Cynthia Dale was born and raised in Toronto. She hit the stage for the first time in the ’60s on her way to becoming one of the country’s most iconic actors. Although she has appeared in many TV programs and movies, including her many seasons on Street Legal and Night Heat, the stage is where she has always returned, most recently as a member of the venerable Stratford Festival.
This season, Dale stars in A Little Night Music, opening May 21 and running until Oct. 23, www.stratfordfestival.ca. When Dale isn’t stomping the boards, she turns to the written word for inspiration.
“I read a lot, an awful lot,” says Dale. “It may be one of the most necessary and important things that feed me in my life.”
We asked Dale to let us in on five influential books that have touched her, and it was a challenge. “Picking five books is very hard,” says Dale. “But I had a visceral reaction to picking up these particular ones.”
Hundreds and Thousands: The Journals of Emily Carr
I played a young Emily Carr when I was 12 years old in a CBC movie about her. I first read many of her books around this time. I’m not sure I understood them, but it sparked a longing to grow into someone who would. This book may have set the tone for me learning what “an artist” really is.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Beautiful wisdom in the form of a novel that helped me to believe in the power of my own journey and my own alchemy. I wanted to walk the desert with Santiago, the shephard boy. I also wanted to wear an emerald ring as my talisman after I finished reading this magical tale.
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
I have always loved books about books. This incredibly moving and wondrous novel does that and so much more. I was swept away by this interwoven tale of generations and love. I remember having the ugly cries, odd as that sounds, when it was over. It’s one of those novels where you feel like the tectonic plates of your heart have somehow shifted.
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
The year I turned 50, I did the play Love, Loss, and What I Wore, written by Delia and Nora Ephron. It was five women sitting and telling hilarious and moving stories about life. Well that’s what this book is and then some. I devoured this wee gem. I remember laughing through my tears and crying from my belly laughs. This book made it OK to rail against my own foibles and see the humour and honesty in being a “woman of a certain age.”
Little, Big by John Crowley
Give me magical realism any day! A novel full of fantasy and wonder, love, family and destiny. An epic tale of such beauty and heart that I actually get a lump in my throat when I hold onto my weathered treasure. I think I bought 10 copies of this book and gave them to my nearest and dearest when I finished it. If I were on a desert island, I would take this book with me, to read over and over, and maybe even to use as my pillow!
