BARRY’S BAY – More than 350 people packed into Madawaska Valley District High School’s cafeteria on the evening of October 29 to enjoy High Times at the Heart Institute, a Stone Fence Theatre production.
The musical comedy celebrated Canada’s healthcare system and took a humorous look at the subject of aging Baby Boomers coming to terms with mortality. Proceeds from play attendance go directly to the St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation.
The play was written by Ish Theilheimer, who is also the Stone Fence Theatre producer, and directed by resident Chantal Elie-Sernoskie. Theilheimer had his first diagnostic tests at Rainbow Valley in Killaloe and then at St. Francis Memorial Hospital. He was treated at the Heart Institute two years ago.
“It was an inspirational journey,” he told the crowd before the show started. “I went to St. Francis and then on to Renfrew Victoria Hospital where I had a stress test, where I was diagnosed and sent to the heart institute. After that, I was cared for by the rehab program in Pembroke. So I feel that I had a really good tour of the facilities in the Valley.”
He noticed that every hospital he went to had fundraising walls or plaques commemorating ordinary citizens for their donations.
Get your November 2, 2016 edition of The Valley Gazette to read the full story.