Interplanetary Acoustic Team

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Poet Brian Turner invited me to sketch a performance of the Interplanetary Acoustic Team at the White House, Timucua Arts Foundation (2000 South Summerlin, Orlando, FL 32806). Jared Sylvia had an amazing knot of electronics set up on three tables. Wires flowed everywhere. He set up a relaxing loop track as ambient music as people arrived. Brian Turner was front and center with guitar and occasional poetry. Two more electric guitars filled out the soundscape. Brian had asked me to sketch the group live and I hoped to do a digital sketch that would project above the stage but I couldn’t figure out the way to hook up an iPad to the projector. Pam Schwartz had helped me set up the tech once before but she was at a onePULSE Foundation meeting. I messed with all the possible connections for an hour and had to give up. The digital sketch would have made sense considering all the electronic tech on stage but I went about sketching the old school way with pencil and paper.

The Interplanetary Acoustic Team is a group of musical explorers
whose mission is to listen to the stars, to record the deep
gravitational waves rolling across the wide sweep of time, the voices
carried on those waves. The music was haunting and moving

On their debut album “11 11 (Me, Smiling)” Ilyse Kusnetz created a lyric meditation that spans the universe, encompassing
everything from the Big Bang, to the creation of life as we know it, to
cybernetics, to the uploading of human consciousness for a journey into
the unknown. Her husband, Brian Turner, has collaborated with her
to intertwine their vision and create this album. Ilyse’s voice was recorded for use in one of the songs and Brian explained that this evening would have been his and Elyse’s wedding anniversary. Ilyse lost a battle with cancer but her poetry and lyrics live on. Beauty lives on when every something is created.

Brian Turner–Vocals, Bass, Guitars, Horns, Modular Synths

Benjamin Kramer–Bass, Keyboards, Theremin

Jared Silvia: Modular Synths

Sunil Yapa: Guitars

The next Interplanetary Acoustic Team event is at Valencia Winter Park campus, Oct 18, 201 at around 7pm. Then for a Burrow Press book launch on Nov 10, 2018.

Union Station Kansas City Missouri

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Pam Schwartz and I took a trip to Kansas City recently. She was invited to speak at an The American Association for State and Local History Conference. While she attended the conference and worked in the hotel room on Orange County History museum business, I explored on my own.

Kansas City has a free trolley system and the end of the line is Union Station.

Across the street from Union Station is the National WWI Museum and Memorial. In 1919 two and a half million dollars was raised from a community based fundraising drive to honor the men and women who served and died in the war. The center piece of the monument is a 217 foot high tower surrounded by four guardian spirits (Courage, Honor, Patriotism, and sacrifice.

Inside a memorial hall, a large mural covers a wall that has life sized portraits of some of the war’s most infamous generals and leaders. The mural titled, The Pantheon de la Guerre is just a section of a huge mural that was painted in the round that used to be several football fields in width. This mural was forgotten over time and sold for scrap where a local artist discovered it and insisted it needed to be preserved.

You enter the museum over a glass bridge that crosses over a field of blood red poppies. The poppy field references a poem called Flanders Fields about the poppies that grew over the graves of fallen soldiers after the war. The museum itself houses an amazing array of World War I memorabilia.

Trenches are part of the display and as one woman stuck her head in a hole to peak inside to see manikin soldiers huddled inside, a soldier started whispering in her ear which completely freaked her out. The east gallery covers the years from 1914 to 1917 and the West Gallery covers the years from 1917 to 1919. Display cases stacked full of items were rather difficult to decipher but on a whole it was an impressive collection.

Uprising: Pulse to Parkland

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Pam Schwartz and I attended two screenings at the Global Peace Film Festival. The screenings were at the Bush Auditorium on the Rollins College Campus. The first film was “Lessons from a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane“. It was produced by Kim A. Snyder the same documentary film maker that made “Newtown“. Father Bob Weiss was featured in Newtown. In the days following the Sandy Hook Massacre that took the lives of 26 children and teachers on December 12, 2012, he was tasked with burying 8 of those children. Interviewed in this film he broke down as he said that it was an honor to be able to do this for the families. After the tragedy he was still needing to heal himself while having to answer parishioners questions and grief.

