Phantasmagoria: Through a Christmas Darkly

Posted on by Thor

Pam and I went to a performance of Phantasmagoria: Through a Christmas Darkly at The Center for Fine and Performing Arts at Seminole State College. This wasn’t you usual Christmas fair with 3 ghosts of Christmas, it was much darker. Students form Seminole State got to work with the actors of this critically acclaimed acting troupe. The Victorian Horror Troupe recently celebrated their 10th year of production. I have had the pleasure of watching this company grow through the years. They used to perform each Halloween but have since grown to include the main stage show, a mini touring group and appearances at events throughout the year. They have grown from Central Florida to Saint Louis Missouri, and Atlanta Georgia.

The premise is simple, members of the troupe must pull a story from a box, and once a story is started it must be finished. Some stories are so sinister that just telling in itself can be dangerous. This performance was tight and polished, with each character seeming very comfortable in their role. Hawthorn (Cory Volence) was trying to begin a tale but Alteza (Camille Vela) was overacting her part as a dark sinister apparition with a black cloak. Every time Hawthorn tried to speak she let out an unearthly wail. This offered a hilarious reprieve as Hawthorn finally had to drag her off stage under one arm. Each character in turn had their moment to shine as they shared the horrors of the season.

The show culminated in a horrific retelling  of the Krampus myth. I saw children get out of their seats and stand on tip toe to get a better view of the demon best known for putting coal in stockings and much worse for those that misbehave.

Be sure to catch Phantasmagoria’s A Christmas Carol – Orlando Performances at The Shakes (812 E Rollins Street Orlando Fl.) Performances are on December 13, 14 and 16th at 8pm each night. This show offers a uniquely dark adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale “A Christmas Carol, A Ghost Story of Christmas”.

Tickets: – Adults – $25.00 / Student/Senior/Military – $15.00
Also availability for Will Call CASH ONLY at the door by calling the Phantasmagoria Hotline: (407) 476-5121 and leave a voice mail.

Additional Performances on Tour
DELAND: Athens Theater – December 18th
MOUNT DORA: Mount Dora Community Center – December 19th
OCALA: Reilly Arts Center – December 20th
SANFORD: Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center – Dec 21st
EUSTIS: Historical State Theater – December 27th and 28th

Spring into Dance

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I returned to Seminole State College to see “Spring into Dance” presented by Yow Dance. I requested a seat in a back row with no one near by. I didn’t want the glow from my tablet to disturb any audience members. The Artistic Director, Eric Yow was seared a few rows in front of me. The performance was a collaboration between Eric’s dance company and some very enthusiastic College students who were studying modern dance under Eric’s supervision. There were a total of eight dance pieces. Some were so high energy, like Word Up, that I was amazed by the stamina of the dancers. The dancers wore blood splattered wedding dresses and moved with zombie like loose muscled fluidity. The stage lighting gave the dresses an eerie iridescence. This was the world premiere of this piece and the audience loved it.

In one piece the dancers interacted with a lone spotlight. They would dance close to the mysterious light with tentative trepidation. By the end of the dance they formed a human pyramid allowing one lone dancer the chance to reach up to the illuminated heights. The last piece was called Blackberry Winter. It was an inspired incessant driving piece that kept a face pace throughout. Groups moved together in unity and just as an action felt complete another group would spiral into action.

Yow Dance Tech Rehearsal

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I went to a Yow Dance Tech Rehearsal at Seminole State College. When I arrived scaffolding was in place on stage and the stage lights were being aimed and adjusted. The dancers had not yet arrived. The scaffold had to be moved each time a new light had to be adjusted. The process became a learning experience for the college age stage hands who took their directions from Ellen Bone, the seasoned lighting designer. She took the time to explain why certain adjustments were made and she even walked a student around to give pointers.

When the dancers arrived, the house wend dark and the only thing I could see was the glow of Ellen’s laptop. I switched to drawing on my digital tablet. Apparently the headphones she was wearing didn’t work since she had to shout out her sound cues to the lighting booth at the back of the theater. The dancers performed and lighting adjustments were made on the fly. Sometime the dancers had to stop and wait while the right lighting combination was found.

One of the dance numbers called “Little Boxes” made a strong statement about how children are taught to behave and conform to societies expectations. The dancers shuffled in a chain gang style line. The dance offered a great social commentary about how our suburban society expects us all to be the same. A life of ticky tacky conformity as we move from one box to the next.