Shakespeare in Love at the Shakes.

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Shakespeare in Love is based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. It was adapted for the stage by Lee Hall. I was just familiar with the movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes. In Shakespeare’s day only men were allowed to perform on the theater stage. However Viola De Lesseps was in love with the bards poetic words. She knew how to breath life into his words better than any man, so she dressed as a man named Thomas Kent to audition for a part in his latest play which was being written for the queen (Anne Hering.) Shakespeare (John Keller) was drawn to her performance in the audition but she ran away when he wanted to see her without a hat. Shakespeare follows Kent to Viola’s house and leaves a note with the nurse, asking Thomas Kent to begin rehearsals at the Rose. Shakespeare sneaks into Viola’s garden, finding her on her balcony,
where they briefly confess their mutual attraction to each other before
he is discovered by her nurse and flees.
Inspired by Viola, Shakespeare writes quickly, completely transforming the play into what will become Romeo and Juliet.

Some of the biggest laughs come when “Thomas Kent” has difficulty kissing a man dressed as Juliet. She gives him a peck on the forehead instead. In an attempt to get the scene right Shakespeare himself steps in as Juliet and Romeo finally kisses with gusto. Thomas (Viola) pauses for a moment and then jumps up on the bard wrapping his legs around the playwright. The theater is shut down when Viola is discovered as a true woman. However another theater owner who saw the play in progress decides to allow the production to open in his theater. Viola can no longer perform as Romeo so she sits back stage. Shakespeare himself takes the part of Romeo. Then the actor playing Juliet looses his voice. It turns out that Viola knows every line, so she is thrust out on stage to perform as Juliet. The star crossed lovers perform the final scene which mirrors the fact that they can not stay together despite their love, because Viola is promised to a Lord Wessex (Duncan Bahr). She sails off with a man she doesn’t love looking back at the love of her life.

This romance tragedy is a reminder that sometimes love is not enough and that sometimes a couple is torn apart due to obligations and different life paths. It is a bitter sweet pill to swallow.

Shakespeare in Love runs through March 25th and shows are selling out fast.

Where: Orlando Shakespeare Center 812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803.

Tickets are $25 to $50.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for February 10th and 11th.

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Saturday February 10, 2018

10:30 AM to 230 PM. Free to sketch, $8.00 to watch the 1950s movie Born Yesterday. Sketching at the Enzian.  Enzian Theater 1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, Florida 32751.

Orlando Urban Sketchers is sketching the Saturday Matinee Classics at the Enzian, and we will be
there to capture in sketches a time, an era and a space. Surrounded by
weeping oaks, a bubbling fountain, and a beautiful courtyard, Enzian is a
unique cinema-going experience, a dine-in theater packed with old-time
charm we wish to document into our sketchbooks.
We plan on sketching in the Eden-Bar garden outside the theater at 10:30 am first.

At 12:00 pm the 1950’s film Born Yesterday will be featured inside the
theater. We plan on moving indoors as soon as doors open to sketch the
theater interior where we can also grab lunch bites and watch the movie.

At 2:00pm we’ll meet back at Eden Bar garden for our traditional Sketchbooks-throw down ceremony.

Watching the film is not mandatory. Sketching can be kept going
outdoors to capture the moviegoers, the Eden Bar crowd, and Enzian’s
garden views.
There’s an $8.00 general admission for those who
wish to watch the film. Tickets can be purchased at the box-office or
online (recommended) @ https://enzian.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0F3600000EZIELEAS All skills are welcome. Bring your sketchbook and sketching supply of your choice.
Invite your friends and family and anyone who likes to sketch, or to spend a quality morning at the Enzian!

11 AM to 4 PM Donations. Paws in the Park.  Lake Eola Park 512 E Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801, pet lovers from all over Central Florida will gather at beautiful
Lake Eola to support Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando’s mission to
educate, shelter, place, and heal pets and their families with
compassionate, responsible care.

This community wide fundraising event provides support for
the more than 8,000 homeless pets who will be cared for at our two
shelters this year. 


