Theatre group brings imaginary friend to life on stage By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The performers of The Oakville Players community theatre group will be bringing their imaginations to life and hope their audiences will too when they present their upcoming show. The group is performing the feel-good, classic-play Harvey, which won American playwright Mary Chase a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1945. The show opens Thursday at The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. The play is centred around Elwood P. Dowd who has an imaginary friend named Harvey, a sixfoot white rabbit. Where the audience's imagination comes in, is in the fact the Harvey character is not performed by anyone and he has no speaking roles, and yet he has a presence on stage. "We certainly have touches of him all over. My whole idea is that Harvey is sort of like that imaginary pal that we all grow up with, that we all have," said director Elfie Helferty, a Burlington resident. "I didn't want to bring him on stage because I wanted everyone to have their own Harvey. For me, to bring him on stage would take away that belief. As soon as you make him Artscene 15 · Wednesday, March 21, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com "Harvey is sort of like that imaginary pal that we all grow up with, that we all have." Elfie Helferty, director The Oakville Players MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER JUST IMAGINE: The Oakville Players actors Susan Finlayson, as Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet, left; Paul Damario, as Elwood P. Dowd; Jessica Klassen, as Myrtle Mae Simmons; and Linda Morawiec, as Veta Louise Simmons rehearse the comedy favourite Harvey at their studio. real, there's too much vulnerability. He, all of a sudden, becomes a real friend." So how does the group bring Harvey to life? That task rests on the actors, and a majority of it is on Burlington's Paul Damario, who plays the lead role of Elwood. "If I don't believe in Harvey then the audience won't believe in Harvey. What I have to do, at all times, is look at him, address him, acknowledge him, whether there's dialogue directly addressing him or not," he said. "I'm conscious of that and act as if he's really there. He's my best friend so I look at it from that point of view." Elwood is a happy, go-lucky kind of guy, with a simple outlook on life who sees the good in everyone else. "You could call him simple, but I'd say he's pretty rich. He's rich in the experiences he's had and in his friends, as well," said Damario. However, trouble begins when his socially climbing sister, Veta, decides to commit him to a sanitarium because of the embarrassment he's causing her. However, in a number of funny situations, Harvey begins to test everyone's sanity as he becomes evident to all of them. Despite being faced with negative situations, Damario said his character maintains a positive outlook, partly because he's always got his best friend at his side. That best friend is always evident to the audience as well. "When you see the play, there will be no doubt in your mind where Harvey is at all times," Damario said. This, he said, took a lot of practice to perfect in the rehearsal process. Helferty said there will always be traces of Harvey on set. This is her 10th and final time directing a TOP play, as she's moving away from the area. See Play page 16 Three easy steps to a healthy-looking smile (NC)--April is National Oral Health Month, and the third Crest and Oral-BGreat Canadian Smile Survey found that while 90 per cent of respondents consider their smile to be an essential part of their overall appearance, only 30 per cent follow the dentist-recommended at home oral care routine of flossing, brushing and rinsing. While the survey found that Canadian women are more likely than men to follow an oral care program, there is lots of room for improvement. So why are so few of us following these easy steps? 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