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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, July 23, 2014 | 8 Artscene "Connected to your Community" Oakville playwright's work on stage at Hamilton Fringe "It's exciting," said Gruner, who is a past recipient of an Oakville Oakville Beaver Staff Arts Council's Literary Arts Award. Mommy's Mask has been a work in "Sometimes you don't know the progress over the last 28 years, de- impact of a piece. Because it's so scribes Oakville playwright Peter different from the other plays I've written, I didn't know what to exGruner. The 51-year-old, who has lived pect." Mommy's Mask explores one in Oakville for 21 years, told the woman' s reaction to her greatest Oakville Beaver a National Theatre fear coming true. When Kathy's School of Canada class planted the daughter is abducted and there seed that inspired the 50-minute play being featured at the Hamil- are no leads, she refuses to give up ton Fringe Festival until July 27 at hope. As months pass and there the Citadel Theatre, 28 Rebecca St., are still no developments, Kathy is convinced to take a mask class Hamilton. "We were doing more magic to distract her from her obsessive search. The mask class than theatre and one of may hold a clue to ndthese exercises was creing her daughter or perating a clown," he rehaps something else. called. "I was struck goGruner said the play's ing through the process success still has to be and putting on this mask proven in front of an -- it made you suddenly audience. feel like you were some"I hope that it sparks one else. conversation and "When we did our own makes them think," he mask work it was such a said. strange experience that it "On one level, it's got me thinking, what if Peter Gruner a creepy horror story, you thought a mask was but on another level is one thing and put it on a parabola about guilt and it was something difand exploration on soferent?" he continued. ciety and how we treat Gruner revisited that victims. Hopefully it's experience during a playentertaining." writing class ve years The play, written and ago and began workdirected by Gruner, also ing on Mommy's Mask, a features Gruner's wife much darker piece than Deb Dagenais. Other other plays he's written actors include Les over the years. Blackmore, AJ Jaygarth, He didn't end up nKyla McCall and Julie ishing it, but completed Deb Dagenais Pierias. a draft last fall when he Gruner said he's hoptook another playwriting ing people will come class and decided to hammer down out and support the festival. on the piece. "The wonderful thing about the It would be the second draft that he wound up submitting to the Fringe is there's something for everyone," he said. Hamilton Fringe. "Sometimes you're taking a Much to Gruner's surprise, he won the 2014 Hamilton Fringe chance and you don't know what you'll see, but every now and then Playwriting Contest. He said it's a proud accomplish- you will get pleasantly surprised. ment for him considering the pre- You can discover a performer, writvious success he's had at the Ham- er, director or who knows, maybe ilton Fringe Festival -- Gruner they will be somewhere big down won Best in Venue in 2009 for his the road." For tickets, schedules and more play Laund-o-mat at the End of the World and Best of Fringe in 2011 information, visit www.hamiltonfringe.ca. for Minced. by Julia Le Comedian Glen Foster performing at Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff Oakville comedian Glen Foster is performing at the annual Just for Laughs Festival tomorrow (July 24) at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier performance hall in Place Des Arts, Montreal. | photo by Daniela Foster Comedian Glen Foster is heading to Montreal to perform at the annual Just for Laughs Festival. The North Oakville resident landed a spot at the Chevy Chase Gala tomorrow (July 24) at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier performance hall in Place Des Arts. He told the Oakville Beaver it will be his eighth appearance at the festival over the span of his 30-year career as a professional stand-up comedian. He'll join a handful of other comedians performing at the show to be hosted by Chase, who was an original cast member on Saturday Night Live and has starred in comedies like Caddyshack and National Lampoon's Vacation and as Pierce Hawthorne on Community. Foster, who is known as That Canadian Guy, describes his bit as a re ection of his own personal experiences and sharp commentary on current events and popular culture. Foster has appeared in two Comedy Network spe- cials and on numerous other Canadian television shows over his career. He is a weekly guest contributor to Canada's Sun News Network and he can also be heard frequently on the CBC Radio's The Debaters. He has also released a concert DVD (Shot at The Empire) as well as three CDs. His latest is called Prickly: Live at The Rose Theatre. "I'm lucky I've been able to make a living at something I enjoy doing," said Foster about plugging along in a career as a professional comedian. He described how he has reached a point where it's the "only thing you know how to do," adding that the satisfaction of making people laugh never gets old. Other comedians performing at the Chevy Chase Gala include Mike Birbiglia, Joel Creasey, Heidi Foss, Orny Adams and John Roy. For information or tickets, visit www.hahaha.com. Foster will also be headlining a show called Comedy Aces on May 8, 2015 as part of the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts' 2014/2015 season. For more on Foster, visit www.thatcanadianguy. com. OCO announces concerto competition winners Six young musicians have each earned a part in the Oakville Chamber Orchestra's (OCO) 2014/15 season. Soprano Tessa Langaert placed rst in the senior category of the OCO's second annual Youth Concerto Competition, followed by soprano Leslie Bickle. In the junior category, pianist Marko Pejanovic placed rst. He was followed by violinist Jasmine Lin, utist Chelsie Vaillancourt and violinist Arielle Silverberg. Each winner took home a cash prize that ranged from $200-$500. The competition was held at the Toronto's Remenyi House of Music last month. The winners were chosen by a panel that included Annalee Patipatanakoon, James Parker from the Gryphon Trio, Darryl Edwards, Head of Voice Studies at the University of Toronto and Charles Demunyck, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Oakville Chamber Orchestra. For more information, visit www.oakvillechamber.org.