Josean Garcia at Hamburger Mary’s

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Josean Garcia and I met at Hamburger Mary’s on Church Street. I
was there first. I didn’t know what he looked like and he didn’t know
what I looked like, but we found each other. Hannah Miller who founded AdoptOrlando, was meeting us as well, but her car got rear ended by some guy rubbernecking rather than paying attention to traffic. She arrived shortly after Josean and I had met.

I was seated by the waitress at a round table in the center of the room. I thought a booth might be
better, but accepted the location offered. He felt
uncomfortable when he arrived, with his back exposed to a room full of people that he
couldn’t see. We moved to a booth close to a back exit door. I felt more
comfortable and so did he. He now always thinks about possible escape
routes anytime he is in a public place.

Josean has experienced an incredible amount of loss. First, he lost his mother, Deserie Garcia, and then on June 12th he lost his best friends Amanda and Mercedes at Pulse. He escaped from the nightclub that evening. “It’s been two months since my best friends , my sisters joined my mother in heaven.” he said on Facebook on August 12th.

Josean is an incredibly talented singer and song writer. His R&B music often addresses the darker side of life. Since the horrible shootings at Pulse, his life has been on hold. He can’t believe this happened in Orlando and that he was there. I love that he feels Orlando has gained a new found “weirdness” along with the
incredible outpouring of acceptance. Rainbow flags are still
seen everywhere. He will
start creating music again when the time is right. He is thinking that New York City could be where he should go to further his career. When we got our wines, he insisted we toast. His grandmother always said
the you should toast anytime you are with friends to celebrate life. We
all need to feel a connection to friends. He knows how to celebrate life while remembering his dearest friends lost at Pulse.

You can donate to the Amanda Alvear or Mercedes Flores GoFundMe accounts if to would like to help.

TXT performance in Winter Park raised funds for Hannah Miller.

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Performance artist Brian Feldman resides in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Orlando, however, and the first time he performed TXT was at the Kerouac House six years ago. In D.C, he performs TXT weekly. In February of 2010 to protest the ban on gay marriage, Brian let everyone on social media know that he would marry anybody who showed up at the Orange County Courthouse on the set date. Three women showed up on that fateful day and Hannah Miller was one of them. He chose his wife with the spin of a bottle of water he got from a courthouse vending machine; the bottle pointed to Hannah. After the wedding Brian and Hannah went their separate ways, but she made the perfect wife since she firmly believed in the cause of equal rights in marriage. Her interviews were emotional and heartfelt. In January of 2011, Brian and Hannah’s marriage was annulled on the grounds that it was never consummated and they were never in love.

The TXT performance on May 5th at the Winter Park Public Library was a fundraiser for Brian’s ex-wife, Hannah. She has become incapacitated by a neuromuscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis
and a chest tumor that her doctors believe is associated with it. She is a
Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome Type 3 patient, also diagnosed with Grave’s
Disease and Refractory Celiac Disease. Hannah is a fun and creative puppeteer, but like most art forms it can’t pay the insurmountable medical bills. This performance was a fundraiser, with 100% of the proceed going to Hannah.  I emptied my wallet, but I know it is just a small drop in the bucket. Hannah and her boyfriend Jack Fields came to the performance and they sat in the front row. This was the first time I saw how Hannah’s mobility was being limited. Despite the medical setbacks she still manages to joke about her situation.

At a TXT performance the entire audience is asked to take out their cell phones and log into anonymous twitter accounts. They all tweet, and Brian reads every tweet out loud while adding some creative flourishes. I remember that one person thought I was taking notes to report on individual’s deprived rants. People were confused and reluctant at first, but once they understood the premise they embraced the creative flow. 

A whale rolled into Orlando.

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Poncili Creacion presented Ballenarca at the Winter Park Public Library. I believe Ballenarca is derived from baleen, which whales use to strain and eat krill,and ark, as in a large sea vessel. They had just come from Miami’s Art Basel where a Whale Arc seemed quite in order. The whale was constructed on a boat trailer.  Car jacks held up the whales massive jaw. Large metal ribs were covered with fiberglass. There was a wide cast of foam characters in the show. Orlando has a strong puppetry community thanks to Heather Henson’s Ibex puppetry.  Hannah Miller and Jack Fields were there. I would say that half the audience were puppeteers and the other half were excited children. There isn’t much of a difference between the two.

