Weekend Top 6 Picks for July 9th and 10th.

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Saturday July 9, 2016. 

 4pm to 6pm Free. Young Voices. JB Callaman Center 102 North Parramore Ave Orlando FL. Teen Open Mic Every second Saturday of the Month.

7pm to 11pm. Free. Second Ybor City Art Walk. 7th Ave Ybor Tampa, Florida. Officially beginning the second Saturday of July (the 9th) we are bringing back the Ybor City Art Walk! Featuring a number of arts organizations and artsy businesses, be sure to R.S.V.P. here to get the official map for the walk!

Here are the participating locations:

The Bricks of Ybor

Bloodline Tattoo

Ybor Arts Colony

Hot Wax

Wandering Eye Art Gallery

Dysfunctional Grace

Moon Over Havana Arts Gallery

Live Arts Labs

There will be other businesses joining the lineup so stay tuned! For any questions please feel free to contact the Ybor Art Alliance here through Facebook.

Expect to be wowed!

10pm to the next morning. Free. Creative Sleep Over. Defined Enterprises 279 Douglas Ave, Altamonte Springs, Florida. You ever wondered what would happen if a bunch of creatives got together and slept under one roof? No need to imagine anymore, every second Saturday Defined Enterprises opens it’s doors for all the creatives to spend one night out of the month together. Feel free to bring your own set of tools that allow you to create. Bring your own pillows and blankets. Food and beverages will be served through out the night.

Creatives, artist, dancers, directors, photographers, musicians, engineers, gamers, techies, models and innovators, you guys are all welcomed.

Every second Saturday.

Bring board games and things that will help us collect memories.

Sunday July 10, 2016

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

Noon to 2pm Donation based Community YogART class: 7 Chakra series. Artegon Marketplace 5250 International Dr, Orlando, Florida. Every 2nd Sunday of the month YogART will be hosting FREE Color Therapy Yoga classes for the community at Artegon Marketplace (located in the community room across from section B6 – use movie theater entrance)

We are excited to bring you our “7 Chakra Series” that will focus each class on each individual chakra: breaking down it’s color, meaning, location and function. This particular class will revolve around our second major energy point known as “The Sacral Chakra”.

Color Therapy glasses will also be provided for those who wish to experience the effects of color therapy. Orange will be the primary focus for our Root Chakra but you may wear any color you want to work with.

This is an ALL LEVELS class which incorporates stretching, breathing exercises and light yoga poses geared around the Sacral Chakra.

We also have a color wheel on our site that explains the benefit of each color (glasses) Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. http://www.yogartinc.com/color-therapy-chart/

Please bring your own yoga mat and prepare to unwind

Check out our lovely YogART instructor’s website for more info on her, and some great articles.

 4pm to 6pm Free. Art X Social Change Night in the Milk District. Art X Social Change Night in the Milk District. Proceeds of Art X Social Change Night will benefit Equality Florida’s Pulse Victims Fund and ArtReach Orlando, a local nonprofit arts outreach program that works with children in under-served communities exploring the nexus between art and social justice in Orange County, Florida. Donations are accepted at the door.

Art X Social Change Night is a summer session of local art revolving around the theme of social issues and community action held at The Milk District’s Spacebar. The goal of this event is to encourage civic participation and create communities that are engaged with social issues and change through art. The event will feature visual art, music, song, spoken word, poetry, plays, dance, print graphics, and more all around social themes such as the environment, gun violence, lgbt rights, justice, women’s rights, equality, world peace, civil rights, education, mental health, and more.

Don’t forget to purchase some frosty beverages from Spacebar and support the local Milk District!

To submit as an artist/performer, email RickyLy2007@gmail.com with name, issue subject, descriptions, video/jpeg files if applicable, scripts, etc by Wednesday June 29th. We also have space available for vendors and advocacy organizations. Send us an email!

Art X Social Change Night event pre-registration and mini art project – get involved in a little interactive art project we are doing that day by filling this form out before Sunday.

