Having a bad day. My truck was rear ended and the guy said he had to run because he was picking someone up at the airport, so there was no police report. I looked at my cell phone only to find the battery dead. We did exchange insurance info. People need to slow down and relax. A friend sketched a peace sign into the dirt on the back of my truck. When I got home after the accident I rubbed it out thinking it might have been a bulls eye for the road raged Daytona driver that hit me.
Play in a day is hosted by Beth Marshall at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Six groups of Orlando’s most talented actors and playwrights had just 24 hours to put together their consecutive plays. Writers were given a theme and certain ideas that had to be in the play. They then wrote late into the night some of them all night long for the production starting the next day.
When I arrived Beth Marshall was directing a musical political satire written by Margot Knight. Margot explained her process a bit and it was fascination. She had a long list of free associated ideas that she jotted down in quick succession. No ideas were rejected and many ended up in the final production. She said she even was writing as she drove which is a practice I have started following her example. The fact that I had a fender bender this morning is an entirely unrelated event. I was rear ended and I wasn’t writing at the time. Margot’s production was a fun romp about health care reform. The political quagmire was best represented by using Alice in Wonderland as the vehicle to start the production. At one point Alice tries to read the legal document of the health care reform bill and she is rightfully confused by the language where up is down and down is up.
Britni Leslie had the lead roll as Alice. She had several song numbers to sing and Beth was concerned that her voice might not carry well enough in the theater. Beth arranged to get a wireless mic. The rehearsal was fast and furious with tech setting up lights and sound cues on the fly. I am amazed as how the actors could retain so much dialogue so fast. When it came time to present the play in front of an audience, I felt it went rather well. watching rehearsals I knew where a few blunders and slip ups had happened, but when there was an audience the adrenaline and focus kicked in making everything flow smoothly.
My Fair Lady
The Orlando Philharmonic along with Mad Cow Theater is presenting “My Fair Lady” at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center (401 West Livingston Street). I went to a rehearsal of this limited staged production and was shocked at the care taken with the set. The whole living room section rolled forward towards the audience. I thought I was going to sketch back stage, but the whole orchestra was elevated making that a challenge. Instead I sat in the front row looking up at the action.
I loved this production it was funny endearing and the singing was great. The sound techs were still working out the kinks on the sound dials for the actors mics. This caused actors to occasionally go mute but I’m sure it will all be worked out by show time. Caroline Blice a french horn player came down to say hello during the intermission. She explained that every instrument in the orchestra had a separate mic.
I loved every second of this production. The performance features Michelle Knight as Eliza Doolittle and Philip Nolan as Henry Higgins. Performances are today at 2PM and 8PM. You will be sorry if you miss this production.
K.T. Sullivan -Mad Cow Cabaret
For the next three weeks the Mad Cow Theater is offering great cabaret entertainment from all over the world. This is the 8th annual cabaret festival hosted by Mad Cow. Cabaret offers a celebration of song and personality; musical entertainment in a intimate setting. I saw Zac Alfson who works at the Mad Cow at the WPRK radio station and he invited me to go to the opening night performance by K.T. Sullivan which would then be followed by a cabaret party. I have never been to a cabaret before, so I jumped at the opportunity. I got a seat in the back row and that worked out great since I needed to use a book light to see the pages the whole time I sketched. This is the first time I have done a sketch with a book light in a theater and I was a bit self conscious. When the house went totally dark I would shield the light with my hand.
Just as the show was about to get started two young women in fluffy night gowns and high heels got into the row in front of me. One of the girls got up probably to go to the rest room and she pranced down the steps theatrically as if trying not to make a sound. Half of the audience was able to see her stealthy comical movements and they started laughing uncontrollably. The woman had to be an actress and I wondered if she had been planted in the audience.
