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38 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday February 23, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Artscene Oakville Beaver · FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2007 Esteves shines back stage in theatre By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Monica Esteves has known since high school that she wanted to be "a gig maker and not a gig taker." She figured that out at age 14 after "catching the theatre bug" while playing lead roles in various drama productions at St. Ignatius of Loyola Secondary School. "I was on stage, but it became very clear that I enjoyed the back stage more," Esteves said, laughing. "I'm organized, I'm a control freak, and I like making things happen. "I was fascinated with back stage and how it worked the machinations of theatre." After graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada and working for a few years as a stage and production manager, the Oakville native three years ago decided it was time for the next step in her career. "At 25, I had checked off all the theatres I wanted to work at and sort of went, wow I'm 25, what's next?" said Esteves, who by that time had worked in theatre in Stratford, Montreal and for various Toronto companies, including Mirvish Productions. "That's when my itching began." After founding a production company that produced sold out shows to critical acclaim and at the same time working as assistant art producer at the Canadian Stage Company, a friend in the business sat Esteves down one day Monica Esteves and asked her what she was working towards. "I said, in three to five years, I would like to be the producer at Nightwood Theatre." A Toronto-based theatre, Nightwood produces works by and about women, and has developed emerging Canadian talents including Anne-Marie MacDonald and Djanet Sears. A few months after that talk, Esteves got a call. Now, the 28-year-old is the producer and general manager of Nightwood Theatre, a position she's held for just over a year. "It's such a good fit for me," she said. "For many years I admired the company. It's Canada's national women's theatre company. It really seemed like a great opportunity ­ the opportunity I had been waiting for." Founded in 1979, Nightwood has produced, developed and toured award-winning plays by and about women that have won Governor General, Chalmers, Dora Mavor Moore and Trillium Awards. In 2002, Nightwood produced the premiere of The Danish Play, which was nominated for two Dora Awards, including outstanding production. The show then toured to Copenhagen, Edmonton and Ottawa, where it was also well-received. Now, it's back. "What we wanted to do was to bring The Danish Play home," said Esteves. "We were just looking for the right time." It hasn't been performed anywhere in two and a half years, but Nightwood has kept the costumes and set in storage, waiting. "The response as soon as we announced it to our constituents and our audiences was overwhelming," said Esteves. "They all responded so well. Everybody was so happy to see it again." Written by playwright Sonja Mills, it's based on the life of Mills' great aunt, Algnete Ottosen, a poet and a resistance fighter in Denmark during the Second World War. After receiving her great aunt's diaries and journals as inheritance, Mills translated the works and went to Denmark to do more research ­ that was the beginning of The Danish Play. It spans 30 years in Ottosen's life from about 1940-1962, jumping back and forth in time, Esteves says. "It's a story of resistance, it's a story about women in war. It's about nationalism." The play tells of Denmark's history in the Second World War and how the country stood up for its Jewish citizens. "At one point, Hitler had early on instructed the Danish King to have all the citizens wear yellow stars, and the Danish King retorted that if his Jewish citizens would wear yellow stars, all of his citizens would wear yellow stars," said Esteves. "Denmark has quite a unique history in the Second World War." The Danish Play sheds light on that, while following Ottosen's experiences during wartime, which saw her deported to concentration camps. "She survives the camps themselves, and survives quite horrible physical experiments on her reproductive system," said Esteves. Ottosen returns home but is, of course, forever changed. "She was emotionally and physically scarred from her experience, and, ultimately, committed suicide in 1962," said Esteves. "It's such a powerful story." Having never seen the play in Toronto when it ran in 2002 because it sold out so quickly, Esteves is now front and centre in The Danish Play's return to Nightwood Theatre. "It's so exciting to be part of this," she said. "It's such a beautiful and well-told story." The Danish Play runs to March 17 at Toronto's Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show times are Monday to Saturday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. and Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. Call 416-866-8666 for tickets. Life drawing workshop Battle of the Bands ready to roll Oakville Art Society hosts guest instructor The Oakville Art Society is hosting a Life Drawing Workshop featuring instructor Nazy Sakhavarz on Sunday, Feb. 25, from 9 a.m. ­ 4 a.m. Suited to the beginner, the workshop will introduce key elements in rendering the human form. Using live models, students will learn to see through a series of drawing exercises, learn basic knowledge of anatomy and proportions, render the figure using lines, shapes and forms, experiment with contour and mass, and focus on accurately depicting the figure. An exhibiting artist based in Toronto, Sakhavarz has a bachelor of fine arts from Queen's University and a bachelor of education from York. She has taught drawing, portraiture, painting, cartooning and life drawing to adults since 1995. A visual arts teacher with the Toronto Board of Education, her professional experience includes children's book illustrations, exhibiting and commissioned works, artist talks and workshops. The course will be held at the Oakville Art Society, 560 Bronte Rd. The cost is $60, which includes the models fee. For a list of materials required, visit www.oakvilleartsociety.com. Two local bands are vying for top spot in the first annual Mississauga Battle of the Bands. No Serenity and Stone March are two of 22 bands to enter the competition, and have been high in judge ratings. Event chair Ron Duquette says they could be fighting for top spot in the competition, which includes bands from Mississauga, Brampton and more. "We were quite shocked to receive a total of 22 entries for our first competition and we're totally knocked out by the calibre of talent that exists here in Mississauga and the surrounding area" said Duquette. "It certainly bodes well for the quality we anticipate for the final concert." Just 10 bands are left for the finals ­ the top three will walk away with cash and other prizes, in addition to having the opportunity to perform in front of recording industry professionals. The finals, slated for Sunday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. in Hammerson Hall at the Living Arts Centre, will be judged by celebrity judges and fan response. The other bands left in the competition include The Odysseys, As Is, The Stone Cutters, The Knockouts, Soul Nidus, The Grace Saints and The Steady Rollers from Mississauga and Entertainment for the Masses from Brampton. Tickets for the final competition cost $15 for the afternoon concert and are now on sale at the Living Arts Centre box office or by calling 905-306-6000. Fans can also check out the winning bands by logging on to the official web site at www.missbob.info and link to their myspace sites. The First Annual Mississauga Battle of the Bands is a production of the Mississauga International Children's Festival. The event was created in 2006 to encourage and showcase local songwriters and performers in all musical genres. Band members could be any age up to 25 years and cover bands or solo acts were not eligible.