Julie Bunny Must Die!

Posted on by Thor

This Fringe show in the Pink venue was a fun comical musical. A graphic artist and comic named Adam Chase, played by Bert Rodriguez, grapples with the superficial and insignificant nature of living as a freelance artist. His one true love is a comic character he created as a child named Julie Bunny. The bunny is an international spy whose arch nemesis is an evil Chef, played by Michael Colavolpe. As an artist I am enthralled by the idea of this musical. Some of the lyrics fell a little short but on a whole the songs were fun and creative. While trying to please a corporate ad executive Adam finds himself overworked with insane tight deadlines. With so much work on his plate he can not find the time to write his beloved comic. The comic characters unite and try to write their own back story on their own. Penny a blond bombshell, is consistently ignored every time she opens her mouth. Her song, where she laments people never taking her seriously is a highlight of the show. It turns out she had all the answers all along.

Adams girlfriend, played by Stefanie Clouse, doesn’t understand his obsession with the comic character while a fan who dresses in furry costumes to go to comic conventions understands perhaps too well. The girlfriend tries to convince Adam to take the safe graphic arts jobs which pay far better than an underground comic. Julie bunny, played by Laura Hodos is on stage as the girlfriend is looking at the comic. When the girlfriend utters, “Its not exactly your best work.” The bunny raises her toy gun and shouts “I will cut you bitch!” I laughed out loud and my watercolor wash splashed across the page in the wrong direction.

This was a really fun show don’t miss it!

Tuesday, May 25th 10:25 PM

Friday, May 28th 9:50 PM

Saturday, May 29th 4:45 PM

Sunday, May 30th 4:40 PM

Fringe of Nature

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I had camped out with Sultana Fatima Ali at the Orlando Fringe box office in order to get a ticket to go on Brian Feldman’s overnight primitive camping trip, “Fringe of Nature.” Sultana got the first ticket and I managed to get the second ticket. I was going to join Brian and Sultana on the first night, but Terry decided she would like to come along for the camping trip so we changed the date to my birthday, May 22. Only two people are suppose to go out on the hike each night, and only 10 tickets are available to this unique Fringe performance. On the trip to the Shakespeare Theater Terry stopped at a Publix and got a coconut frosted birthday cake. I thought this was a strange item to try and bring on a 3.5 mile hike into the woods. We sat down in the patrons room and waited for Brian to arrive. Terry cut up the cake and set all the pieces out on paper plates. Sultana stopped by with her mom, Mary Beth, who is an artist herself. We kept offering cake to people who walked past our table and soon Dewey Chaffee, Douglas McGeoch, and Anna McCambridge, Sultana, Mary Beth and Terry were all singing “Happy Birthday.” Their voices resonated and echoed in the patrons room and this workaday song suddenly sounded angelic. When I hear this song in a public restaurant I always let out a groan. But when the song has my name in it, the song is suddenly beautiful. At home, the amazing number of Facebook birthday greetings left me humbled wanting to cry.

Outside, Brian drove up in a brand new 2010 MINI Cooper Clubman which had been supplied by Orlando MINI for the project. Matt Simantov joined our group and we soon had everything packed and set off into the wild unknown. I knew the drive was only maybe 45 minutes so I rushed to get the sketch of Brian driving. His hat hid his eyes and he said, “This is the first time I get to look like Beetle Bailey.” I really like the circular flowing lines of the MINI Cooper. Since my Xterra is starting to age less than gracefully, I need to start thinking of a more fuel efficient alternative.

When we all arrived at Wekiwa Springs State Park, we parked the MINI Cooper and Matt’s car in the parking lot. There was a restroom but it was way in the distance, about a quarter mile away. We arrived at about six or so and it was still very hot. A small dirt service road soon branched off into a narrow path through palmettos and shrub. Matt and Terry joked about walking through the deserts of Tatooine from Star Wars. Terry started singing, “I’m happy when I’m hiking, pack upon my back…” This was an old Girl Scouts song and none of the three guys knew it. At one point, a large animal made plenty of noise as it rushed into the palmettos. We shouted and tried to look big, which is advice given if you should startle a bear.

The sun was starting to turn orange and was very low on the horizon when we reached “Camp Cozy.” Brian and I set up the six person tent and Matt and Terry started gathering wood for a campfire. I managed to light the fire using maybe six matches. A large log which had been eaten by termites offered a nice starter. Matt and Brian put headlamps on and I had a cheap one which stopped working after half an hour. We didn’t cook anything but just ate sandwiches we had bought at Publix. Then we roasted square vegan marshmallows.

