The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, February 8, 2012 · 16 Classic tale of finger pointing with West End Studio Theatre By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF When someone pointed a finger at playwright Arthur Miller, claiming he was a communist, he did what he does best: he wrote a play. However, rather than setting the play in the 1950s during the height of McCarthyism, Miller placed his characters in 17th century Salem, during the infamous witch trials. Now, that classic finger pointing tale is coming to The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts stage as West End Studio Theatre presents Miller's The Crucible. The play opens tomorrow (Feb. 9). "This play is about living in fear, pointing fingers. The play still resonates in our modern society today even though it was the 1600s and it's about the Salem witch trials," said director Yo Mustafa. He said the media today have the ability to scare us. "Don't drink this. Don't drink that. Coffee's bad for you, then two years later, coffee's actually good for you. Buy your food at organic places, but don't buy your food at organic places because... It's fear." Mustafa noted that it is easy today to point fingers at things and people who are not part of the norm, which makes this play so relevant. The story is about the Puritan purge of witchcraft. After several young girls engage in heretical activities in a nearby forest, accusations fly and fingers are pointed. The leader of the girls, the beautiful, 17-year-old Abigail Williams, who participated in the wood activities, is the lead accuser in the finger-pointing affair. "She has a bad reputation. That's driven her to be desperate for people's attention; people's acceptance. That's why she's causing this trouble," said 18-year-old Chandler Boriska who plays Abigail. Artscene eric riehl / oakville beaver couldn't be me: Pictured are members of West End Studio Theatre rehearsing their presentation of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. That acceptance is found in another character, John Proctor, who previously had an affair with Abigail. However manipulative the character is, there are other traits to her as well. "She's a really challenging character because she has a lot of sides to her. She's not really defined by one thing," said Boriska. "She can be miss-good-girl innocent at one point and then she can be sending people off to get murdered at another point. She can be completely in control and then she can be sucking up to someone." The character is also controlling and conniving, the Iroquois Ridge High School graduate said. "It's interesting playing her because you have to take a whole bunch of different views. Instead of playing one specific person, you have to go crazy and play a bunch," said Boriska, who hopes to go into film or theatre school next year. This particular play has a cast of 25 people, including nearly 10 who are around Boriska's age. No easy task to manage for a director, but Mustafa said the group has been professional. The cast also consists of people who have been around theatre for a long time and others who are still fresh to the stage. "It's important for me to get the devotion of the actors and I get that by respecting them and when I do that, the respect is returned," Mustafa said. For this presentation, Mustafa has not altered the play, keeping the original time, setting and script. "This is a classic piece of theatre," he said. "People will be entertained. There are some good performances and it will be a great evening out." Performances run until Feb. 18, including 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. showings. Tickets cost $27 for evening shows or $22 for the matinees, with various discounts available. For more information or tickets, visit www.oakvillecentre.ca. Firelogs that will leaveRADIATE you feeling FIRELOGS THAT warm and cozy this season. WARMTH AND BEAUTY www. HURRY! GOVERNMENT REBATES END SOON ACT NOW! FINAL DAYS! $ HEATING & COOLING .com ON GOVERNMENT REBATES Gas Furnace Joe Stanton, Sue Leonard perform at Moonshine Musician Joe Stanton will be performing at the Moonshine Café on Wednesday, Feb. 8. The singer/songwriter/guitarist has been performing for 30 years and has travelled the world over to do so. His music is a mix of styles, ranging from bluegrass to contemporary folk to alternative country. He's received airplay on radio stations in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australia. Special guest Sue Leonard will also perform. Leonard is an international recording artist who has collaborated with such artists as Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Willis' band The Accelerators. The show starts at 8 p.m. Admission is by donation. The café is located at 137 Kerr St. High Efficiency FURNACE & CENTRAL AIR SAME DAY PACKAGE ONLY INSTALLATION AVAILABLE INCLUDES: ar * ac nuf rw ma labou 1 9 0 0 r e and l u e $ime off r 10 y arts Free turer's pranty. Va mited t *li 96% EFF. "MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS" www.cobblestonembers.ca ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING · 96% High Efficiency DC motor, Gas Furnace · 15.75 SEER High Efficiency Central Air R410A Refrigerant · 10 Years Factory Warranty *After Government, Aire One and Manufacturer OVER 120,000 Rebates. Must have existing Furnace and A/C. SATISFIED CUSTOMERS *Call now for details. Offer cannot be combined. OAC. Accessories excluded. Call us to see if you qualify. 3990 INSTALLED * Furnace diagnostic service Only $ SEER 49 15.75 NO INTEREST NO PAYMENT FOR 6 MONTHS OAC While Su LIMITED TI OFFER ME pplies La st 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE 905-337-2066 *Call Dealer for Details 905-849-4998 9 Locations To Serve You Better! A+ Rating www.aireone.com 1-888-827-2665