A multi-award-winning Canadian play about a reluctant Second World War veteran returning to Juno Beach for the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings is coming to Central Alberta.

Jake’s Gift will be performed at Royal Canadian Legions in Stettler, Lacombe, and Millet this week.

The play was written and first performed by Julia Mackey, who travelled to Normandy, France, in June 2004 for the 60th anniversary of D-Day. During her visit, she attended ceremonies, walked the beaches, and interviewed dozens of returning veterans.

Those experiences, along with a lifelong interest in Remembrance Day, inspired Jake’s Gift, which premiered in August 2006 at the Sunset Theatre in Wells, B.C.

The story follows Jake, a Canadian veteran revisiting the shores of Juno Beach, where he meets Isabelle, a

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