Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary group of volunteers for their work to make the Liverpool International Theatre Festival a great success.
This festival was started 26 years ago. It is well known throughout the theatre world, and has hosted groups from Japan, Belgium, Peru, Nepal, Ireland, and Russia, to name a few. This year's festival was once again superb, proving that great theatre transcends language.
Hundreds of volunteers make this event a huge success, helping with everything from the box office to muffins and coffee, billeting, and transportation. It is truly a community effort.
However, this year's festival was bittersweet, because the long-time artistic director has had her final performance. Eva Moore is retiring after 26 years. Eva's tenacity, expertise, and abilities will be missed by everyone who has had the pleasure to work with her over the past 26 years.
We thank Eva and the volunteers. I cannot wait for 2018.