Come One, Come All…to the topsy-turvy world of Vaudeville and John Till’s famous, “Moving Manikins!” You’re warmly invited to the official opening party of our newest exhibition: Till The Curtains Rise at the Stratford Perth Museum.
📅 Tuesday, July 22
🕡 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Enjoy an excusive viewing of Till The Curtains Rise, as well as:
A presentation by the Curator
Words from the Till Family
A special presentation from the SpringWorks: indie theatre & arts festivals
Admission is by donation and members get in free.
Till The Curtains Rise Exhibit
Delighting audiences for over two centuries, four generations of the Till family have performed on stage across the world in everything from playing guitar for Ronnie Hawkins and Janis Joplin in the 1960s, to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ marionette acts in the 1860s.
Here you will get to peer into the comic and macabre vaudeville collection of local puppeteers, John Coates Till, his wife, Louisa (Middleton) Till, and their son, John Joseph Till. Hitting the ‘Big Time’ in the late 1800s, their reputations reached both ‘young and grown-up folks’ with his irresistible marionette cast line-up that included the “Ball Juggler,” “Dancing Ducks,” “Skeletons,” and more.
This exhibit will highlight the Royal Till marionettes and explore their reveling ‘life on the strings.’ Displays will also interpret the controversy behind vaudeville, addressing aspects of the entertainment culture that perpetuated racism, sexism, and a harboring animus towards marginalized communities.
Thank you to the Till family for sharing their incredible family story and collection. We would also like to extend our gratitude to our exhibit consultants, @buxton_museum Buxton National Historic Site & Museum, Garvia Bailey (https://www.garviabailey.com/), and HAUI (https://www.haui.ca/) for their expertise and support.