12th Annual John R. Hamilton Mock Trial: The Crown v. Falstaff

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Falstaff was put on trial at the Orlando Shakes, (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803).  He is a disreputable an rather rotund character in Shakespeare‘s Henry IV. The judges in this trial were to be Alisa Smith, Chair of the Department of Legal Studies at the University of Central Florida, Judge Frederick Lauten, former Chief Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit for Orange and Osceola Counties, and Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel Columnist. When introduced, Judge Lauten did an admirable and hilarious job of disinfecting his fellow judges and the entire judging area.

Hosted
by the Bard’s Board Barristers, the Margeson Theater was transformed
into a hilarious, interactive courtroom. Actors from Orlando Shakes’
production of Henry IV, Part 1 took the unpredictability of live theater to a whole new level in an
over-the-top, rollicking trial amidst the panel of celebrity judges.

To start Falstaff recounted his heroic fight with some highwaymen who robbed him of the loot he had just hoisted himself. He brandished his sword recreating his every movement in the battle that ensued. With each telling the number of foes he had fought off grew. Then a cloaked figure read off the litany of charges against Falstaff which included larceny, robbery, thievery, lewd and lascivious behavior, public drunkenness, foul oderocity fraud, deceit, embezzlement, false accusations, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, impersonating the king, conspiracy and four counts of claim to murder. The list was hilariously long.

The trial itself began with Darth Vader as the prosecutor and Princess Leia as the defense attorney. Light sabers replaced the more timely swords. During the trial Falstaff got to discuss how honor has no place on a battlefield. The funniest moments came when Bardolph, Falsaff’s side kick was put on the stand to testify. He was incredibly drunk and a very easy witness to sway.

In the end the entire audience was the jury and after our jury instructions, we had to vote on Falstaff’s guilt or innocence. We had to raise out hands and make a guttural Wookiee call when we voted. Despite his clear guilt on many of the counts, he was an important character in the upcoming play, Henry IV Part 2. I voted to acquit, but the final decision was not clear based on the the noise in the theater. Chaos was breaking out. Then Falsaff bounded center stage and shouted, “I have been pardoned!” He ran off stage to murderous applause.

The Shakes 30th Anniversary Gala

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The Shakes (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803) pulled out all the stops to create an amazing 30th Anniversary Gala this year. Gorgeous blue and pink curtains were hung at the entrance and a shimmering silver carpet was rolled out to the entry door. High columns of glistening crystals lined the walk. Inside, a line built up for picking up programs and bidding numbers. Food stations were set up throughout the Shakes, both inside and out. I settled in immediately at a standing table to sketch since I knew that time would be limited.

I focused my attention on Capa Restaurant from Four Seasons. Capa is a luxurious rooftop restaurant at Walt Disney World resort. They were serving Cerdo, which is pork belly, rhubarb, and hazelnuts covered in a rich creamy sauce with bright sprigs of garnish. It was like an extra thick cut of bacon lightly crispy at the edges. I sketched madly as they prepared plate after plate of food. For the most part I just drank Coke to keep my sketching buzz on. Pam Schwartz explored the various food stations and brought back samples. I tried lamb shank that was delicious. Somehow a chunk of mashed potato got wedged between my palette and sketchbook. I only discovered it when I finished the sketch and started cleaning up.

Several patrons were charmed that I was sketching. One woman stopped to tell all about her two daughters, one is bohemian and an artist herself, and the other is a type A personality. Another couple started talking about the vibe of the arts scene in Italy. I started talking about Provence, confusing it for Italy because I was so focused on my sketch.

The fundraising portion of the evening was an amazing success. I had a print in the silent auction and it was sold, though I didn’t see the final bid. The auction held in the theater itself offered several dream stay-cations and a dinner for 100 friends. These packages went for thousands of dollars. Bidding for the Shakespeare education programing was extremely lively. Tallahassee has cut the arts budget by more than 90% this year so fundraising is more important than ever.

Jim Helsinger and Scott Maxwell both told stories about Harriet Lake who has just died this year. It seems everyone who met Harriet has a story about her. She always made an impression. She used to always sit in the same front row seats and though she was offered comps she would insist on paying. However she would at times show up unannounced and want to sit in her seat. Because of this, the staff of the Shakes always kept those two seats open until the last minute.  Jim announced that a plaque will be added and those seats will forever be known as Harriet’s seats.