Pecha Kucha at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

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On January 8th Pecha Kucha moved into the grandeur of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, Florida). Eddie Selover  took to the stage to introduce the speakers in the brand new Disney Theater. Pecha Kucha means chit chat in Japanese. The concept is simple. Speakers present 20 slides and they can only speak for 20 seconds with each slide. There is no stopping, no going back or revising one’s words. What results is a concise easy to digest presentation without extraneous and pointless verbiage. The presentations become a for of pure poetic communication. Even poets could learn to ed and extract just the heart of the subject.

On this evening the presentation that left the biggest impression was by Evan Miga. In high school, Evan was told the the dollar bill is s well designed, that it could not be reproduced. Evan took that as y challenge and us” his computer and Photoshop , he set about producing a bill that was indistinguishable from the original. Friends were impressed and asked for then own copies. The problem was that one of this friends spent the bill. Soon, the FBI came knocking on Evan’s door. He had to answer
so me serious questions. The agents must have realized that the young
student was n, a criminal mastermind and he got off with a slap on the wrist.

The next Pecha Kucha titled “Breaking the Surface” is Friday July 8th at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, Florida) starting at 6pm.  Tickets are $24.25.

SPEAKERS:
Andrae Bailey, CEO of Central Florida Commission on Homelessness
Julian Chambliss, Rollins History Professor
Michelle Jones, Bandleader of Violectric
Kostya Kimlat, Magician Extraordinaire
Bob Kodzis, Cheerleader and Creative Catalyst
Ama McKinley, HuffPost Contributing Blogger
Marc Middleton, Founder and CEO of Growing Bolder
Alejandro Musa, Getaboard Foundation
Shawn Welcome, Performance Poet and Founder, Diverse Word

Beautiful Together before the show.

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After the Beautiful Together rehearsal at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, all the performers were served dinner and some waited in the loading dock area. The fellow in the foreground was with the chorus that was in the upper platform on stage. The conductor gave him a compliment saying he had the most impressive facial hair.

After eating, many performers posed for photos and selfies. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra storage crates cluttered the space. Several women eating dinner were at a table near a large electronic door. A stage hand hit the button to lower the steal door and the surprised performed dodged away to avoid getting crushed. In the green room down the hall, a TV showed dance in on stage performing an improvised dance. I thought in was a recording but it was actually a live stream of Yao dancers on stage as a pre-show at the audience entered the Disney Theater.

I was sitting with Carolyn Blice, a Philharmonic French Horn player. When she saw orchestra members walking on stage on the TV, she realized she better gel on stage. I used that as my clue to go into the theater as well. I was excited to see the performance along with a full audience.

49 Portraits, One Night.

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Once a month I host an event called Orlando Drink and Draw. After the tragic event at Pulse, I decided to ask artists to come together to produce 49 portraits in one night. I was running late and managed to leave the list of victim’s names back in my studio. When I got to the Falcon Bar (819 E Washington St, Orlando, FL), Melissa Marie quickly helped me set up a method of assigning names to artists so we could get to work. A chalk board was used to write the artist’s name and then the name of the person they were to draw. Everyone had cell phones, so they did a search on Google Images to find the needed photo reference. 

After all the artists were assigned, I was assigned, Cory James Connell age 21. I knew nothing about Cory, but he was an athletic looking young man with a warm smile. His T-shirt said, “Built Not Born.” As I was starting to add color washes, a man stood behind me and said, “That’s Cory. My daughter knew him in high school.” He was a graduate of Edgewater High School and was studying at Valencia College while working at the Publix in College Park. Cory hoped to be a firefighter some day.

At the funeral, Orange County
Fire Rescue firefighter/paramedic Lori Clay told the crowd that Cory  was a regular at the firehouse and was interested in pursuing a
firefighting career when he left college, even after he was warned that
the profession wasn’t the most lucrative. Cory told her,
“I don’t care about money,” Clay told the gathering. “‘I want to do it
because I want to save lives. I want to help people.'” Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs made a proclamation during the service that officially made him a firefighter. After friends and family carried the casket carrying Connell out, three fire engines followed a procession of more than 20 cars. When that was all clear, nine motorcycles pursued the caravan as they transported Connell to the cemetery.

