Eden Bar's New Menu

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The Eden Bar outside the Enzian Theater hosted a media event to introduce new lunch menu items. I arrived right after work and started sketching before the bar got too crowded. Christie West the bar manager gathered all the staff together to discuss the game plan for the evening. When she spoke with me later in the evening, she explained that all the bartenders had gone out and shopped for unique ingredients. They then set up a drink lab where each bartender created their own signature drink. The first drink that came out was a Vodka Lemonade Lime drink in a martini glass. The drink had to be sipped using the dainty straw to avoid sipping the herbs. I made that mistake only once. When my watercolor brush ran out of water, I refilled it with this light vodka drink. The drink was delicious as well. The next drink sample was a black currant gin, also quite refreshing.

Finally some food samples arrived. The first was an Ahi tuna with mango, avocado, fresh red onion and sun dried tomato, lightly tossed with chili oil. This was a radical change from the usual menu where I might expect pizza. This was fine dining cuisine presented beautifully. Executive Chef Ed Hollingsworth is responsible for the new splash of color and tastes. A Mediterranean dish had babaganoush, hummus, sun dried tomatoes and eggplant which was a bit to salty for my taste. The dishes just kept coming, there was a Mac and Cheese Teriyaki and a stuffed mushroom that was amazing!

My favorite drink served was simply called Sugar and Spice. It tasted like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years all served in a cup. I told the server how much I liked it and it turned out she was the creator. I will certainly be returning to enjoy all the Halloween themed movies in October and to continue sampling this amazing new menu.

Kelly Fitzpatrick who blogs about Central Florida night life was at the next table laughing vivaciously and enjoying herself. I was shocked to find out that days later she had passed away in her sleep. She was just 36 years old. Life is short people, make every moment count.

One and Only

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I sketched all day in the Orlando Rep at the video shoot for Britt Daley’s One and Only. In this scene Britt is on stage performing her audition. You can just see her leg and the loose shirt slipping down her shoulder. I was fascinated by the dolly and boom which allowed the camera to be moved smoothly all around. Britt and Andy Matchett, who was also auditioning, enter a dream sequence together. They dance together to Britt’s song. They spun around, their outstretched arms extended. Extra fluorescent tubes and fill lights were set up to illuminate the couple. Britt told me the camera man was whispering to himself enthusiastically during this shot. “Yes, that’s it, good.” Luckily the audio is being replaced in the final video edit. Everyone enthusiastically volunteered their talent and time to bring this gorilla style video shoot to life. The One and Only music video will premiere on October second. I’ll keep you posted.

Painting the Set

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I stopped into the Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s scenic shop to see the progress on the set for “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Things move fast in the scenic shop the entire set facade was build and ready to be painted in three pieces. Jeff Ferree and Adam were painting when I arrived. Robbin Watts was in the theater itself painting the floors. She created an impressive speckled marble effect with the paint. Another woman slapped the floor with a long rag. This was a painting technique that was new to me.

I got to see the completed set a few nights later at the Shakespeare Fundraising Gala. The impressive Victorian architecture helped set the mood for the scene that was previewed. Gwendolyn and Cecily met in an outdoor garden. They were instant, affable, eternal friends. As Gwendolyn said, “Something tells me that we are going to be great friends. I like you already more than I can say. My first impressions of people are never wrong.” Cecily responded, “How nice of you to like me so much after we have known each other such a comparatively short time.” I see this sort of flippant instant friendships all the time in this age of social networks. What makes the scene so endearing and funny is how these two women politely turn against each other when they discover they might be engaged to the same man. Gwendolyn had a turn of heart, “From the moment I saw you I distrusted you. I felt that you were false and deceitful. I am never deceived in such matters. My first impressions of people are invariably right.” I rely on my first impressions, usually gained over the course of a sketch to guide me on my daily travels.

I had painted the Mennello Museum mural all day. Libby Rosenthal let me know there was a shower in the museums basement so I spruced up only moments before the gala and then drove right across the street. The shower was divine after working in the hot parking lot all day. Then, I couldn’t turn off the hot water in the shower. The knob was stuck. I dressed quickly and ran to my truck for a screwdriver. My glasses fogged up as I struggled with the knob and my dress shirt got soaked. Thankfully, I finally managed to fix the knob. Even taking a simple refreshing shower is a drama in my struggle of a life.