The show was colorful and surreal. There was a four legged dog fish, a red character that looked like a cross between a tooth and a heart, and an eight foot high centipede. When the centipede interacted with the kids, the squealed with delight. Kids easily accept the characters and can quickly imagine the world they inhabit. This was no longer a parking lot, but a magical under sea world. Kids don’t react the same way when high tech movies force feed every digital detail.

After the performance, kids were invited inside the whale’s open mouth. The puppeteers needed to drive the whale to Heather Henson’s warehouse where it would stay for the night. They would be on the road the next day to their next open air stage. I was invited to have dinner with the cast at Loving Hut and I jumped at the chance. On the drive to the restaurant I ended up driving right behind the whale. The tale had to be removed for the drive, but the whale still grinned at me. You don’t see a whale in traffic very often. At Loving Hut, one member of the cast was fascinated by one of my brush pens. He did a drawing of a mysterious dark haired girl with straight bangs, in the back of my sketchbook. He signed it Poncili.

I Believe in You! Performance, Art and Dance Party

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I went to The Space (1206 E Colonial Dr. Orlando FL) on August 24th, right after “The Red Chair Affair” at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center (401 W Livingston St  Orlando, FL). Jessica Earley had organized a one night only performance driven event with a committed group of experimental artists who love what they do and love you too.

Several artists were invited to perform,
they each then curated another artist to show visual works.

 The Space turned out to be a small apartment right above a pizza shop near Mills Avenue. The front door was locked, so I went out back where a crowd was gathered. Mark Baratelli was just leaving. He reported that the event was packed and very hot. Having never been in the space, I had to go up to get a sketch. Admission was $2. The place was more than hot, it was a furnace. My stiff collared dress shirt became semi transparent with sweat. I whipped my brow with my tie.

There was a performance going on when I entered but there were so many people packed in the room, that I decided a sketch would be impossible. I went into a room filled with art and sat with my back against a closet door to sketch.

 Performing artists included, Jessica Earley,
Jack Fields,
Ashley Inguanta,
Melanie Lister,
Stephanie Lister,
Hannah Miller,
Jorgen Nicholas Trygved, and Christin Caviness. Hannah curated art by Winter Calkins. Winter had a fascinating piece that used cigarette butts as a sort of pointillism to depict someones lips and jaw. I was pleased that Winter knew of my work.

The large piece to my left was by Jack Fields. It had intricate crochet work, a sort of wizards hat and eyes peering out from everywhere. Flip-flops were enshrined on red velvet pillows. In the center of the room, letters were torn and re-assembled behind Plexiglas. The one line I could read said, “I hope you can say sorry.” The room itself was painted to look like the inside of a human body. Ribs and muscles were painted everywhere. The room had been used in a film and the walls were painted to show that the character was going insane. The film is now being submitted to film festivals.

Terry stopped in briefly with Matt McGrath. They couldn’t stand the heat and left to go to a bar. With the sketch done, I walked around and said hello to Becky Lane and Tisse Mallon. Jessica Earley had mascara running down her cheeks. She looked like a battered wife or junkie. The disheveled look must have been for her performance piece.  She had been concerned about how many people would show up. I believe she maxed out the capacity at The Space. I know that Christin performed a dance piece in the hot crowded space. Afterwards she went outside to collapse and catch her breath. Ashley gave her last poetry reading before she moved to NYC.  I thought that I didn’t see a single performance. As it turned out, I had sketched Jorgen Nicholas Trygveddoing an adaptation of “The Artist is Present” in which he Skyped in silence with people in a neighboring room. Now I know why he sat there so long staring at his computer. This was the performance that most intrigued me when I read the invitation, because I had been in NYC on the final day of Marina Abromovic‘s “The Artist is Present“.

I soaked up the ambiance like a wet sweaty sponge.

As I left, the dance party was pulsing in the back room DJ’d by
Jorgen. Terry wanted me to meet Matt and her at a bar, but my fancy leather loafers were giving me blisters. I think I over dressed and I was spent.

Seed

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Hannah Miller let me know that she would be directing a 15-minute play called “Seed” written by Danny Kessler. She invited me to a dress rehearsal at Valencia Community College – East Campus (701 N Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando, Fl). The rehearsal was on the East Campus, in Building 1 on the 3rd floor in classroom 368. I was searching for the room number when I bumped into Sarah Lockhard in a clowns outfit. She guided me to the rehearsal space which was an empty classroom with some boxes, a bag of seed and some recycled paper bags.