Matt kept using a huge bowie knife he had strapped to his leg to cut up a log which helped keep the fire burning. I sliced open my left thumb by tugging at a dry palmetto frond. The palmetto stem had jagged edges; thank god I had my Jesus bandages, which had been a gift from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. I also bought along a very flat LED light which Brian placed inside the portable marquee which allowed it to illuminate at night since we couldn’t find a darn plug. Brian had a package of square vegan marshmallows and I tried one. It didn’t burn like a regular marshmallow and I took my time waving it in the open flames until it was a perfect golden brown. It actually tasted really good. It was as good as the real thing without the animal by-products.

As I sketched, I heard the high pitched whine of millions of mosquitoes all circling around me and waiting to find an opening in the insect repellent that covered every inch of my body. I was the first to get in the tent for the night. At three in the morning, I ventured out and marveled at the bright half moon with pitch black pine trees sweeping up to meet it. In the distance, a mist made the far trees a subtle blue gray and the stars were bright and clear. I understood why Van Gogh painted Starry Night.

 At sunrise, I convinced Brian to join me for an eight minute run along the trail. The sun was just piercing the verticals of the trees and the path weaved left and right. Huge dew covered spider webs would cross the path forcing us to duck in order to avoid them. Running along a tight path with trees flying by makes it feel like you are running a lot faster than you are. We all agreed to go to the springs when the camp was broken down. On the hike back, Brian lost patience with the slow pace of the person at the end of the hiking column. He named this hiker iPod, since the hiker never went a moment without listening to and sometimes singing along to the songs on their iPod playlist. Brian marched out at a quick pace. I stayed with the slower hiker and suddenly the three of us were faced with a fork in the trail. There were no trail blazes on either trail. I called Brian using my cell and got his answering message. I said simply, “Left or Right?” A few minutes later Brian called back and said, “Left.” The parking lost was less than a quarter mile down that path. A parking lot never looked so enticing. The air conditioning in the MINI was delicious.

On the drive to the springs, a beautiful deer silently strutted across the road in front of the MINI Cooper. Brian stopped to watch her and she tilted her head to the side to look over her shoulder at us. The silent staring contest lasted just a moment before she quietly walked into the woods. At the springs, the water was a refreshing 72 degrees and I was in within minutes. I swam across the springs once and then got out to do a quick sketch. Brian and Matt floated around in the middle of the springs for a long time talking. There are two more chances to experience this unique Fringe show for yourself. Get a ticket before they are all gone.

Thursday May 27, 5:30 PM

Friday May 28, 5:30 PM

Visual Fringe

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This is the second year I have exhibited work in Visual Fringe. There was a $20 entry fee that I had forgotten about, but I gladly paid to be part of this amazing event. Anna McCambridge and Jeremy Seghers were behind the table to take my work and welcome me to Fringe. A year ago I started sketching at the Fringe and I felt like a bit of an outsider. This year, attending Fringe feels like going home and every day brings fun reunions with people I have sketched and admired over the year. Just as I did last year. I settled back and did a sketch of the Visual Fringe reception table as art work filtered in. I picked up my Fringe button and Fringe lanyard and was told by Anna to return for the Fringe Gala in a few days. This year since I am a performer in the “Creative Mind Experiment“, I find I can go into any show at any time so long as it isn’t sold out. It looks like I will be doing twice as many sketches of actual shows this year. Fringe this year should be a wild non-stop sketch marathon, so strap in and enjoy the ride!

The first show I had to get a ticket for was Brian Feldman’s “Fringe of Nature.” Sultana Fatima Ali had set up a camping chair in the box office and planned to sit from 4PM when the box office opened till 11PM when Brian planned to sell the first of the $10 tickets. I decided to sit with Sultana with my camping chair and we joked around and watched as the Fringe Festival swirled and accelerated to a fevered pitch. Large lines of people would gather at the theaters and then go in leaving the space quiet again. I wandered off and did a sketch and saw my first show which was “Goblin Party Interactive” put on by Heather Henson and her crew at IBEX Puppetry. “Goblin Party Interactive” was a really fun interactive show and I plan to return to sketch. When I joined Sultana again at about quarter to eleven, she was still the only person in line for “Fringe of Nature.” I joked that she might be in the wrong line and that Brian probably wouldn’t have people stand in a traditional line. There was a large group of people standing in a circle and I rationalized that Brian might expect people to stand in a circular line. Any time I spotted a person with hiking boots or any item of clothing that gave a hint of the great outdoors, I let Sultana know that they might be trying to cut in line. Brian finally did show up and sell the tickets, which were gorgeous, encased in lucite ticket holders, and nice enough to hang on a wall. I will be camping with Brian on my birthday, May 22nd; my wife Terry will be joining me.

