Natural Heritage / Natural History Inc. acknowledges the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) and the Association for the Export of Canadian Books.

      “The world wants to laugh above all else

      and the man who can consistently sell tickets

      to a real side-shaking giggle

      is a benefactor on the road to fortune.”

      R.W. Marks

      1921

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD

CHAPTER 1 How Are You Going to Keep Them Down on The Farm? – 1876 to 1882

CHAPTER 2 Establishing Roots in Lanark County

CHAPTER 3 Canada Beckons – 1882

       CHAPTER 4 Tom Marks – A Keen Eye for Business and a Flair for Comedy

       CHAPTER 5 Exit Emma – Enter May A. Bell

       CHAPTER 6 Robert William Marks – Larger Than Life King of Repertoire

       CHAPTER 7 Life on the Road

       CHAPTER 8 Perils of the Stage – But the Show Must Go On

       CHAPTER 9 Honing Talent Over the Years

       CHAPTER 10 The End of An Era

       APPENDIX I Stage Personalities from the Marks Brothers Companies

       APPENDIX II Theatrical Memorabilia

       APPENDIX III Perth Opera House

       APPENDIX IV Family Tree

       BACKGROUND TO THIS PUBLICATION

       ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

       NOTES

       INDEX

FOREWORD

      Each year at the Perth Museum we present exhibitions that are related to some aspect of Perth’s history. When Barry Penhale, publisher of Natural Heritage Books called in the fall of 2000 to tell us about the upcoming publication of this book on the Marks Brothers, we were truly excited and inspired to create an exhibition on the history of theatre and entertainment in Perth over the years. Using artifacts from our own collection and others on loan from local theatre groups, avid collectors and historians, we are presenting the exhibition “On Stage in Perth” during the summer of 2001 to celebrate the launch of this book.

      There is a long and unique history of theatre in this town dating back to the mid 19th century. The era of the fabulous Marks Brothers is one of the most exciting stories in our colourful past. They have been called “the most remarkable theatrical family in Canadian history. The dazzling Marks Brothers were the greatest impresario-performers of our small town stage in the era before the nickelodeon.” (Macleanx2019;s Magazine, 1958).

      The Marks Brothers troupes performed all over Canada and the United States for fifty years from the 1870s to the 1920s. They delighted audiences in many remote towns and villages, most of sthemstarved for entertainment, with their flamboyant performances and lavish scenery.

      Each year, after 40 weeks on the road, they would return to their home base, a farm on the shore of Christie Lake, close to Perth. There they would rehearse, relax and plan the next seasons’ performances. The silk-hatted Marks Brothers were larger than life and when they came home to Perth everyday existence would suddenly become more exciting.

      By the mid-1920s, vaudeville acts and roadshows were declining in popularity and, with the last performance of the Marks Brothers Dramatic Company, came the end of an era. But the Marks Brothers have never been forgotten here in Perth. Over the years, several local theatre groups have dusted off the old scripts taken from the Perth Museum archives, and held Marks Brothers revivals.

      In 1982, Theatre-on-the-Tay presented “The Duke’s Daughter,” the first of three plays. The Marks Brothers revival continued the next year with their performance of “Dolores, the Ranch Queen” and in 1984 came “Dora Thorn.” The program for “Dora Thorn” described the ingredients of the play in this manner – “the dashing young protagonist, the innocent heroine and their struggle to fulfill their love amidst prejudice and deception. To say that in the end love conquers all is not to spoil the ending for anyone, for in melodrama getting there is all the fun.”

      In the fall of 2000, the theatre group Barndoor Productions put on the Marks Brothers play “The Wolf,” a melodrama of the Hudson Bay Country. They are hoping to produce more in the future.

      It is fitting that Michael Taylor tackled the project of writing a book on the Marks Brothers. Michael was editor of the Perth Courier for several years and had a deep interest in the history of this area and researched his subject matter thoroughly. This book will introduce readers to this important part of our theatrical history. The Marks Brothers and their theatrical legacy deserve to be recognized and remembered.

      Susan McNichol

      Curator, Matheson House,

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