 16, 1999". scallen.com. Shawn Scallen. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Rumack, Leah. "Politics, punks and puppets, May 1999". Wayback Machine, NOW Toronto. Archived from the original on June 17, 2006. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "A Clockwork Gorbachev". modernistcommons.ca. Modernist Commons. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Rajagopalan, Pras. "Another side of Dating Services, March 2005". Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Lesbians On Ecstasy – Giggles In The Dark Remixes". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Republic Of Safety". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Beath, Carly (January 25, 2007). "I Am The Rat King, Jan 2007". torontoist.com. Torontoist. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Zwarenstein, Carlyn. "Maggie MacDonald". magazine.utoronto.ca. University of Toronto Magazine. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Hernandez, Ernio. "Fringe in the City: 2007..." playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Maggie MacDonald". linkedin.com. LinkedIn. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Kill the Robot by Maggie MacDonald". goodreads.com. Goodreads. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Interview with Maggie MacDonald
- Kill The Robot page
- The Republic Of Safety official site (defunct)
- Review of The Rat King
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1978 births
- Living people
- People from Cornwall, Ontario
- Canadian people of Scottish descent
- Canadian indie rock musicians
- Canadian punk rock singers
- Singers from Toronto
- Canadian women punk rock singers
- Canadian women dramatists and playwrights
- Canadian science fiction writers
- University of Toronto alumni
- Ontario New Democratic Party candidates in Ontario provincial elections
- Writers from Toronto
- Women in Ontario politics
- Women science fiction and fantasy writers
- 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
- 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
- 20th-century Canadian women writers
- 21st-century Canadian women writers
- 21st-century Canadian women singers
- The Hidden Cameras members