Seasons continue to sweep through Central Florida

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Seasons the Musical had a huge impact at this year’s Orlando Fringe Festival. It won multiple awards and  it returned to the Orlando Shakespeare Theater for two performances on September 27th and 28th. The book, lyrics and music were written by Katie Hammond and Elaine Pechacek. Elaine accompanied all the musical numbers by performing on piano. The play mostly follows two relationships, the strong bond between Mrs. Jones (Beki Herrbach), and her daughter Hope (Kathryn Fabbroni) and then the unplanned coupling of Helen (Renee Morico) and Peter (Erin Robere).

All of the characters lives change because of unexpected moments. Helen has a few too many drinks at a high school party and decides to sleep with Peter if he plays his cards right.  That night resulted in her pregnancy. When Peter finds out he proposes marriage. Hope has also been proposed to, and she dreams of her future of happiness. At the same time, her mother has been diagnosed with cancer. The two stories unfold, each with their uncertainties and anguish.

The music propels the story forward with 23 numbers in the show. Sadness is offset by humor and laughter offset by pain. Helen isn’t sure she loves Peter, but she hopes in time that she will. When their child arrives, she finds a focus for pure unquestioned love. Hope’s mother collapses during the wedding and then Hope remains by her mother’s side in the hospital. When Hope sang of her selfish need for her mother’s love, and how she wasn’t ready to let go, I welled up. Mrs. Jones sings an incredible song to her daughter when she realizes she hasn’t much time left. She wants Hope to know she will always be loved and she tells he to never take a single moment for granted.

Not every story has a happy ending. Life is short and bitter sweet. But all of the characters made the choice to love and be loved and that makes all of life’s difficulties worth living. The show ends with a lullaby that lingers long after the show is over. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Mark Your Calendars! Seasons will be returning October 17th and 18th at the Moonlight Players Theatre (735 W Minneola Ave Clermont FL) at 8pm.

Lake Louise is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world

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Terry and I stayed in the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta Canada and the room had a fabulous view overlooking the lake. While Terry explored the hotel, I sketched. The hotel isn’t as gorgeous at the Fairmont hotel in Banff but the view made up for any deficiency. The pool was under repair and the lobby seemed to always be full of bus loads of Japanese tourists. The lake had a magical turquoise color that is hard to capture with a simple watercolor wash. The color is caused by the cloudy glacial silt that is always suspended in the water.

Terry and I walked to the far end of the lake where rock climbers were scaling cliffs. I wasn’t tempted to try this myself. I would need to loose a few pounds before trying to support my weight from my fingertips. We took another trail that went half way up a steep slope to an overlook that offered a birds eye view of the lake. It started to rain and we put on our rain gear. Tiny yellow canoes dotted the lake everywhere. When we got back from that hike, we saw a couple in a canoe that capsized. That glacial water is ice cold so they were in danger of quickly drowning. A motor boat quickly got out to rescue them and tow the canoe back.  At diner that night the capsized couple were the topic of every conversation. Terry and I didn’t rent a canoe.

12 Angry Jurors Opens in Sanford

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12 Angry Jurors is based on the 1957 film titled 12 Angry Men written by Reginald Rose. In the black and white film, the jurors were all men, but in this modern adaptation more that half of the jurors are women. Aléa Figueroa plays the role that Henry Fonda played in the film. As the jury voted for the first time she had a look of terror on her face as every other juror voted guilty. From that moment on, she commanded attention. She had to convince all the other jurors that there was a reasonable doubt. I went to the rehearsal expecting to see 12 good old boys debate the case, but only one man in the cast fit that bill. It was the women in the jury who were able to pick apart the testimony and weigh the evidence.

