The Flick presents hopes and aspirations in a tiny movie theater.

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Gen Y Productions presents The Flickwritten by Annie
Baker and was the winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and 2013 Obie Award for Play writing. The Flick Premiered
Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 2013 and will run at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL) starting today through July 12.

Bonnie Sprung designed the set for The Flick. She confided that the theater seats were rented from the recently closed Theater Downtown. The sconces on set are actually the bases to lava lamps. She was busy cutting and building the set right up until the rehearsal started. This was the first run through in the new space. Producer Aaron Safer arranged to get me in for the sketch.

The play is set in a single screen movie theater in Central Massachusetts that has the last remaining 35mm film projector. Sam (Daniel Cooksley) shows Avery (Marcellis Cutler) the ropes of the job on Avery’s first day at the job. The job simply involves cleaning up the wrappers and refuge people left behind after leaving the movie theater. Rose (Jessie Grossman) with her bright green hair is the projectionist and Sam feels he should have been promoted to that coveted position. He shouts up to her and she either can’t hear him or ignored him. “She hates me” Sam confides to Avery. When Rose came down from the booth, she asks Sam if he told Avery about the employee “dinner money” tradition. The “dinner money” was skimmed from ticket sales without the owners knowledge. Avery agonized in the front row with his head in his hands but ultimately gave in, not wanting to upset his co-workers.

Scene after scene plays out in the empty theater. Sam told a story about how a huge chunk of the ceiling once fell down landing just inches from an old lady. Sam and Avery play a game of six degrees of separation as they clean and it turns out that Avery in an encyclopedia of film knowledge. A love triangle develops as Rose comes on strong to Avery. The flirting escalates to an embarrassing moment when they watch a film together after hours. Each of the characters is a misfit. Avery once tried to kill himself, Rose is unable to have a relationship for more than four months, and Sam rides along as if the theater job was his only aspiration in life. Rose was appealing with her brash accent and bold entrances. She later turned on Avery and it became clear that every character was strictly looking after their own interests. Friendships aren’t as strong as the need for a minimum wage paycheck. One of my favorite scenes is when Avery recites Ezekiel 25:17 from Pulp Fiction. The drama among the employees turned out to be bigger than the dramas that played out on the big screen. I cared deeply for each character hoping they might find happiness but in this fast changing world, that hope seems mercurial. The digital age made the 35mm projector obsolete. Avery in particular yearned to keep the analog tradition of projected film alive. It turned out that if you don’t need a projector. You don’t need a projectionist. Everyone wants more for less and quality isn’t necessarily the ideal.

Kenny Howard directed the Orlando cast and I liked that there were long moments where characters had time to think and reflect. Action on a movie screen happens at a break neck pace with maybe 2 seconds before cutting to a new shot. But the action after the film ended felt more real, imperfect and more heart felt.  These characters weren’t playing their parts, they were simply living in the moment. At three hours, this is a long show. Turn off those cellphones and unwrap those wrappers and don’t leave a mess because someone has to clean up after you.

Show dates: June 17-July12, 2015

Show times vary

Tickets start at $35.00

Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater

Lobby Doors open 60 minutes prior to show time.

Theater Doors open 30 minutes prior to show time.

Phantasmagoria was at Kids Fringe.

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Phantasmagoria is a steampunk themed acting troupe that shares classic Victorian horror stories every Halloween. At Kids Fringe, Phantasmagoria was set up in the shade of the huge Live Oak tree at the Mennello Museum. They were on hand to teach dance to anyone who cared to learn. Pandora performed on Cello and her mom taught several children how to waltz. John DiDonna founded this macabre acting company and I have been sketching their performances for years.

This was another demonstration sketch to show my Sketch Tour student how to catch actors in the midst of constant motion. There was a new actress among the company this day and she fit in perfectly. I never can get enough sketches of these exotic costumes. There is a whole culture of people that love steampunk and Phantasmagoria now makes appearances at Steampunk gatherings and conventions. Several women were dressed in more colorful Victorian garb, and they were fans of Phantasmagoria.

It was an extremely hot day, so dancing must have been kept to a minimum. I wouldn’t want to be dressed all in black in the intense Florida sun although I’ve been known to do just that. As an artist thought my first thought when sketching outside is, “am I in the shade, and will this shade last for the duration of the sketch”. Anytime I misjudge the suns movement, I end up with a red neck.

Robyn Da Hood was hilarious at Fringe.

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SAK Theater Company of Orlando presented Robyn Da Hood – A Rap Musical at this years Orlando International Fringe Festival. I made the mistake of sitting in one of the balcony boxes. It turned out that the box would be used by several of the actors during the show. My student and I had to scramble to find new seats. The show is a mash up of the classic story told through hip hop beats. Set pieces were elegantly created out of corrugated cardboard.

