The Whale surfaces at the Winter Garden Theater.

On June 22, 2015, I went to the Winter Garden Theater (160 W Plant St, Winter Garden, FL) to sketch auditions for “The Whale.” March 18th will be the Central Florida Regional Premiere of this play written by Samuel D. Hunter and staged by Beth Marshal Presents. I love sketching auditions, I get to witness so many talented actors that all bring their own creative take to the characters. This isn’t a story about a great white whale, but instead an intimate look at a father daughter relationship. 

On the outskirts of
Mormon Country, Idaho, a six-hundred-pound recluse hides away in his
apartment eating himself to death. Desperate to reconnect with his
long-estranged daughter, he reaches out to her, only to find a viciously
sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen. In this gripping and big-hearted
drama, The Whale tells the story of a man’s last chance at redemption,
and of finding beauty in the most unexpected places. This play was
nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New
Off-Broadway Play. It won a Lucille Lortel Award for Best Play and won a
Drama Desk Special Award for Significant Contribution to Theatre.

Cast
Charlie – Michael Wanzie
Ellie – Rachel Comeau
Liz – Jamie Middleton
Elder Thomas – Anthony Pyatt Jr.
Mary – Beth Marshall

Production Team
Rob Winn Anderson – Director
Anastasia Kurtiak – Stage Manager
David Merchant – Assistant Stage Manager
Tom Mangeri – Set Design
Amy Hadley – Light Design
J.G. Lantiqua – Sound Design
Marcy Singhaus – Costume Design

Dates:  March 18 to April 3, 2016
Thursday 8pm, Friday 8pm, Saturday 2pm (April 2) & 8pm, Sunday 2pm
Industry Night: Monday, March 28
 

Tickets: $21 – $28
Special pricing for opening night, Thursday performances, seniors and students.

This show contains adult language and scenes. Recommended for mature audiences.

Dancers Improvise in Blue Box #5.

27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes were put in place for panhandlers and buskers. Busking is possible only during day light hours. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street performers must use the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

These Boxes represent the only places downtown where theoretically there is freedom of expression.

On February 22nd, Corinne Mele from Red Right Return Dance Company encouraged a group of dancers to utilize Blue Box # 5 as their stage. They had just rolled off of a performance of Guard Down at the Orange Studio on February 20th. They had also rehearsed the night before, but that didn’t dampen their enthusiasm to perform on the streets of Orlando.

I was the first to arrive and anxiously searched for the box with map in hand. The last one had been spray washed away but this one was pristine, looking like it had been painted yesterday. I got a text from Corinne. Construction had blocked access to this street from the East. I redirected her to let her know that the street was still approachable from the West from Parramore. Soon dancers started to arrive. Corinne drove a cute little car that was covered in an ad for hint which I believe makes flavored waters. The dancers came prepared, with water and sunscreen.

They were concerned that this was a rather small stage. All movement had to be linear and having two dancers abreast, limited what they could do. Corinne walked the blue dotted line like a circus high wire performer. She did a pirouette and when she spun out of the box, she abruptly stopped and walked like a pedestrian to re-enter the box from a new location. Dancers soon realized that their extensions would most certainly cut outside the plane established by the blue box stage but with one foot planted inside the box they decided they were within the letter of the law. The dancers had two collection bowls set out. There was however no foot traffic on the sidewalk. We were one block away from the UCF Center of Emerging Media and the Bob Carr Theater. Construction effectively cut off all vehicular traffic. The only hope for a tip might come from a student. Towards the end of the dance company’s improve session, a single pedestrian approached on our side of the sidewalk, Corinne bet the he would cross over to the other side of the street to avoid coming to close to the art. Sure enough twenty yards from us, he crossed over to steer clear. In a town where art is seldom experienced in public, it can be intimidating for the uninitiated. There is no fourth wall to protect the audience. Art in public is a rare beast that must be caged in blue boxes.

Heidi Busher and Corinne were the first dancers to perform a duet on the tight painted stage. They supported can other and negotiated the tight squeeze past each other. Paige Maxwell bent over backwards like a sheet of paper folded in half. Her goal was to grab her own ankles. She grabbed one but the second eluded her. I was absolutely astonished by her flexibility. Kim Matovina displayed incredible feats of strength and balance usually reserved for gymnasts. She balanced on one hand and folded in her limbs balancing with her face inches from the pavement. She then did a headstand using her forearms for support. All five dancers got in the box and tried to duplicate the move for a photo. Not everyone had the strength, but for the flash of an instant they all held the pose.