The play deals with deep rooted racism that still persists today which is the reason many of the jurors were convinced of the defendants guilt from the start. Chaz Krivan played the part of a juror who angrily argued for guilt even as the rest of the jury began to sway. Director, Nicholas Murphy was the person who opened the locked front door to allow me into the rehearsal. He watched the dress rehearsal from several different seats to get a feel for the staging. One juror just wanted to reach a verdict so he could get to a baseball game he had tickets to. Ironically, I had just sketched a trial where a juror was wearing a Green bay Packers jersey and the lawyer in his closing statement pointed out to the fact that there was a game that night.

I liked this production that had a jury of men and women since it is more true to what would happen today. When the good old boy juror demonstrated the use of a knife by almost stabbing Aléa, there was the underlying hints of aggression towards women that comes with sexism. Some jurors were recent immigrants and they fully understood the responsibility that came with being a juror while long time citizens just wanted the process be quick and painless.

Mark Your calendars! This is a production that is well worth seeing. You will leave the theater thinking and maybe wonder how you would have stood in that jury room. I can vouch for the fact that it is a short drive to the Princess Theater
(115 W 1st St, Sanford, FL). Call: (407) 494-8474.

Tickets are:
Adults $20
Students $15 (under 25 with valid ID)

Showtimes:
Sunday, October 5, 2014 at 2:00pm
Thursday, October 9, 2014 at 7:00pm
Friday, October 10, 2014 at 8:00pm
Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 8:00pm
Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 2:00pm
Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 7:00pm
Friday, October 17, 2014 at 8:00pm
Saturday, October 18, 2014 at 8:00pm
Sunday, October 19, 2014 at 2:00pm

The Travon Martin Project touches raw nerves.

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On the night of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, United States, George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old African American high school student. George, a 28-year-old mixed-race Hispanic man, was the neighborhood watch coordinator for the gated community where Martin was temporarily living and where the shooting took place George was told not to follow the youth but he followed anyway.  Responding to an earlier call from Zimmerman, police arrived on the
scene within two minutes of the shooting. He was taken into
custody, treated for head injuries, then questioned for five hours. The
police chief said that Zimmerman was released because there was no
evidence to refute the claim of having acted in self-defense. The police chief also said that Zimmerman had had a right to defend himself with lethal force. An arrest was finally made after the incident became national news and protesters filled Sanford. George was given a trial and found not guilty.

Producer Beth Marshal wanted to create a show that deals with the huge divide that Trayvon Martin‘s death caused in Central Florida and the country. Her son is about the same age as Trayvon and if her son was seen walking through suburban Sanford, quite frankly he would be alive. The show opens with Billy Holiday singing “Strange Fruit” as the audience entered the theater. The song referenced “blood on the leaves” in a sorrowful anguished voice. The show opened with a congressional hearing about the ban on certain items. There were long heated debates about how these items needed to be outlawed for everyone’s protection. One committee member had smuggled the item into the hearing like a knife into a courtroom. The committee erupted in chaos as he showed them the hoodie which is quite functional on a cold evening.

  

John DiDonna acted as the show’s narrator. He talked about Sanford‘s past and how racism has been woven into the fabric of the towns history. Back in 1946, the city of Sanford ran Jackie Robinson out of town while he was playing for the Montreal Royals, the Brooklyn Dodgers AAA team, which trained in Sanford. Then there was the story of schoolteacher Harry Tyson Moore,
who was the founder of the first branch of the NAACP in Florida’s
Seminole County, where Sanford is located. Moore fought tirelessly for
racial equality in Sanford, including voting rights for African
Americans. That made him a dangerous man to many white people in town. On Christmas night of 1951, the home of Moore and his wife
Harriette Vyda Simms Moore was fire bombed. It was the couple’s 25th
wedding anniversary. Moore died on his way to a Sanford hospital and his
wife died 9 days later of her injuries. In Sanford’s more recent past, the 2010 case of Sherman Ware had some troubling similarities to the Trayvon Martin tragedy. On Dec. 4, 2010, 21-year-old Justin Collison, was captured on a YouTube video leaving a Sanford bar, when he walked up behind an
unsuspecting Ware, a homeless African American man, and punched him in
the back of the head, which drove Ware’s face into a utility pole and
then onto the pavement breaking his nose. Sanford police questioned Collison who was not cuffed that night and had
possession of the video but did not arrest him. You see, Collison’s
father is a Sanford police lieutenant and his grandfather is a former
circuit judge and wealthy Florida landowner.

