Theaters Shuttered

Posted on by Thor

Local Theaters have been devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Wade Hair the owner and artistic director of Breakthrough Theater (419 West Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park FL), announced via Facebook Live that they would not be reopening the theater due to complications brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The theater has been closed since March 13, 2020 and if they could open, they could only have 10 people per audience since the theater is so small. The theater had been in operation for 11 years. It was a magnificent mom and pop community theater that I loved. Friends and patrons have helped pay the bills up until now but with the Covid-19 case numbers rising, the theater owners just cant see themselves re-opening any time soon. They will have to leave the building by June 30, 2020.

Moonlight Players Theater (735 W Minneola Ave, Clermont, FL) is also closing. The Theaters 26th season closed with the pandemic closing much of the county and suspending all local theatre activity. Due to the timing of the pandemic-related closures, they had to make this bittersweet announcement that they will be vacating the Warehouse Theater home in historic downtown Clermont. They are having a closing sale June 20, 10:30am to 6:30pm. People are invited to fill up a bag or a box starting at $10. Many chairs and furniture pieces available as well. Only 10 people at a time will be allowed in the building, please wear a mask.

The New York Ballet has canceled its 2020 production of Nutcracker.  This will be the first time the company hasn’t presented the classic since the production premiered in 1954. The show is New York City Ballet’s most lucrative production, earning more than $15.3 million in ticket sales. Performed around 47 times each holiday season, The Nutcracker employed more than 150 dancers and musicians from the company, 40 stagehands, and more than 125 students from the School of American Ballet.

Again in NYC, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center canceled Fall performances. New York City has done an amazing job recovering from the huge spike in cases and has begin a phase opening watching the data closely. Here in Florida there has been a huge spike in new cases of Covid-19 over the past week. The number of cases has risen 254% since the state re-opened. Florida reported another 3,822 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday morning, breaking the one-day record of 3,207 set just 24 hours earlier.

The UK Government is going to issue a report on June 22, 2020. Andrew Loyd Webber  saw a preliminary report with government advice which included, musicals might return but without singing to stop the spread of the virus. He went on to say, “We in theater must be positive and use everything we can to demonstrate that we can open. If having done that we fail, at least we tried.”

AMC Movie Theaters announced a plan to re-open on July 15, 2020. AMC  reported that it lost more than $2 billion in the most recent quarter, when the pandemic essentially stopped theater going. Face masks will be required. AMC plans on opening 450 or so of its U.S. theaters on July 15, while all 600 should be open by July 24 in time for Disney’s Live Action Mulan and Warner Brothers’ Tenet. Now I worked on the original animated version of Mulan so I am very curious to see it. The opening of the live action remake was put off due to the pandemic but I can wait until it is available somewhere other than a crowded theater.

Orange County Mayor, Jerry Demings and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer have required residents to wear a mask in public places. Orange County is currently reporting the largest increase in positive cases since the pandemic began. We are seeing a significant rise in positive cases among those 20-40 years of age. We continue to see cases where those infected do not show any symptoms of having the virus. Because of this, we cannot be certain those around us have not been exposed. Each of us, no matter our age or how healthy we may be, must remain diligent in our fight against this pandemic.

Everyone must practice physical distancing and good personal hygiene. We must get tested for COVID-19 if we’re concerned we’ve been exposed.  We must continue to protect one another through simple, selfless actions.

COVID-19 is persists in Orlando. Remind every person in our community that our work to combat this virus is not done. Florida is showing signs of becoming the next epicenter of the Covid-19 virus outbreak.

Daphne & Me

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BeeJay Aubertin-Clinton is presented his award winning Fringe show, Daphne and Me: A Boy Meets Girl Story for encore performances at Breakthrough Theater (419A W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, Florida 32789). In the lobby audience members were asked to fill out name tags, you know those white and blue tags that all say, “Hello my name is…” Instead of writing a name B.J. wanted us to write a word that describes ourselves. I wrote “Sketcher”. While waiting to go into the theater I had a quick take with “Supportive”. She felt that summers are usually slow for theater but she has been seeing shows every week since Fringe ended. By the door, “Anxious” was concerned about when we could be seated.

This show is written by and performed by BeeJay as Daphne Banks. The show opened with a high energy lip synced musical number. It ended abruptly with Daphne exhausted and out of breath. This is when the pace shifted to a heartfelt story about how she came to be. During the course of the show she ultimately put on a name tag as well that said, “Confident”. She had to be confident because she grew up gay in a rural town.

