Happy Birthday, Café DaPoPo

Café DaPoPo, Touring Cast 2011 (Potsdam): Zach Faye, Kristi Anderson,

Andrew Chandler, Garry Williams, Matthew Peach, Kim Parkhill, Ann Doyle,

Eric Benson, Amy Reitsma and Keelin Jack. Photo: Ann Noël

Five years ago, January 28, 2007, the last Thursday of the month, seven of the artists associated with DaPoPo Theatre – Eric Benson, Stephen Bourque, Sarah "Pip" Bradley, Andrea Dymond, Mike Chandler, Kim Parkhill and Garry Williams – made a bit of local theatre history when they concocted an evening of performances tailored to taste called Café DaPoPo.

Since then, Café DaPoPo has surprised and delighted audiences at over a dozen venues including Mollyz Diner, Menz Bar, Good Food Emporium, Just Us Café, Ouro Preto, the Delta Barrington Hotel, the Casino Hotel, the Ward Room, Ducky's On the Waterfront, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, the Grad House, the TNS Living Room, Restaurant La Crepule, museum FLUXUS + and Freies Museum Berlin.

Over the years, we have teamed up with Halifax Pride, Crêperie Mobile, Queer Acts, The Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and the MayWorks Festivals to bring Café DaPoPo to new and larger audiences.

Scores of Nova Scotia artists have sung, acted, played instruments, danced, improvised, recited poetry and performed at Café DaPoPo over the years to hundreds of patrons. They have performed works by Canadian playwrights and songwriters, as well as excerpts from classic works of world theatre.

Most recently, we owe our gratitude to the tax-payers of Nova Scotia and the Industry Growth Program of Nova Scotia Communities, Culture & Heritage for assisting us in the promotion Café DaPoPo to European presenters, where we continue to develop a supportive and expanding audience base.

Thank you all on behalf of DaPoPo Theatre, – performers, patrons, presenters, tax-payers – for celebrating theatre, music and Café DaPoPo.

GaRRy Williams

Artistic Director

DaPoPo Theatre