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B4 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, August 11, 1999 130 V I I I F N A V Y ST. 'CENTRE 815-2021 THE QAK' Arts & Entertainment OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR OF THE OAKVILLE CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Oakville Beaver Entertainment Editor: Carol Baldwin 845-3824 (Extension 254) Fax: 337-5567 By Carol Baldw in ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR "We've invented a new game," exclaims Kate Keenan, artistic director of the Shrimp Magnet Theatre Company, as she talks about the positive feedback her troupe has received during its first year in business. "One lady came back to see the show again and said that her kids had loved the shows. She said she'd taken them to the circus and they didn't care. All they wanted to do was go home and play germs (a game they devised from Shrimp Magnet's production of Germ Wars.) This new theatre company began as a con­ cept, an idea in Keenan's head, after she had completed courses at George Brown Theatre School and taken a classical acting course in London, England. "I was getting really frustrated with the lack of stuff out there; and the things I was getting into, I wasn't enjoying that much," says the 22- year-old, obviously disappointed with the opportunities for actors in and around the GTA. "I was talking with a bunch of my friends, and we decided that we wanted to take matters into our own hands. If we wanted to do theatre, quality theatre, we'd have to do our own." So they did. But not before Keenan took an entrepreneurial course offered by Human Resources Development Canada to help her with the business end of things. "I got the real backing for a business from that. I don't think I could have done it without that," she says. "So far, I've actually managed to pay my actors every week...The first year of the company has to be an investment. Next year can only get better." The name of the company, Shrimp Magnet, also came from Keenan's head where the word 'shrimp' is filed as complimentary to children, reflecting their intelligence and spunk. Magnet, of course, is what the theatre company hopes their productions will act as - for children. As for the venue, Keenan was instrumental in that as well, deeming, in her mind, that Cen­ tre Island is an ideal setting for anything. 'The actual theatre on Centre Island I used when I was in high school," she says, noting that she attended Brantwood and St. Mildred's schools in her home town of Oakville before switching to the Etobicoke School of the Arts where her class performed on the island stage for a year. "After a year, our teacher didn't want to do it anymore, so a group of us started our own chil­ dren's theatre company. It was more like a lemonade stand. We charged a buck a person and 25 cents for a child. I think we were mak­ ing about 25 cents an hour." But, despite the "homemade" nature of that theatre company back in Grade 11, the experi­ ence gave Keenan a sense of what she wanted to do and where she wanted to do it. "I love the island. I can't get enough of it...The theatre has been sitting empty for two or three years now, and they were going to tear it down," she says, adding that she had to approach Metro Toronto for permission to use the theatre on what is now referred to as Olympic Island. Initially she was told they couldn't use the theatre, and Keenan was prepared to go tree planting for the summer. But then, at the eleventh hour, the powers-that-be changed their minds. (See 'Musical' on page B6) Royal Bank Festival of Classics presents Love's Labour's Lost by William Shakespeare M July 21 to August 14, <- Monday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Theatre at the Lake. Coronation Park limiwis presents CEILim'99 Friday, August 20 at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, August 21 at 2:00/8:00 p.m Scottish Comedy, Pipes. Dance & Sword Play! (9 0 5 )8 1 5 -2 0 2 1 Hfcets now! Visit the box office, 130 Navy Street (at Lakeshore), Monday to Friday, noon to S p.m .; Saturday 2 to 5 p.m .; or two hours before show time. For more information on upcoming shows explore our website at WWW. by Affirmative Communications. B ecome a B ig T icket M ember and $ave! For Just $30, you get: • savings of 20% on shows of your choice, including: M ichelle W right - October 29 One o f the most awarded artists in Canadian country music history! John McDermott - October 17 Johnny Favourite Swing Orchestra - October 20 Canadian Tribute to Glenn Miller - November 12 & 13 AND MORE! • first chance at best seats • special offers from local restaurants and retailers Fall shows go on sale to the general public Tuesday, September 7.,1999 Ask about our new BIG TICKET PLUS membership! presented by C T I SmithKIm« i3 U Pharma Photo by Peter J. Thompson A group art exhibition, featuring the work of artists Carol Sanders, left, Anne Armstrong and Patricia Kirby, opened at Sovereign House on the weekend. From teaching to doing By Carol Baldwin ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR It's been a banner year for Carol Sanders - she retired, got married, and is one of three artists in an art show at Sovereign House. Sanders already misses teaching, and she's only been off for the summer - no different than previous years. "O-T (Oakville Trafalgar High School) is like teaching heaven. The students are wonderful," she explains, adding that she's been teaching art since she was about eight years old when she handed out paper to neighbourhood kids and showed them how to draw. After that she studied art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal on weekends while she was in high school, then graduated with a Fine Arts degree from Allison University Now, after 31 years of teaching, she's ready to start painting full-time. In fact, she says, "I did nine paintings in four weeks for this show...I'm a portrait painter mainly. I like people." Although her work in the exhibit is mostly watercolours and oils, she's ready to do some etchings with the press her colleagues restored for her from one they found in the garbage. "The tech guys put it together for me, a retire­ ment gift," she says, with pride. Her work at Sovereign House is on display with art work by fellow O-T colleague, Anne Armstrong, and Burlington artist Patricia Kirby in an exhibition titled Reflections. The art show includes landscapes, still life, and portrait work as well as photos that have been manipulated, and sometimes painted, to create a 19th century effect. Reflections will continue in the historic house at 7 West River St. in Bronte, Wednesdays, Satur­ days, and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. until Sept. 1st. Above photo courtesy of the Shrimp Magnet Theatre Company Above, the entire Shrimp Magnet Theatre Company visits The Land o f I Told You So in one of two original productions the company produces on Toronto's Centre (Olympic) Island. The plays were written by the company as a whole - dialogue, music and lyrics, and the costumes were also handmade from clothing picked up at second-hand shops. This theatre company may be working on a shoestring, but its artistic director (seen at right) has managed to make enough money to pay her actors each week, a feat she is quite pleased with. Photos by Peter McCusker Original children's plays in ideal setting Kate Keenan, artistic director for the Shrimp Magnet Theatre Com­ pany, can ham it up for the camera as well as for the kids who go to Olympic Island to see her plays. Arts & Entertainment Oakville Beaver Entertainment Editor: Carol Baldwin 845-3824 (Extension 254) Fax: 337-5567 By Carol Baldwin Friday, August 20 at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, August 21 at 2:00/8:00 p.m By Carol Baldwin