Cynthia Dale: Renaissance woman

Cynthia Dale folds herself into an armchair, adjusting the soft scarf she wears to keep her vocal cords warm, and fixes her big brown eyes on me. This woman doesn't move like the brash Street Legal character that made her famous more than 20 years ago. Rather, with splatters from the rainstorm raging outside still scarring her jean jacket, she's charmingly down to earth.

The verve for her latest project is palpable; Dale's not only starring in the CBC musical Christmas Dreams airing next month, but helped bring it to fruition. "I've never produced TV before," she says. "It was fabulously fun, really difficult and had a steep learning curve." That doesn't seem to be holding her back; she later admits to taking roles merely because they "scared the crap out of me." But the logic behind her leap is simple: "I'm 49 years old, I might as well jump in and take responsibility."

Despite obvious ambition, her career doesn't come first anymore. "My favourite role is being a mom," she enthuses, saying she's "achingly close in a beautiful, silly way" to her 10-year-old-son, Will, with newscaster Peter Mansbridge. But when asked how this Canadian power couple spend their days, Dale cringes. "We're not that at all—at least it doesn't feel that way when I'm at Sobeys."

Balancing motherhood and stardom

While she admits scheduling can be tough—between her performances, his travel (he stays in Toronto during the week, then dashes to the family home in Stratford, Ont., on weekends), dog walks and school drop-offs—Dale is unflinching: "Cry me a river!" she shouts. "Everyone does it.... If I ever thought it was too difficult, I'd walk away from all the work stuff in a heartbeat."

While Dale is sure she's a better mom today than she would have been in her twenties, some pills have been harder to swallow. "My son said to me, ‘Cool, Mom, you got a tattoo of a snake on the back of your leg.' I said, ‘No, Will. That's a varicose vein.'" She isn't signing up for any nips or tucks, though. "I can't thank god for everything in my life and then start changing things," she reasons. "Is it confidence? Maybe just stupidity."

After a 10-year stint with the renowned Stratford Festival, playing every leading lady from The Sound of Music's Maria to Camelot's Guenevere, she's open to new challenges. "It was a fabulous ride, but I can't see myself going back any time soon," she explains. "That was then, this is now." But what "this" is remains a mystery, even to Dale. Laughing, she sums it up: "I think I found my sense of self around 46, but I'm still working on it.... I'm scared shitless and so excited."

Meet other great Canadian women: Jazz singer Daniela Nardi, actress Louise Pitre and Belinda Stronach.

This article originally appeared in the November 2009 issue of More