At the Gala, I got to rub shoulders with Orlando’s rarefied socialites. Terry declared the evening an official date night, and I wasn’t on assignment, so for the sake of marital bliss, I kept my sketchbook tucked away. My fingers itched but I resisted temptation. My bag of art supplies rested heavily on my shoulder just in case. Though physically exhausted, I followed as Terry flitted about the room, a social butterfly. Art isn’t easy.

The Importance of Being Earnest runs through October 9th.

Pink Ribbon Project Rehearsal

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I went to the Orlando Shakes Black Box Theater expecting to find the Pink Ribbon project rehearsal. A group of teenage girls were tap dancing in a circle. Three of them had pink shirts on but the mood felt wrong. I checked my calender again, I was supposed to be at the Black Box Theater at the Rep. I slipped out and dashed across Lock Haven Park to the Rep. When I arrived, Matt McGrath was getting several brooms and a bicycle pump out of his car. I wondered how these props would tie in to the show.

In the first scene I sketched, Marty Stonerock and Mikki Scanlon sat on stage each bathed in a pool of light. They both spoke on cell phones. At first it seemed like they were speaking to each other but then it became clear they were speaking to their respective spouses. Mikki shifted her position in her chair, leaning forward and twisting, “Can you hear me now? I’m at the hospital. No I wasn’t in an accident! I’m fine, really I’m fine. Well, no, I’m not fine. I have breast cancer.” Marty was having a similar gut wrenching conversation trying to comprehend the impossible. “I have it, I have breast cancer… Are you there? Hello?”

Large pink ribbons were hung from the rafters. They will be used in a dance number early in the show. Aradhana Tiwari was directing and the show carries her signature. Multiple stories overlap and bloom during the course of the production. There is brutal honesty as women confront their own mortality. The show’s mission is, “To raise awareness, educating people about the physical, mental, and emotional realities that dealing with breast cancer entails. The aim to offer a therapeutic and cathartic experience for women and their families who are in the midst of the fight, touching them in the unique way that only the arts can. Lastly, our vision is to bring hope, champion faith, and ignite inspiration that will empower women as they walk forward and continue to battle on.”

I was unexpectedly moved when a young boy excitedly tried to keep his mother engaged and entertained although she had breast cancer. He was a live wire running circles around her. He showed her card tricks, dance moves and offered her brownies. She was unable to eat after chemo. Dejected he looked at the pan of brownies in his hands and muttered to himself, “Your so stupid, you know she gets sick after chemo. I have to keep her going, I just have to keep her going.” I welled up, thinking of my own mom’s battle with breast cancer. At ten years old, I was to young to even know how sick she was. But something was wrong and I just wanted to see her laugh again. I couldn’t visit her in the hospital. I suppose they wanted to keep me safe from the reality of seeing her slip away.

Though I only saw the show in fits and starts at the rehearsal, I can tell it will be a multi layered and emotionally inspiring production. The Pink Ribbon Project will be run September 16-18th at the Orlando Repertory Theater, 1001 E. Princeton St., Orlando. Admission is $20 for general seating and $150 for a “giving seating” ticket. Purchasing a “giving seat” ticket will fund one mammogram for an uninsured woman. To purchase tickets, go to www.playthemoment.com or call 321-662-0611. Proceeds will benefit the Breast Cancer Fund at Florida Hospital Cancer Institute, which provides diagnostic testing and treatment for uninsured and under served women in Central Florida.

Music Video Shoot

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In the Rep Theater, actors John DiDonna and Jennifer Bonner arrived on the set. They were told which theater seats to sit in. Scott Wilkins, who wrote the Britt Daley music video script, stood in front of the actors and described the scene. Scott was boldly silhouetted against a fill light that illuminated a scrim. Both actors were to be preoccupied not paying attention to the audition. John was to be turned away talking on his cell phone while Bonnie fingered her cell phone surfing the web or checking Facebook.

The camera began to roll and the director called, “Action!” John started arguing with the person on his cell. “I’m not having this discussion with you now.” He repeated the point again several more times raising his voice till he was shouting into the phone. Jennifer stared vacantly at the screen of her cell phone. In the next shot Katie Peters sang the final note of her audition song. Jennifer glanced up from her phone and shouted, “Thank you!” with disdain and disinterest. Katie walked off screen, crushed.

The next shot was to come after Britt Daley had sung her song, “One and Only“. John and Jennifer were locked together in a passionate kiss. Of course when shooting for a quality production you never shoot a scene just once. John and Jennifer kissed again and again. Scott suddenly realized that they should still be holding their cell phones and he asked John to move his hand lower for the next shot. They kissed again and when Britt’s music ended they were startled back to reality. Jennifer struggled to straighten her disheveled hair.