Schedule of Events

Stage Schedule

11am – Welcome and Memorial Bubble Release hosted by The Pet Loss Center

11:15am – Walk Start led by Commissioner Patty Sheehan and The Central Florida Sounds of Freedom Band & Color Guard

12pm – Fundraising Awards

12:15pm – Best in Show Contest with Celebrity Judges

1:15pm – Dog & Owner Look-a-Like Contest

2:15pm – Best Dog Trick Contest

3:15pm – Sit & Stay Contest

3:30pm – Raffle Winners Announced

Ongoing throughout the day

Splash Dogs Dock Diving

Disney Kids and Family Zone

Canine Sports Arena

Lucky Dogs Lure Course

Food Trucks

Vendors

Beer Garden featuring Tito’s Vodka, beer from City Beverage and Barefoot Wines


Sign up, form a team and invite your friends and family to join us
for a day filled with fun for everyone including, of course, your pets! Register and raise $75 or more and on event day, you’ll receive a commemorative event t-shirt and a Pet Alliance dog bandana.

Top Fundraising Prize:

Four-Two Day Park Hopper passes to Walt Disney World

Additional top fundraising prizes include:

Trophies

Medals

Gift Baskets

Chefs Table for 8 at Earls at Mall at Millenia (includes appetizers, main course, dessert, cocktails, beer and wine).

Noon to 5 PM Free. Mennello Museum Indie folk Festival. The Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803.

The Indie-Folkfest presented
by PLR Florida will  bring the community together again
and showcase local, national and regional art, music and culinary
talent.  The family-and pet-friendly event promises to be the biggest yet!

 This past February,
we welcomed nearly 5,000 guests to the museum grounds for
Indie-Folkfest 2017.  Guests enjoyed beautiful weather, local music,
food, beverages and art.

This annual free event serves as a gift from the Museum’s
City-Appointed Board of Trustees in an effort to promote local art and
community. A portion of all proceeds benefit the Mennello Museum of
American Art’s education and family-friendly programs.

Sunday February 11, 2018.

10 AM to Noon Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

1 PM to 3 PM Free. Hidden Medicine Class with John Two-Hawks. Christ Church Unity Orlando 771 W Holden Ave, Orlando, Florida 32839. Grammy® nominated recording artist and author John Two-Hawks is a
victim and a survivor of child abuse. It has taken him 30 years to
arrive at the place in his life where he could finally tell his story.
His new book and CD is a revealing window into the inner sanctum of
John’s very personal life journey from severe child abuse to victorious
triumph, and how the sacred ways of indigenous wisdom revealed a
profound truth hidden within. John wrote the book and music with the
hope that it would help others to bravely blaze a path through their
heart to find their own Hidden Medicine. In this class/workshop, John
Two-Hawks will share his inspirational insights about how to be fully
liberated from hurt and empowered by what we find within. There are
three phases of that journey, and the third is often not realized. John
will share the pathway of all three, with an emphasis on how to take
that final step. An enlightening and uplifting experience for all.
* learn how your experiences can be your vehicle to transform
* feel empowered through deep acceptance and Native wisdom
* learn to rise above past trauma and experience joy

1 PM to 4 PM $5 Film Slam. Enzian Theater, South Orlando Avenue, Maitland, FL. Film Slam continues to be a popular outlet for indie and student filmmakers throughout the State of Florida.
Film Slam will usually be held on the second Sunday of each month at 1PM at Enzian.
This month we’ve booked the craziest Film Slam line up of the year.
Experimental
Films, Puppet Films, Art Films, Bartenders throwing bottles, Gangsters,
a Music Video….this has to be the most amazingly eclectic line we’ve
had for all of 2012.
Program starts at 1pm sharp.  Q and A with the filmmakers to follow screening. 

Death Day Players.

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Sunshine (Mallory Vance) of Phoenix Tears Productions, invited me to a dress rehearsal with an audience in Davenport Florida which is just west of Kissimmee. The Death Day Players offered an evening of fun and exciting interactive theater.  This acting troupe of ghosts  travels around performing the
night of their death for living audiences. Audience members are invited
to interact with the players as they take on characters from the Ghost
of the Evening’s death. For those just wishing to be onlookers, the
amount of interaction is up to you. In my case, I quietly sketched the entire time. Miss Clara White (Michelle Jacqueline Papaycik) asked me about the digital tablet I was using to sketch. I explained that it was like drawing on paper, but the paper was behind glass. Being from the Edwardian era, she didn’t understand. She gently poked the surface to feel the paper’s surface and left quite confused.

The evening was a Valentines Part in Clara White’s honor. Each ghost in the cast was from a different era. Sunshine was a flower child from the 60s. She spun under the ceiling fan in the center of the room enjoying her the way her dress billowed. Ghost Lord Ernest Bray was played by a modern day ghost with a leather jacket (Logan Blake). On slender woman in a black pants suit looked like she was from the 80s. An argument erupted between her and Lord Bray in the middle of the party. Everyone in the room listened. In this production, the audience is as much a part of the action as the cast. I would have discovered more about the story had I interacted and asked questions of each of the ghosts.

