MacDonald Maggie

Article par Francis Racine
Le Journal, Cornwall
3 février 2016

Although working for an environmental charity called Environmental Defence, Maggie MacDonald was for many years a professional musician.

"Now I channel that energy into musical theatre and fiction writing,'' she explained."In 2012, I wrote and workshopped a play called Paper Laced with Gold about the impact of the Seaway.''

MacDonald's most recent production was a musical called Young Drones, which was staged at the SummerWorks festival in Toronto in 2013 and 2014. "I have new projects in the works but they are still under wraps.''

Born and raised in Cornwall but now residing in Toronto, the daughter of the well-known councillor Elaine MacDonald stresses that she still often visits her hometown. "I come home often to see her and other family members," she said. I love to visit the local parks and spend time taking
nature walks in the Rotary Eco garden, and at local historical sites like the Lost Villages Museum. It's great that so much of the waterfront is accessible to the public in Cornwall. In many communities along the Great Lakes and the Seaway, the waterfront is private property, so it's not as easy to go exploring, biking, or have a picnic. Cornwall residents are very lucky to have access to the river, and the waterfront trails are a real gem.''

Although she left Cornwall to pursue her career, MacDonald explained that her hometown shaped who she was and what she became. "The arts programming" at CCVS, as well as the art courses I took
at Saint Lawrence High School, were formative for me, shaping the way I see the world. The classes at Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School had exceptional students like Mandi Gosling and her little brother, but there were students of all levels of ability, including students with disabilities, who were fully appreciated in these environments. There was a spirit
of inclusion, and the teachers fostered a sense that everyone had something of value to contribute. For example, we had Bobby Archambault on our high school Cornwall improv team. He loved music and he had a great sense of humour and rhythm. He was legally blind and had challenges that other
students did not face, but that wasn't a barrier to being a great improv performer, and a great team player.''

Being a talented and successful writer, MacDonald urges any resident of Cornwall interested by the idea of writing, to keep working at it. "It can be a struggle to get published at first but there are more options now, and blogging can be a great way to get started,'' she added. "It's important
to share your work and get feedback, so connecting with other writers is one of the best things you can do, both to improve and also to get the strength and encouragement to keep going when it's hard.''