A Night to Remember: Jake’s Gift comes to Moose Jaw
‘Jake’s Gift,’ a moving story that honors army veterans who never made it home from the War, is coming to Moose Jaw for the first time at the Mae Wilson Theatre. The award-winning show, which is a 65-minute one-act production, will make its Moose Jaw debut at the Mae Wilson Theatre (217 Main St. W) on Saturday, May 12 at 2:00 p.m. with another show to follow at 7:00 p.m.
These performances are also fundraisers for the Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation. The foundation’s mandate is to create memorial plaques to honor every Canadian soldier killed in the line of duty from the Boer War to Afghanistan. The plaques are beautifully crafted with detailed information showing a photograph of the soldier, where they were from, where they served, and how they died. Jake’s Gift is a perfect marriage with the Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation. The play is a love letter of thanks to all veterans. It tells the story of a Canadian WWII veteran who reluctantly returns to Normandy, France, to find the grave of the brother who never came home. At its heart, Jake’s Gift is about the legacy of remembrance and personalizes the story behind one soldier’s grave.
The play is written and performed by BC based playwright and actress, Julia Mackey, and directed by her partner, Dirk Van Stralen. The couple formed their theatre company, Juno Productions, back in 2007. Since then, they have toured Jake’s Gift to over 250 communities across Canada, including international stops in the US, the UK and to Normandy for the 70th and 73rd Anniversary of D-Day. Jake’s Gift was inspired by Mackey’s own journey to Juno Beach for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day in June 2004. For one week, she interviewed dozens of veterans, walked the beaches and visited the graveyards that became the final resting place for thousands of Canadians who gave the ultimate sacrifice. She describes that experience as one of the most moving of her life, and she felt compelled to share it with other Canadians.
She is excited to bring the show to Moose Jaw for the first time. “I’ve never done the show in Moose Jaw before. We had an extensive tour in Saskatchewan last spring where we went to about 17 rural communities. The play is a one woman show where I play all the characters. The evening that people will see is a one act play where I switch back and forth between the old veteran and this young girl who he meets in Normandy who now lives in the town he helped liberate. The story is about their friendship and how she helps him deal with some unresolved ghosts,” said Mackey. “The evening is kind of an emotional rollercoaster. It is very much a drama, but it also has a lot of comedy in the show, as well.”
She said the show is open to a wide variety of audiences. “We’ve had audiences from as young as 10 years old up to 101, so the show is great for anyone basically except for very younger kids. A lot of families can come out to enjoy the show. The evening is about celebrating and re- membering the fallen heroes from Moose Jaw—the guys who did not get to come home.”
Mackey added that, Moose Jaw and area soldiers who did not make it home from the War will be honored after the show through a fundraiser. “The show also serves as a fundraiser for the Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation. They will have about five or six plaques in the lobby on display that specifically honors Moose Jaw soldiers that never came home.” A presentation will also be made to the Legion. “We will be doing a special presentation to the Legion as well of a beautiful print called Fallen Hero. We will also be raising money for the Legion when we sell Jake’s Gift button packages after the show. We look forward to performing in Moose Jaw.”
To purchase tickets to Jake’s Gift, you can visit www.jakesgifts.com or www. moosejawculture.ca or visit the box office at the Mae Wilson Theatre. The cost of the tickets is $30. Close to 1,000 dancers from all over Western Canada converged on Moose Jaw this past week for the Dance Inspirations competition conducted by the Moose Jaw Festival of Dance.
The 60th edition of the event saw dancers take AE Peacock theatre stage in a wide variety of categories, ranging from Broadway, classical ballet and tap dancing to hip hop, jazz variety and the near-gymnastics acrodance.
All were vying for an amazing package of scholarships and awards across every class, with the 2018 edition featuring in excess of $30,000 in winnings.
The event concluded with the Dance Challenge on Sunday afternoon, featuring the best of the best of group performances from the week aiming for group scholarships.
Be sure to check next week’s Moose Jaw Express for more photos and results!