Clara’s story takes place in England on the evening of Valentine’s Day
in 1907. Travel back to the Edwardian age of ragtime, horseless
carriages, and courtship as the cast recreates the evening of Lord Ernest
Bray’s (Logan Blake) Valentines Party. All of the rich young ladies around have been
invited to the party at the Bray Estate, Hensley Court, in hopes of
finding Ernest a wealthy wife to save the failing estate. Enjoy the
romance, courtships, and music as the events of the evening of Clara’s
death unfold before your eyes. Was it a scheming sister who wants their
inheritance for herself, a poorly treated maid, the very suitor vying
for her hand and money, or a scorned lover? The clues will be there for
you to find and decide for yourself who you think murdered Clara White.

 The show runs Saturday Feb. 10th at 7pm. For Tickets CLICK HERE. Tickets are $15 online and at the door, Or take advantage of our Valentine’s Special and buy two tickets for $20 online only.

Healing Sanctuary.

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Tara Chiavetta offered free 15min healing sessions, and I went to sketch and then experience a session for myself. Barbara
Gagliardi and fellow local healers were offering their services
complimentary on a monthly basis so anyone could experience what healing work
is. It was also an opportunity to meet the various healers around the
area. In general it was a relaxing evening that opened horizons.

The sessions were designed to tune and balance your body allowing you to feel more relaxed, centered, and grounded. I sat in on the Rumi session before my own. One patron was under covers while the other was just reclined on the table clothed. The healers held their hands over each patron moving to different parts of their bodies without touching them. Crystal singing bowls were illuminated by a warm light making them glow. Celestial paintings adorned the walls.

My sessions begin with a five minute meditation. I had been invited to wear white or any other very light color as spirit works best with light colors. The other advantage visually is that white glows in the black light that illuminated the room. Tara asked me to imagine myself rooted to the earth. She described a glowing beam of energy radiating upwards into infinity. I later did a painting of what I visualized based on the meditation.

Then came my 15min table healing session. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what the healer might be doing. I sensed her presence but never quite knew what I should be feeling. I suspect like most things I was probably overthinking the experience to fully appreciate it. I was told that I have a violet aura.  Auras are vibrations of energy that are emitted from the body. They take
on the form of a variety of colors, including orange, red, yellow,
green, violet, blue and indigo. My violet aura implies that I am a person who is compassionate and calm. The other person had a full rainbow of auras, I couldn’t over hear what that meant but it must be good.

The conceptual painting I did is on display at Dandelion Communitea Cafe (618 N Thornton Ave, Orlando, FL 32803) for two months. Stop out get some soothing tea and see Dreamscapes, art that is surrealistic, symbolic, or dream inspired. The show  is hung through April 1st. My piece is insanely cheap, because I have started pricing my prints at $1.62 per square inch. The show opening is tonight, February 7, 2018 starting at 7 PM to 10 PM.

Artists include:
Yeserly Garcia
Thomas Thorspecken
Anne Doyle
Timothy Morton
Veronika Rose
Adrienne H. Lee
Crystal Dombrosky
Cherie Dacko
Charis McCulley
Libby Smith
Lydia Bladen
Lisa Serendipity Simon
Susan Rayne Makky
Carol Makky
Mark Goffee
Andrea Marks
LUYA – Munira Grbic
Summer Meury
Chris Carr
Seema Valentin
Kevin Michael
Kyra Elizabeth
Jonah Cuenco
N.M. Dudack

Rogers Building Celebration.

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I was hired to document a celebration at Avalon Island Gallery for Mr. Ford Kiene, chairman of City Beverages, who just donated the historic Rogers building to the City of Orlando under
the condition it be used for the arts for the next 20 years. I worked a bit larger that I usually do in an 18 by 24 inch sketch pad. Earlier in the day I purchased a frame and cut a white mat on which people could share their thoughts and well wishes for Mr. Kiene. At the end of the evening, I framed this sketch in the mat and it was presented to him as thanks.

This celebration was well attended which made the sketch a challenge. When Mayor Buddy Dyer took to the podium, I was faced with a wall of backs. I stood on tip toe to get the sketch of him and Mr. Ford at the microphone. The mayor pointed out that it is rare for the city to receive such a donation. Built in 1886 by Englishman Gordon Rogers and investors, the iconic green tin sided building,
which sits at the corner of Magnolia and Pine, will officially be
renamed  the Rogers Kiene Building. When Mr. Kiene took to the microphone, he described the painstaking work that went into preserving the 1886 floor boards.

