Jake’s Gift, a nationally acclaimed one-woman show about friendship and war, love and loss, will be presented by the Rossland Council for Arts and Culture (RCAC) on Feb. 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Miners’ Hall.
Written and performed by Julia Mackey, and directed by Dirk van Stralen, the 60-minute play depicts an 80-year-old Second World War veteran who returns to Juno Beach on the 60th anniversary of D-Day.
There he meets Isabelle, a precocious 10-year-old from the local village whose youthful questions and charm challenge him to confront long-buried pain, most notably the wartime death of his older brother Chester who had once been a promising young musician.
Humourous, poignant, and historical, the story captures the loving friendship that develops between Jake and Isabelle while he explores his past. At its heart, Jake’s Gift pays homage to those who fought and died for their country and captures the importance of remembrance through the story behind one soldier’s grave.
“Jake’s Gift is has received incredible reviews. We just knew that our audiences would love it too,” said Renate Fleming, the president of the RCAC, further noting that the RCAC will have more theatre in their performance series this year.
Mackey first created the character of Jake at a workshop in 2002, falling in love with the “funny, old guy,” and wanting to tell more of his story. She travelled to the beaches of Normandy in 2004, 60 years after D-Day, and walked the coastline meeting numerous veterans and listening to their stories. Inspired, she soon “discovered” the remainder of Jake’s life story.
Since Juno Productions began touring Jake’s Gift in early 2007, the play has received critical acclaim at festivals and theatres across Canada, notably Best New Play in 2007 and 2008 at the Victoria Fringe Festival, and Best of Fest in 2008 and 2009 at the Edmonton and Winnipeg Fringe Festivals, respectively.
Reviews from across the country shower the play with praise, from “as near a perfect play as I’ve ever seen,” (Jackie Flanagan, Founding Editor, Alberta Views magazine, Calgary,) to “If I could give this play six stars, I would,” (Shannon Boklaschuk, The Star Phoenix, Saskatoon.) They assert that Mackey plays both characters superbly and makes the audience feel that there are two actors on stage.
John Threlfall of Monday Magazine wrote from Victoria that, in 60 minutes, the script and performance “speak more to the heart about Canada’s role in World War Two than would a six-hour NFB documentary. Without a doubt, Jake’s Gift is one of the most moving and unashamedly heartfelt pieces of solo theatre that has graced a stage in a long time.”
The performance is appropriate for everybody over the age of 10. For more information, visit www.jakesgift.com.
Tickets are $15 ($10 for youth under 18) and are available at Out of the Cellar on Columbia Avenue or at the Charles Bailey Theatre box office in Trail or by phone at 1-866-368-9669.