20 years ago when I moved to Orlando, the Ku Klux Klan held a demonstration at the Jewish Community Center in Maitland.  There was a heated debate at the time about if there should be a counter demonstration. Some argued that by counter demonstrating, we would be giving the KKK the attention they wanted. Hundreds of counter demonstrators showed up verses six or so KKK members hiding behind robes. Janine Klein spoke of isms in her monologue in the show. She was a Jewish school teacher and did grow up facing racism. In the talk back after the show she said that she realized that she wants to be more of an activist to help bring about change. Silence isn’t the answer.

The talk back triggered an amazing conversation with the audience. One woman in the audience was of Cuban heritage. One of her cousins had light skin and she was treated differently than all the other children with dark skin. So there was racism even within a family. Sheryl Carbonell, from the cast is inter-racially married to a white police officer. He has been bitten, beaten and shot at on the job. 14 incidents were all caused by black men. None of these incidents were ever covered by the media. The Jordan Davis shooting happened during production of the play. It is clear that these type of shootings continue. Kerry Alce who plays Trayvon said that he is desensitized and frightened by all the shootings of black children. The talk back was every bit as powerful as the production itself. Change only happens when you open a dialogue.This is a daring production that certainly opened that dialogue. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King

There are only 2 shows remaining of The Trayvon Martin Project…

October 4, Saturday at 7:30pm

October 5, Sunday at 2pm

at the Valencia College East Campus Black Box Theatre building 3 (701 North Econolockahatchee Trail Orlando FL).

Tickets are $20 general admission and $15 students. Proceeds from this event benefit The Travyon Martin Foundation.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for October 4th and 5th

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Saturday October 4, 2014

10am to Noon $15. Orlando Walk for Farm Animals. Langford Park located at 1808 E Central Blvd in downtown Orlando FL. The Walk for Farm Animals raises vital funds for Farm Sanctuary’s lifesaving work and brings together thousands of people to change hearts and minds about farm animals. Will you join us in Orlando to support compassion for all? Early registration $15 day of walk $25 children under 18 free.

Walk for animals then join us after the walk for vegan food, guest speakers, and entertainment. Contact: www.walkforfarmanimals.org or 407-968-2400 for more information.

4pm to 7pm Free. Peter Frampton Concert. Central and Garland Orlando FL Next to Ember. Downtown Concert Series! Don’t miss this FREE concert in Downtown Orlando! Even though it’s FREE you could be a VIP. Thank you for listening to 98.9 WMMO! We’ll see YOU at DCS! See more at: http://www.wmmo.com/s/dcs/#sthash.juail568.dpuf

8pm to 10pm Free. Shuffleboard. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL. On the 1st Saturday of each month. Free fun! https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoShuffle?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

Sunday October 5, 2014

10am to 4pm Free. Lake Eola Farmers Market. South East corner of Lake Eola, Orlando, FL.

1pm to 3pm  Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park, 195 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL. Every week at the East end of the park near the Japanese pagoda.

6pm to 8pm Free. SHUT YOUR FACE! Poetry Slam by Curtis Meyer! La Casa De La Paellas 10414 E Colonial Dr Orlando FL. The only current ongoing slam in Orlando officially certified by Poetry Slam Incorporated, IE. Send a team to Nats as well as poets to The Individual World Poetry Slam & Women of The World Poetry Slam! $50 to the winner! If you’ve never seen or been in a slam before, it’s definitely worth checking out! curtisxmeyer@hotmail.com

The Fairmont Hotel in Banff Makes a luxurious home base in the Canadian Rockies.