K.T. Sullivan’s performance was both sultry and humorous. Jon Weber accompanied her on the piano. She sang the songs of Dietz and Schwartz who she said wrote the songs late at night. One song written around the time of WWII was about a woman having to date young boys and old men since all the best men had been shipped off to war. The lyrics were very funny. Seeing her performance from the back row let me focus more on the overall feeling of the intimate setting of the space.
After the show was over everyone gathered in the lobby and I was surprised that no one left. I noticed one of Terry’s friends named Eileen and I went over to say hello. She had just gotten back from Louis’s funeral in New Orleans. She is selling her home in Chuluota and will be moving to New York City soon. I offered my condolences and told her a bit about my trip to Pennsylvania. She was with a large group of people and they left for another venue.
There was to be a Cabaret House Party starting at 10PM and so everyone waited in the lobby for the next half hour or so till that started. I got a chance to talk to Genevieve who is now working with Aradhana Tiwari on Project F. Genevieve is the choreographer of Voci Dance and she is excited about the Facebook themed show she is collaborating on. She told me about a rehearsal I missed in which everyone on stage had yarn and as they walked on stage they would leave a trail behind them. All the actors became entangled in this web and it affected their movements. I can kick myself for missing that rehearsal.
I got a white wine when the Cabaret House Party began. Seth Kubersky carried a clip board and wandered the crowd looking for people to sign up for Karaoke Cabaret. Tod Kimbro took to the piano and entertained the audience for a while. The first singer that took to the stage was seventeen year old Samantha. She said she was a bit nervous because she had never been to the Mad Cow Theater before then she quietly began to sing “Till there was you.” She began tentatively but then her voice rang clear and beautiful. She had a gorgeous voice. What a fabulous start for the night! Another couple that I absolutely adored sang “Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors. I love this show, and used to sing the songs to myself as I painted in my rundown apartment in New York City. The notion of finding romance in the ruins of New York appealed to me, as did the idea of escaping to find a better life somewhere else. Who would have imagined that might be Orlando. They finished their song and kissed. She quietly said to herself,”He’s so adorable.” I found myself humming “Suddenly Seymour” to myself on the whole drive home.
The Arts and Social Responsibility
Billy Collins the former US poet laureate, Jules Feiffer, a Pulitzer prize-winning cartoonist, novelist , playwright and screenwriter and Marsha Norman a Pulitzer prize-winning playwright all came together at the Annie Russell Theater at Rollins College to discuss the arts and social responsibility. Feiffer kicked off the discussion by pointing out that most of his cartoons were about the narrative of social injustice. He was fascinated by the way politicians would say one thing and mean something entirely different. In his mind fear is the most common human emotion.He saw Death of a Salesman when he was a young boy and he was truck by the way the family in that play never told the truth to one another. He saw his own family mirrored in the hidden meanings of what was left unsaid on the stage. He felt that the play “Waiting for Gordot” was a play with cartoon dialogue which as a cartoonist he could identify with.
Marsha Norman discussed how her play “Night Mother” came to fruition. She was angry at having just lost a job and she found herself in a new city not knowing anyone. She wrote the play from that place of anger feeling she had nothing to loose since no one would ever produce the play. The play was about time and anger and the end of a certain journey. As it turns out this was the play that won her the Pulitzer Prize. She said winning that award gave her the four word title in front of her name but little else. Writing her next play she knew she had to start from scratch and anything she produced would always be compared to the former high water mark. She started discussing how the intermission is so important in a play. The audience has met the characters and seen the obstacles. She compared the audience to a jury. She felt it is important for the audience to deliberate during the intermission. When the audience returns it is important that no key moment be staged in the first few minutes since audience members are still adjusting to the seats and thinking about their neighbors and any annoyances. Then she wants the audience to feel they are on stage with the characters. She said the brains main function is to predict and at all times the audience is making predictions and judgments.