The building is now managed by the Downtown Arts District (DAD) but their management agreement only runs through June 30, 2018. Barbara Hartley, the DAD executive director said that the building will remain a hub for the arts. Patrick Greene, who oversees the gallery, hosts monthly cutting edge music sessions in the venue between the hanging of art shows. This, “Inbetween Series” brings experimental contemporary music to downtown. It is unclear if the venue will keep producing such edgy programs after June. I have sketched so often in this venue over the years, that I could easily compile a retrospective book that documents the arts events held here. Just sketching every day, I have seen far too many arts venues fall to the wayside. Hopefully the building will continue to further our city’s efforts to expand our arts and culture scene.

“Violectric Rocks OCSA” Benefit Concert For Osceola County School.

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Violectric, the internationally acclaimed electric rock string quintet, plus keys and drums, rocked for a cause and performed a special benefit concert put on by the Thespian Troupe #6640 of the Osceola County School for the Arts in an effort to help them raise funds to be able to attend their annual state conference held in Tampa, FL. I went to the Osceola Performing Arts Center, (3151 N. Orange Blossom Trail, Kissimmee, 34744) to sketch the benefit concert. All proceeds raised from the show went directly to the students for the student trip.

Five years ago, Violectric hosted a workshop and concert at Osceola
County School for the Arts and one of the violin students named Mohammed
took a special interest in the emotions evoked during their
performance. While at the mere age of 11-years-old, Mohammed Kahn had a
fire lit beneath him and he began diligently working towards his goal.
Now, years later, he is using all that he learned during Violectric’s
workshop and his passion for show production to host the benefit show.

Formed in 2008, the accomplished members of Violectric have been
performing in various groups, orchestras and together for over 20 years
across the globe. Led by esteemed musician, violinist,  Michelle Jones, the group is a unique fusion of the passion and beauty of classical
string instruments with the excitement of cutting-edge modern technology
and effects. They are committed
to music education offering programs throughout the United States and
Asia including master classes and performances combining their unique sounds with
student string groups, which they produce in partnership with
the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and School for the Arts as their artists in residence. 

Memorial Task Force Potluck and Annual Review

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A Task Force Potluck and Annual Review was held at Christ Church Unity Orlando (771 Holden Ave Orlando, FL 32839) in December of 2017. There were several posters at the front of the room that showed the design Dix Hite had proposed for an Interim Memorial, which helps to clean up the site and added some new landscaping. The interim memorial will provide areas to leave messages and will include seating, shade, lighting and trees. The iconic sign will be enhanced but not removed. A new fence will be placed around the perimeter of the nightclub itself, which will remain standing until a decision is made in the future regarding the permanent memorial design. The new fence has a section which allows visitors to see the damage to the building from the police breach of the wall on the evening of June 12, 2016. Much of the labor involved will be completed off-site and new elements will be installed at the site with minimal impact on the surrounding community.

The Task Force is working towards keeping the meetings inclusive. Pam Schwartz set up Zoom (a digital video conferencing system) which allowed distant survivors and families of victims access to the meeting. Many of the faces in the room were familiar and I was pleased to be seated at a table with Terence Hickey who was involved in the comfort dog program at Orlando Regional Medial Center after the shooting.

Results from the memorial survey sent out to families and survivors were complete and the results would be discussed at the next Task Force Meeting. The survey was set up to gauge what families and survivors felt they would like to have done at the site. The task force is still in its infancy and they are working towards completing their mission and vision statements for the future memorial and museum.

Nikole discussed the events planned for 2018. Town hall meetings would be held at regular intervals to keep everyone apprised of the progress moving forward. Also on the calendar are a Family Day, a Community Rainbow Run, the Annual Remembrance Ceremony and of course PRIDE. The Orlando One Pulse Task Force will also be involved in bringing the Laramie Project to Orlando.

The Laramie Project (2000) is a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. The murder was denounced as a hate crime and brought attention to the lack of hate crime laws in various states, including Wyoming. The play draws on hundreds of interviews conducted by the theatre
company with inhabitants of the town, company members’ own journal
entries, and published news reports. It is divided into three acts, and
eight actors portray more than sixty characters in a series of short
scenes. The play will run June 1, to July 1 of 2018.