The show swaps gender roles with Robyn Hood being played by Chelsea Hilend. Her merry band are also all women. Sheriff of Nottingham (Mike Carr) is a villainous sexist pig who thinks he can defeat Robyn by seducing her and keeping her bare foot in his kitchen. Lil’ John (DeMarlon Vega) is the only person in the show who is dressed as a Rap singer. His only line in the show is “YAY-ah!” “Oh-KAY!” This caused a loud laugh from the audience every time but I’m just not hip enough to get the reference. Every song had witty, hilarious lyrics and the show galloped forward at a break neck pace.

One member of the audience got to play the part of the King. He was given a paper crown and a corrugated cardboard frame that came complete with a mustache and beard. One of the Merry Maids took a seat right in front of me for the archery tournament. Prince John, (Chris Dinger) was hilarious as an inept childish prince.

The show managed to entertain on every level. The cheap set pieces actually helped sell the campy and fun flavor of the show. For instance as Robyn escapes from the castle, a photo of her is clothes pinned to a line between cardboard buttresses and she cranked across to safety, all while the sheriff gloats in his success. I have always associated Sak with improv comedy but now I see it as a place where great theater is incubated and born. Robyn Da Hood won the Critics Choice Award for Best Book Musical at the Fringe and it is well deserved.

Sugar Crush Kids performed at Fringe.

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During the Fringe Sketch Tour, I did a quick sketch of Sugar Crush Kids as they performed in the outdoor stage at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This was essentially a demonstration to show how to cover a sketch quickly with large bold washes. Sugar Crush performed a high energy set that was over before the sketch was complete. Musical sets seem to fly by when you are trying to capture the moment with a sketch.

After this, we decided to break for lunch and then head inside to sketch a show, and get out of the heat. Food vendors are all around the green lawn and I decided to get some BBQ. The vendor wasn’t very efficient so it took a long time to get my food. Another fun aspect of Fringe is that you get to meet the performers on the lawn. A performer might be seated right beside you as you eat lunch, so you get to rub shoulders with some amazing talent.

Public Art is destroyed in Orlando.

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I first noticed the ancient light box as I drove to the Orlando International Fringe Festival this year. It was on Mills Avenue just north of the East West Expressway. I must have driven past it hundreds of times before but never noticed it since it blended into the desolate urban landscape on this barren stretch of road. The decades old abandoned light pole was something everyone ignored. But this day was different. It was exotic and beautiful, with porcelain birds perched all over it. Artist Brendan O’Connor had used social media to ask for donations of birds to be added to the sculpture. About 12 people plus the kids at misty forest donated birds. I felt a certain civic pride knowing this was such a community effort. I watched is blossom and grow each day I drove by.

The project titled “Put a Bird on It” was initiated by the Mills 50 District. The next day I spotted Brendan on site in the intense Florida sun with his large straw hat offering come protection as he was adding more tiles to the piece. I desperately wanted to stop and sketch but I had promised to sketch a Fringe show and was running late.

I did get back to the site, but unfortunately Brendan was gone. This sculpture is like a totem to creativity and freedom of expression. Many of the tiles still needed grouting and some pieces were taped in place waiting to be secured. After this sketch was done many colorful plastic flowers were also added to the sculpture. Brendan completed the piece on June 10th and the next day the city destroyed the sculpture under the pretext that it was too close to the street. It had been to close to the street for many decades. They claim to be looking for a new site for the sculpture, but many of the birds were shattered when the pole was felled. Mills 50 had an agreement with the City of Orlando and the Florida Department of Transportation to do whatever they wanted with the light. Some bureaucrat must have felt that the result was too playful and colorful to remain standing. Brendan invested $300 of his own money and volunteered 18 hours of his time over three weeks to create the sculpture that stood for one day before ending up as a pile of crumbs on the sidewalk. The FDOT removed the light box which was put into storage and the ceramic covered pole was left like a body on a battlefield where it fell. Roadside memorials featuring stuffed animals, and flowers ofter remain on Florida roadsides for years, yet this colorful explosion of creativity was considered a threat.

It is far easier to destroy art than to create it. Some people in power are threatened by creativity. As the Nazi party took power, artists, poets and academics were ushered to camps. Free thinking individuals can question policy. Thousands of paintings and sculptures were seized and destroyed because the party didn’t understand them. Works of expressionism were considered deviant. Recently ISIS video taped themselves destroying art to prove that they were a force to be reckoned with. The war against art rages on, but now in our own backyard.

All too often I am documenting art in Orlando that is painted over or destroyed. Murals going up all around Orlando seem to be making city officials uncomfortable. They want to edit and veto creativity. A committee was formed to address the problem allowing officials to take down and remove whatever they don’t like. The first amendment grants us freedom of speech and we all should be upset when creativity is crushed. I’m beginning to think I need to find a more progressive city to sketch and report about. Orlando seems intent on going back to the dark ages.