Cat Women of the Moon

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Hannah Miller, is performing in the Fringe show, Cat Women of the Moon. I gave her a call the week before Fringe to see if I could get a sketch of the first dress rehearsal. The rehearsal took place at the director, Les Caufield’s, home. The primitive stage was set up outside in his screened in porch area right in front of the pool. There was a flurry of activity as everyone got into costumes and props were set in place. All the astronauts sit on garbage cans. The interior of the space ship is represented by three panels with crudely painted buttons and dials.

Hannah plays Helen Slater and she is having a romance with all three of the male crew members. She leads the crew off course and right into the clutches of the Cat Women of the Moon. The Cat Women control Helen with a glowing hand held device. The evil plot of the Cat Women is to take over the Earth and keep only a few men as sex slaves and pets. I wasn’t a fan of the play, but perhaps women will get a secret pleasure watching men walked on stage with a leash and told to kneel.

The acting in the play is in no way subtle. This is intended as a fun, campy, musical riot but more often than not the humor and songs fall flat. When Helen is attacked by a giant moon spider, the audience is invited to pull a string in the program which will heighten the virtual experience. The program also had 3D glasses for the more in depth and dramatic scenes.

Most of the cast are high school students this being there first major theatrical experience. That excitement is contagious, but in the end the production is never elevated above a high school production. If you want to experience some strange overacted, campy fun, check out this show in the Green Venue (Rep Theater) at the Fringe.

Sunday May 23, 1:10 PM

Tuesday May 25, 10:30 PM

Thursday May 27, 5:15 PM

Friday May 28 11:40 PM

Saturday May 29 7:55 PM

Sultana Stares

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While I was at work at Full Sail, I got a text message from Hannah Miller saying she planned to stare at Brian Feldman that afternoon while wearing her wedding dress. Brian and Hannah got married several months ago when Brian put a invite on Facebook saying he would marry any woman that showed up at the Orange County Courthouse. I got off work early and rushed over to Frames Forever & Art Gallery to start the sketch. When I arrived Brian was relaxing with his head bowed after having just stared down Mike McDonnel. I had texted several times prior to my arrival just to let Katie Windish and Brian know that something special might happen involving Hannah. I started a sketch blocking in the big shapes and leaving the participant seat empty.

I began getting text messages from Hannah outlining a series of unfortunate incidents. Her hair had been died the wrong color, she got a ticket for turning left at a spot where left turns are not allowed, then she was helplessly stuck in traffic. She finally gave up and went home for a bit to eat before heading off to work at Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater. My plans to see husband and wife staring off went up in smoke. When it became clear that Hannah wouldn’t make it, I told everyone about the sketch that could have been.

A small crowd had gathered for the final hours of the staring competition. Emma Hughes took the contestant seat and lasted long enough for me to get a decent sketch. Then I begged Sultana to take the seat. She hesitated, but finally relented. I suspected with her triathlon training and a strong will, she would last longer than anyone suspected. I rushed the first sketch thinking she might give up at any time but she held strong. I then started a second sketch and I felt giddy. This was the perfect event for a sketch artist to record. There was a constant penetrating stillness. There was much to read in what went unsaid. Sultanas expression would light up with laughter sometimes as people joked around her but she never lost her gaze. Later her expression turned serious and then sad. I wanted to dash off a series of sketches trying to catch each subtle change but I remained committed to the two sketches I had started. There was something sublime about the time these two locked eyes. The air was electric and I soaked up some of that energy and directed it into the sketch. This was an important moment. Time stood still.

The record for staying seated opposite Brian had been set by Mike Maples two days prior, but Sultana easily cruised by that record by staring at Brian for 1 Hour 59 minutes and 50 seconds. She said that when she broke free of his gaze it was like she was coming up from under a blanket, or surfacing after being underwater for some time. She felt a total sense of seclusion as if in a cocoon. She came to realize that no one had ever looked at her for that length of time before. For a moment after an hour of starting she felt like he was looking straight into her soul. I was ecstatic and felt all the drama in the moment.

For being the person who could stare at Brian the longest, she won a free 4 by 7 inch frame. When she got up she stretched a bit and rubbed her neck. She had to leave right after she was done to get home and work on some homework.

