Unity forged in battle. This remarkable story of bravery, romance, and sacrifice follows a group of Canadian soldiers convalescing in a field hospital after facing the horrors of the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge.
The Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre Society presents Western Canada Theatre’s Vimy on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Vimy is the first show in the Society’s 2018/19 SPOTLIGHT Theatre Series.
The soldiers battle with their memories of the past, as a young nurse from Nova Scotia, tends to their wounds both obvious and concealed in this striking First World War drama from Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Vern Thiessen.
WCT Artistic Director James MacDonald directed the highly praised premiere of Vimy and is proud to revise it here in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
“We are proud to present this beautiful production based in true Canadian history,” he says. “We honour an entire generation of Canadian servicemen and women, as well as everyone who has ever served in our military and associated services.”
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MacDonald’s award-winning, exceptional talents in acting and directing have been presented from coast to coast across Canada, and most recently, he has acted as artistic associate at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton and program director of the Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program.
“Theatre is about community—who we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going,” says MacDonald, a sentiment echoing the themes in Thiessen’s play featuring one of Canada’s most defining moments in history.
Follow the physical and emotional journeys of the survivors as they recall scenes of their turbulent past, including preparing for and the aftermath of the historic battle. Deemed “a victory of a play,” by the Globe and Mail, Vimy is an important, can’t-miss performance for all Canadians, the Society says.
Tickets for Vimy are $40 for adults, $37 for seniors and $35 for students. Subscriptions for the Society’s 2018/19 SPOTLIGHT Theatre Series are on sale for a limited time. Subscriptions are $155 for adults and offers five shows for the price of four. Call the Ticket Seller Box Office at 250-549-7469 or visit www.ticketseller.ca for tickets, subscriptions and more information.
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