Maggie MacDonald (born 1979) is a writer, playwright, and musician who lives in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario.

Early life and education

MacDonald grew up in

Cornwall, Ontario Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, situated where the provinces of Central Canada, Ontario and Quebec and the state of New York (state), New York converge. It is the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Unit ...

, where she became active in the local independent

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

music scene. She put on shows and created a

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

called ''Saucy'', which gained attention outside of Cornwall as well. Dubbed the "punk-rock

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

," she also grew into politics. She served as a student

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

on her school board at the age of 17. She left Cornwall to attend the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

Career

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 Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

John Cleary and

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

Noble Villeneuve Noble Alfred Villeneuve (August 1, 1938 – February 28, 2018) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1983 to 1999, and served as a cabinet minister in the govern ...

), for a single seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, she was given next to no chance to win the election. Her innovative campaign strategy, including the use of a

guerrilla theatre Guerrilla theatre, generally rendered "guerrilla theater" in the US, is a form of guerrilla communication originated in 1965 by the San Francisco Mime Troupe, who, in spirit of the Che Guevara writings from which the term '' guerrilla'' is taken, e ...

play called ''Revolution Mall Style'', drew praise and attention. MacDonald's second play, ''A Clockwork Gorbachev'', won the Hart House Playwrighting Award in 2000 and the

Robertson Davies William Robertson Davies (28 August 1913 – 2 December 1995) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best known and most popular authors and one of its most distinguished " men of letters" ...

Award For Playwriting in 2001. She began to pursue her musical interests, and joined

The Hidden Cameras The Hidden Cameras are a Canadian indie pop band. Fronted by singer-songwriter Joel Gibb, the band consists of a varying roster of musicians who play what Gibb once described as " gay church folk music". Their live performances have been elabora ...

, 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. For a time, she was a guest vocalist with

Kids on TV Kids on TV was a Canadian punk- house queercore band from Toronto, active from 2003 to 2013. The group consisted of John Caffery on bass and vocals, Minus Smile on drums, electronics and vocals, Chris 'Wolf' Mills on guitar and vocals, and Roxan ...

, recording "Bitchsy" for the 2005

Lesbians on Ecstasy __NOTOC__ Lesbians on Ecstasy is a Canadian electronic band formed in 2003 in Montreal, Quebec. The band toured across Canada and the U.S. with Le Tigre before the release of their first recording. The first album, the self-titled ''Lesbians on E ...

remixes LP ''Giggles in the Dark''. 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. At the same time, she has had comics and writing published in Toronto publications: ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', ''

Lola Lola may refer to: Places * Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama * Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States * Lola Prefecture, Guinea * Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture * Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands People * Lola ...

'' and ''

Broken Pencil ''Broken Pencil'' is a Canadian magazine based in Toronto, which profiles zine culture, independent arts and music. It was founded in 1995 and publishes four times annually. History The magazine was founded in 1995 by Hal Niedzviecki. Its curr ...

''. 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 Robert Neil "Bob" Wiseman (born 1962) is a film composer, songwriter, author and music teacher. Wiseman discovered or produced many artists including Ron Sexsmith, The Lowest of the Low, Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall, Anhai, and former ...

to collaborate on writing music for the songs. ''The Rat King'' was then mounted a second time in August 2006 as part of

Harbourfront Harbourfront may refer to: * Harbourfront (Toronto), a neighbourhood in Toronto ** 509 Harbourfront, Toronto streetcar route **Harbourfront Centre, cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto * HarbourFront (Singapore), waterfront site in Si ...

's "Indie Unlimited" series, and then at the New York Fringe Festival. As of 2022, MacDonald was working in communications in the not-for-profit sector.

Publication

*''Kill the Robot'', MacGilligan Books, 2005,

Discography

*" Barcelona Pavilion" 7" single,

Blocks Recording Club Blocks Recording Club was a Canadian co-operative of musicians, which served as both a collaborative artist community and a record label for its member artists.The Smell of Our Own ''The Smell of Our Own'' is a 2003 album by The Hidden Cameras. Track listing # "Golden Streams" – 4:28 # "Ban Marriage" – 4:15 # "A Miracle" – 2:50 # "The Animals of Prey" – 4:04 # "Smells Like Happiness" – 3:08 # "Day Is Dawnin ...

'',

, Rough Trade Records, 2003 *''

Mississauga Goddam ''Mississauga Goddam'' is a 2004 album by The Hidden Cameras. The title is an allusion to Nina Simone's civil rights anthem "Mississippi Goddam" (from the album '' Nina Simone in Concert''), suggesting suburbia (Mississauga is a suburb of Toro ...

'', The Hidden Cameras, Rough Trade, 2004 *"Bitchsy",

, ''Giggles in the Dark'',

(remixes),

Alien8 Recordings Alien8 Recordings is an independent record label founded in 1996 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The label was founded by Sean O'Hara and Gary Worsley. The label released material from prominent noise artists such as Merzbow, Think About Life, Aub ...

, 2005 *''Passport (ep), Passport'', Republic of Safety, Independent, 2005 *''Vacation (ep), Vacation'', Republic of Safety, Ta-Da Records, 2006 *'' Mixing Business With Pleasure'',

, 2007 *''Succession'', Republic of Safety, Independent, 2008

References

External links

Interview with Maggie MacDonaldThe Republic Of Safety official site
(defunct)
Review of ''The Rat King''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Maggie 1978 births Living people People from Cornwall, Ontario Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian indie rock musicians Canadian punk rock singers Musicians from Toronto 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