He received a letter from Father Basil O’Sullivan from Dunblane, Scotland where in 1996 sixteen school children were gunned down by a gunman. Through a series of letters, the two forged a bond sharing their similar experiences in having to deal with the trauma and recovery. Father Basil agreed to fly to Newtown for the one year remembrance. One year after such a tragedy can be re-traumatizing and he decided to go in solidarity to offer his support. My favorite scene had the Father reading the same sermon he presented in Dunblane after that tragedy. The audio of that sermon from the past cross-dissolved with the present audio. At the Dunblane sermon, Charles Prince of Wales was in the congregation. After Pulse, I’ve seen members of our community reach out when others face the same kind of tragedy.

The second film, “Uprising: Pulse to Parkland“ was about two Florida Communities united by grief and anger from deadly mass shootings. After 49 lives were taken at Pulse, gun legislation was proposed and quickly died in Tallahassee. Part of the problem was that the legislature wasn’t in session at the time. When 17 lives were taken at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School  the movement for sane gun legislation once again ignited. March for Our Lives swept up the peninsula and marched into the Nation’s Capitol. The Stoneman Douglas Students demanded an end to assault weapons and a stop to gun violence in America. The NRA however is a strong force in America with many politicians paid off and in their pockets. The battle for gun legislation is a long and continuing battle. Other countries around the world are shocked by America’s murderous obsession with guns.

It’s Improvised at the 129: The Musical Edition!

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Pam Schwartz and I went to Dragonfly Studio and Productions (Dragonfly Studio 129, 129 W McKey St, Ocoee, FL 34761).  To see It’s Improvised at the 129 hosted by Richard Paul, Chris Barry (Four First Names) and Elaine Pechacek behind the piano. Dragonfly Studio 129 is a charming,
intimate performance venue that is fully convertible to fit the needs of
any given production or event. The venue’s will feature a full season of events,
including additional residencies, concerts, cabarets, theatrical
productions, readings, workshops, and more.

Four First Names’ Richard Paul and Chris Barry will put Sheryl Remekie
Carbonell, John DiDonna, Tracy Frenkel, Beth Marshall, and Rob Ward
through their improv paces. Each of the acclaimed Orlando directors will
be tasked with directing an impromptu scene made up entirely on the
spot with Dragonfly Studio and Production’s owner and executive producer
Elaine Pechacek on the piano providing an original, improvised
soundtrack.

The hosts Richard Paul and Chris Barry kicked the night off by taking suggestions from the audience. What resulted was a Rocky Horror Picture Show wedding. Elaine behind the piano provided just the right musical accompaniment for they as they turned the moment into an inspiring musical number.

All the actors and directors that were invited to this improv got on stage and each in turn described their experiences. John DiDonna’s story stood out because he used improv as a training tool for law enforcement. He described a scenario in which an armed gunman was on lock down with hostages. The goal was for police to get the gunman out without harming hostages.

Beth Marshall is a renowned local producer and she uses  improv to get a new cast familiar with one another. Simple exercised like tossing an object between actors can build trust and camaraderie. Rob Ward used improv among actors at the theme parks. These actors are usually hired because they look like a character rather than based on there acting prowess. Improv allows the actors to get off script for a bit and have fun with their lines. Actors in a theme park just as in animation, must play to the rafters. Whatever they are trying to convey must read as if seen from the bloody nose section of a football stadium. When actors played a scene over the top in the small Dragonfly studio they became very funny. Tracy Frankel had the actors create a scene at a barbecue. They were auditioning for a commercial and Tracy acted as the director trying to get them to play to the camera.  The goal was to be having so much fun, that people would want to buy the condiment.