Viatnamese Tết Festival at the Orlando Fairgrounds.

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(Thor) When Pam Schwartz and I arrived at the Tết Festival, I immediately sat down to sketch the preparations for the dragon dances. As a drummer and symbol set the beat, the acrobats practiced leaps and standing on each other’s shoulders. They all put on bright green t-shirts and bright pants which matched the colors of the dragons. There was a blue, red and yellow dragon each. A red rope was hung from a bamboo tree with a red beam that had two red tassels. Long red strips were unrolled on the ground and each was tied up to the rope from the bamboo tree. At the top of everything were octagonal firecrackers. An electronic firing device was rigged up in a Tupperware and the fuses snaked to various places on the field. After rehearsing, the dragon dance performers told everyone gathered to go to the main hall to see the show on stage. Pam and Lesleyanne Drake went on a food tour as I sketched.

(Pam) While Tom sketched the fantastical dragon heads outside, Ricky Ly of Tasty Chomps offered a free food tour at the Central Florida Fairgrounds during the 2018 Vietnamese Tết Celebration. He gave a small group of foodies a bit of background on Tết before taking us inside the food court. As we browsed from stand to stand he pointed out different dishes and Vietnamese specialties. I tried to pick up and remember each of the unique names as he said them, but it was nearly impossible through the roar of the main stage to our backs. From colorful gelatin desserts and fried banana cakes to pork on stick and a variety of delicious looking noodle soups, the stands were an absolute feast for the eyes.

Lesleyanne Drake and I, both incredibly passionate about food, began making a mental list of all the things we NEEDED to try before we were too full to go on. We began with a few light bites because we knew Tom could join us for the main course. The more friends you bring to a food fair, the better. You get to try more dishes at a lower cost and don’t fill up quite a fast as you would otherwise. It’s a win-win situation for all! The first thing we ate I had no anticipation of liking, was Chuoi chien, or fried bananas. It was light and crispy on the outside but warm and gooey on the inside. It was surprising because I really hadn’t planned to like it, I like bananas…just not things made from bananas. We also tried a pork skewer (there were just pans and pans of them all over the place) and egg rolls to start.

For the larger portions of our meal we divided and conquered, myself getting Mi Quang (a pork and prawn noodle soup with delicious chewy turmeric noodles, topped with peanuts and these incredible little sesame crackers that soaked up the broth and tasted delicious), Lesleyanne got Nam Vang (a Cambodian-Chinese inspired soup with assorted types of noodles, a quail’s egg, a little heat, and all sorts of fixings), and Tom focused on two types of pork, one from the north (the favorite choice) and one from the south, as well as a Bánh Tôm (a sweet potato and shrimp fritter). We were all surprised by how “airy” the fritter was. There were many MANY more things we wanted to try, but we will have to reserve those for next year. I grabbed a Cà phê sữa đá (coffee with sweetened condensed milk) and we all got a bag of Chuoi chien to go.

(Thor) As I tried dishes with Pam and Lesleyanne the dragons took to the main stage but their performance was brief. They were followed by groups of female dancers and then the Vietnamese national anthem and the United States national anthem. Everyone in the audience remained standing for a long ceremony for the ancestors. When we went outside there was a large crowd gathered where I had sketched before. It was time for the main dragon dance ceremony. The crowd surrounded the field. It was too crowded to see from my previous vantage point, so we went to the far side where the crowd was thinner.

The dragons came alive, with one acrobat in the head and one in the rump. A fourth dragon was animated by a group of acrobats with poles. It is the year of the dog, so an actor in a dog costume rudely sniffed and bumped the rumps of the dragons.

The fuses were lit and the entire field erupted with the rapid blaze of firecrackers. All of the red streamers were long lines of firecrackers wrapped in red paper. A huge plume of smoke engulfed us, and I could feel the hot shrapnel hitting me. We had misjudged the wind direction. We turned away from the smoke and many ran back for cover. Pam and I stood our ground squinting into the smoke. The rapid fire explosions seemed to last forever. Then they all lifted upwards towards the top of the bamboo tree. The silence afterwords was deafening. Then the dragons danced among the ruins looking down at the red carnage. They then broke free into the crowd and made their way back to the main stage. Our small group decided that we had seen enough for one day.

Weekend Top 6 Pick for February 3rd and 4th.

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Saturday February 3, 2018

6 AM to 1 PM. Free. Parramore Farmers Market. The east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across from City View. The Parramore Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 8
a.m. to 1 p.m., on the east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across
from City View. Purchase quality, fresh and healthy food grown in your
own neighborhood by local farmers, including Fleet Farming, Growing
Orlando, and other community growers.

