ΑΝΕΞΑΡΤΗΤΟΙ ΠΑΝΑΘΗΝΑΙΚΟΙ
Το blog απευθύνεται αυστηρώςPublished on: 24.04.2012
Well...Since You Asked!
20 May 2012 21:00:00
My first Fringe show was suggested to me by Denna Beena. Well...Since You Asked featured a solo performance by Kate O'Neal where she offered her opinions and personal life experiences. She would go to a small round table at the back of the stage to pick up slips of paper with questions, presumably from audience members and her mom. David Horgan, one of DEM Guys, was seated in the front row. An on running joke between us is that David always tries to pose in any scene I happen to be sketching. This time he succeeded being front and center. The center bleacher seating was full with run over audience members sitting on the sides,
Although much of Kate's monologue was funny and irreverent, she succeeded best when she spoke from the heart. When she related one of the most tragic moments of her life, the theater went dark and she was bathed in a red spotlight. Everyone in the room seemed to lean forward, fully present. She sang several songs which resonated deeply with me. Desperado by the Eagles and Bridge over Troubled Waters. Her singing alone was worth the price of admission.
She has met some fascinating people in her life and has been through a number of jobs and husbands. When she discovered her husband was having an affair with the neighbors wife, her retaliation had audience members gasping and laughing. This is why theater and the Fringe are magic. People will always want to gather in a darkened room to learn from someone elses life experiences. Kate shared them all, even her mistakes, bringing us along for the emotional ride. A show like this takes bravery and this was her first time doing a personal monologue. The Fringe makes taking such chances a reality for performing artists. I'm glad she took that chance. As she said, "It's never too late to be who you might have been."
Show schedule:
Monday May 21st at 6:45PM
Tuesday May 22nd at 7:15PM
Friday May 25th at 7:45PM
Saturday May 26th at 12:45PM
Performances are in the brown venue and tickets are $8.
Fringe Beer Tent
19 May 2012 21:00:00
The Orlando International Fringe Festival is now in full swing. I strolled the green lawn of fabulousness and found Tod Caviness taping a string of Christmas lights to his poetry vending machine. He was glad it was sunny out, but he warned me that a storm was coming. My first order of business was the beer tent. I searched for the beer ticket booth and asked for one $5 ticket. Beer taps come right out of the side of the beer truck. I decided to order a German beer because I liked the bright yellow tap handle. It was a sweet smooth blend and I suspect it will be my beer of choice this year. I took a few sips and then started drawing the truck. Puffy white cumulus clouds looked thick and friendly. Twice I had to extract dead bugs from my drink.
Later that evening, I planned to see "Well Since You Asked" starring Kate O'Neal. Denna Beena had suggested I make this my first Fringe show. Logan Donahoo suggested I see "Cannibal! The Musical" which was written by one of the South Park writers. Actress Marty Stonerock saw me sketching and gave me a warm welcome. "I know the Fringe has officially begun when I see you sketching away" she said. She was a fireball of excitement and energy. She had volunteered last year and had a blast. She couldn't wait to get started again this year. She took a photo of me at work and shouted, "Act natural!"
David Horgan, one of DEM Guys, stopped to say hello just as I was finishing my sketch. He stood in front of me posing with his cooler. Darn, I could have worked him into the picture had he arrived just a little earlier. He had posed for my Mennello Museum mural last year. DEM Guys are, David, Ed, and Myron. Every year they compete to see who can see the most shows. They also sponsor one of the venues. David hopes to see more than 60 shows this year. He gave me a DEM Guys pin which I was proud to put on my bag. With the sketch finished, I ran off to my first show. I felt at home. Happy Fringe!
The Eighties Strike Back
17 May 2012 21:00:00
Imagine if the original Star Wars trilogy took place in the 1980′s – and it was a musical! That’s what this Fringe stage production is all about. The lyric from some of the most memorable songs from the eighties were changed up to re-tell, in detail, one of the most known and beloved stories of modern times. I first learned of this production when I took a required course at Full Sail called "Using Improve in the Classroom." Simon MacDonald was one of the instructors and the class was a blast. Simon is directing "The Eighties Strike Back."