In a question and answer session after the talk, a student asked the open ended question which has the most elusive answer, “What should I be doing if I want to write a great play?” I was surprised at the simple and obvious answer Marsha offered. She said, “Write some short one act scenes of dialogue. One could be a love scene, an argument and a scene where one character wants something the other character has. Then get some friends to rehearse these scenes and perform them in public places like a cafeteria or a park. The people in these public places will be your audience and see how they react. Keep writing. Write some more.”
Philharmonic Concert
My wife had tickets to the Tribute to Leonard Bernstein concert at the Bob Carr performing arts center. We were seated back in row N. I felt quite claustrophobic, unable to move my arms without bumping the person seated next to me. Terry also acknowledged that these seats were a tighter fit than usual. I knew what to expect with the first half of the concert since I had sketched the rehearsal the night before. When the intermission rolled around I was glad for the chance to stretch my legs and arms. Terry lead the way up to the patrons lounge where people were lined up for champagne and wine. When we returned to the theater, we sat in the front row so I could do a quick sketch of this historic performance.
This was the last performance by conductor Andrew Lane at the Bob Carr. He was resigning from the Orlando Philharmonic which he had helped foster and grow for the last 17 years. For this reason the concert had a bitter sweet feel to it. When Andrew waved and walked off the stage it was for the last time. The orchestra and audience gave him a long standing ovation. Toasts were offered in his honor at the back stage gathering after the concert. There were plenty of rumors circulating about reasons for his departure, but the bottom line remains the same, Orlando has just lost a great conductor who helped inspire the orchestra to push themselves to new heights. I for one will miss him.
Philharmonic rehearsal
I went to the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center to watch a rehearsal for “A Tribute to Lenny” conducted by Andrew Lane. In the lounge there was a younger crowd than usual having sandwiches and drinks prior to the rehearsal. I thought I was going to an event that is usually attended by board members, where the board members are invited to sit on stage right next to the performers. I quickly made my way onstage. I was surprised to find none of the other patrons back stage. I got a chair but when I sat down, I couldn’t see over the whole orchestra. I decided I had to sketch standing up.
This concert was a tribute to Leonard Bernstein, with selections from Candide, On the Town, and West Side Story. I love the overture to Candide and it helped me relax as I blocked in the sketch.
Soprano Angela Mortellaro was standing right behind me as I worked. I started feeling self conscious thinking I might get kicked out of the wings when Union stage hands realized I was in the way. I even thought Angela might ask me what I was doing and ask me to leave. When she walked onstage to sing Glitter and be Gay from Candide, she turned to me and smiled as she walked by. I realized she had much more important things on her mind. Her performance was stunning she has a range that the music fully put to the test. The song left me felling joy and excitement mixed with a deep sadness.
As is typical in a rehearsal there were many stops and starts. The harp player didn’t play for the longest time. I had planned to sketch her playing but instead she sat through most of the rehearsal reading a magazine. I patiently waited to catch her performing and then I sketched frantically thinking she might stop before I finished. The same was true for the string players who would remove the instruments from their chins and hide it in their laps. I was just about finished with my sketch when half the program had been performed. The orchestra went on a break and I put down my final washes and packed up. I decided this sketch was enough for one night. I planned to see the concert the following evening with my wife.
Fab Fringe Fundraiser
Beth Marshall suggested I stop down to the Fab Fringe Fundraiser that was held at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. I had to attend a Bella Fleck concert later that night so I knew my time to sketch was limited. I arrived straight from downtown where I dropped off several of my prints to a client. I was a bit early and I decided to sketch, Carla Davis, the woman who sells the tickets to the event. Pricilla who had attended the Fringe eight times, was at the next table selling Fringe tee shirts and buttons. Within minutes the first Fringe button was sold kicking off this years Fringe festivities. There were three or four photographers buzzing about the event and every one of them wanted to get pictures of me at work. I am getting used to the mild distractions of the sounds of shutters clicking as I sketch. When I finished this sketch I wandered into the Patrons room where tables lined the walls of the circular room with various auction items waiting for bids. I took the business cards of any artists whose work interested me, so I might contact them and see if they were interested in allowing me to visit their studios to sketch.
