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For immediate release – June 26th 2014

Fifteen-foot-tall
Sir John A. stars in  giant puppet pageant 
on  Canada Day  

(KINGSTON, Ont.) - Internationally renowned Shadowland Theatre teams up with Kingston’s SALON Theatre and SirJohnA2015 to create a spectacular, historical, giant puppet pageant for this year's Canada Day parade in downtown Kingston. This is another event in the lead-up to the bicentennial of Macdonald’s birth in January 2015.

This musical comedy pageant—an old-school political election campaign—will feature a fifteen-foot-tall John A. Macdonald puppet flanked by the giant heads of Thomas D’Arcy McGee, George Brown, George-Étienne Cartier and Macdonald’s first wife, Isabella. 

According to Jim Garrard, executive producer for SALON Theatre, the Toronto Island-based Shadowland has held workshops in Kingston over the past month helping prepare more than thirty area volunteers—some on stilts—who will march in character with the giant Sir John A and his cronies.

“Kingston’s Canada Day parade will be a true highlight of this summer and a kick-off for our historic theatrical Walks in Sir John A.’s Footsteps,” says Garrard.  “We are all working hard to make this pageant a fit tribute to the legacy of Sir John A. and to our community.” 

Garrard says the pageant is being created to mark both Canada’s 147th birthday and the opening day of SALON's third summer season of Walks In Sir John A.’s Footsteps—guided theatrical walking tours of historic downtown Kingston.  Final preparations and rehearsals will take place during Artfest in City Park on June 28, 29 and 30, 2014.

The parade marshals at 10.30 am on July 1 and will wend its way down Kingston’s main street—Princess St.—to City Hall and from there back to City Park for a special SALON Acting Company performance as part of Artfest.  “Sir John A.” will stand on the steps of Kingston’s 170-year-old City Hall to deliver his election speech lauding the country he helped create.

ABOUT: SALON Theatre has a mandate to create, promote and disseminate public events and performances that are rooted in Canadian arts, heritage and history.  SALON provides performance and professional development opportunities for young, talented, trained artists, performers and managers.

ABOUT: SirJohnA2015 is a non-profit, non-partisan registered charity charged with raising national awareness of the life and legacy of Canada’s first prime minister leading up to the bicentennial of his birth in 2015.

ABOUT: Shadowland, founded in 1983, is the Toronto Island-based company and winner of three Dora Awards. The Toronto Star’s Richard Ouzounian says Shadowland can be counted on to provide theatre with works “deliciously out of the ordinary.  Nothing this group does is conventional.”

-30-
For details contact:
Jim Garrard, 
Executive Producer
jim.garrard@johna2015.ca
SALON Theatre
SirJohnA2015.ca
(613) 767-8178

Additional contact:
Lowell Gasoi
General Manager
gm@sirjohna2015.ca

SALON Theatre
SirJohna2015.ca
(613) 767-8178
(Cell) (613) 835-5747    

recent Photos:

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Additional research materials

Links and descriptions to more information about the contest:

SIRJOHNA2015.ca's SHADOWLAND WEB PAGE PAGE

Information about our collaboration with Shadowland AND our two organizations cane be found on the following pages"
  • SirJohnA2015.ca - Shadowland Page
  • Shadowland Theatre Website
  • Call for Volunteers (SirJohnA2015.ca)

OTHER LINKS & SOCIAL MEDIA ACITITY

Blog POSTS & MEDIA MENTIONS

  • SALON ACTORS Blog: SHADOWLAND PUPPET-PAGEANT WEEKEND #1   •   GETTING AHEAD FOR #SIRJAM, AND A JUMP ON THE SUMMER SCHEDULE...
  • Kingston Whig Standard Article, May 21st, 2014: Commission seeks enthusiastic volunteers

TWITTER

An opportunity to play a HUGE part in this year's #CanadaDAY parade here in #ygk http://t.co/i6tqIOA3VM pic.twitter.com/7LaULrjLD1

— SirJohnA2015.ca (@SirJohnA2015) June 19, 2014

Where & why #sirJAM puppets + stilts happening: http://t.co/i2uYrjlHzj @sirjohna2015 http://t.co/y3NGeh7x2s pic.twitter.com/QQkwqtUdf0

— Adrienne Montgomerie (@sciEditor) June 14, 2014

Our #sirJAM learns his high stepping. Join us today #ygk DETAILS: http://t.co/lSzKd91y6N • pic.twitter.com/jm04d5lGlz

— SirJohnA2015.ca (@SirJohnA2015) June 14, 2014

The great folks from #shadowland making headway on the #sirJAM puppets for #CanadaDay pic.twitter.com/dziNfQLi5i

— Oliver Mowat (@omowat2015) May 19, 2014

RT @SirJohnA2015 Would you like to walk on stilts? Be a #CanadaDay star! DETAILS: http://t.co/wfE2UG92a0 pic.twitter.com/rBw3jDWvAs

— ZionSchoolhouse (@ZionSchoolhouse) June 13, 2014

Who could it be now? #sirJAM & #Shadowland prep for #CanadaDay #ygk http://t.co/fhaG7AEO54 join the parade? pic.twitter.com/Bb8sLIqfaf

— Isabella Macdonald (@imacdonald2015) May 19, 2014

When you spot a guy on stilts, shenanigans may ensue. #finallytall http://t.co/1wnMVckMSW @sirjohna2015 pic.twitter.com/lvsVnNZb3H

— Adrienne Montgomerie (@sciEditor) June 14, 2014

Our Isabella is up and at the #puppet pageant workshop in #Kingston today. Join us: http://t.co/lSzKd91y6N • pic.twitter.com/kD6oia3m4u

— SirJohnA2015.ca (@SirJohnA2015) June 14, 2014

Learning to #stiltwalk for #sirJAM in #ygk pic.twitter.com/k411mqh4dX Come and join us: http://t.co/lSzKd91y6N

— SirJohnA2015.ca (@SirJohnA2015) June 14, 2014

Learning to walk all over again for #sirJAM on #CanadaDay in #ygk pic.twitter.com/i1v25gfazW

— SirJohnA2015.ca (@SirJohnA2015) May 17, 2014

A most handsome devil, our puppet #sirJAM pic.twitter.com/7FulRX0AXh

— Isabella Macdonald (@imacdonald2015) May 17, 2014

FaceBOOK

A selection of Facebook posts
Post by Sir John A. Bicentennial Conversation.
Post by Sir John A. Bicentennial Conversation.
Post by Sir John A. Bicentennial Conversation.
Post by Sir John A. Bicentennial Conversation.
Post by Sir John A. Bicentennial Conversation.
Post by Sir John A. Bicentennial Conversation.

Media Materials

Please find suggested media elements below, more are available. If you need alternate elements, or files in specific formats and sizing
please contact:
gm@sirjohna2015.ca

BRANDING GRAPHICS
(contact us if sizing and format needs differ from files provided here)
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Additional branding materials and file types available on our design elements page

PHOTOGRAPHY
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(photos from earlier works provided by Shadowland)
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ORIGINAL SHADOWLAND SKETCHES
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Tweet the Shadowland Media release! Our heritage may depend on it!
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