Her mom was an incredibly strong woman who ended up in a string of abusive relationships. Women are incredibly strong and that is why men seem to need to beat them down. If allowed to truly shine there would be no stopping any woman. Daphne primped at her beauty table and had several costume changes in this fast paced look back at her life. Since she grew up in an insulated rural town there was no chance of finding a gay guy to date so she ended up with straight guys, a pattern that seemed to repeat often.

What resonated so strongly about this show was the sincerity of the monologue. Every life lesson was hard earned. Musical interludes must have been songs she loved to sing to while driving down the road with the wind in her hair. She was her own Thelma and Louise. After the show, Anne who had been behind the concessions stand in the lobby, got on stage and hugged BeeJay. “You are so brave.” she said. That was the sentiment that swelled throughout the show. Be brave and be yourself.

Assassins

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I went to sketch the opening night performance of Assassins at Breakthrough Theater (419 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789). Stephen Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics and he also wrote the music for one of my favorite shows, Sunday in the Park with George. I had never seen Assassins but since I love Sondheim, I had to go. The book was by John Weidman, and the show was directed by Angela Cotto.

Breakthrough theater is a tiny little gem in Winter Park. The  lobby was warm and welcoming with a concessions stand. The walls were covered floor to ceiling with framed posters from past shows. This show wasn’t as crowded as I would have expected for a Sondheim musical.

The premise of the show was strange and unsettling. Assassins from throughout America’s history assembled together to justify their second Amendment right to bear arms and kill presidents. In the opening act, Iris M. Johnson, acted as a gun dealer offering guns to each assassin in turn to bolster their self worth and ego. John Wilkes Booth, (Gabrial Garcia) sang a ballad,  about why he needed to kill Abraham Lincoln after the  Civil War had ended.

Every Assassin was always waving around a gun, and sitting in the front row, I felt uncomfortable having so many weapons pointed in my general direction. Granted they were clearly toy guns and the audio sound effects were faint caps popping any time a gun was fired.

In one scene, Rebecca McVeigh as “Squeaky” Fromme, the girlfriend of Charles Manson, and Carol Jaqueline Palumbo as Sara Jane Moore, started shooting at a bucket of Kentucky Fried chicken. Squeeky’s manic laughter was truly terrifying, but what was more terrifying was the fact that so many people in the audience were laughing. Perhaps this is deeply ingrained in America, we are taught from an early age that violence is funny and entertaining.

Lee Harvey Oswald (Scott Gilbert) had a conscience. He went to work carrying a package of curtain rods. His minimum wage job left him with low self esteem. The entire cast of assassins, sang a song encouraging him to shoot John Kennedy. According to them his act of violence would help keep their memory alive. When he opened the package of curtain rods, he found a rifle. At one point they became a chorus line waving their guns in unison.

I find myself sketching people who are still deeply affected by the massacre at Pulse. I respected Anderson Cooper for never saying the gunman’s name when reporting about the Pulse Nightclub massacre. The names of these assassins are better left unsaid. The very premise of the play seems to make light of the horror of such violent acts. I lost some respect for Sondheim for writing this musical that seems to glorify and justify the acts of these assassins. Perhaps the show might make audiences think twice about gun control, but the message is lost if they laugh instead. A mentally deranged person seeing this play might think that they might one day share the fame of these assassins. We are sitting on a powder keg. All that said, one song from the show keeps ringing in my head. (Why did You Do it Johnny?)

Performances of Assassins continue through November 26, 2018.

Tickets are $20 General Admission, $18 Seniors, $15 Students, and $12 on Mondays.

The Early Girl

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Downstairs Lady Theatre presents The Early Girl written by Caroline Kava. Directed by Vicki Wicks, the play focuses on Lily, (Kelly Solberg), who plans to work at the brothel just a month
in order to secure a solid financial foundation for her daughter,
Dolly. She enters the brothel insecure and shy but with ambitions to make plenty of money. Jewel Box House Madam Lana (Dianna Bennett) believes in Lilly and encourages her, believing she will break records her first year in the house. Lana was once a working girl herself but now she runs her own establishment and she has only a few rules, no cell phones, only leave the house once a month for a “Doctor Day” and no violence.

This play doesn’t sensationalize the sex industry, instead it delved
into these women’s hopes dreams and lost aspirations. The setting is the
waiting area between Johns. The women pass the time reading and
chatting. The brothel setting is surprisingly domestic, a quiet suburban living room. The rehearsal I attended was in a Winter Garden home adding to the surreal domesticity.

