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21 Friday, A ugust 19, 2011 O A KVILLE BEAVER w w w .insideH A LTO N .com Artscene BEST DANCE BEST MUSIC BEST PRESCHOOL and BEST SUMMER CAMP in Oakville Come and see why we have been voted Bestyear after year! Over 12,000 square feet Premium dedicated Arts Instruction 1011 Upper Middle Road E. & Eighth Line 905.844.ARTS (2787) www.oakvilleacademy.com VISIT OUR WEB SITE FOR PROGRAM INFORMATION OR DROP IN FOR A TOUR! FALL REGISTRATION ON NOW Book Early - Classes Are Filling Quickly Mon & Fri 9am-6pm Tues-Thurs 9am-8pm Sat 9am-4pm All of our classes and programmes are taught by experienced, compassionate and university educated instructors! Competitive Dance Please call to book your audition Afternoon Arts Adventure Ages 3-5, 12:30-3:30pm Wednesday and Thursday Dance, Music, Art & Free Play Fine Arts Ages 4-16 Numerous opportunities for creative growth & instruction Journey into Glee Love the show? Come and see our version. Dance R.A.D. Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Contemporary, Break Dancing (Boys only classes) 6 and Under? We have an outstanding reputation for getting little ones started on the right foot. Princess Pre Dance, Baby Ballet, Kinder Tap, Kinder Jazz, Kiddy Hop, Piano/Vocal Combination Music Vocal, Piano, Guitar, Drums, Sax, Violin, Bass, Flute, Clarinet & Theory Musical Theatre A triple threat programme with Dance, Vocal & Dramatic Training Ages 5-7, 8-10, 11-13 & 14+ programmes Summer Day Camps August 22-26, Ages 4-12 Dance, Music, Drama, Musical Theatre, Fine Arts taught by University Educated Instructors Peter Gruner back at it on Hamilton stage with new show By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Hot off the heels of having his play staged in Hamilton late last month, Oakville playwright Peter Gruner is at it again with a new show in the city. This time around, hes also direct- ing and starring in the one-person show, which he said was essential as there was a short turnaround time to produce the new show, titled Cast Away, after the last. The production of last months Minced ended July 24, which is when he started to write the script, produce and rehearse the new show, which opened yesterday at the Pearl Companys Canadian Theatre Festival. Kids, dont do this at home. Its much easier to do one particular thing: write, direct or act, Gruner said with a laugh. He said he had no choice but to self-direct, but he will show it to sev- eral people before it is staged for input. Its not something I recommend but for timeliness it was necessary, Gruner said. Writing and acting was also essen- tial. Its a lot of work, he said. I was working on Minced, getting it ready for the Hamilton Fringe and I saw the call for submissions for the Pearl Companys Canadian Theatre Festival. I submitted the idea. I had the idea for a while but I hadnt done any writing on it. Because I knew the writing timeliness would be tight, I figured it better be for me to perform it because its very stressful when youre trying to get a rewrite done for other peo- ple. However, he added having the tight deadlines helped him push himself to complete the product on time. Minced, which was staged as part of the Hamilton Fringe Festival, was awarded with a Best of Fringe award and will have several repeat showings this October. This is the second time Gruner was awarded such honours, as he received the same award at the festival in 2009 for his play Laund-O- Mat at the End of the World. Cast Away is about a playwright who is struggling to get his second play produced, who is faced with one setback after another. Its got the idea that obstacles are not meant to stop us. Theyre to test our determination towards our goal, Gruner said. When do you throw in the towel? The point is, sometimes reaching your goals is simple but it is never easy. Thats sort of the lesson the playwright learns and I think its a good message for all of us. Anything thats worth attaining or reaching for, if you look at it, its simple, but its really hard. STAGED: Oakville's Peter Gruner is rehearsing his new role. SUBMITTED PHOTO See Play page 22