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Terry and I stayed at the well appointed Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (405 Spray Ave, Banff, AB T1L 1J4, Canada). As soon as we drove up, valet’s helped us with our luggage and got us checked in. Our room was high up in one of the turrets making it feel like we were staying in a Scottish castle.

William Cornelius Van Horne, the general manager of Canadian
Pacific Railway (CPR) has been credited with recognizing the tourism
potential of the Canadian west. Van Horne maintained tourism was an
intricate ingredient in getting people to ride CPR and was conscious of
the financial possibilities attached to the western mountain scenery.
His philosophy reflected this awareness, ‘Since we can’t export the
scenery,’ he said, ‘ we’ll have to import the tourists.’ To enhance
traffic on the CPR, Van Horne envisioned a succession of lavish resort
hotels along the railway line through the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains. Van Horne hired Bruce Price of New York, one of the leading architects of the time to design and build the Fairmont Hotel. Construction of the Hotel
began in the spring of 1887 and the hotel publicly opened on June 1,
1888.

I sketched Terry as she looked at a guide book planning our next day’s adventure. From this back patio you could hear the distant Bow River waterfall. We hiked down to the waterfall and discovered that this was the launching place for daily river rafting trips. We decided to take the rafting trip which went down river for many miles. The passenger next to me lost his paper day planner in the water. Luckily it floated along side the raft. My reach was just long enough to touch it with my finger tips. It sank at my touch and I cursed. It rose to the surface again and then I grasped it. Everyone on the raft cheered. Had he used a digital device it would be at the bottom of the river.

Hoodoo you think your fooling?

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Hoodoos are rocky sandstone spires that appear after eons of erosion. These hoodoos were located a short drive from the second hotel we stayed at in Banff. These magical spires are carved
by wind and water protected by a hard cap of rock at the peak.

A sign at the roadside parking lot warned about bears. I was more concerned about the gloomy grey clouds that moved through the Bow river valley. A well maintained trail lead to this spot that overlooked the hoodoos. I sketched from the opposite side of the fence which protects tourist from falling into the valley as they stare into their digital devices.

There was a steep sloped trail that lead right to the base of the Hoodoos and Terry decided to hike down while I sketched. She sang while she walked to warn any bears of her approach. The clouds let off a light mist of rain. It wasn’t raining hard enough to send me running for cover, but it certainly made it hard to put watercolor washes on the sketch. Any time a drop hit the page it would explode and remove pigment from the sketch.

I saw Terry’s photos from the base of the hoodoos and they are impressive up close. I wanted to include the human element however and I could always catch a tourist taking a photo from the trial’s corral.

La Maschera Goes Motown at the Abbey

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On Friday, September 26, The Downtown Arts District held it’s 10th annual fundraiser, La Maschera Goes Motown, presented by Bud Light Platinum at The Abbey (100 S Eola Dr #100, Orlando, FL). La Maschera was a festive celebration of the arts featuring live entertainment by Motown In Motion and the I-4 Band, tasty cuisine, refreshing cocktails, and fun. Last year’s theme was Mardi Gras and the year prior was the Roaring 20’s. Guests were encouraged to dress in themed attire and the best dressed won a prize. Tickets for La Maschera Goes Motown, presented by “Bud Light Platinum” were $50 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Downtown Arts District.

When I arrived, The Abbey wasn’t  yet crowded, so it was easy for me to find a seat close to the stage and sketch. The I-4 Band was on stage exuding energy. Although the two singers were dancing up a storm, no one was on the dance floor. Their set was over before my sketch was done. Luckily the same band members returned to the stage to back up Motown in Motion. The MC shouted into the mic, asking all the men in the room if they wanted to see some very sexy ladies. There was a muffled response and the MC joked that there must be too many husbands in the crowd. I sketched the band as Pointer Sisters started to sing “Stop in the Name of Love.” At first, I didn’t know if I should take them seriously. It’s sort of the feeling I get when I see a Marylin Monroe or Elvis Impersonator. I figure it is all look and no substance but they proved me wrong because everyone took to the dance floor to move to the beat. Ray Charles came in to perform a solo and the dance floor got crowded. An all male singing group then took to the stage and the ladies in the house started hooting and hollering.

