This year’s Wonder of Words, the literary festival hosted by Little Manitou Art Gallery, will have a theatre element as a special pair of presentations take the stage.
The performances kick off on Wednesday night, August 2, with Rob Gee in a one-man murder mystery. In “Forget Me Not,” Jim's wife, a patient on a dementia ward, has died from what appears to be natural causes. Jim is a retired police detective, and he smells a rat. He's determined to solve one last murder. The problem is he also has dementia. It's a case worthy of the greatest detective mind, but his will have to do.
Rob spent three months on a "challenging behaviour" ward for people with late-stage dementia as a student nurse in the mid-1990s. The show is largely based on his experiences.
Then on Thursday, it’s Jimmy Hogg with his one-man performance, “The Potato King.” Hogg approaches his material at a frenetic pace, with biting British humour and satire and a self-effacing approach to his off-beat stories. Hogg lands at the Gallery between Fringe Theatre engagements.
For the weekend, it’s all about the variety of literary artists and their contributions. Friday kicks off the weekend with a poetry jam. On Saturday's Lit Fest, the Gallery welcomes the “Art of the Lyric,” and Sunday wraps up with readings.
Literary artists mingle with locals and visitors throughout the weekend in a marvellous community gathering celebrating the craft of the wordsmith. For details, head to the Little Manitou Art Gallery Facebook page.