Midland Cultural Centre
333 King Street
Midland, Ontario L4R 3M7
705-527-4420 | phone
Hours of Operation
| Monday: | Closed | | Tuesday: | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | | Wednesday: | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | | Thursday: | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | | Friday: | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | | Saturday: | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | | Sunday: | Closed |
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HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A MOURNER AT AN OLD-WORLD IRISH WAKE, RIGHT HERE IN MIDLAND?
How would you like to be a mourner at an old-world Irish wake,
right here in Midland?
Tim Finnegan, a long-term (fictional) resident of the area passed away recently and friends, lovers, and haters alike are planning to give him a right good send-off on November 4th 2016, at the Midland Cultural Centre. (Right around the time of All Saints and All Souls Days which the church used to replace the pagan festival of Halloween).
Complete with real-life ‘corpse’, the funeral director and clergyman will encourage audience members to participate as mourners for the event, as the various highlights of a real traditional wake are carried out.
Described as “a sort of play” this show has been performed in many venues over the years, and is being ‘resurrected’ for local audiences. It features live music, audience participation, loads of ad-libbing and above lots of fun.
Audience members are encouraged to come dressed for a 1950’s (or earlier) wake, and to take part in activities such as paying their respects to, or insulting, the deceased.
Always a real hoot, Finnegan’s Wake will thoroughly entertain from beginning to end and will give all the participants a real sense of an Irish (or East Coast) wake, complete with music, laughter, drinking, food, rituals and merry-making.
Interesting fact: In olden days the wake was in fact used as a way to ensure that the person had actually died. Stories of people being catatonic and even buried alive were quite common and so the merry-making, pranks, music and storytelling were performed as a way to confirm that the deceased was in fact dead. The practice of placing the stiff body on 2 small stools in front of the fire to see if revival was possible no longer takes place, however many customs have survived and will be performed at Finnegan’s Wake on November 4th.
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