Tisse Mallon found me and said I had to experience “Theater in a box”. Theater in a box was a small fabric box just big enough to seat two people. A woman had just entered the theater so Tisse suggested I get some food and come back. I loaded my plate and then Tisse told me the theater was waiting. I ducked down and entered the totally dark cave sitting in the empty seat. Jeff Wirth who was sitting opposite me turned on a small pen light which was dangling from the ceiling. As my eyes adjusted, he looked around nervously wringing his hands. Finally he said, “I don’t know how we will get out of here alive.” Slowly our precarious situation was discussed. We were lost on a cave spelunking expedition. This improve drama required that I join in the drama offering my feeble attempts to comfort Jeff, and find a way back to the surface. We had left no trail and there were hundreds of passageways and turns. Outside our dark shelter, I could hear the crowd gathering to enter the theater, but that just reminded me of how desperate the situation was. I realized suddenly that I had bought the Fringe food into the enclosure so I reminded Jeff that at least we had some food. He pointed out that it would not last long. My only way to put a positive spin on the situation was through humor. Then the thought dawned on me, park rangers would certainly send a search team after us when we did not check back in at the end of the day. I also told Jeff that they most likely would have search dogs who would be able to sniff out the food. Jeff took two small pinches off of my roll on the plate. He gave me one pinch of bread. We toasted by tapping the two crumbs together as he said, “here is to survival”.
Toast to Elizabeth Maupin at the Rep
I bought some potato salad, macaroni salad and soda and headed down to the Orlando Reperatory Theater in Lock Haven Park for the toast to former Orlando Theater critic Elizabeth Maupin. When I pulled into the parking lot, Elizabeth was just getting out of her car so for once my timing was perfect. When I got inside I was directed as to where I should place my food items. I wandered the room wondering where I should situate myself for a sketch. I spoke for a while with actor, Alan Gallant, who had played Orson Wells in “War of the Worlds.” I learned a bit about what it is like to try and make a living in this town as an actor. I then spoke with Zac Alfson who was just back from NYC where he attended a marketing workshop. A woman stood on the small makeshift stage and shouted “Start eating!” I admired her directness and kind of wish politicians could be that straight forward and to the point.
When I saw where Elizabeth was going to sit, I decided to go up to the second floor balcony so I could get a good overhead view of the whole scene. The railing was too high for me to see over with simply my stool. So I pulled up a chair then put my stool on top of it. This high precarious perch gave me an overall view of the proceedings. She can be seen in the lower right hand corner of my sketch with her husband and three other men. As everyone was eating, I finished up the initial line work. Brian Feldman walked in with his marquee sign. He saw me up on the balcony with hand signs, he asked me where to place it. When he found the right spot, I gave him a thumbs up. He went to the men’s room and while he was gone, someone took it upon themselves to rotate the sign towards the front door. When he came back in, he looked up at me with a “what the f…) expression. I gave a hand rotation signal and he rotated the sign back so I could see. Zac came upstairs to see how my sketch was going. He asked if he was in it, and I hadn’t sketched him. I told him if he socialized in the center section of the room, I would put him in the sketch. So he is in the sketch, twice actually, once standing and also seated.
When performers took to the stage I was adding washes. One song in particular was really heart warming, I wrote down the only note for the night, “Where’s the challenge if you never try?” Another song spoke about how we meet certain people in our life who help us grow. My mind wandered and I reflected on the good friends I have met since I have started sketching theater productions. I felt a warm connection to this theater community. Or, as Margaret Nolan said in a Facebook status update, “The evening had a great energy and was full of heart and soul. Just what the world needs!”