Pam Schwartz came along with me to chaperone. I felt like Toulouse Lautrec sketching brothel life. While I struggled with the sketch, I heard her laughing at the off hand exchanges between the women on stage. The play is both comic and tragic. Lilly is mentored and advised by the more established girls. Jean (Carol Jacqueline Palumbo) who is a smart woman who once thought she was only going to earn some extra money and get out, but now she feels close to hitting rock bottom and Pat (Kat Kemmet) who uses her earnings to buy frivolous personal items, Laurel (April Tubbs) is hardened and keeps to herself reading but she sends the money back to her child in Spokane. George (Dina Najjar) has a regular customer named Eric who she feels may one day ask her to marry him. Each woman has their personal reasons for what they do and each has a heart of gold.

The Early Girls ambitions get out of hand when she takes Eric, George’s regular to bed and kisses him which is in itself an infraction. George goes ballistic and a no hold barred cat fight ensues. Of course violence is against the house rules, and the girls have to stick together to keep from being broken apart. Though there are differences, they care about each other. As an outsider looking in, we get to care about each woman in turn as well. Though in an industry that might seem dis-empowering, these women are empowered.

The show is now at Tampa Fringe. 

HCC Studio Theatre

1411 E 11th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605

The remaining show dates are,

Thurs May 10 at 9pm,

Sat May 12 at 3pm

Tickets are $14.50

If you don’t want to make the drive to Tampa, the show is coming to Breakthrough Theater 419 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. This would be a great way to extend your Orlando International Fringe experience.
June 1-2 at 8pm
June 3 at 3pm and 8pm
Tickets are $12 General Admission
$10 for Breakthrough Alumni

The Santaland Diaries at Breakthrough Theater.

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You can find The Santaland Diaries starring BeeJay Aubertin Clinton at Breakthrough Theater (421 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789.) As the audience filed in, the actor on stage was decorating the Christmas Tree.  He turned to Pam and said, “Oh, so that is what you decided to wear?” She was in her sweatshirt and jeans, granted not an elegant outfit, but comfortable. I was also in a sweatshirt and my hiking boots.  BeeJay had a snarky comment for everyone in the audience to get us warmed up for the show.  

With dreams of someday landing a roll in his favorite soap opera, this actor has to resort to auditioning as an elf for the Christmas Holidays.  To make matters worse, he gets the part.  His dark view of the world is only reaffirmed as he sees the way parents force this holiday madness on their children.  

BeeJay removed his jeans and shirt to unveil red snowflake tights and an elf jacket.  His elf hat was under a pillow, and he extricated his sneakers from under a couch.  Clearly this actor wasn’t prepared for the saccharine sweet training that followed.  Some sights can’t be unseen, like the mom who was encouraging her young son to pee in the fake snow.  The high stakes horror of waiting to meet Santa brings out the worst in any parent.  

This was a fun night of pessimism with a dash of sass.  

Remaining Show Dates and Times:
Monday, December 18, 10 p.m.

Geezers at Breaktrough Theater.

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Geezers written by Tommy Lee Johnston is being presented at Breakthrough Theater (419A W Fairbanks Ave

Winter Park,

FL

32789), through June 19th. Jack, (Sean Kenp) is a young aspiring author who takes a job a a retirement home that his mother has worked at before she died. He is socially awkward and not great around people. Gina, (Carol Palumbo) conducts an awkward job interview with him. She has her own issues, having had problems drinking in the past. Her primary concern is the person she just had to let go. He was found trying to have an affair with one of the residents. This is strictly taboo and she tries to find out if Jack might have similar interests.

Though socially inept, Jack has a rare talent for listening to people and asking pointed questions that peal away any layers of artifice to get to the heart of any story. He begins interviewing the residents, and each has an amazing story to tell. Emily, (Mary Lee Stallings) sat center stage hugging a kitten blanket and watching TV for most of the show. She never says a word. Alzheimer has taken her memories. A woman visits who was adopted and she researched to find out that Emily was her natural mother. She reads a loving letter written by Emily shortly before giving birth. The young Emily was forced to give up her child since she wasn’t married. As her daughter read the letter, tears welled up in Emily’s eyes and she mouthed the closing sentence. Memories had flooded back, but she was still trapped from expressing her love.

