Maggie MacDonald

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Not to be confused with the Scottish Gaelic singer Maggie Macdonald.

Maggie MacDonald
Born1978 (age 45–46)
OriginCornwall, Ontario, Canada
GenresPunk 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: 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]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Scallen, Shawn. "Maggie MacDonald, May 16, 1999". scallen.com. Shawn Scallen. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  2. ^ Rumack, Leah. "Politics, punks and puppets, May 1999". Wayback Machine, NOW Toronto. Archived from the original on June 17, 2006. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  3. ^ "A Clockwork Gorbachev". modernistcommons.ca. Modernist Commons. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  4. ^ Rajagopalan, Pras. "Another side of Dating Services, March 2005". Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  5. ^ "Lesbians On Ecstasy – Giggles In The Dark Remixes". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  6. ^ "Republic Of Safety". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  7. ^ Beath, Carly (January 25, 2007). "I Am The Rat King, Jan 2007". torontoist.com. Torontoist. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  8. ^ Zwarenstein, Carlyn. "Maggie MacDonald". magazine.utoronto.ca. University of Toronto Magazine. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  9. ^ Hernandez, Ernio. "Fringe in the City: 2007..." playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  10. ^ "Maggie MacDonald". linkedin.com. LinkedIn. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  11. ^ "Kill the Robot by Maggie MacDonald". goodreads.com. Goodreads. Retrieved March 4, 2022.

External links[edit]

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