Firehouse Demolition Celebration

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A new firehouse has been built downtown and opened December 2nd 2009 . The Old fire Station 1, (455 South Orange Avenue) is being torn down to make way for the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. This new arts Center will just be for The traveling Broadway shows that pass through town. The hall was not set up acoustically for the Orlando Philharmonic. It is possible that no local arts groups will benefit in any way from this new buildings construction.
In the Orlando Weekly I read that there was going to be a Demolition Celebration. I was very curious to see how destruction is celebrated. When I got to the site the first thing I saw was a huge orange flag, much like the flags you might see above a used car lot. Dr. Phillips Arts Center was emblazoned on the flag in white letters. It fluttered quietly in the gentle breeze while across the street creaking moaning and crashing stone and metal could be heard. The fire stations back wall had already been torn down and I could look right through the gutted empty shell. I decided to walk around the block to see the back side of the building where all the demolishing was taking place.
A fire hydrant supplied the water to a hose which was used to water down all the loose dust kicked up b the falling debris. A large green crane was doing all the work by knocking away part of the roof with the large shovel. Periodically a small wildcat would move crumpled metal and place it in a pile. Trees now sporting large X’s framed the scene almost like the mouth of a shark. City hall can be seen in the background. The trees will of course also find no home in the new performing centers plans and they will come down as well. The money to build the arts center still doesn’t exist. What will be left in this spot will be an empty barren lot surrounded by a fence. It could, and probably will stay that way for many years. I have a strange fascination with these empty lots, usually symbols of some developers folly.
I never did see any celebration. Out with the old, forget the new, we can’t afford it.

30 Days of Sand

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A month long sand sculpting festival was held on the space coast. Held at the Radisson Resort, this first time event was intended to help build and sustain a vibrant arts and cultural industry in Brevard County. Money raised is used to support the arts cultural ind historical organizations and to help artists decrease dependency on government funds and corporate sponsorships.
Terry and I drove out to this event one weekend in April. When we got to A1A the main drag in Coco Beach, the traffic got horrendous. Luckily the Resort is on the northern end and we pulled in to park without waiting in traffic too long. We were guided to a spot to park the car in the grass. At the ticket booth the high school kid taking tickets asked Terry if she was a senior citizen. I think it will take Terry some time to get over that one. But wait, if Terry is a senior citizen then I might be as well by association. What the….!
The sand sculpture were already finished which was disappointing to me. I had hoped to see the sculptors at work which would have made for a better sketch. There were eight huge sculptures. The level of detail was astounding. One sculpture of Italinan architecture and monuments used a forced perspective which mad every building look bigger and taller. People milled around the sculptures constantly, stopping once in a while to shoot photos using cell phones and cameras.
I found the only shady spot on the lot which was next to the merchandise tent. Terry agreed that she would wander for a while and then read a book as I sketched.
When I finished I went to get some lunch from a vendor. I was told the crab cakes were really good to I ordered those. The proprietor spoke with a thick Mediterranean accent. He didn’t have any sodas so I went to the High School girls next door for a Coke. It turns out they are cheerleaders raising funds for a competition trip. I bought the Coke but didn’t support the cause.
AS Terry and I ate lunch I spotted Derrick McKenzie and his girlfriend Pamela Vaughn. I worked with Derrick at Disney Feature Animation and we met a few times as I sketched the Singing Christmas Trees since he works for the First Baptist Church. When I saw him he was checking out the sound equipment on the stage. Like me his mind always seems to be in work mode. We joked around for a bit and after lunch Terry and I headed for the beach to experience more sand up close and personal.