In the Heights is now playing at the Shakes and in that musical residents of Washington Heights dreamed of what it would be like to win the lottery worth $96,000. The cast of In the Heights took to the stage to perform $96,000. In a stroke of genius, Jim Helsinger asked how much money had been raised in the silent auction and the live auction so far. We were just about $5,000 short of $96,000 dollars. Bidding was opened again and in the excitement over $96,000 dollars was raised.

The cast of In the Heights then performed a cabaret that ended with the entire cast performing the opening number of In the Heights. I lived In the Heights for 10 years as a struggling artist in New York City, so I identify with the hopes and dreams of that barrio.  It was a rousing and fitting end to a very successful gala.

Buddy Dyer and Scott Maxwell ride into the Danger Zone.

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Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer previewed the new immersive Flight Lab, while Challenging Orlando Sentinel’s Scott Maxwell in a Virtual Contest to be Top Gun at the Orlando Science Center (777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803). The Mayor and Sentinel Columnist continued their decades-long video game rivalry. Since 2006, they have competed for dominance at
the annual Otronicon. From Halo shootouts to Dance Dance Revolution,
these two combatants have given their all in a bid for techno supremacy.
The competition came days before the 13th annual Otronicon Tech Expo.

The high tech Flight Lab is located on the top floor of the Science Center in the Dino Digs area. I arrived a bit early to sketch the room, waiting for the contestants to arrive. One of the Oculus Rift Virtual Reality technology experts in the room noticed my John Henry crew jacket and he asked if I had worked at Disney. He had worked for 10 years at Universal so we shared a few war stories. He lamented that CAD technology has produced a generation of tech architects and artists who are content use homogeneous stock imagery. The life in hand crafted sketching is quickly becoming a lost art. Now that I am looking for work, it seems like Tech is all that exists in this Digital World.

The contestants were given a chance to try out the technology before their flight. They both put on Virtual Reality headsets which allowed them to look around their cockpits. “Maverick” (Dyer) glanced out his cockpit window to see “Ice Man” (Maxwell). They both took off the flight deck of the carrier and took to the sky. Each jet required a pilot and co-pilot so the tech experts helped in the co-pilot seats. With the test flights out of the way the pilots prepared for their head to head flights. Maverick got off the flight deck first with Ice Man flying in formation behind. This was not a dog fight but a simple test of speed and agility. Buddy Dyer took the title of “Top Gun.”

Flight Lab will be premiering at this year’s Otronicon. This new permanent exhibit uses real-world mission scenarios to teach standards-based concepts and to develop critical communication, decision-making, team building, and collaborative skills. Flight Lab is an immersive experience with 13 flight simulator stations to accommodate both a pilot and co-pilot. Oculus Rift head-mounted display units take participants right into the danger zone as they learn how to fly, navigate, communicate, and work as a team. Funding for the exhibit is provided by the Office of Naval Research.

Otronicon connects visitors with the creative professionals and technology that are turning Central Florida into a hub for innovation. It is a celebration of our community’s technology leaders, including the latest from Lockheed Martin, Walt Disney World Resort, Florida Hospital for Children, University of Central Florida as well as a cross section of our region’s top indie game developers and so much more. The 13th Annual

Otronicon is January 12-15, 2018. The hours are 10 AM to 5 PM each day. Tickets are available online.

Adult ($20.95)
Senior ($18.95)
Student ($18.95)
Youth ($14.95)
Two and Under ($0.00)

Trash 2 Trends: a Recycled Runway Show.

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Trash 2 Trends was held at Ports of Call at Sea World. The program for the event had two pages of photos of Sea World staff rescuing sea turtles and dolphins. The pages proclaimed that 29,000 animals had been rescued. The entrance to the parks parking lot still sports fiberglass killer whales leaping in the misty light. Tilikum the killer whale this killed his trainer recently died of bacterial pneumonia. The killer whale lived in isolation having spent most of his life in captivity. In the open ocean killer whales swim thousands of miles in the endless expanse of the oceans. At Sea World they can only swim in circles in the tight constraints of the enclosures.