Each resident shared their story with Jack in turn. Kate, (Vicki Wicks) who gave off the appearance of being a confident sensual actress was actually insecure. Neil, (Gary Norris) was abrasive and cocky, but his story was about being a Vietnam vet who was welcome home to America as a baby killer and how much he missed his wife. Ray, (Larry Stallings) slept through most of the play holding a yellow pillow to his chest. His story was the most unsettling as he related his wife’s battle with cancer.

The play was fascinating to me since I am sitting in and sketching so many oral histories surrounding the Pulse Nightclub shooting. I am working with incredibly talented interviewers who open themselves to allow the stories to unfold naturally. 49 stories remain untold, but family and friends share memories that prove that love is an amazing and universal force. Art is strongest when it expresses empathy. This play shares that empathy in spades.

Tickets are $20.

Trading Soles at Fringe.

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I went to a rehearsal of Trading Soles written by Franco Colon. This show is a Bring Your Own Venue production. BYOV venues allow for more choices off of the usual Fringe lawn epicenter of the festival. The rehearsal space was off set from the road so it wasn’t easy to find. Actress Crysta Marie guided us in. The empty showroom had a two beds and several night stands. Bodies were lying on the floor.

Director Joseph Adam Gonzolez quickly explained the shows premise. BEN (Justin Cortes), an awkward freshman, meets his new roommate in college, ELI, (Franco Colon)an
arrogant, charming sophomore. BEN and ELI are complete opposites and do
not get along due to their differences. Ben has enough and tries to
move out of the dorm, but that’s when the chaos begins. Just when things
couldn’t get worse, they switch bodies. ELI sleeps
in his shoes and then they talk about walking in someones steps. They
wake up to find they are in each other’s bodies, more like trading
souls.

BEN and ELI have no choice but
to come together and figure out what in the world just happened. ELI is a closeted gay, and towards the end of the play while in his friends body, he comes out to Ben’s, mom (Crysta Marie). Her scream scared me half out of my whits. I wasn’t expecting it.

I only got to see the last few scenes of the play. I’m not sure why bodies littered the floor. The sketch was finished in a panicked flash.

TRADING SOLES remaining show times:
Thursday, May 25th, 10 PM
Saturday, May 27th, 7 PM
Sunday, May 28th, 4:30 PM

TICKET PRICING:
$10.00 Fringe Button (Sold at Breakthrough Theater 421 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) $9.00 + $1.25 ticketing fee (ONLINE or AT FRINGE BOX OFFICE ONLY. TICKETS WILL NOT BE SOLD AT BREAKTHROUGH)

Big Swinging Dicks

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There was something rewarding about announcing on Facebook that I was going to sketch Big Swinging Dicks. The full title of the play being produced for this year’s Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival is, “Big Swinging Dick’s Topless bar presents The Naked Drag Queen farting”. Now that is a mouthful! I was going to a staged reading of the play. Carl Gauze, the writer and producer, had invited me to the reading which started around 7pm at Breakthrough Theater in Winter Park. Since I work in Winter Park, and I got off at 5pm, I had some time to kill prior to the reading. I went to Shipyard Brewery to wet my palette. There I bumped into Brian Sikorski at the bar. I got to learn a little about his background as an artist. There was also an older couple there who had traveled the country searching for the best micro brewery’s.

I ordered a vegetarian mushroom sandwich which I washed down with several beers. I was satiated and ready to sketch. I walked several blocks over to the Breakthrough Theater. I had never been inside this theater. In the tiny entrance foyer,the cast was seated on the couch and chairs and they were doing a practice run through of the reading. There was one empty chair so I quietly sat down. Several of the actors I knew. Mike Maples was playing the part of a bigoted bar owner who had to change his world view when a drag queen starts bringing in audiences that could not be ignored. Sarah Lockhard landed the choice roll of the drag queen diva. She had the odd distinction of being a woman playing a man playing a woman. She rubbed her hands together as she read. I have seen her perform some insanely funny comedic rolls in the past. I agonized for a moment wondering if I had enough time to sketch. I decided to just jump in. The reading was laugh out loud funny.

When the first reading was finished, the director, Desmond Flynn, offered some notes. Soon people started to arrive. The Breakthrough Theater is a small intimate space. The stage set resembled a quaint 1950’s living room. The second read through was just as funny as the first. This is going to be a fun Fringe show!

Show times…

5/20 FRI 9:25PM

5/22 SUN 12:00PM

5/24 TUE 6:45PM

5/28 SAT 8:25PM