Oakville residents lend themselves to The Uninvited by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff Artscene 9 | Wednesday, February 12, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Oakville resident Deb Dagenais is among a cast of 10 actors staging the production of The Uninvited, written by Tim Kelly. The play runs Feb. 14-Mar. 1 at Village Theatre's Memorial Hall, 317 Dundas St. E., in Waterdown, and tells the story of a brother and sister who move into an isolated country home in a small British town that has the reputation for being haunted. The siblings start to encounter strange happenings, including a mysterious woman and the sound of someone weeping. Lizzie, the brother and sister's maid, played by Dagenais, also sees `something' on the stairs. Directed by Elaine Hale and Peter Gruner, both of whom call Oakville home, the play is told in three acts and is based on the 1942 book with the same name and written by Dorothy Macardle. There's moments of comedy, there's moments of thrills and chills and there's a love story. Elaine Hale co-director Hale, who has lived in Oakville 10 years and has been involved in community theatre over the last 30, said the stage production is a nod to old-style, black-and-white movies. In the 1940s, she said, a Hollywood version of Macardle's book was filmed, making it one of the first scary ghost stories ever to be put on screen. She said she's hoping the audience will be entertained by this rendition of the play. "There are moments of comedy, there are moments of thrills and chills and there's a love story," she said. "The word that comes to mind is haunting. We want them to have a hauntingly beautiful experience." Gruner, an Oakville resident of 21 years, is married to Dagenais and said the play focuses on numerous relationships between the characters so there's "fun, comic bits" mixed in with the mystery and eerie parts. "We want to give a whole, well-rounded evening of entertainment," said the playwright, who became involved with community theatre seven years ago and more recently made a career change to peruse his passion. "We certainly try to build up the fun bits and we've got a wonderful cast of actors. They really make the work leap off the page." About 40 people have been working as actors, stage crew and costume designers in order to put the show on stage. Hale said rehearsals started early in December and have taken place thrice weekly until last week. Now, they're every night so the crew is "living and breathing the play". She said it's been a pleasure working with Gruner in directing the play. "Co-directing can be quite a challenge, but Peter and I have developed a very synergistic relationship over the course of this experience," she said. Gruner echoed Hale's remarks, adding co-directing the play removed some of the pressure. "It can be daunting directing it solo because there's so much to keep track of and there's so much behind the scenes," he said. Gruner added directing his wife was also a fun experience, something he hasn't done in 26 years. Matinée performances are on Sunday (Feb. 16) and Feb. 23 while evening performances are on Thursday (Feb. 14), Friday (Feb. 15), Feb. 21-22, 28 and March 1. Tickets to the show cost $20 for adults and $18 for students. Call the box office at 905-6907889. For more information, visit www. villagetheatrewaterdown.ca. The Uninvited runs this Friday (Feb. 14) to Mar. 1 at Village Theatre's Memorial Hall, 317 Dundas. St. E., in Waterdown. Involved in the production are, from left, Oakville residents Deb Dagenais (playing Lizzie Flynn), Peter Gruner (co-director), and Elaine Hale (co-director). | photo by Kyla McCall P A STA F E STI VA L February 18th to March 18th Traditional Caesar Salad Or Mixed Garden Greens with a White Balsamic Vinaigrette Or Chef's Homemade Soup of the Day ef E'S SPECIN 14 less AL ons New ad ult stud ents over 21 years. VALEN T I for $14 Take the first step and learn to dance tonight, by yourself or with a partner. 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