According to the man standing behind me, Cory Connell went to Pulse that evening to dance with his girlfriend Paula Andrea Blanco.  When the gunman went inside he fired off several rounds one of which
struck Paula in the forearm area. Her teammate managed to grab her arm
to apply pressure and pull her down to safety. They patiently and
quietly waited to get out to safety. Little did they know that Paula was
not the only member of the group injured. Paula’s boyfriend Cory
Connell was also gravely wounded. With the help of her teammate Paula
got up and ran outside holding her wrist where she was met by an officer
and the teammate who was outside trying to get to the other members of
the Anarchy group. Her forearm bone was shattered. From that moment onward I felt sorrow and intense gratitude for all the artists who had gathered to do these 49 portraits. I experienced heart break and joy all at once. The bar as full of love and hope as we all rushed to complete the work at hand. These faces all had stories and since Orlando is a small town, those stories were close at hand. 

Javier Jorge-Reyes, age 40, was a salesman at Gucci which arranged for the body to be transported and for the family to go back to Puerto Rico. Jorge-Reyes had a flair about him and went by the name Harvey George
Kings on Facebook. It’s an English translation of his Spanish name. Friends knew him as “Javi” and on Facebook recalled his smile, sass and energy.

 Juan Carlos Nives Rodriguez, age 27, started working at McDonald’s at the age of 15 to help support his family. He was recently made a manager at a check cashing store. He purchased his first home this spring so that his mother could live there too. A friend called him a big teddy bear who was most happy when everyone depended on him. His funeral was in his hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico, June 20, 2016.

The last portrait I did was of Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velasquez, age 50. He was the oldest of the

victims. As I did the sketch, I could not shake the idea that he looks just like me. Fearing it was turning into a self portrait, I turned the sketch multiple times to try and view the features more abstractly. Franky worked at Forever 21 as a visual merchandiser, a crucial role for a retail store. He joked that he was older than the store’s demographic. In his younger days In his younger days, he traveled the world as a professional Jibaro folk dancer. Velazquez lived in Orlando at the time of his death. But his original
home was in Puerto Rico, more specifically San Juan. A native Puerto
Rican, according to his Facebook he attended Josefina Barcelo High
School in Guaynabo. From there he returned to San Juan for university,
attending the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, at the Metro
Campus.

As the evening wore on the his of names grew smaller and the art began to pile up on several tables inside the Falcon Bar. Melissa who we handling the artist assignments signaled that we were getting close and she gave me an air high five. Much of the magic that evening came from walking around and seeing the wide variety of artist styles. The evening gave me faith that art do have the power to bring people together and to heal. Orlando is a vibrant city with so much talent and this collaboration among 18 of Orlando’s best artists.

Contributors included:

Andrew Spear

Betsy Brabandt

Bob Hague

David McWhertor

KC Cali

Charles Richardson

Colin Boyer

Jamie Gibson

John Hurst

Lauren Jane

Lisa Ikegami

Mitch Scott

Plinio Pinto

Shelaine Roustio

Thomas Thorspecken

Tony Philippou

Wendi Swanson

Yuki

Now I need to find a place to exhibit these 49 portraits. If you have any suggestions or know a curator who would be interested, please let me know. Three of us are pursuing leads to get this amazing work viewed in public.

Beautiful Together, An artistic journey toward hope at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

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Through a variety of art forms, over 50 local Orlando arts groups joined together to honor the lives and sacrifices of those involved in the tragic events in Orlando. Proceeds go to OneOrlando Fund. I stopped in early to sketch the rehearsal. Getting so many acts onto the stage in such a short amount of time must have been a monumental undertaking.  Cole Nesmith helped bring together all the arts groups at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. of course it takes a small army to pull together so much talent in one place. 

The most emotionally wrenching moment of the rehearsal came as the orchestra played a mournful symphonic piece I have heard before, but as not name. As the soothing notes fill the large empty theater, someone began to read all the names of the victims of the Pulse terrorist attack tragedy. White flower pedals fell from the rafters into a cool pool of a spotlight. One pedal fell for every name. It was impossible not to become emotionally overwhelmed. Afterwards, a beautiful ballet dancer performed in the pool of light. Her thin form stretched and reached yearningly for answers.