The hosts for the evening were Doug Ba’aser, Scott Maxwell and Miss Sammy. Miss Sammy wore a home made dress made from silver egg cartons and plenty of shot glasses. Doug took off his suit while he was on stage, Saying that he didn’t us n to get it dirty since he would have to return it the next day. He wasn’t kidding. Money raised at the fundraiser went to Keep Orlando Beautiful. Founded in 1987, KOB is a non profit organization that offers a variety of much needed community improvement services. They strive to create a healthier, safer, more livable and sustainable community environment.

Judges, seated at the end of the runway were, Commissioner Patty Sheehan, Barbara Hartley, Maxine Earhart, and Marcy Singhaus. In all 34 unique recycled dresses strutted down the runway. The judges pick for the best dress, was Far East Headlines – Read and Wear created by Sharon Huang. The intricate and opulent dress made the model look like a peacock. Love Conquers Hate by Meaghan Moreno won as the audience choice for the best use of materials. The audience choice votes were cast with dollar bills.  Love conquers hate had the stately mode wearing large white angel wings. The tips of the wings had thin hints of the colors of the rainbow. The 49 feathers each had the names of the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting. Her golden crown was illuminated and the lower skirt also glowed.

A Russian Christmas.

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On December 11th, the Maitland, Presbyterian Church (341 N Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL 32751) presented A Russian Christmas. Russia is well known for producing talented composers like Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. This concert presented sounds of the holiday season with a Russian flair. June Flowers, who organizes music a presentations around Central Florida, asked me to come and sketch the performance. June introduced me to Elizabeth St. Hilaire who is a visual artist and also a violin player. I made sure to get Elizabeth’s pinch hair in the sketch. 

The Artistic Director and Conductor was Eric W. Mendez. Most arrangements were purely instrumental, but Cantique de Noel featured soprano Laura Bertshinger. Her performance elicited a standing oration. The Emcees for the night were Sent in a columnist Scott Maxwell, and Margaret Patten. Scott mentioned an article he had just written about 101 of the things that make Central Florida unique. I had just read that article and pulled it out of the paper because it contained so many sketch opportunities.  That article listen the Maitland Symphony Orchestra as one of the unique 101 gems. 

The concert was free, but of course donations were encouraged. This concert was certainly a way to warm up to the Christmas season. I slipped away during A Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson. I wanted to avoid the crush of the crowd when the concert ended.

Otronicon opens with a VIP reception at the Orlando Science Center.

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The 10th Annual Otronicon opened at the Orlando Science Center (777 East Princeton Street Orlando FL) with a VIP reception on January 15th. Mayor Buddy Dyer Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell faced off in a video game throw down, playing “Super Smash Bros.,” “Dance Central 3”
and “Madden 15” for bragging rights as they engaged in a rematch
from Otronicon v.1 in 2006. Unfortunately I was teaching a life drawing class so I missed the video game action. By the time I got to the Science Center all the dignitaries had all ready left.

 Now in its 10th year, Otronicon is the premiere technology event in Orlando. Discover how we will live, learn, work and
play in the years to come through video games, simulation and other
technology — most of which is made here in Orlando. The four-day event
features:

  • Larger-than-life video game experiences
  • State-of-the-art medical and military simulators
  • Workshops taught by industry pros
  • And so much more!

Since Otronicon is all about technology, I decided to use my digital tablet to sketch. From the walkway above, I was intrigued by the bright green tables that created a unique pattern in the perspective of the massive space. People gathered in lively groups and the room buzzed with conversations. There were a few arcade styled video games right behind me and I could hear the mayhem as I sketched. When the sketch was done, I went down to quickly look at all the displays.

EA Sports was strongly represented with football, basketball and soccer games. Bean bag chairs that looked like basketballs and soccer balls were you had to sit in order to play the games. A storm trooper wandered around the room to keep order and Darth Vader was there to handle anyone who became drunk and disorderly. My friends, Wendy Wallenberg, Michael McLeod and Denise Sudler were there so I stayed to get a chance to talk and laugh for a while. I had invited Terry, but she had to work late. I’ll probably return to Otronicon which runs through January 19th to do some more sketches. It is an Urban Sketcher’s paradise.