Britt Daley Music Video

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Inside the Rep Theater there was an all day shooting marathon to complete Britt Daley’s “One and Only” music video. The camera crew set up the tiny digital camera so it was on stage at the Repertory Theater pointing out at the theater seats. They were setting up for a shot of the Director played by John Di Donna and his assistant played by Jennifer Bonner. Britt’s dad sat in the seats so the cameraman could frame the shot before the actors arrived. Fill lights and spots were adjusted to light the seats. The director kept checking how the shot was framed by looking at the laptop. Scott Wilkins looked through the script and storyboards so everyone was on the same page.

A small crate was set up Katie Peters to stand on. She is the female singer in the local band CIRCUS. She stood in front of the camera facing the theater seats. She was instructed to sing the final note of the song she was singing for the audition and then step out of frame. The song she was supposed to be singing was an old minstrel/vaudeville tune, “Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home“. A funny choice since Britt Bailey and Britt Daley sound so similar.

Britt Daley Music Video

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I went to the Orlando Repertory Theater where a music video was being shot for Britt Daley for her newly released song, “One and Only.” Scott Wilkins wrote and directed the video shoot. When I arrived, Full Sail interns were setting up tripods and lighting outside the doorway to the greenroom. Wires snaked everywhere and they had to be ducktaped down so no one would trip. A small SLR digital that shoots high definition video seemed out of place mounted to a bulky tripod. A laptop was also mounted on a tripod so more than one person could see what was being shot. The hall was already bright thanks to large plate glass windows. The lighting was enhanced by mounting lights up near the ceiling.

The story that anchors the music video is built around an audition. Britt is in the audition and shakes things up. In this shot she enters the scene by opening the purple door at the end of the hall. She then struts down the hall carrying a huge 1980’s style boom box. The cameraman told the intern to dismount the camera from the tripod. Instead of a steady shot, he wanted to dolly back keeping Britt in frame as they both moved down the hall. A wheelchair was brought in and the cameraman sat down.

They shot the scene multiple times. Some takes were full body, while others focused on closeups of Britt’s lethal high heels. An intern had to quickly coil in the video cable as the cameraman was backed down the hall. The setup and shooting was time consuming. Everyone felt they were falling behind on the shooting schedule. There was a mad dash to strike everything and they rushed off to the next shooting location.

Red Chair Affair

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Terry and I arrived early to the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre for the VIP main stage food, drinks and silent auction bidding before she show. Food was provided by Charley’s Steakhouse, Moonfish, Johnnie’s Hideaway, Vito’s Chop House, Fish Bones, and White Wolf Cafe. Organic draft beer was provided by Orlando Brewing. Terry headed for the food but I wasn’t hungry. I hunted for a choice sketching spot. I decided I had to draw the IKEA Red Chairs which had been decorated by different arts groups in town and were now perched on tables to be auctioned off. The lighting technicians were still testing all the stage lights and the stage and all the red chairs went black on occasion. I paused thinking I might not be able to work under such uncertain conditions. I sketched anyway and as guests arrived the stage was bathed in a warm red light. Most women wore sleek red gowns. I struggled to keep my tie from getting in the paint.

I focused on the chairs. My favorite chair was decorated by the Winter Garden Theater like the plant from Little Shop of Horrors. I’m thinking it would make a great toilet bowl seat. The plush red plant lips would be a pleasure to sit on. I might just remove the sharp teeth from the design. Another chair had an entire doll house built around it. Fairwinds Broadway Across America had an Adams Family chair that was built like an electric chair with “Thing” perched on the seat.

When the sketch was finished, Terry and I were the first in the Theater and we found a group of seven seats just behind the VIP seats. Sarah Austin and Wendy Wallenburg had won tickets by answering an Orlando Cultural Arts question online. The question was, “Who is the artistic director of Voci Dance?” The answer was Genevieve Bernard. I guarded the seats while Terry searched for our friends in the lobby.

15 different arts groups performed. The Florida Opera Theater performed a hilarious “Complete History of Opera (Abridged)”. They began with a guttural caveman grunting and quickly moved to a Renaissance harmonizing. All the subtle shades of operatic romance were sung to hilarious effect. My favorite performance was “I love you, I can’t live without you although I might kill you.” All sung in classic Italian. Since Terry and I used to attend the opera all the time before it went bankrupt, we were laughing out loud at this tongue in cheek irreverent view of opera history. Frank McClain the company’s Artistic Director has helped raise the phoenix from the flames.