The gay chorus performed an inspired rendition of “True colors”. The attention to detail was in itself amazing. A huge chorus was high above the stage on rafters. Every chorus member wore a bold shirt that was one color of the rainbow. Two chorus members in red shirts were asked to separate to create uniformity. It became clear that I was witnessing a historic collaboration that might help bring hope and healing to a grieving community. I had hoped to write up an artist by midnight and post it the next day, but all me nerve endings are fried. I collapsed as soon as I got back home.

All of the flowers and candles from Lake Eola were moved to the memorial outside the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The History Center is collecting items from the memorial to preserve the history. I was told that all dead flowers would be returned to Lake Eola as compost, but I’m not so sure that is true now. The memorials were removed from Lake Eola to make way for the July 4th fireworks.

My Urban Sketching Class goes to the Hair Salon.

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I teach an Urban Sketching Course at Elite Animation Academy (8933 Conroy Windermere Rd, Orlando, FL). This semester, I have just 3 students which is an advantage, since it allows me to get the students into venues which might not work with a large class. The first half of the class was spent in the Elite Academy classroom, where I had the students do four drawings from different angles of one of the Disney Feature Animation desks. After those drawings were done, I posed four times and they had five minutes to work my pose into each sketch. This mimics my work routine, since I often arrive at a venue early to sketch the setting and then I sketch people as they arrive to the event.

For the second half of the class we went downstairs to Cavallo Hair Designers (894) Conroy Windermere Road Orlando FL.) I asked employees and costumers if it was alright to sketch, and every one was on board. My students sat in the waiting area chairs far from the action and I had to coax and encourage them to get closer. Helen, who must be in her 90s, was getting her hair curled. Her hair designer, James, was chatting away the whole time as he made her beautiful. It is a shame we arrived late in the process, because he said we should have done before and after sketches. His sister runs an arts organization in Brooklyn called Fiercely Curious.

When Helen’s hair was done, the designer used a hand held mirror to show her the results. “Oh, is that me?” she said. Her daughter and brother in law came into the shop with a wheel chair. It took quite a while to get her from one seat to the next. She was a very satisfied customer. I sensed that my students were a little frustrated that everyone kept moving. I tried to let them know that they should focus on some aspect of the scene that is stable once that frustration sets in. Sketch results varied, but it was a good lesson that we need to feel beautiful at any age. A second customer was having foil put in her hair. That would have been another great sketch opportunity, but we were out of time and needed to get back to the classroom.

The Fringe Closing Ceremony and Awards.

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On the final night of Fringe, Awards are handed out to all the best shows.On this 25th Anniversary of the Fringe Festival, over 50,000 tickets were sold. That resulted in $400,000 going to Fringe Artists. There were 119 sold out performances this year. The Fringe keeps getting bigger and better.

The out door Stage Tent got crowd for the ceremonies. Those who couldn’t fit inside the tent, sat in lawn chairs on the lawn of fabulousness. As awards went to the show with the most sold out performances the sky grew dark and it began to rain. Performers crushed inside the tent. I had been sitting on the outside of the front row but the wind whipped the rain onto my sketch page. I decided to move into t center of the tent and I sketched Beth Marshall and those around her as they watched the ceremonies.

So many awards were given out that I started to feel like I was the only person in the tent who didn’t get one. A new award was created for a Fringe Patron of the year, Dewey Chaffee and Douglas McGeoch presented the award. They reminisced about a. Fringe show that was going great, Dewey had the audience entranced in the palm of his hand, when a drunk audience member got sick and had to be escorted out of the theater. Dewey  tried to make it appear as if this was all part of the show. When the sick patron was gone, silence enveloped the theater. A very old lady sat the front row, and Dewey said to her, “If you are going to pick a moment to die, this would be the perfect time.” The audience couldn’t stop laughing and the show u back on track. Douglas then explained that Helen, the woman in the front row, then wrote the performers often, encouraging them to keep the faith as they struggled in New York City. Dewey got choked up as he spoke about her generosity. It took her some tin to get on stage to accept the award with her walker and the supporting hand of friends. It was a heart warming moment.