After several hours of dancing, everyone was sweaty and tired. Paige was unexpectedly hit in the face when another dancer spun with her leg extended, effectively doing a back kick. I heard the smack as if it were a sound effect in a Japanese Kung Fu movie. Paige’s eyes watered and she held her nose. Luckily there was no blood. On a larger stage the dancers would not need to be so dangerously close.

Though no tips went into the tip jars, and not a single pedestrian walked by, it was a beautiful day and I’m so thankful that these beautiful dancers shared their talents to help point out that art should not be boxed in. Winter Park will never experience such a spontaneous outburst of creativity expressed on a sidewalk in public. These aren’t criminals, but highly educated and trained professionals who love their craft and share it openly. Such joyous outbursts of creativity might happen more often if Orlando City Commissioners didn’t create ordinances that effectively treat artists, dancers and performers as panhandlers that need to be boxed in.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for February 27th and 28th.

Saturday February 27, 2016 

10am to 4pm Free. Sanford Farmers Market. First and Magnolia in Sanford FL. An intimate farmer’s market.

7pm to 9pm $20 suggested donation. Living Room Theater. Diana Rodriguez Portillo Home 1316 Portland Ave. Orlando, FL. Tisse Mallon, Banks Helfrich and Jack Graham present an experiential, exclusive, invite only performance in a living room.

This unique 70 minute show consists of short segments focused on fun, connection and authenticity. From the funny to the serious, from the commonplace to the absurd, these original works take the audience on an emotional journey.

A few things for you to know:

– Due to the intimate nature of the show, no late arrivals can be accommodated.

– While not lewd or vulgar, this show is recommended for ages 18 and up.

– The show lasts approx. 70 minutes.

– There will be time for discussion afterward.

NOTE: Due to limited space, we can only accommodate a certain number of people. If you have a plus one, please let your host know they can insure there is space for everyone!

8:30pm to 10:30pm Free. Open Mic. The Geek Easy 114 S. Semoran Blvd Suite #6, Winter Park, Florida. Amy Watkins and Superhero Poetry. Open to all: Musicians-Lyricists-Artists-and Poets of all kinds. Bring out the cape and have some fun.

Sunday February 28, 2016

Noon to 2pm Free, but grab a bite to eat. Florida Gospel Jam. Fish on Fire 7937 Daetwyler Drive Belle Isle FL. Every 2nd and 4th Sunday.

2pm to 4pm Free but get a coffee. Irish Music. Olivia’s Coffee House, 108 N Bay St, Eustis, FL.

10pm to Midnight. Free but get coffee. Solo Acoustic Spoken Word. Natura Coffee & Tea, 12078 Collegiate Way, Orlando, FL. 407 482-5000

Doug Rhodehamel builds the Star Wars Universe.

Doug Rhodehamel is a big fan of Star Wars. He also makes things from junk. He is combining these two passions of his into one big galactic sized project. He has begun building 15 Star Wars vehicles from trash and surplus at 1/10 scale. That’s big. Bigger than any toys you grew up with, but what’s better, they will light up, have sound effects and play music and sound bites… LOUD! But to do so I need to hire electronics nerds and well as machinists. That cost some cash.

To finish this collection I will need your help.

Doug talked about growing up on Star Wars. He is an avid collector, of Star Wars Action figures and models, but they tended to lack quality construction and any sense of a grand scale. He first imagined one of the Imperial Walkers being six feet tall, so that a viewer would be eye to eye with the cockpit. This hasn’t been built yet. Instead he is focusing his efforts on completing the first of three X-Wing Fighters. The photon torpedo tubes will illuminate with sound effects, and the re are lasers at the ends of the wings. Large speakers will be mounted inside the fuselage of the model and the wings will animate open using an actuator.  All of this is being constructed out of plastic corrugated political sighs. Eventually the ships will be painted to hide the politicians names. Finally, here is a great as to up-cycle all these abandon political signs after each election.

Tonight, Friday February 26th at Stardust Video and Coffee (1842 Winter Park Rd, Orlando, FL) Doug will be showing off the progress on the X-Wing Fighter and the Tai-Fighter with lots of buttons for
you to press. This is a Fundraiser. Any funds you can donate will help finish this project. It
will be more than amazing and well worth it!

See you there and May The Force Be With You!

Drip Art Nights are full surprises.

Drip Local Art Night features visual artists, Performance artists, burlesque troupes, body painters, dancers, belly dancers, and art installations. I love sketching this monthly event because I always find something new and exciting to draw. Drip is Orlando’s grunge version of the Moulan Rouge. I arrived as artists were setting up their booths and focused on the bar. One Drippy was getting her T-shirt cutting station set up. She cuts up the whip Drip T-shirts and bees the fabric creating a unique pattern of flesh and brilliant day glow blue.