The dance floor got so crowded that I started to get bumped. Each time the singers returned to the stage, they were in new outfits. That would certainly be challenging to sketch. A dear friend, Michael Mcleod was celebrating his birthday that night, so with the sketch done, I drove to the party only a few miles away. At that party I learned all about Artegon from the executive vice president Steven A. Sless. 60 million dollars has been invested to renovate the largely deserted Festival Bay Mall on International Drive across from the Outlet Malls. Artegon is modeled after Pikes Market in Seattle which has local artists and craftsmen renting booths for $6 a day that are part studio space and retail. It is a fascinating idea and I plan to get to an open house soon to learn more.

Melbourne Civic Theatre Presented Edward Albee’s “A Delicate Balance”

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The set for Edward Albee’s  “A Delicate Balance” was a well appointed suburban house. The Melbourne Civic Theatre is small and intimate so as an audience member, you feel like you are almost a part of the scene. The stage is set up in a corner of the room, so there really isn’t any front and center seating. Agnes (Nellie Brannan) and Tobias (Terrance Girard) were in their living room talking and having drinks. Staging wise, there was always a cold distance between these two. The reason for the detached tension slowly became clear because Tobias had an affair and yet the couple stayed together. They also had to weather the loss of a son.

Right now however the couple has to face Agnes’ sister Claire (Susan Suomi) who has moved in. Susan presents herself as a new age hippy but her incessant drinking she chalks up to a willful resolve. Julia (Tracy Thompson) is the couples daughter, and she has just returned home after her fourth divorce. She is needy and spoiled often causing a scene when she doesn’t get her way.

The most surreal mixture to this perfect storm of characters are the neighbors, Edna (Tori Smith) and Harry (Michael Thompson) who were overwhelmed with an unexplainable sense of fear in their own home. They moved into Julia’s old room as they recover. Every scene involved multiple trips to the corner liquor cabinet to mix drinks. Tempers flair in the now crowded home. Tobias has to decide just how much he can give before going insane.

This was my first time at the Melbourne Civic Theatre and it was a wonderful surprise. Managing Artistic Director Peg Girard has created a safe haven for cutting edge theater. After the show, the actors lined up in the lobby to greet people as they left. I got a chance to quickly meet actress Nellie Brannan who had invited me out to see the show. Nellie is also an artist and she might take part in future sketch crawls. If you ever take a weekend get away to the beach, you should look up the Melbourne Civic Theatre and check out a show.

The Baniff Marathon Fills the Quiet Mountain Town

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Terry and I used Banff, Alberta Canada as our home base for quite a few days. The town park near the river was the starting line and finish line for a marathon. We were hiking into town from our hotel and came across the marathon just outside of town. I decided to sketch runners as they ran the final few yards to the finish line. The building in the sketch is the Banff Park Museum. We never did go inside. Terry shopped in the many stores along the mains street while I did this sketch.

Banff is in the Banff National Park in the Alberta Canadian Rockies. Banff is a resort town and one of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations, known for its mountainous surroundings and hot springs. It is a destination for outdoor sports and features extensive hiking, biking, and skiing areas within the area.

By the time I started to sketch, the lead runners had already finished. The spectators cheered just as loud for the people who were struggling just to finish the race. Finishing a marathon is an achievement in itself. Some runners had slowed down to a walk, but thanks to she cheers and knowing the finish line was in sight, they often started to run again.

When I was in high school, I trained extensively for the cross country team. I wasn’t very fast but I always finished any race I ran. I started training for a marathon to be held in Atlantic City. I ran further than the marathon distance on some days. I was obsessed. However on race day, I missed the bus to the starting line. So I have never officially run a marathon, so that is something that is still on by bucket list.