The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Wednesday, April 18, 2001 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER C3 Directors and producers needed The Board o f D irectors for Hamilton Theatre Inc. is searching for directors, musical directors, and producers for its three Main Stage shows for the 2001/2002 season. Resumes, with cover letter, can be mailed to HTI Board of Direc tors, Hamilton Theatre Inc., 140 MacNab St; N., Hamilton, Ont., L8R 2M3 or faxed to (905) 5223048 by May 15,2001. No phone calls please. Hamilton Theatre Company opened in the spring of 1956 and, after much rehearsing, presented its first show, South Pacific. In 1960, it became incorporated as Hamilton Theatre Inc. or H.T.I. SPAGHETTI W ESTERN Photo by Peter C. McCusker Elva Palo and Brookdale Public School students paint a mural depicting the history of space. Graffiti replaced by a mural By Christina Chabot SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Teachers can breathe a sigh o f relief as the spraypainted graffiti - resident o f the last decade, is booted out o f schools by a new, more artistic phenomenon. Twenty Grade 8 Brookdale Public School students crowd around a wall-sized canvas in the school's library, brushes in hand, dabbing away at penciled-in designs, tak ing part in the `colouring' of their school. "I don't want them to feel overwhelmed by it, just because it takes up a whole wall," says Elva Palo, artist and creative drive behind the project. The mural, stretching the length of two mini-vans, depicts the history o f space, beginning with the early Roman and Egyptian sun gods, and finishing with a portrait of Roberta Bondar and a launching space shuttle. "I got the idea from the blanket on the rocking chair," admits Palo, pointing to a worn-out blue throw with a sim ple star and sun design, nothing like the detailed portraits of Renaissance astronomers that stare out from the mural. She points out the sun in the middle of the portrait as a blend of the surreal and the scientific. "This is the turning point of astronomy," she points out as its marmaladestained rays are attacked by paint brushes. With a down-to-earth approach, Palo briefly explains different consistencies o f acrylic - from watercolour to impasto - before inviting the students to "get a feel for" the brushes to find out which is right for them. `T his is pretty much the major project w e've worked on all year," says student Heather Falikowski, dabbing away at the canvas. "It's a great experience for the students," says observer Mrs. Shier, the Grade 8 visual arts teacher. "They've worked on murals around the school, but none of this calibre." "This is pretty out-of-the-ordinary for most students," agrees Candace Bell, assistant teacher. "This is not some thing they normally get to do in the classroom." As the expanses of space begin to take form on the library wall, Palo shouts out words of encouragement to the young artists. "This is great for someone who likes abstract art, but who doesn't have a lot of confidence about what kind of painting they're doing - like finger painting or splash paint ing," she says, mingling with the students. Between the two Grade 8 classes, the mural should be completed by May. "After Easter, w e'll find out who liked doing what and finish it off," explains Palo. Palo's school mural projects go back a long way, to when she was living in Saskatchewan. "I also did family and professional portraits for bread and butter," she adds. INCLUDES PASTA, GARLIC TOAST * AND SIDE CAESAR SALAD Valid for d in e-in on ly u n til A pril 30th, 2001. BOSTON PIZZA - OAKVILLE QEW & Winston Churchill (AMC 24 Complex) 905- 829-8370 www. bostonpizza. com Oakville girl stars in The Secret Garden' at Brampton theatre By Christina Chabot SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER For Jacqueline Kalina, a 12-year-old aspiring actress, there are no hidden secrets to success on the stage. Cast to play the part o f Mary in the Brampton Music Theatre production of The Secret Garden, the Grade 7 Fern Hill student confidently speaks of her experiences in live theatre. "My first community production was in November. I found out about it from a friend," she says of the Theatre Unlimited production of The Music Man in which she played the part of Amaryllis. "I've been acting since I was in Grade 4." When the director of The Secret Garden, Brigida Calla han, witnessed Kalina's Music Man debut, she offered her the role of Mary, a spoiled Victorian girl whose parents die of cholera, leaving her to cope with life in her uncle's mys terious manor in England. With music composed by Lucy Simon, Kalina's character grows into a wholesome girl through a series of musical dance numbers "It's a neat play because it blends creative ideas into the story," says the Oakville girl. Kalina is a member of the Oakville Children's Choir, which was invited to sing in Italy last year, and will be trav eling to Newfoundland this summer. "I've never had pri vate (singing) lessons," she admits, and says that her expe rience comes from "just being in a lot of plays." But Kalina's success does not come without sacrifice. Three-hour rehearsals for The Secret Garden have been running in Brampton three times a week since January. "I do my homework in the car. I don't get to see my friends on Friday nights. My mom wants me to tone it down a bit because it's beginning to get in my way," says Kalina, who is also involved in floor hockey and will be in the Oakville Independent School Showcase with her school choir. Luckily, her lead role is double-cast, and she will alter nate performances with Melissa Millward, leaving her more time for the busy life of a junior high school student. "My mom drives me everywhere," she says with a laugh. "And she finds things to do while I'm rehearsing like exercising or shopping for frozen food. But she got sick of that after awhile." Despite efforts to `tone it down,' Kalina is now in the process of rehearsing for the title role in the Oakville Chil dren's Musical Theatre production o f Anne o f Green Gables. "I want to be an actress," explains Kalina. "I want to do everything - T.V., movies, live theatre. But I don't want to be a really big actress, because then I w on't have time for anything else." The Secret Garden is playing at Lester B. Pearson The atre in Brampton. Evening performances take place on April 19, 20 and 21, with a matinee on April 21. Tickets are $17 for adults, $14 for seniors and students, and can be purchased by calling the box office at 905-7934600. Television that hooks you! COGECO DIGITAL CABLE TV. P ic tu re a n d s o u n d have n e v e r b ee n so re a l! I t 's n o fis h ta le D igital Cable TV is so life -lik e y o u 'll feel like yo u 've cast yo u rse lf rig h t in th e m id d le o f th e action. Y o u ' ll g e t m o re s p o rts , m o re m o vie s . 40 d ig ita l m u s ic c h a n n e ls . Access to s p e c ia lty cha nn els, Pay Per V ie w and m o re . In o th e r w ords, D ig ita l Cable TV is a real catch. a Fishing Trip for to Kesagami Wi OR W IN O N E OF THESE O TH ER GR EAT PRIZES! · 1 OF 3 GOLF R O UN D S FOR 4 A T A C LU B LIN K COURSE · 1 O F 3 SETS OF W ILSON IRONS · 1 O F 10 ROD & REEL SETS · 1 OF 20 SPORTSWEAR w iJ d ero KW W ITH H ENR Y W ASZCZUK, H O S T O f T V 'S H N S & SKINS FOR COMPLETE DETAILS CALL 1-888-6-COGECO OR VISIT w w w .cogeco.ca Digital Coble TV CLU5LIN< (((SiCOGIECO S E E <s KESAGAMI CONTEST CLOSES MAY 2 7. 2001. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. OFFICIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS AVAILABLE BY CALLING 1-888-^COGECO OR VISITING OUR W EBSITE. VALID ONLY IN CABLE W IRED AREAS. ADDITIONAL CHARGES W ILL APPLY FOR NON-STANDARD INSTALLATIONS. VALID FOR NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY (DISCONNECT > 90 DAYS). NOT AVAILABLE IN ALL AREAS SOME RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY