The Cannery Stage, normally the home of Many Hats Theatre Company productions, will be hosting five performances of the multi-award winning play Padre X.
Padre X is the amazing, true story of John Weir Foote, the only Canadian Army chaplain to win the Victoria Cross for valour during the Second World War. The award is the highest and most prestigious for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
The play begins in 1948 at a train station in Ontario. While waiting for a delayed train, Foote recalls his years in the army, his experiences at Dieppe, and the three years he spent as a prisoner of war. This is a remarkable story of an extraordinary man, who, according to the National Defence and the Canadian Forces, exposed himself to enemy for fire for approximately eight hours while ministering to the wounded. Foote left his shelter, disregarding personal safety, to give first-aid to the wounded on the open beach. He carried wounded men to the shelter of a stranded landing craft while facing heavy fire.
Padre X has been a hit on the Canadian Fringe Festival circuit and has received awards for Best of the Fest (Winnipeg 2010) and Outstanding Drama (Ottawa 2011). Padre X was also nominated by the Manitoba Association of Playwrights as best new Manitoba play in 2010. The Winnipeg Free Press stated “Moir’s tearful, silent salute at the end of the story may be the single most striking moment of acting you’ll see this year.”
Padre X will be live on The Cannery Stage at 1475 Fairview Rd. May 10 to 13. Curtain is 8 p.m. for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows. A 2 p.m. matinee is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets are $15 each and may be purchased at the Opus Cafe Bistro right next door to the theatre.