Edgar Allan performed by Katie Hartman, and Nick Ryan was named the best show by local critics. Other Critics Choice Awards winners included…

• Best play — comedy: ‘The Animatronicans’

• Best play — drama: ‘Thomas Jefferson: My Master, My Slave, My Friend’

• Best play — musical: ‘Simpleton: The Legend of President Trump’

• Best solo show — comedy: ‘Stewart Huff: Sense Ain’t Common’

• Best solo show — drama: ‘Rocket Man and Kaleidoscope, by Ray Bradbury’

• Best solo show — musical: ‘From Broadway to Obscurity’

• Best dance show: ‘VarieTease: Carnivale’

• Best physical-theater work: ‘Trick Boxing: Swingin’ in the Ring’

• Best original script: ‘Inescapable,’ by Martin Dockery

• Best female performance: Katie Hartman (‘Edgar Allan’)

• Best male performance: Jim Braswell (‘Thomas Jefferson’)

• Best ensemble performance: ‘5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche’

• Technical achievement: ‘Space’



Patrons Picks resulted in each show having an extra show added on Memorial Day.

• Blue – Sex With Animals

• Blue – Shirley Gnome: Real Mature

• Brown – 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche

• Brown – Slut Like Me

• Gold – Simpleton: The Legend of President Trump

• Gold – Taffy and Tonya Live! At the Ramada Inn Key West

• Green – Fruit Flies Like a Banana – Alphabetical Disorder

• Green – Doro & Diega Explore Middle Class America!

• Orange – VarieTease: Carnivale

• Orange – Lil Women: A Rap Musical

• Pink – Bella Culpa

• Pink – The Foreplay: An Exploration of the Birth of our Nation

• Purple – 21 Chump Street – The Musical

• Purple – Murder Sleep

• Red – Inescapable

• Red – Women Behind Bars

• Silver – The Road To Zamboria

• Silver – God Is a Scottish Drag Queen IV

• Yellow – The Animatronicans

• Yellow – Peter Pan-ish: The Musical

Weekend Top 6 Picks for July 2nd and 3rd.

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Saturday July 2, 2016.

7pm to 9pm Free Brewery Tour. Orlando Brewing, 1301 Atlanta Ave, Orlando, FL.

8pm to 10pm Order food and or drink. Jazz Saturdays. Cork & Fork American Grill5180 S. Conway Road, Belle Isle, FL. Owner Orhan and Sheila Soysal continue, “We are so grateful this community has embraced us, and we are happy to bring even more offerings like our Sunday Brunch and Saturday Jazz to make us an even bigger part of everyone’s family and to certainly continue welcoming everyone into ours.”

8pm to 10pm Free. Shuffleboard at Orlando’s Beardall Courts. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL. 1st Saturday of each month. Free fun! 

Sunday July 3, 2016

7pm to 10pm Free. Orlando (United) Drink and Draw, 49 Portraits. The Falcon 819 E Washington St, Orlando, Florida. Orlando Drink and Draw ventures to a new bar each month to sample beers and sketch. This month we will be doing sketches of the 49 victims of the Pulse Terrorist shooting. It would be nice to sketch the people who are still in the hospital as well. If you are an artist interested in participating, contact me with the portrait you would like to do. You can begin the portrait prior to the event or at the event itself. All mediums and sizes accepted.