The Manifestation

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In 1976, the year of our nation’s bicentennial, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a convent of Roman Catholic nuns lent some retired habits to a group of men performing their version of “The Sound of Music.” Three years later on Easter Sunday of 1979, those habit showed up on the streets of San Francisco in a form of artistic expression never imagined by the original owners. One sister wore a beard, another carried a toy machine gun and the third wore a face of white clown paint. Over the years the sisterhood grew and the white face paint became a sacred tradition of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The sisters entertain, educate and raise money for local charities.
The Orlando Sisters Abby of St. Gertrude De Nivelles is one of the newer orders of this organization and I found out they were going to perform a sort of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” rendition of “The Sound of Music,” and I had to see it for myself. I fist saw the sisters at work when I sketched the mural being added to the wall of the Center on Mills Avenue. The sisters stood in the street catching every drivers attention to bring some focus to this cause. I had met Logan Donahoo, (A.K.A. Novice Sister Ambrosia) before. I contacted him and asked if I could sit in as the sisters put on their make up. Thankfully he agreed. Katie Windish had told me about the “Sound of Music” so she came along as well. She asked questions as I sketched allowing me to learn about the order while never turning away form sketching.
Logan explained that he liked to refer to the process of putting on the make up as “Manifesting”. This implies a much more solemn and devotional process. The first step involved disguising the eyebrows by pasting them flat and them the entire face is painted white. Bright color accents are added to symbolize the good work that the group does for the community. Every Sister develops her own unique look. The whole process took about two hours of non stop work. This was the perfect amount of time for me to get a decent sketch. The sisters are not meant to mock nuns, rather they teach inspire and educate through humor.
I went to the “Sound of Music” which was playing at the Universal Cineplex with Mike Maples and Katie Windish. We were all issued paper bags with items we would need during the performance. Each bag had items such as “Edelweiss“, the white flower which the von Trapps sing so lovingly about, glow sticks which the crowd would wave when Julie Andrews sang, Ray, a drop of golden sun, and poppers for the glorious moment when captain Von Trapp and and Julie Andrews finally kiss. There was also a bag of rice for the wedding ceremony and noodles to throw. A whistle was in the bag to blow when Rolph tries to stop the family from escaping to the mountains. To say the least it was a wild and fun show. Everyone in the audience sang along to every song while the Sisters acted out many of the scenes live.
When the moment of the kiss drew close, I grabbed my popper and held it like a champagne bottle. It had a string hanging from it which when pulled would cause the contents to explode. Fumbling with it, it exploded rather hotly in my hand. Katie’s popper wouldn’t work so I grabbed it to help out. Well no one explained which way to aim the darn thing and when I pulled the string, it blasted its contents right at my crotch. I yelled and everyone around me had quite a laugh.

Play in a Day – Suspense

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Eric Pinder wrote a tongue in cheek suspense thriller. The two man cast consisted of John Edward Palmer and Richard Perez. The show was like a film noir detective movie in which the detective would step out of the drama and then offer a dry witty narration about the scene. Having only two actors, Richard Perez got to play many parts including the femme fatale.
As the stage hand Paula was setting up the table and chairs for this show, someone in the audience shouted out, “Get it right Paula.” She responded “I’m trying baby.” The legs of the table gave her some trouble and she said, “Son of a ___.” If it is important to you, the jealous woman was responsible for the murder. When the show was performed, all those empty theater seats were filled. I ended up sketching the detective twice just because it seemed to be the right way to balance out the picture.
My overall impression of “Play in a Day” was that it made for a fun night of unexpected theater. With such a short amount of time to rehearse, the actors had to memorize as best they could and then wing it if a detail slipped by. Having sat through the rehearsals I knew where mistakes had happened before, so I sat on the edge of my seat waiting to see if they made it through come showtime.

Play in a Day – Showtime!

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After a solid day of rehearsing, Beth Marshall called all the writers, actors and directors into the Margeson Theater for a last minute prep talk. Everyone had worked hard all day to to get these six productions up and running. Lindsay Cohen had written a piece about high school girls getting locked in a bathroom during a high school prom. In this piece, Sarah Lockhard played a drugged out youth and she was hilarious. She spun on the floor and used toilet paper to play a game of “He Loves Me, He Loves Me not.” At one point, she put her ear to the floor on one of the colorful circles and started pounding her fist, screaming “Get us out of here!” My favorite line of all the shows was screamed out by Sarah, “ROYGBIV your a beautiful freaking genius!” This was particularly funny because of the colorful 70’s themed “School House Rock!” set.
The night before Lindsay had gone with fellow writer Tod Caviness to the Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar to try and write. The plan backfired when a guy kept hitting on her. He just wouldn’t take the hint that she had work to do. Her play started as a Unabomber dance party, but gradually was reworked into the high school prom bathroom drama we saw. Lindsay wrote all night, and finished at 6:50am and before running over to the Shakes to hand off the script to Laurel Clark, the play’s director.
A production that was like a 70’s sitcom similar to “Sanford and Son”, looked to me like it was going to crash and burn based on the rehearsal I saw. Marty Stonerock, the lead actress in that piece, looked at me while Beth was talking to the assembled group, and she took her scarf and made a gesture like she was being hung, sticking her tongue out comically. In this play, the lead actor, Barry White, craves a drink from his trusted bottle of ripple that he keeps under the desk. Marty had taken the ripple off stage by mistake. As the helpless actor searched for the now missing bottle, Marty finally rolled the bottle into the theater and it got the loudest laugh of the night.