FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 28, 1998

EDMONTON -- A group of local actors and musicians will host a special May Day Cabaret tomorrow night in honour of the hundreds of Edmontonians who lost their jobs as a result of the closure of the Maple Leaf meat-packing plant.

The cabaret is just one of several events planned this week to celebrate May Day, the international working class holiday.

"You can drink some beer, talk your head off, watch some videos, and hear some great music and dramatic readings performed by local Edmonton artists," says cabaret organizer Jane Heather. "It should be an entertaining and informative evening."

What:	May Day Cabaret
Where:	UFCW Action Centre (12305-67 Street)
When:	Wednesday, April 29, 8-11 p.m.

The event has been organized by the Edmonton May Day committee in cooperation with the United Food and Commercial Workers union (which represents workers from the Maple Leaf plant) and two of Canada's performance unions -- Canadian Actors Equity (representing actors, stage managers and directors) and the Association of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA).

At the cabaret, Edmonton actors Jim DeFelice (ACTRA National Councillor) Patricia Darbasie (Equity National Councillor) and Kent Gallie (ACTRA Local president) will read scenes and monologues with relevance to the labour movement. Musician/ playwright Robert Clinton (ACTRA/Equity member) will strum and sing and Jane Heather (ACTRA councillor/ACTRA member) will read from her new play.

In addition, the local Notre Dame des Bananes choir will perform and film maker Don Bouzek (ACTRA/Equity/CEP) will show a rough cut of a video he's producing about the efforts being made by UFCW to help workers who lost their jobs as a result of the Maple Leaf plant closure.

The cabaret will be hosted by Alex Grimaldi, president of the Edmonton and District Labour Council (EDLC).