A dress rehearsal was held at Lake Howell High School. It poured on the drive over. I ran under awnings and started searching the hallways for the auditorium. A student finally lead me there. A band concert was going on and the audience was full of adoring parents. Trumpet solos blasted notes off tune but still the audience went wild. I started to think I was in the wrong place but then the concert ended. I watched the mad shuffle to move orchestra chairs and music stands. Then the stage stood empty with only a few students still posing for photos in the isles. Cody Donaldson stepped out on the stage dressed all in gold with a golden Frisbee on his chest. There could be no denying that he was an 80's version of C3PO. Kelly Dunn Lowenberg skated on stage as a roller derby version of R2D2.
The cast assembled and then they did a full run through of the show. The production certainly pulled out the Star Wars geek in me. Richard Barados rendition of Chewie in one of the musical numbers had me laughing out loud. Emily Cutting added some new dance moves to one of the numbers and as Leia, she will earn any fan boy's attention. Matthew Mendel as Luke was dressed as Marty McFly from "Back to the Future." He wanted to be sure I captured his hair wave accurately in the sketch. Adam Bellas had a fun rebel punk attitude as Vader and Simon was particularly hilarious as Yoda. I was bobbing my head and ended up singing along as I sketched. They get my vote for a super awesome, fun, Fringe show!
Show times are:
Saturday, May 19th, 11:15 am
Sunday, May 20th, 3:00 pm
Wednesday, May 23rd, 7:30 pm
Friday, May 25th, 5:00 pm
Saturday, May 26th, 7:45 pm
Sunday, May 27th, 1:45 pm
Tickets are available on the Orlando Fringe website. Prices are $10 per show and there is a $1 handling cost. (If you are a card carrying member of the 501st or Rebel Legion you get a $1 discount.) It is also required that in order to see a Fringe performance that you have a Fringe button which is $8. All information is available on the Orlando Fringe Website.
The Central Florida Composers Forum Concert
15 May 2012 21:00:00
CF2 was evening of new music by local composers at the Timucua White House. I arrived with Terry about an hour before the concert because the idea had been tossed around with Serena Jones, that it might be nice for me to project a sketch I was working on live during the concert. Unfortunately for technical reasons, that didn't work out but I still got a great sketch from the second floor balcony. Serena worked the multi media imagery on a flat panel TV screen from her laptop.
The featured artist for the evening was Woody Igou. Woody set up a series of sculptures on card tables. One sculpture was of a series of hollow horns stacked up. At the beginning of the performance he mixed some gorilla glue with pigments and salt and he poured the mixture inside the horns. For the rest of the evening the mixture expanded like the blob, overflowing and oozing down like lava.
The CF2 concert offered contemporary composers an open forum to showcase their recent work.
Featured Composers on the Program:
Daniel Crozier (Rollins College) - Piano solo (2009)
Benoit Glazer (Music Director for La Nouba) - Brass Quintet and Percussion Quintet (2011)
Charles Griffin (Full Sail University) - Flute Quartet, prerecorded audio and video projection (2010) Rebekah Todia (Full Sail University) - Soprano and piano (2012)
Charles Griffin's composition featured animated projections that responded to the music. The audience was encouraged to repeat vocalizations as they appeared on the screen. Everyone followed with shhh, and ah, ah sounds. This gave a primal feel to the proceedings.
The concert was an invigorating multimedia mix of electro acoustic, post-minimal, contemporary art song, solo piano and big-band jazz pieces by musicians and composers from Rollins, Full Sail, UCF and of course, Benoit Glazer, the musical director of Cirque du Soleil, and resident of the (Timucua) White House.
Israel Independence Day Festival
14 May 2012 22:00:00
Terry and I went to the Israel Independence Day Festival in Cranes Roost Park behind the Altamonte Mall. Cranes Roost Boulevard was blocked off and lined with festival tents and food trucks. It was hard to distinguish from any other festival except for the occasional tiny Israeli flag. There was a large kids play area with inflatable jumper rooms, slides, a bungee sling shot and even pony rides. I decided to get a sketch of the face painter. She wore butterfly wings and could bat out a face painting every five to ten minutes. There was often a line of kids and their parents waiting expectantly. The little boy I sketched turned into Spiderman.
Terry and I ordered some Israeli food from one of the tents and we sat in the shade of a tree on a cement wall. A chorus began singing Israeli folk songs and some people in the audience joined in. Artist Bonnie Sprung was there with her mom selling tie died shirts with hand painted designs. Terry bumped into some friends from book club and while I sketched, she finished up a crossword puzzle.
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