 While this is a free event, The Falcon will be accepting optional donations of VISA Gift Cards for Pulse victim’s families and delivering them to The Venue where they will be distributed. You can also donate the Gift Cards to The Venue directly if you prefer. ♥ #PulseOfOrlando

We will be honoring the 49 by executing sketches of each…

1) Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old
Artist: Mitch Scott
2) Amanda Alvear, 25 years old
Artist: Lisa Ikegami
3) Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 years old
Artist: Colin Boyer
4) Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old
Artist: Bob Hague
5) Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old
Artist: Lauren Jane
6) Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old
Artist: Charles Richardson
7) Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old
Artist: Shelaine Roustio
8) Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years old
Artist: Wendi Swanson
9) Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old
Artist: Plinio Pinto
10) Cory James Connell, 21 years old
Artist: Thomas Thorspecken
11) Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old
Artist: KC Cali
12) Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old
Artist: Tony Philippou
13) Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old
Artist: Andrew Spear
14) Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old
Artist: Shelaine Roustio
15) Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old
Artist: Plinio Pinto
16) Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old
Artist: John Hurst
17) Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old
Artist: KC Cali
18) Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old
Artist: Mitch Scott
19) Frank Hernandez, 27 years old
Artist: Lisa Ikegami
20) Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old
Artist: Bob Hague
21) Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old
Artist: Thomas Thorspecken
22) Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old
Artist: Lauren Jane
23) Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old
Artist: Charles Richardson
24) Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years old
Artist: Shelaine Roustio
25) Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old
Artist: David McWhertor
26) Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old
Artist: Colin Boyer
27) Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years old
Artist: Mitch Scott
28) Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 years old
Artist: John Hurst
29) Kimberly Morris, 37 years old
Artist: Bob Hague
30) Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old
Artist: Lisa Ikegami
31) Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old
Artist: Mitch Scott
32) Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 years old
Artist: Mitch Scott
33) Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old.
Artist: KC Cali
34) Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old
Artist: Yuki
35) Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old
Artist: Charles Richardson
36) Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old
Artist: Betsy Brabandt
37) Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old
Artist: Thomas Thorspecken
38) Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old
Artists: Betsy Brabandt
39) Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old
Artist: Shelaine Roustio
40) Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 years old
Artist: Mitch Scott
41) Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
Artist: Plinio Pinto
42) Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old
Artist: KC Cali
43) Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old
Artist: Lauren Jane
44) Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years old
Artist: John Hurst
45) Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old
Artist: Plinio Pinto
46) Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old
Artist: Lisa Ikegami
47) Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old
Artist: Thomas Thorspecken
48) Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old
Artist: Plinio Pinto
49) Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old
Artist: Lisa Ikegami

10pm 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.


10pm to Midnight Free, but get a coffee. Solo Acoustic Spoken Word. Natura Coffee & Tea, 12078 Collegiate Way, Orlando, FL. 407 482-5000

Little Shop of Horrors on the Fringe Outdoor Stage.

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One of my favorite musicals is Little Shop of Horrors. I used to blast the songs a I painted in my dark ramshackle apartment in NYC and dreamed of living in a greener more magical place. Disney Feature Animation fulfilled that dream bringing me to Orlando, but all dreams come to an end.

A lanky tall actor and sexy actress sang “Suddenly Seymour“. That song gave me hope that anyone can find love given the right circumstances. I was, and perhaps still am the innocent nerd dreaming of a better life full of love and mutual respect. I should be jaded in a world without trust, but I keep hoping regardless. Just as I fell, with broken wings, someone stood beside me to listen and share. Long honest conversations offered hope that someone can understand. Others have walked this path alone.

The karaoke DJ raised his iPhone which showed a lighter flame flickering. Had there been a crowd, they would have went wild. Little Shop of Horror was followed by Rent and then Jesus Christ Superstar. It was a great afternoon of music.

Karaoke at the Fringe Outdoor Stage.

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With so much raw talent on the Fringe‘s green lawn of fabulousness, it wasn’t hard to keep the music going at Fringeoke. Heather, was dressed as Lady Liberty with a black cape. The painted on black eye mask made her look like a superhero whose power was the ability to sing.

My favorite performance of the afternoon was by TJ Dawe. He is a master storyteller who had a show at this year’s Fringe about how his first acid trip changed his life. At first he sang the lyric off the computer screen, but then he switched gears and started making up his own lyrics. He sang with some inspired gusto raising his fist in the air. It was an amazing performance and about five people crowded the stage, shooting iPhone videos of the performance. That was a once in a lifetime performance. That is why live theater is so exciting. Anything can happen.