The next It’s Improvised at the 129 is Friday, September 14 at 8 PM at Dragonfly Studio and Productions 133 W Mckey St., Ocoee, Florida 34761. The show will celebrate musical improv
with an amazing slate of guests including Robyn Pedretti Kelly
(Universal Studios), Summer Aiello (Universal Studios), Emily Fontano
(SAK Comedy Lab) and T. Robert Pigott (Walt Disney World).

Join Musical
Director Elaine Pechacek, Chris Barry, Richard Paul at Dragonfly Studios
for Its next Improvised at the 129: The Musical Edition! This place is a rare gem located out in Ocoee.

$10 Online $12 At Door

Beer and Wine – Free Snacks!

Sunburst Convention Kick Off Party

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Pam Schwartz, who looks a bit like Julia Roberts, and I went to Lafayette’s at Point Orlando (9101 International Dr Suite 2220 Orlando, Florida) for the 16th Annual Sunburst Celebrity Impersonator Convention kick off party. The room was filled with impersonators! The host and convention producer, Greg Thompson, was introducing each celebrity impersonator in turn and then giving them just a few lines to lay out their shtick. There were two Marilyn Monroes, yet surprisingly one Donald Trump whose introduction I decided to sketch in the minute or so available. Trump kept his bottom lip protruded and spoke with his didactic simplicity.

Dr. Evil took the stage after Trump. His views seemed tame considering today’s political climate. But he loves to dance as does Austin Powers. The troika of Evil, Trump and Powers were dancing throughout the night occasionally joined by pop stars and pirates. Paula Deen offered up meals drenched in butter and the Queen of England offered the crowd a feeble wave.

Huey Lewis with his pencil thin black tie, took to the stage and started a set. All of the celebrities dances in the aisles. Some folks in the venue had probably just wanted to go to Lafayette’s for some fried Chicken Tenders, beef sliders or Voodoo Chicken Wings, but they got so much more than expected.It was great to see the celebrity impersonators relax dance and just enjoy each others company.

The public is welcome to attend the remaining Celebrity Impersonator Showcase tonight Saturday September 1, 2018 at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center (located in the Florida Mall 1500 Sand Lake Rd, Orlando, FL 32809). The Showcase is from 1pm-4:30pm where
impersonators will perform, delight and entertain the masses, including a
special Sunburst edition of “The Tonight Show”.  Plus, guests can get
their picture taken with their favorite “celebrity” during intermission
and following the showcases.  Showcase tickets are $25 per person at the
door and $20 online. 

Each
year, over 100 of the world’s best professional celebrity
impersonators, lookalikes and tribute artists fly, drive and cruise into
Orlando for Sunburst to gather, mingle, network, educate themselves and
have an unforgettable time.  They are joined by numerous talent buyers,
talent agents, producers and meeting planners from all over the country
who are invited to watch the imitators perform live and make a lasting
impression.  Sunburst features performance showcases, themed parties, an
awards banquet, promotional room and tons of photo opportunities.  The
general public is invited to attend the talent showcases and rub elbows
with the “Just About Famous” stars, and with this special public access
again this year, now even more spectators can enjoy the unique, fun and
one-of-a-kind entertainment Sunburst has to offer.

a Retrospective of Science Center Sketches on Exhibit

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Since 2009, I have been going to the Orlando Science Center to sketch exhibits, galas and events. On the third floor I now have 32 pieces framed and  lining the walls that are a retrospective of the sketches done over the years. My Analog Artist Digital World exhibit is up through October 23, 2018 so there is plenty of time to stop by.

The opening of my exhibit lined up with Science Night Live which is an evening where adults get to imbibe and interact with the exhibits which are usually reserved for the kids. My exhibit is in the halls that overlook Hall of Heroes. Many of my sketches over the years were done from this upper vantage point. Sketching this “god’s eye view” offers some privacy allowing enough time to get each sketch done.

Hall of Heroes is a traveling exhibit which allows visitors to immerse themselves in the world of superheroes, crime fighters, gadgets
and spies. Guests journey through several different themed
environments with surprises around every corner. Visitors of all ages
will love this exhibit that combines science and science fiction and
lets you discover your own super strengths. The Hall of Heroes Exhibit comes down September 3, 2018.