“Seed” is an existential play about the end of the world, filled with Skittles, clowns, and fantastic performances from students Jasmine Lesser, Jennifer Hurless  and local actress Sarah Lockard. Sarah stepped in when a student was unable to fill the commitment. Jasmine had been rehearsing from the start. Jasmine played the seed in bunny ears and a frilly pink dress while Jennifer played a mother earth type character. Sarah narrated the play’s opening scene and later came out in a hazmat suit to clean up the stage.

This was Hannah’s first experience directing.  As she said, “I took on the challenge to learn a little bit
about a director’s perspective on text so I’d be a better playwright.
I’ve learned a lot, I think.” Hannah and Sarah talked for quite a while about Sarah’s motivations and actions in the play. She had just stepped into a roll that had been established by another student actress and she hoped to put more of herself into the part yet the performance was only days away.

In this final week of rehearsals, Jane Henson passed away. Hannah works for IBEX Puppetry run by Heather Henson, Jane’s Daughter. Besides Hannah’s own grief, her boss’s enormous
grief, and the grief of everyone she works with, she had to handle the
overwhelming outpouring of communication on IBEX Puppetry’s behalf. To say Hannah had a lot on her plate would be an understatement, but as always, the show must go on. From my perspective seeing the run through for the first time, the play flowed effortlessly. The actual performance was during a school showcase in midday of Weds., April 10th.

Flash Fiction Slam

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On March 12th, There Will Be Words hosted its second annual Flash fiction Slam, in honor of March Madness.

How does a Flash Fiction Slam work? Well, competitors faced each other in a head-to-head format. Two authors read. The audience decides which story was better with applause One author moves on to the next round, the other cries in their drink.

There were three rounds, with eight authors competing. There were word limits for each round.

Round 1 – 250 words max

Round 2 – 500 words max

Final Round – 1000 words max

Flirt with the competitors at six, watch them beat each other to death at seven, take home the champion at eight. Seriously, these authors had been drinking so they might have needed a ride.

The first round featured Matt Pierce versus Trevor Frasier with Matt winning the audience roar. Raphael lost to Phil in the second round. Hannah Miller and Michael Pierre faced off with a fast paced “Rock, Paper, Scissors” match to see who would read first. It was at this point that I decided to add Hannah to my sketch. She was a strong contender and if she won, I would have two other chances to add detail to her in my sketch. I was pleased that she was indeed the evening’s champion, beating Matt Pierce in the final round by a narrow margin.

After the competition I joined Hannah and her entourage for a victory beer at The Falcon Bar. Multiple conversations crossed the outdoor table ranging from Stanley Kubrick films to art supplies. A high school friend of Hannah’s had just returned to Orlando and she was dipping her toe in the arts scene to try and rebuild her Orlando roots. I seldom hang out after an event so I was very happy to have lingered on this occasion.

Corridor Project at Plaza Live

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Patrick Greene helped facilitate a parking lot performance before the Deerhoof concert at Plaza Live. It was the second Corridor Project production.  When I got there it was just starting to get dark. Patrick had a megaphone and there was some negotiating with the Plaza Live staff to clear an area in the parking lot for a staging place. Having no idea what was to come, I decided to step back and sketch a long shot of the parking lot scene to see what developed. Hannah Miller parked a pickup truck and pulled out a huge tree trunk set piece. A car was asked to park at the end of the row to avoid any other cars from driving into the staging area. I saw brown sheets being unfurled on the pavement and on the tailgates of parked cars. The parking lane was being converted into a forest glen.

An Ibex puppetry kite hinted that the performance was about to start, so I finished the sketch and moved closer. Voci Dance performed with the help of Tiny Waves and The Shine Shed Collective. Performers were all dressed in exotic woodland creature costumes. The dancers moved nimbly between the tree trunks, performing to live music. I sketched a strange bird-like creature with drums before he marched off into the woods. I wasn’t sure if Sarah Lockhard was a fox, beaver or a hound but all the dancers moved with grace. Hip bones became headdress eyes and antlers. It was all very primal. When the performance ended, sheets and set pieces quickly were gathered up and the magic disappeared.

