Off The Wall puts fun in Fundraiser with “Here Comes the Sun” a Celebration of Spring

Surprise guest at the Off The Wall fundraiser will be none other than Stratford’s own Dayna Manning, who will both perform and emcee the evening of dance, food and silent auction.

The Stratford Country Club will come alive when Off The Wall hosts its spring fundraiser party this year, titled “Here Comes the Sun” a Celebration of Spring. This highly anticipated event takes place April 17 at 7 p.m.

Off The Wall is a registered charity that provides training to the next generation of backstage production artists through workshops in many different aspects such as prop making, stage direction, artistic welding and carpentry, to name a few.

“At Off The Wall, our goal is to pass theatre production skills along to the next generation of backstage artists. Up to 33 workshops each season are administered by a volunteer board whose members oversee the program and raise funds to support it,” said Michele Boniface, Off The Wall board director.

Technical expertise for the workshops comes from those that are the best of the best in their field and are passionate about what they do and seeing others learn what they do. The goal of the evening is to raise awareness of these background skills that create the world of inspiration for directors and actors.

Fundraising is the major source of capital for Off The Wall, and it has become known for its wonderful fundraising concerts and parties. This night will be no exception.

“Off The Wall parties are well-known for their great fun. We don’t sell tables, we don’t want people to sit in their isolated groups. We like that everybody mixes with everybody else and that includes the dance floor. Everyone feels comfortable coming to our parties and that’s something that sets us apart,” said Boniface.

Musical entertainment is provided by the well-known local group Strings and Traps who play old rock, country, Celtic and folk songs to keep people on the dance floor. Special guest and emcee for the night is none other than Dayna Manning offering a rare opportunity to experience music and stories from recent and upcoming projects.

“She will be singing our theme song, ‘Here Comes the Sun’, but she’ll also be performing a couple of her own pieces from her upcoming musical, Curveball: The Fast-Pitch Ladies from the Factory Floor premiering at Blyth. From her new album Field Notes she will perform ‘A Dream Lives in Your Heart’ and ‘Diamonds are for Everyone,’” said Boniface.

There will be food stations positioned around catered by the country club as well as a silent auction that features some outstanding items open for bidding. Some examples include a year of Special Occasion Desserts by Elizabeth Kerr, the wonderful chef and graduate of the chef school. Kimberley Mackenzie and Rob McGreachy have generously donated bottles of wine from the new shop on St Patrick Street, Ripy & Vine. There are donations in hospitality, personal services as well as entertainment, including season passes for Here For Now Theatre, a private group screening from Little Prince Cinema and annual passes to the Stratford Film Festival monthly screenings.

Tickets to the fundraiser are available online at www.offthewall.com/courses/here-comes-the-sun-dance-party, and are $50 per person. The Stratford Country Club is located at 53 Romeo St N.