Kids Fringe proved that anyone can Fringe.

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On the weekend of May 24th and 25th I held a sketch tour at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Artist Gay Geiger joined me on those two days to sketch as many aspects of the Fringe as we could. We started at the Kids Fringe each morning. At the main stage, Voci Dancers would lead the kids in stretches to start out the day. It was a perfect opportunity to do quick gestural drawings to start out the day. Beth Marshall‘s son Darth was working the tech for the stage.

Dave Rocker’s Barnyard Jam was the first act up after the morning stretches. The cloth fence of course hid the puppeteers.  Before the show, several children were introduced to the puppets and it was charming to see their looks of wide eyed shock, surprise and wonder. The one puppet that is hidden behind a curtain in my sketch was a goat. The songs were light hearted and fun and the kids loved every minute.

Besides doing my own sketch, I also gave Gay as many notes as I could. With just one student I was able to give her tons of tips as we worked. When you sketch you are thinking a thousand thoughts and I just verbalized that inner dialogue. It was fun having a student along to share the experience with and I ended up doing far more sketches than I usually would.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for June 13th and 14th.

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Saturday June 13, 2015

10am to 10pm Free. Gods and Monsters Grand Opening Celebration. Artegon Marketplace 5250 International Drive; Suite E8, Orlando, Florida. Gods and Monsters is the second largest comics, toys, collectibles and gaming venue in the U.S. Come explore Gods and Monsters (as well as the Transmetropolitan Gallery and Offworld L.O.U.N.G.E. within) and enjoy 12 hours of entertainment, activities, art demos, contests and give-a-ways, all while raising money for the Hero Initiative!

Official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 10am.

The Hero Initiative Fundraiser with silent auction. (winners announced at 9pm) Visit www.heroinitiative.org to learn more about this charity helping comics creators in need.

Free arcade sponsored by Free Play Florida and BART.

Special appearances by renowned cosplay models, Callie Cosplay, Heather1337 and Jenifer Ann.

Appearances by Central Florida’s critically acclaimed Victorian Horror Troupe Phantasmagoria.

Legacy Aerial Arts will be here with Bella Maia as Cat Woman doing performances on Aerial Silks and Hailey Burkett as Wonder Woman on the Aerial Hoop.

Free face painting and balloon art provided by Artegon’s YES, Your Entertainment Spot. Superhero arts & crafts throughout the day, with Mad Science highlighting the Science of Superheroes 11am-5pm

Transmetropolitan Gallery Art Show with live art demos by Bianca Roman-Stumpff, Kevin Wood, Mark Pacich, Robo Ohno and more.

Comics creator, Shawn Surface will be on hand promoting his upcoming series “Mandi”, signing books, prints and drawing custom character sketches with proceeds going to the Hero Initiative.

Derrick Fish will be here with original art, prints and all his creator owned comics such as “The Wellkeeper”, “Dandy and Co.”, “APPARITION” and his all new “CARPE NOCTEM”.

Comics creator, Jenni Gregory will be here signing copies of her books, Dream Walker and Summoner with proceeds going to Hero.

Renowned convention artist, Michael “Locoduck” Duron will be present doing character sketches for attendees.

Photo opportunities with costumed characters, including Star lite Princess and Pirate Parties’ very own Iron Man appearing at 2pm and Spider-Man appearing at 3pm.

The 501st and Guardians Of Justice, non-profit organizations, will have groups of popular characters appearing throughout the day.

Costume Contest with prizes held at 8pm.

Brit Lytle with Bittersweet Body Art will be doing live body art demos.

Author, Brian Downes will be here signing copies of his book, The Berlin Fraternity

Emcee: Comedian, Adam Avitable and DJ Spank.

Lite bites provided by Chevy’s Fresh Mex with proceeds going to Hero Initiative.

FREE COMICS!!

6pm to 10pm Free.  Virginia Drive Live! Virginia Drive near The Venue Orlando FL. We’d like to invite you to join our family-friendly neighborhood block party.  We’ll have plenty of local vendors, food trucks, shopping and entertainment.  There will also be a beer tent available and a wine stroll.  Wine stroll tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Got Karma and The Venue.  We’d love to see you all there!

7pm to 10pm Free but bring a dish. Potluck Welcome at the Kerouac House. Kerouac House 1418 Clouser St., Orlando, FL. Welcome the new resident author, Michele Roldan-Shaw.

Sunday June 14, 2015

10am to 5pm Free. Crawford House Move. 642 Wilkes Ave Pine Castle, FL. The house is 2 blocks away on Randolph and will be moved to Wilkes. This isn’t really an event but a unique sketch opportunity.

