What’s in a Name?
People often wonder where the name of our festival came from. We are honoured in our village to have poet laureate and arts supporter Phil Cohen in our midst. The name for the TaDa! Performing Arts Festival stems from this inspiring poem of his:
…And Don’t Forget to Go “TaDa”
~ Phil Cohen, July 1996
One of the few important facts of life
That I learned from watching television
Was from the magicians on the variety shows.
Whenever they had finished performing
Their impossible feats of prestidigitation
Before a life audience,
The house band always struck up
And played
TA DA
While the magician bowed.
Moreover –
And this is essential for today’s
parable —
Even if the trick didn’t work
And the stage props lay in a shambles
At the feet of the magician,
The house band still struck up
And played
TA DA
While the magician bowed.
Remember this
As you go through life
Performing your own small feats of prestidigitation.
No matter what happens,
Even on your deathbed,
Even if there is no house band
Or for that matter an audience,
Don’t forget to go
TA DA
And take a bow.