Handmade Pupppet Dreams Halloween

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Halloween is coming and Handmade Puppet Dreams is ready to show Orlando, FL its darker side. In addition to a 15-foot display of puppets in City Arts Factory, this ghastly gallery exhibit will feature a 2-hour loop of Handmade Puppet Dreams creepiest, crawliest, Halloween-iest films for the public to enjoy any time during open gallery hours (11:00AM till 6:00PM) through the end of October!

 The 3rd year of the Annual Dia de los Muertos and Monster Factory. Co-produced by The Downtown Arts District, Tacatantán Records, and Pink Hair Productions, this exhibit features the work of international, national, and local artists and, this year, will feature a gallery installation by IBEX Puppetry spotlighting Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams!

The Handmade Puppet Dreams segment of the gallery will feature puppets from the films of Ron Binion (AlienCow Puppet Show Redux), David Michael Friend (Moonfishing), Sam Koji Hale (Yamasong), Lyon Hill (Junk Palace and Incubus), Kevin McTurk (The Narrative of Victor Karloch), and Scotty Shoemaker, Tony Giordano, and Jason Murphy(Harker). Screenings will include The Narrative of Victor Karloch, Suck-A-Thumb, AlienCow Puppet Show Redux, Calalilly, Harker, Incubus, In the House of the Sin Eater, Junk Palace, Yamasong, Moonfishing, and Graveyard Jamboree.

Hannah Miller was busy getting the puppets ready for display on the day before the opening.  Midway through the install she turned on the flat screen TV to show the films. Each of the puppets I sketched were in the films. It was like having movie actors pose who are eternally patient. My favorite short film was Moonfishing which had gorgeous silhouetted settings with curvacious Art Nouveau organic curls, and a magical heart warming story. When pizza arrived at 1PM, all the other people who were hanging art disappeared never to be seen again. Hannah called Jack Fields to help as she finished the installation. I admired their teamwork when hanging the posters high on the wall. Hanging a show is hard work.

Marionette Making Workshop Stringing

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People worked at various paces trying to keep up with Hannah Miller who was teaching them how to make simple marionettes from fabric, string and beads. The hardest part was the stringing, and Hannah had to explain that in a puppet making workshop there was usually one person who was the master of stringing. Jeff Ferree restrung his puppet several times until he felt it was right. Hannah walked the people who were ready out of the conference room into the main floor of Urban ReThink. Mirrors were set up so people could see their puppets perform. People giggled as they saw their areations come to life. A couple faced each other and the puppets bowed and curtsied to each other. Jeff let me try his puppet which seemed bigger than most. The strings to control the hands were threaded through a hole at the front of the cross bars. I tugged the string and both arms rose. Walking the puppet took some skill but having the head look around brought an instant spark of life.

Marionette Making Workshop

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As part of ArtsFest, Hannah Miller offered a free Marionette making workshop at Urban ReThink. I heard that this workshop was sold out quickly and tickets were limited. Thankfully, Hannah, AKA Thunder Hag, understands my sketching obsession and she was open to having me observe. On the white board, Hannah had written the names of two puppet masters who’s work influenced the workshop. Albrecht Roser is a German puppeteer who believes that the puppet drives the motion, not the puppeteer. Robin Walsh had an affinity to using fabric, especially silk in the construction of her puppets. She explained that the puppets we would make today would be ugly but functional. Hannah pointed out that the puppets movements were based on a pendulum swing and each puppet would have its own way of moving depending on what it was made of.

Each participant had a bag of supplies. Inside was fabric, beads, string, and a control bar. The fabric was used as the body of the puppet. Beads were threaded onto the corners and became hands and feet. The head required special attention since three screws were positioned for mobility and control once the puppet was strung. April Tennyson was assisting Hannah. Both puppeteers once worked at Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater in the Altimonte Mall. April asked me, “Where should I stand to get in the sketch?” “Well,” I said, “The best place would be to stand behind Hannah.” She stood behind Hannah and smiled broadly as she took a heroic pose, holding up some fabric. I laughed out loud and tried to ignore her until she “acted natural.” I hope Hannah didn’t think I was laughing at her lesson.

Jeff Ferree who is a puppeteer who had a show at Fringe last year in the smallest venue, a closet, sat next to Hannah and struggled with the head of his puppet. To me, he is a puppet master but even masters want to expand their horizons. The couple seated closest to me seemed like a married couple. They giggled like kids as their creations came to life. The woman was always two steps ahead of her partner, and she would step in and help out on occasion. Some folks arrived late and April tried to get them up to speed.