When area residents line up in Qualicum Beach for the Oct. 14 production of Jake’s Gift, they will be getting more than they bargained for. Quite apart from an evocative one-person performance about a veteran’s reluctant return to Juno Beach, audience members will be able to watch a master at work on a masterpiece.
That’s because playwright and performer Julia Mackey was honoured with a 2012 Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Drama at the 15th Annual Betty Mitchell Theatre Awards in Calgary.
At the same time, her show, Jake’s Gift, was also nominated for Outstanding Production.
That honour shouldn’t surprise anyone who has seen Mackey at work as she seamlessly transitions between playing an old man and a young girl.
The play will show on Sunday, Oct. 14 at Kwalikum Secondary School at 2:30 p.m. Admission is $15, with students $10. They can be picked up at the Qualicum Beach Legion.