 Noon to 5pm Free but get a drink. Sunday’s with Smiling Dan. The Falcon Bar & Gallery, 819 East Washington Street, Orlando, FL. DJ Smiling Dan spins tunes for your Sunday afternoon.

1pm to 3pm Free. Script Reading Workshop. Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show, 8267 International Drive, Orlando, FL. New original plays are read and workshoped.

Wedding Whorrer Story was a fun hot mess.

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Shock Shack Entertainment presented The PeeVira Chronicles: Wedding Whorrer Story in the Red Venue at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. The show was written, produced and directed by AJ Prats with associate direction by Kim Matovina. The show was built around a goth cross-dressed wedding between PeeVira, the Peevish Voodoo Mistress (AJ Prats), and the groom (Jonathan Randolph). The play opened with mysterious monastery music and a hooded monk who paused for the longest time in front of me. I was afraid he might be judging my sketch which I had just started.

Between scenes, Josephina the cleaning lady (Sheli Nathan-Miller) interacted with the audience and got plenty of laughs. There must have been some complex costume changes going on back stage, and she did a great job keeping the audience engaged. PeeVira, although clearly a guy, looked divine in her wedding gown with Minnie Mouse pink bow in her hair and carrying black roses. Her huge white high heel boots peeked out occasionally from below her dress. The grooms pants are at his ankles because PeeVira has an infatuation with male anatomy. Later in the show, the groom got to play the part of a six foot high dancing dick. I had to sketch the maid of honor (Danielle Organ) since there were few females in the cast.

Other characters included, a slut driver girl, demons, pig cops and sperm clouds. A plot seems redundant with such a strange cast of characters. After the show the cast danced on stage and members of the audience got up to dance as well. I put the sketch away and danced. I can now proudly say that I have danced with a life sized dick. I still don’t know how to pronounce “Whorrer” however.

The Bloody Jug band was a rip roaring good time.

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The Bloody Jug Band performed at the outdoor stage at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. I’ve wanted to catch a performance by them for quite some time. I usually go to the venue they will be performing at, and end up sketching an earlier act. They usually perform past my bed time. Their music draws inspiration from historic JUG bands of the 1920’s and 30’s as well as the darker side of
Blues and Rock n’ Roll, they carved out its own niche in a genre of music that has
never seen such a bloody incarnation.

Members of the band include,  Cragmire Peace on Vocals and Scratch, Stormy Jean on Vocals and Untimely Percussion, Brian Shredder on Acoustic Guitar and Mandolin, Steevil on Electric Guitar and Banjo, Bloody Rick Lane on Harmonica, Seth Funky on Washtub and Uke Bass, Big Daddy Jerm on JUG and Percussion, and Baby Dingo on Cajon and Spoons. As you can see this is a small bloody army of talent. When I sat down to sketch, Jessie Sander who is a dancer for Drip dance leaned over to say hi. Her boyfriend was center stage banging on a wooden box as percussion. One song loosely based on Johnny Cash’s Boy Named Sue had everyone up and dancing revival style. Of course Jessie and her friends couldn’t resist the urge to dance.

The sheer voracity of the music kept my lines dancing. I didn’t have to think or analyze what I did, I just let the tidal wave carry me along. I kind of wish I could listen to their music every time I sketched, to amp up my nerves to go with the flow.  If you ever see The Bloody Jug Band performing, be sure to go, you will have a great time. Someone took several photos of this sketch in progress and on Facebook, band members debated why a few performers couldn’t be seen. I know that the lead singer blocked my view of a performed in the back corner of the stage, although I put a faint squiggle down to indicate that he wore a bowler hat. The drummer is also just a loose indication behind everyone else center stage.

The free outdoor stage featured more talent than ever at this year’s Orlando Fringe.

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 I believe Jessica Pauli was responsible for wrangling all the incredible acts that performed at the outdoor stage.
One day on the weekend featured Swamp Sisters La La which had all
female performers. Sunday was Southern Fried Sunday with a line up of
local acts.

The Mudflappers performed at the outdoor tent at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. Their lively music hearkens back to a simpler time. I’ve seen them perform before, so I knew I was in for a fun time. Colored spotlights illuminated the performers different colors. For the final number people got up to dance frantically. I tried to throw lines and washes onto the page with the same frantic energy.

The Mudflappers music has it’s roots in Folk, Country, Swing, and Roots Music. The band members are, George Moore Jr. on Guitar and Lead Vocals,

Sarah Elizabeth Patrick on Violin and Lead Vocals,

Paul Tugwell on Tenor Banjo,

Jake Williams on Bass,

Marc Lingle on Piano, and
Mikey Bulko on Drums.