A drip dancer Roxanne Faye LeBlanc had just died her hair a deep red in purple. She dances the part of the lusty Red in the Drip show. I sketched he as she filled out paperwork a the bar and again when she did something a the left end of the bar. I do this quite often, populating a sketch with one person’s activities. I do believe the guys seated at the bar were on person at different times as well. Soon enough however, the place was so packed that you couldn’t even s the bar. The main Drip Show is no longer performed on Art Night, which means The re is more room for artists to set up their wares.

Set-up for artists started at 6:30 and the doors opened at 8 PM. My favorite performance was by BalaChandra Belly Dance. I run into these dancers a love town. I have to learn to sketch faster to catch their fast moving hips and fluid motions. Since I function at a much slower pace when I sketch, I sometimes miss some acts as I rush to complete a sketch that was started.

Mark Your Calendar! The next Drip Local Art Night is Thursday, March 24 with the doors opening at 8pm. If yo u haven’t been to Drip then what are yo u waiting for. Get out and experience some local art.
8747 International Dr Suite 102 (Behind Denny’s and Senor Frogs) Orlando Florida. Art nights are every other month. 

50,000 mile check up.

I brought my Prius in to the Toyota of Orlando Dealership for its 50,000 mile all points check up. Because of the Holidays and m procrastination, the car was quite over due based on my odometer. I like to wait at the dealership while the work is done because there are always people waiting around to draw. They chat on the is phones, conducts business or finger their phone surfing social media. A large screen TV behind me was blaring some program that claimed that they have pertinent evidence in unsolved murders. A young college girl was murder and they had audio that apparently was from the killers cell phone. She shouted the killers name and cried for help. The show host then played | audio for the devastated parents to hear so the camera co get their reaction. I didn’t look. I tried to block it out.

My tires were well worn. I knew this from the last time, I had the car in for an oil change. There was z sale, buy three tires and get the fourth tire free. The damage was still over $500.  I ended up having t wait an extra hour and a half. Since I was sketching, the time flew buy. My car is probably in better shape and healthier than I am. It is time to think about getting a tune up myself. I’ve put in quite a few miles since I saw a doctor last.

My Journey into Mindful Meditation.

I attended a weekly Study Group that meets at Peter Carlson’s house (1818 Carrigan Ave., Winter Park FL) on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. After 45 minutes of meditation, various aspects of Buddhist teachings are discussed. The study group is open to anyone who has completed a meditation retreat or taken a course on Buddhist meditation or psychology. My goal of course was to sketch, which I consider my own form of meditation. I now realize that I was under qualified to attend since I have never attended a retreat. I got to the home about 15 minutes early since I was told that at 7pm the doors close and no one else can enter until the meditation was complete.  I thought I would need my art stool, since I assumed, quite correctly, that people would be seated on the floor. The meditation occurs in a tiny retreat behind the home. There however was a chain link fence blocking access to the meditation retreat. Walking in the dark, I felt I might be trespassing. I knocked on the front door and Peter assured me that I could go out back.

The small building was dark a empty. I was the first to arrive. I found a light switch and made my way to the meditation room which had dozens of chairs along three of the walls. I didn’t expect chairs. I settled into a corner chair and lightly penciled in the overall composition as I waited for people to arrive. I placed all my pencils and pens in a row on the floor, because I didn’t want to be searching for things during the meditation which would be noisy. Peter had a comfortable looking mattress throne with an adjustable desk set up for his computer. A sculpted goddess head looked out in all directions. Two participants sat on the floor with pillows to cushion their spines. Others sat in chairs, out of the view of my sketch. Peter said, “lets begin.” and the room became completely silent.

45 minutes seems like a short period of time to complete sketch since most of my sketches take two hours to complete. My first lines were rushed but I started to notice that the fast pen strokes seemed quite loud in the silence. A calm washed over me and the pen began to explore with quiet deliberation. Even so, the pens journey made a sound quite louder the my own breath. the line slowed down even more to a snails speed and each line became more deliberate and more confidently observed. True observation takes quiet deliberation. The line work completed itself with time to spare. I resisted the temptation to reach for other tools since bending over would have created loud rustling noises. This forced me to focus on one deliberate task without interruption.

A Buddhist prayer bowl quietly sounded announcing the end of meditation. Everyone took a five minute break and then returned for the discussion. Peter was just getting over a harsh cold that developed at his last retreat. He spoke of his mindful awareness and acceptance as symptoms developed. People who meditate often have the inner strength to heal quickly. As we were leaving, I realized that everyone but me had left their shoes at the from door. I also realized when I got home that I had left my art stool in the meditation hall. Clearly that was a sign that I needed to return.

