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23 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, March 20, 2009 Sears Drama Festival an event to remember By Clive Feldman GRADE 12, T. A. BLAKELOCK I walk through the theatre doors and am welcomed by the smell of hot lights and the noise of people's conversations. The theatre is warm compared to the bitter breeze outdoors and I look around for a seat. I find one in the back and wave to a friend whom I haven't seen for a year. The excitement builds and I can feel that it's going to be a good night. At the end of February every year, there is a week-long drama festival hosted by Halton District Schools. February is the time for the Sears Drama Festival. For a week, people are invited to watch plays full of laughter and profound thoughts -- it's a week where the dramatic arts warm your heart and tickle your ears. It is a festival of high school productions competing for a chance to represent one of the strongest districts in Ontario -- Halton. The festival's competition has three stages: the district festivals, the regional festivals, and the All-Ontario Showcase. After a week of shows at the district level, the district's adjudicator selects three plays to advance and represent the district at one of the six regional festivals. Then comes another week of fantastic plays, another adjudicator and another three shows advance, this time to the All-Ontario Showcase. For 63 years, Sears has been sponsoring and empowering students to raise their voice and show the world how they feel. Whether it's satirical comedy with underlying global issues, or a play that touches the heart because of love; students have an opportunity to tell it like it is, or maybe as it is not. Each festival is a chance for students to forget about school, work, and everything else that can get them down. It's a chance to put your all into a project and see it come to life. When the curtain falls, it is what lies behind that is the heart and soul of these festivals -- the midnight rehearsals, early mornings, and last-minute line changes. It is the relationships that blossom and the friendships that are kindled that drive this festival. Year after year students, teachers, and parents band together to work on something bigger than the sum of the parts, something that does them proud and shows the world what they've got. When you take part, you experience something that will be etched into your memory forever. For four years, my best memories have come from this festival. It has exposed me to compelling stories, and talented young actors. I have found friends whose memories will be with me forever. The Sears Drama Festival is one of the best things Ontario has to offer the youth of the province. I hear the 20th Century Fox theme music and a silence drops over the crowd. The lights dim and the air is thick with anticipation. I close my eyes and make myself comfortable. I clear my mind and prepare for an evening of three delightful acts, and feelings that will rock me to the core. I am ready for Sears. The Oakville Players present The Curious Savage by John Patrick Senio and Stu rs den $13.50 ts Wed. Apr 1 A delightful comedy fantasy where sanitorium "guests" realize some hopeless dreams, and the audience sees kindness and affection triumph over greed and dishonesty Thurs. to Sat., March 26-28 and Wed. to Sat., April 1-4 The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts Tickets $27 · Call the Oakville Centre Box Office 905.815.2021 or 1.888.489.7784 or online at www.oakvillecentre.ca MARCH BREAK 0% EVENT Think Green. Breathe Easy. HUGE CENTRAL AIR & FURNACE $ Up to AND 4300* MANUFACTURERS CASH BACK HYDRO CASH BACK SALE BEST PRICES EVER! Tax Credit & Instant Rebate NO PAYMENT! NO INTEREST! FOR 6 MONTHS *OAC TAX CREDIT GOV. CASH BACK UP TO UP TO UP TO UP TO $1400 + $1000 + $550 + $1350 *Call for details. Financing Available CALL FOR DETAILS Volvo of Oakville www.volvoofoakville.com 9 Locations To Serve You Better! www.aireone.com 1-888-827-2665 1-888-287-5037 905-849905-849-4998 Alright Alright top band Alright Alright has come out on top as the Oakville winner for Metroland's Best of the West Battle of the Bands competition. Coming in second was Everywhere, followed by Orange Freestate, Icarus, and Fries With That. Alright Alright now advances to the final championship round, where it will compete against Burlington's We Are Bravest and Milton's No Reason to Stay. Voting starts on Monday, March 23 and will close on Sunday, March 29. Go online to www.oakvillebeaver.com and click on the Metroland's Best of the West link under the features heading to cast your vote. A feature on Alright Alright will appear in this weekend's edition of The Oakville Beaver. IS CHRONIC KNEE OR HIP PAIN DUE TO OSTEOARTHRITIS SLOWING YOU DOWN? If so, you may qualify for an important research study to assess an investigational pain medication that may be effective in managing chronic pain and have better gastrointestinal tolerability than other pain medications. *Offer valid from March 4 to March 31, 2009 on applicable new 2009 XC90's in dealer inventory. No charge in Headrest DVD players applicable to XC90 only. 0% finance applicable to new C30's and XC90's for 60 month terms only. Sample finance, $10,000 borrowed for 60 months at 0%, equals payments of $166.66 per month for 60 months. Financing provided through VCFS (Volvo Car Financial Services) up front approved customers only. Vehicle may not be exactly as shown. For further details please contact Volvo of Oakville. You may be eligible to participate if you: · Are 18 - 80 years of age · Are dissatisfied with your current pain medication · Believe you are a candidate for knee or hip replacement To find out if you qualify: call 1-877-927-5469 (1-877-9-ASKHOW)