On the night of my opening, I invited about 5 Orlando Urban sketchers out to document the evening. I knew that I would have to spend much of my time at my table to answer any questions about mu work. Pam Schwartz was kind enough to man the table allowing me enough time to finish the sketch above.

I didn’t understand the appeal of a full sized half Bat Mobile. It seemed like it might be a photo opportunity but guests were not allowed back to sit in the drivers seat. I have to wonder where the other half of the vehicle might be. It must be sitting in another Science Center somewhere. The original Bat Mobile sold for 4 million dollars at auction. If that is so, then this half of the Bat Mobile might be worth 2 million dollars.

There was a model of a Bat Mobile made entirely out of 4 inch long wooden sticks. They were sort  of like Popsicle sticks but thicker. There were loose sticks for guests to build their own. A couple built a skyscraper tower. Until it got to high for the woman to reach. They abandoned their creation and then a very tall guy who must be a basketball player added some more floors. It stayed at that height for some time until a thin guy looked up at it and decided to add one more floor. The upper floors buckled and he tried to save the building by grabbing the midsection which made the whole thing much worse. It crashed down and scattered all over the room. Holy Tower of Babel!

Pulse 2 Year Memorial

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June 12, 2018 marked 2 years since the massacre of 49 people at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. Barbara Poma the owner of the club held a vigil at the nightclub to honor those lost. She founded Pulse for her brother who was gay and died from Aids. The name of the club was meant to keep his pulse alive. Now that Pulse is looking to keep 49 other peoples memories alive as well. An interim memorial was installed on the site featuring landscaping and design from Dix Hite Partners. A large photo mosaic mural was wrapped around the the building. The mural incorporates hundreds of photos pulled from the Orange County History Center‘s collection.

Pam Schwartz and I went to the memorial on June 12, 2018 just before sunset for the memorial and celebration of life. I decided to stop and sketch the iconic Pulse sign since I figured it might be difficult to get a view of the stage. Pam ended up sitting close to the stage since she is involved with the Pulse memorial task force. The base of the sign had been encased in a solid plastic case which lit up as it grew dark. People could sign the plastic with whiteboard markers that were supplied. These messages could be periodically erases so new messages could be added. A father stood his small daughter on his shoulders so she could sign high up.

Several of the Sisters of  Perpetual Indulgence stood on the far side of the sign. They wore black nun habits and one wore a rainbow veil held in place by Mickey Mouse ears. The angels were out in force although I doubt all 49 were there with their PVC and bed sheet fabric wings. Jen Vargas was an angel and she sat in her electric wheel chair wearing the large wings. She has been through surgery and seeing an angel in a wheel chair seemed appropriate for the occasion. A teenage daughter hugged her mom in front of me. Barbara Poma spoke, but her voice was so soft I couldn’t catch a word.

Politicians took to the stage. Each had a set script which was interpreted in Spanish on a teleprompter so Spanish speaking members of the audience could understand what was being conveyed. County Mayor Theresa Jacobs went off script and the planned interpretation had to stop. County Commissioner Patty Sheehan was in the crowd early on,  but she disappeared before all the political speeches. One man had sound muffling ear phones on and he shook and hugged his dog. I thought he might be crying, but I think he just isn’t used to being out in public.

Blue and her dancers performed on the stage which unfortunately I couldn’t see since the crowd was so thick. A chorus sang a bilingual Somewhere Over the Rainbow medley that incorporated songs from Wicked. The song Changed for the Better was included and it is a song I have found inspiring since the day I first saw the show. A rainbow formed across the club and cell phones rose in tribute to record the moment.

