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John Bkila Sub-Editor jbkila@oakvillebeaver.com Oakville's Kathleen Kovacs receives nod at CNE Rising Star competition Young and rising talent Kathleen Kovacs returned home from the Canadian National Exhibition's (CNE) Rising Star Competition with a $1,200 cash prize. She was fifth runner up in the youth category (ages 13-21), placing after grand champion Shairah Garrido, Katie Pound, Victoria Summerville, Elise Mariah and Hayley Nault, respectively. Her father James Kovacs boasted she was the youngest performer to make it into the finals, advancing through the preliminary and semifinal rounds, which took place at the CNE's International Stage at the Enercare Centre in Toronto throughout last week from Aug. 31-Sept. 4. The family credits Mary-Lu Kennedy from Sheridan College, and Merriam Music's Catherine ArcandPinette, Mary Ficzere, Mike Siricusa, and Alan Merriam for helping Kovacs reach the milestone in her budding singing career. Earlier in the summer, she performed with the Merriam All Star Band at the TD Downtown Oakville Jazz Festival. Kovacs headed back to St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School for the school year where she will be preparing for her lead role as Elle Woods in the Innovative Arts musical theatre production of Legally Blonde, which will take place sometime in November. She will also be singing an opera song for an upcoming charity event at Redeemer College in Hamilton in October. Artscene 29 | Friday, September 9, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Young Oakville singer Kathleen Kovacs finished fifth runner-up at the Canadian National Exhibition's Rising Star Competition last week. | submitted photo Monday Night at the Movies brings TIFF to town Local cinephiles who can't make the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this week can get their movie fix with Oakville's own Monday Night at the Movies (MNM). Launching Monday (Sept. 12), the Oakville international film series is in its 11th season and brings some of TIFF's most engaging international and Canadian films to the Winston Churchill Cineplex, 2081 Winston Park Dr. MNM is an independent, notfor-profit series working in partnership with Film Circuit, a division of TIFF . "Our mission is to provide movie lovers with an opportunity to see great international films you might not otherwise get to see at your local theatre. We're like the Oakville branch of TIFF ," said MNM chair Clare Henderson. "Each year, we work with Film Circuit to select a diverse mix of Canadian and international comedies, dramas and documentaries that are shown at TIFF , and we look forward to sharing these fantastic, one-of-a-kind films with our audience." Films from both TIFF 2015 and 2016 will be included in this season's programming. Kicking things off on Monday is the heart-warming, true story Dark Horse from the U.K. The film follows a group of bluecollar workers, friends and neighbours in a small Welsh town who find themselves breaking barriers by competing against some of the wealthiest racehorse owners in the U.K. On Sept. 26, MNM screens the Australian family drama The Daughter, and on Oct. 3, the Jane Austin novella-inspired, Love and Friendship. Animated short films, produced by graduates of Sheridan College's Bachelor of Animation program are also shown prior to each film. Features are screened on select Mondays from September to April at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased starting at 6:45 p.m. in the lobby of the theatre for $10 each, cash only. For more information and a list of dates and upcoming films, visit mondaynightatthemovies. blogspot.ca. C A M P A R T H O U S E P R E S E N T S A N N I E K I D S Camp ArtHouse recently presented Disney's Annie Kids, with a cast of 50 Camp ArtHouse children performing onstage at Sheridan College's main stage theatre. | Graham Paine/ Metroland JCHAC juried exhibit launches today The Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre's third juried exhibition launches today (Friday). The show is exclusive to artists living in Halton and Peel regions and the subject matter is open (excluding nudes). Participants were asked to submit one or two pieces of two-dimensional artwork, such as paintings in any medium, drawings, fibre art, photography or any other wall art. The exhibition runs until Oct. 16 at the 1086 Burnhamthorpe Rd. E. art centre with an opening reception Sunday (Sept. 11) from 2-5 p.m. The show will be juried by Dick Rampen, a multifaceted artist with more than 25 years of teaching as an OCAD professor, and Shirley Erskine, a highlyrenowned and respected artist and a member of the Joshua Creek Studio. Guests will be able to vote for the Viewer's Choice award at the reception. Winners will be announced at 3 p.m. on Sept. 11. For more information, visit www.joshuacreekarts. com. Free sample class West End Studio Theatre is holding a free sample class tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 10) from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. for anyone aged four and older at its studio, 1109 North Service Rd. E. Interested participants will be introduced to theatre and film acting. For more information, visit www.the-west.ca. Oakville Literary Café The Oakville Literary Café is hosting its first of monthly poetry and literature readings Sunday (Sept. 11), from 4-6 p.m., at a residence next to the Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre, 1086 Burnhamthorpe Rd. E. Featured reader will be renowned artist and poet Eva Kolacz-Hutchman. Circle of Harmony event Circle of Harmony, which sings four-part a capella, invites interested members to join at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, 2302 Bridge Rd., on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Free fall membership and sing with the chorus at its November show. Visit www. circleofharmony.ca. In the Arts... For more arts news, visit insidehalton.com/oakville-on. `Like' the Oakville Beaver on Facebook.