"Jake’s Gift. Mark it down. Get your tickets right away!” So said an Edmonton newspaper writer in a review of Jake’s Gift at the Edmonton Fringe Festival back in 2008.
Since then, the multi-award-winning play has earned rave reviews and captured the hearts of Canadians right across the country. Next week we are bringing Jake’s Gift to the Innisfail Legion for one night only. This will be our first time in Innisfail, and we are really looking forward to sharing Jake’s Gift with the community.
The April 24 performance is a fundraiser for Innisfail Legion Branch 104, as well as the Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation. The foundation’s mandate is to create memorial plaques to honour every Canadian soldier killed in the line of duty from the Boer War to Afghanistan. (www.canadianfallenheroes.com)
Jake’s Gift is a love letter of thanks to all our veterans. The one-act, 65-minute play tells the story of a Second World War Canadian veteran who reluctantly returns to Normandy, France, to find the grave of the brother who never came home.
The play is written and performed by playwright and actress Julia Mackey, and directed by Dirk Van Stralen. We formed our B.C.- based theatre company, Juno Productions, back in 2007 and have toured Jake’s Gift to more than 250 communities across Canada, including international stops in the U.S., the United Kingdom and to Normandy for the 70th and 73rd anniversaries of D-Day.
Jake’s Gift was inspired by a journey I took to Normandy for the 60th anniversary of D-Day in June 2004. For one week, I interviewed dozens of veterans, walked the beaches and countryside, and visited the cemeteries that became the final resting place for thousands of Canadians who gave the ultimate sacrifice. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. It compelled me to share that journey with other Canadians.
Following the Innisfail performance on April 24, there will be a reception in the Legion Lounge. Tickets for Jake's Gift are now available in the temporary clubroom in the Innisfail Legion Auditorium. The cost is $30 per ticket. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the event beginning at 7 p.m. Call 403-227-3622 for more information. We hope you can join us for this special evening to honour our veterans. For more information about Jake’s Gift and the company tour schedule please visit www.jakesgift.com.