Parkland, Florida Memorial

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I spent the morning sketching jury selection for the Noor Salman Trial here in Orlando and then Pam Schwartz and myself drove south to Parkland, Florida where 17 students and faulty had been killed on Valentines Day in a mass shooting. Now, one month later memorial  items had to be cleared because an event was planned for this main stage in Pine Trails Park. The first impression of the town was that it is highly manicured giving the impression of suburban affluence. Seeing the memorial of course immediately reminded me of Pulse. 17 angels stood on stage with golden wings. I read the names of those killed on poster boards for the first time. In the field behind me there were 17 event tents protecting the 17 crosses. Some crosses had been switched out for stars of David.

It was a very windy day. Several tents had been blown over and more would do so as the storm progressed. Loose paper items from the memorial were blowing around, only stopping when they got wedged up against a fence. I heard that someone from a home in the neighborhood brought back items that had blown into her yard. Pam inspected the memorial and then began to return items and anchor them down.

Two high school students were looking at the memorial as I sketched. The girl collapsed to her knees. The boy put his hand on her shoulder waiting for her to regain her composure. It had only been about one month since the shooting. Then he approached me. I braced myself, he might consider my sketching to be disrespectful. Most people don’t understand why I do what I do. What he said took me off guard. He said, “I appreciate that you are sketching. We need to remember. People view sketches differently than they view photos. Thank you.” Considering that he must have been in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on the day of the shooting, this was an incredibly enlightened view. I got choked up, but cleared my eyes so I could finish the sketch.

Jeff Schwartz who heads up the Parkland Historical Society had invited Pam and I to stay at his home for the night.  Later that evening we would be meeting at City Hall so Pam could share her experiences and offer advice on how to collect and preserve the items from the memorials in Parkland.

KNPR Radio Interview in Las Vegas

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Pam Schwartz and I took a trip to Las Vegas where she was attending a National Council on Public History conference. This scheduling coincidence brought memorial experts to Las Vegas as their museums are continuing to collect and catalogued the items of remembrance that people left after the October 1, 2017 shooting that took 58 lives and had over 500 injured treated at area hospitals. With breakout segments like  “Documenting Resilience: Condolence
Collection Projects in the Wake of Violence,” the national gathering of
academics plans to discuss how communities such as Orlando, Newtown, Connecticut, and Isla Vista, California responded to mass casualty trauma.

KNPR Radio interviewed a panel of individuals who have had to collect in the wake of tragedy. Melissa Barthelemy is a graduate student at UC Santa Barbara who worked on efforts there. Pam Schwartz is chief curator of the Orange County Regional
History Center in Orlando, Florida and created and led the effort to manage the collection of items left at the scene of
the Pulse Nightclub Massacre. Cynthia Sanford is the registrar at the Clark County Museum. She is
heading up the effort to collect and catalog many of the items left at some of the
memorials in Las Vegas.

I sketched as the three fielded questions. Producer Doug Puppel set the tone of the interview. Barthelemy said the collection, archiving and exhibition of items from pop-up memorials are a new area of history research. These
kinds of memorials really only started to appear in the last few
decades. She said people point to the many impromptu memorials left
in the wake of Princess Diana’s death as a contributor to the rise of
spontaneous memorials. The fact that these mass memorials are visible on TV and social media contribute to the rise in items left in the wake of tragedy.

Schwartz said not every community is impacted the same way by a mass
casualty event and therefore not every community reacts in the same way. Those differences change what is collected and how it is exhibited. “The
biggest thing for people to understand, especially people who have not
been through a similar sort of situation, is that one size doesn’t fit
all,” she said. The focus of any exhibition should be on what will help the community with its healing process.

Sanford explained that her museum already has between 15,000 and 20,000 artifacts from the memorials. “Our
role as a museum is to preserve the history of Southern Nevada,” she
said, “Unfortunately, this event is now part of our history.” She
said the museum is planning an exhibit for the one year anniversary of
the shooting, but there is not a plan for a permanent home for the
items. 5,000 items have been catalogued so far. 50 years from now, 100 years from now those items will be in storage. Every item you work on is someone’s story. Sometimes when you get home, that is when it hits you. The three interviewees all explained that they are honored to be able to collect these events for their communities. You have to find a way to get through it.

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