Florida Film Festivel Preview Party
The Enzian Theater held a sneak preview of the films that will be featured in this year’s Florida Film Festival. When I arrived, there was quite a crowd gathered at the Eden Bar outside. As I was milling about, I bumped into Jordana Meade, the Enzian publicist, and I was pleased and delighted when she directed me to a table inside to pick up a press pass for the festival. Back outside, Lynn Warnicke was shouting at me from behind the table where they were issuing wristbands. I thought I was above needing a wristband after getting my shiny new press pass, but she insisted I needed one and closed the deal when she told me I could get a free beer. Band me up! The free beer was being offered by Peroni and I quickly picked one up from the lovely woman behind the bar. It was rather sharp-tasting and thin for my tastes, but hey, that didn’t stop me from drinking it.
In the theater, there was an area roped off for press, and it took me a while before I finally realized that meant I could sit front and center. Feeling self-conscious, I ducked under the rope. I immediately found an empty table and started sketching. Mark Baratelli and his crew from TheDailyCity.com came over to my table and joined me. They all had samples of the food being offered. I had skipped the food not wanting to wait in line. Jordana sat down with us saying, “I want to join the cool kids.” She explained that the theme of the festival has to do with savoring the flavors of the south. Deena Beena had a bright pink pickle and Jordana explained that it was a pickle soaked in Kool-aid, called a Koolickle, and it was a southern delicacy. In a gift bags given to all the press, there was also Barkolate, which is chocolate covered bacon provided by Chateau Confections of Winter Park. This year the festival has a deal with Nestle and they have an endless supply of Cranberry Raisinets!
Back on stage, Governing Board Member, Henry Maldonado,gave a brief introduction to a film which highlights what the Festival has to offer this year. The Florida Film Festival allows you to rub shoulders and even share a drink with the filmmakers themselves. I know that this year I will be offering plenty of sketches from the front lines of this amazing festival which runs from April 9th to April 18th. Mark your calenders and get ready for an exhilarating experience. Welcome home to ten days of film, food and friends.
Chemonologues
Marilyn Wattman, a cancer survivor, wrote Chemonologues and I went to the first reading of the play at Theatre Downtown (2113 North Orange Avenue). The play reading was supported by a professional development grant from United Arts. When I got to the theater, the front doors were locked. Tommy Wingo was also waiting with a huge collection of sound equipment. He made a cell phone call to Brian Feldman, Marilyn’s son, and was told to knock loudly. Sure enough, after several loud knocks the doors opened. Marilyn immediately greeted us and showed us into the theater. Tommy set up in the center section and I sat down at stage left and started sketching the stage area. I used my time by penciling all the chairs in the proper locations and when the actors arrived I sketched each in ink on a chair. The theater is a dark intimate space and I fell in love with it immediately.
Chemonologues is set up as a cancer survivors support group. Marilyn interviewed dozens of cancer survivors in order to find the different voices in the play. She began as a reporter but over time realized she was personally and intimately involved. During the talk back after the reading, Mr. Feldman got choked up as he described how Marilyn hated going to support groups. He continued by pointing out the never-ending costs of cancer; medical bills keep piling up and there is no way for the family to deal with it.
Several times during the reading characters clashed and disagreed, but overall the play was more educational rather than dramatic. The information is presented in a preachy manner at times rather than being presented through conversation and action. For me, the play ran too long, but I can see the amazing potential in the premise. One audience member pointed out that too many of the characters in the play were in the acceptance stages of the disease. She wanted to see other stages of grief and denial, like anger, bargaining and depression. She pointed out that it would be nice to get more of a feeling of the day-to-day struggles of living with cancer, and how our health care system often leaves survivors up the creek without a paddle.
The harsh realities presented in this play are difficult to face, but I do feel I understand and can empathize more with families that have to live with the disease. Most everyone I know has had their family touched by cancer at some point and yet it is not something that we talk about very often. This play is a diamond in the rough that could still use some more polishing.
Thumbs up to the cast who only read the play once before this reading and to Marilyn who is taking bold chances, and I hope she continues to do so.