10 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday – $6.00 adults and $4.00 children. The Battle of Townsend’s Plantation Civil War Festival.  Renninger’s Antique Center. 20651 U.S. 441, Mt. Dora, Fl. 32757.  Live Civil War Re-enactments, living history exhibits, folk
music, weaponry demonstrations, authentic camps and Sutlers, full scale
artillery, cavalry and soldiers in time-period uniforms and weaponry,
Civil War era Dress Ball, and more. Please see attached flyer for
times. CONTACT: Clay Townsend (407) 418-2075 or (407) 719-9866 ctownsend@forthepeople.com

To view forms and the photo gallery on-line, visit www.townsendfirm.com.

Battle of Townsend’s Plantation, Mount Dora, Florida

100 beautiful acres. All impressions, Great Cavalry Site!!! Dress
Ball with the 7 Pounds of Bacon Band, Ladies Tea, Sunday Church Service,
bounty for artillery.

This event is intended to be educational for children and adults
in the area of Civil War history and American’s heritage arts. Special
accommodations can be made for groups of students interested in
lectures and demonstrations. This is an outstanding opportunity for
photography and live film. Special arrangements will be made for set up
and hospitality.

 8 PM to 10 PM – Free. Shuffleboard. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL.

1st Saturday of each month. Free fun! https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoShuffle?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

Sunday February 4, 2018 

10 Am to Noon – Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources. 


4 PM to 6 PM – Free. Maitland Stage Band Concert. Rotary Plaza Outdoor stage. Art and History Museum 231 West Packwood Maitland FL. 


10 PM to Midnight – Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out and laugh, or give it a try yourself.

49 Pulses Trailer Screening

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Charlie Minn came to Orlando shortly after the Pulse Nightclub shootings and filmed 20 interviews with survivors and first responders. His documentary film, “49 Pulses” is opening this week in Orlando. Much of the film gives voice to the survivors who recount what happened that night. The Orlando Public Library had a screening of the short trailer which had actors recreating scenes from inside the club that night. Minn is familiar with the community backlash here in Orlando when Miami based Telemundo released a film that reenacted what happened in the club. Survivors and families of victims were re-traumatized by the tasteless film. Minn justified his similar footage by saying the actors did an amazing job, and by pointing out that the gunman’s name is never mentioned in the film. Orlando Torres and officer Omar Delgado said that they decided to add their voices to the project for that reason.

Orlando Torres survived that night by hiding in a bathroom stall perched on top of a toilet so the gunman could not see his feet. At one point someone who had been shot crawled under the bathroom stall and knocked Orlando to the floor in the struggle to survive. Orlando decided to stay still as if he were dead. Orlando heard the gunman pledge allegiance to ISIS and heard his cat and mouse game with police on the phone. The gunman insisted that everyone turn off their phones, but he wasn’t aware of Orlando’s presence in the next stall. Orlando kept his phone on, to record audio of what was happening. Someone concerned for his safety called and he was terrified that he might die because of their concern and the noise of the call. The gunman at one point touched his back pocket, but then lost interest and used the sink.

Omar Delgado, from Eatonville,  was one of the first officers on the scene. When he arrived there were just two other officers. His radio couldn’t be tuned in to the same channel, so he was cut off from the dispatcher. As the evening progressed, more officers came to the scene and it became more and more of a war zone. Delgado entered the club and saved Angel Colon who had been shot several times. After June 12, 2016, Delgado said he returned to patrol duty for a few months after the
massacre that left 49 dead and at least 68 injured, but he had to stop.
He still doesn’t like going to restaurants and bars. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and was dismissed from Eatonville’s Police Department in December of 2016. Had the officer cut himself at the shooting scene he would have been given medial coverage, but since he suffers from mental trauma, he has no coverage.

Film maker Charlie Minn seemed particularly annoyed about the fact that Chief John Mina refused to grant him an interview for the film. It seems like the film’s primary focus is pointing out that it took police 3 hours to end the stand-off with the gunman. His anger flared for a moment during the saccharine sweet interview on the Orlando Library stage. He was quick to point blame without spending the time to hear all the stories. He splits his time between El Paso Texas and New York City. He entered Orlando shortly after the tragedy intent on profiting from the Pulse shooting. Like the media, he was on to the next horrific story after only a brief look at how that night affected our community with little understanding of all the details.