The Orlando School of Cultural Dance had the packed theater clapping in unison as they danced to the African beat. Orlando Aerial Arts featured three beautiful women who climbed way up near the stage lights, wrapping themselves in the white silky material and then spinning down like yo-yos. I was to nervous to enjoy the performance. There were no safety nets or guy wires. The evening ended with the Power Chords singing “I got the music in me!” 16 energetic youthful singers danced and sang their hearts out causing a standing ovation. All of the performers crowded on to the stage for one final bow.

Back stage VIP’s and performers mingled behind the closed curtains enjoying cupcakes provided by Sugerbuzz Desert Company and Barnies Coffee. The crowd dissipated fairly quickly except our group, who had to be chased out with the flickering of lights. We decided to go to the Imperial bar behind Washburn Imports for after show drinks. I left the sketchbook in the truck and laughed and talked with friends until we were the last to leave the bar. I love the Red Chair Affair because it introduced to me some new and exiting new arts groups that I hope to visit for more sketch opportunities.

Red Chair Affair Rehearsal

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As I approached the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center the sun was beginning to set, illuminating the clouds a deep crimson red. The guard at the stage door asked if I was a performer. I decided to say, “Yes”. She pointed me to the dressing rooms. I wandered the back stage halls searching for any sketch opportunity. Stage hands raised and lowered two shrouds which I suspect will be used by an Orlando Aerial Arts acrobat. I tried to stay clear as curtains were raised and lowered. The director John Di Donna offered me a seat on the front of stage right. After listening to the director’s notes I now finally have stage right and house right straightened out in my mind.

A woman in a sleek black dress kept tapping the stage with her toes listening to the sound difference between the main stage and the temporary stage built over the orchestra pit. It turned out she was a Flamenco dancer and she was one of the first to perform. Her bright red shawl was removed from her neck as she danced. It fluttered to the ground. When her performance was over, John walked up to the cameraman seated in front of me and said, “I loved your close ups on her feet as she danced.”

I sketched the Orlando School of Cultural Dance. The school’s director, Julie Coleman lead the singing. Drums set the beat to an African Rhythm. Young children danced to the beat pushing themselves in a vibrant dance. Eric Yow introduced his dance company, Yow Dance saying, “Rhythm is the one constant in life.” His dancers moved to the strumming of an acoustic Spanish guitar piece. Emotions Dance performed a piece called 5th Avenue which was about materialism in modern society. Larissa Humiston, the company’s founder and choreographer hoped the dance might spark discussion. She also pointed out that, “Art brings people together.”

The Red Chair Affair is a great way to see what is happening in the Orlando Arts and Culture scene all in one evening of non-stop performances. The Affair is happening TONIGHT at the Bob Carr. The doors open at 7pm and the stage show starts at 8pm. General admission is $22, students and seniors are $15. There is still time to get tickets, call 407-872-2382. You can also get tickets at the Red Chair website.

Spring Awakening Auditions

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Jeremy Seghers invited me to the Orlando Shakespeare Theater a while back to sketch young actors as they gathered to audition for “Spring Awakening“. A woman at a folding table had the actors and actresses fill out a form. Then they waited nervously in the hall. When actors gather for an audition it is like a reunion. The hallway filled with exited conversation. I had seen one production of Spring Awakening produced by Jeremy Seghers that stayed true to the original script. The play followed the lives of students in a turn of the century German University as they discovered their sexuality. A mother stumbled awkwardly as she tried to relate the facts of life to her daughter. She was unsuccessful. The daughter then ends up getting pregnant. Serious issues of rape and homosexuality are dealt with. I’m curious to see how music of Duncan Sheik and the lyrics of Steven Sater might ignite this story.

Since this production was based on the Broadway musical, each actor and actress came prepared to sing. The accompanist was late, so actors who came with a music CD to sing to got to go first. An actress went into the women’s room where she started singing. When she was called into the Goldman, she turned to her friends and said, “Wish me luck”. Behind the closed doors of the Goldman Theater I could hear her muffled singing. Actors who impressed the director, Paul Castaneda, would be called back another day for another audition.

Spring Awakening runs through September 4th at the Shakespeare Theater. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30pm and Sundays at 7:30pm. Tickets are $18 and $15 for students and seniors. Call 407-872-8451.