Don’t miss out on the incredible early bird pass discounts on both public and Cultural Industry passes!
BUY A PASS AND SAVE UP TO 30%
Pass prices increase May 1 when single tickets go on sale.
PLUS early bird pass holders will be entered into a draw to win a pair of tickets to The Drowsy Chaperone at the NAC.
PLUS all Pass holders receive a pair of tickets to The Ecstasy of Rita Joe at the NAC. (April 29-30 performances only).
SILVER passes (4 shows) and GOLD passes (8 shows) are available to the general public as well as CULTURAL INDUSTRY passes (4 shows and 8 shows) are available for Industry Professionals.
The Magnetic North Theatre Festival is beginning a year-long Strategic Planning initiative that will help shape the future of the Festival. As part of this planning the Festival intends to host Focus Group in various regions across the country. The purpose of these focus groups will be to receive feedback on current activities and assist the Board and Staff in planning future activities and overall direction of the Festival. Facilitated by Senior Staff members of the Festival, it is hoped that these focus groups would be attended by regional stakeholders; including artists, companies, funding agencies, media and theatre students and practitioners. Check our website We would be delighted if you could join us in shaping the future of what has been called “The closest thing this country has to a National Theatre” (Ottawa Citizen).
Click here for dates and times
IS IT TIME TO TOUR?
Magnetic North is offering Ottawa theatre professionals a touring and producing workshop with Naomi Campbell and Judi Pearl. They will address the realities of touring in Canada and abroad, and how to start making that happen for your company. They will also introduce Magnetic North's Industry Series and share some tips on how to make the most of it. May 15 from 1pm - 4pm at the NAC Rehearsal Hall. Fee: $25
If you have areas of interest that you would like covered, please email them with your registration to Amanda Doiron at 613-947-7000 ext. 845 or industry@magneticnorthfestival.ca
RIDEAU AWARDS
Magnetic North celebrates some of the best in new Canadian theatre and travels to cities across the country, returning every second year to Ottawa to find more and more great work being created here. We’re very proud to have sponsored the Outstanding New Creation award at the Rideau Awards held in Ottawa Sunday night. Congratulations to the Great Canadian Theatre Company and Sleeping Dog Theatre for winning this award for their new creation, 5 O’Clock Bells. Congratulations to all other nominations and Rideau Award winners.
JAKE'S GIFT
Jake’s Gift by JUNO Productions (Vancouver) is a celebration of Canada’s Veterans for all ages. Jake’s Gift is about one Canadian soldier’s reluctant return to France for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. While there, Jake meets Isabelle, a precocious 10-year-old from the local village, who is obsessed with the returning veterans and the Burlington Teen Tour Band. Her honesty and charm encourage Jake to deal with some unresolved ghosts.
Writer and performer Julia Mackey shares her experiences.
I was inspired to write Jake’s Gift after traveling to Normandy, France for the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings. I arrived at the Caen train station on June 3rd, 2004, and spent the next six days walking the infamous coastline, visiting cemeteries, attending ceremonies and interviewing dozens of veterans who had returned for the anniversary. I am very grateful to them for their willingness to share their stories with me. Some of those veterans have passed away now and some I keep in touch with regularly; I affectionately call them my Band of Eighty-Year Old Boyfriends. One boyfriend in particular, Fred Rogers, was the veteran whose story worked its way most prominently into the play. I first met Fred at Juno Beach on June 6th, 2004. The main memorial ceremony had just ended and Fred was sitting by himself taking a rest from a full day of standing in the sweltering sun. I walked up to him, introduced myself and thanked him for his service. At first, he thought I was French, but I explained that I had traveled from Vancouver for the ceremony. I think he was very happy to hear a young Canadian was interested in the war and before I knew it, he was being very candid about his war time experiences. He was an artillery man who was part of the first wave of the D-Day Landings. I learned so much from him and in the weeks after I returned home, I received a package from Fred that was full of his own war memorabilia; photos, poems, maps… it was a treasure chest of information. A lot of Jake’s story and some of the things he says in the play come directly from Fred’s experience and from our conversations on the beach that day. Sadly, Fred passed away in May 2006 and never got to see the production but his story is an integral part of the show and as such he is always with me when I perform it.
Throughout those six days in Normandy, I was completely taken aback at how genuinely grateful the French citizens were to the Canadians for liberating them from Nazi occupation. The gratitude was palpable to everyone there. It was a common thing to see young French children walking up to the veterans, shaking their hands and simply saying, “merci.” It was a small gesture that spoke volumes to the veterans and any passer by could see how deeply moved they were to have young children thanking them. I recall one young girl who made an effort to rigorously shake the hands of as many veterans as possible. She was about 9 or 10 years old, and she planted the seed for the character of Isabelle.
Every day in France was emotionally exhausting, and when I boarded the train at Caen to leave Normandy, I felt so lucky for the experience. It was one of most moving of my life, and I knew I would write about it one day. It took me a few years, but eventually Jake’s Gift found its way onto paper and I had a story to share. We created Juno Productions in 2007 and started performing the show in BC, eventually heading further east.
I never would have imagined that five years after that trip to Normandy, we would be opening Jake’s Gift at The Canadian War Museum for the 65th Anniversary of D-Day – what a perfect place to share the story. It is a dream come true and a great honour. We are so looking forward to coming to Ottawa, and hope you’ll join us as we travel back to Juno Beach with Jake and Isabelle.
DATES TO REMEMBER
APRIL 15 | Focus Group in Toronto APRIL 21-25 | BodySchool: Contemporary Theatre Creation Intensive MAY 1 | Single Tickets go on sale | Passes on sale at regular price MAY 15 | Is it Time to Tour Workshop JUNE 3-13 | Magnetic North Theatre Festival JUNE 6 -10 | Presenters Window JUNE 8-10 | Industry Series