The next week I returned with no sketchbook in hand. I wanted to experience meditation first hand without the distractions of sketching. I’ve never been comfortable sitting cross legged on a floor, but I figured if I found just the right pillow I could pull it off.  I had observed the perfect posture of friends and wanted to see if I could quiet my mind the same way. I wedged two pillows under my knees for extra support. I closed my eyes and relaxed rocking my butt side to side to settle into the pillow. I rolled my neck snapping cartilage. The room was completely silent except for the sound of a ceiling fan. Blue and green orbs danced and flowed together on the insides of my eyelids. My breathing seemed loud. My lower back ached so I breathed deeper which straightened my spine.  Why do I keep having to swallow? I focused on my breath again and relaxed. I began imagining the room in the green and blue patterns swimming in my eyelids. As I imagined this new world of swimming forms the prayer bowl quietly sounded. Wow. Time had flown by. Had I meditated? I’m not sure. The fact that I sketch daily means that I already quiet my mind to achieve a sure focus. Perhaps that is good training for this looking inward.

The talk was about five precepts or commitments needed for awakening. Peter discussed how harmony and compassion were not important to early hominids. Charles Darwin‘s theory of the fang and claw pointed out that only the most aggressive of a species survives. If that were true, then loving kindness would be seen as weakness. But daily mindfulness offers strength. The second commitment is be mindful of how desire affects our choices. This relates to our compulsive and addictive tendencies relating to social media. I rely on social media in my quest to find new sketch opportunities. I need to realize when this becomes a form of distraction.  A third commitment is to avoid aggression and hostility. This can be in every social interaction. A more modern commitment is towards the ecology of the planet. For early man this wasn’t a concern but today careless abuse of our resources can have lasting impacts for future generations.

It was reassuring to be in a room full of people seeking compassion and an increased interpersonal trust. I haven’t decided if extended meditations are for me. I like the idea of doing a quiet 60 breath meditation each time I leave the studio to go on location to sketch. Life is ever changing. For me this study group answered my yearning to “Eat, Pray and Trust.”

The John Wesley Dutton House is undergoing some major restoration.

The plan was to drive up to Deland Florida to sketch an antique car show. After parking my car, I started walking downtown and stopped in front of this skeletal structure. Capitals and bases of the front porch columns were stripped away. The plaster columns themselves were hollowed out exposing the four by four posts that actually support the porch. The upper floor railings were replaced with two by fours and the inner wood structure was exposed on the second floor balconies. I couldn’t resist the temptation to sketch this once grand estate which was now in a desolate part of town.

In 1993 the DeLand City Commission voted to demolish the John Wesley
Dutton House
, an architecturally significant site that local historic
buffs had been fighting to save for more than two years. The
demolition ball was poised to strike until Peter Warrick, a publishing executive from Fort Lauderdale became the new owner. He formed a nonprofit organization that would help to restore the large
house, which needs repairs. Complete restoration, which Warrick
estimated would take at least five years, will return the house to its
original charm and allow opening it to the public as a historic
showcase. Twenty two years later, the restorations are still not complete.

Built in 1910 for $25,000 by turpentine magnate John Wesley Dutton,
the stately two-story house at 332 W. New York Ave., was once ”the talk
of the town,” said Sidney Johnston, president of Historic DeLand, Inc., a group of local citizens who tried to purchase the house in 1992. Dutton
lived in the house with his wife and seven children until 1911. It
changed hands several times, including stints as a meeting hall, a
funeral parlor and a rooming house called the Colonial Arms Apartments.
It then went vacant for years. Warrick estimated that repair on the house will cost him from $150,000 to $225,000 or more. H would seem that the funds dried up before the restoration could be completed. The historic restoration fund now depends on grants from private donations. ECHO Funds of $234,800 in 2006 secured the outer envelope of the structure to reduce further interior damage. Once re-opened the historic structure will be used as a cultural center.

Paranormal investigators have wandered the buildings dark rooms to see if ghosts reside inside. Investigators found cold spots in certain rooms, heard banging noises and saw floating orbs. Is this conclusive evidence? That depends on what you believe. Dark storm clouds rolled in as I sketched and lightning flashed on the horizon. I rushed to complete the sketch before becoming a statistic. A group of African American girls walked by and one looked over me shoulder. “Did you do that here?” she asked. Sigh. “Yes.” She is an artist, so I encourage her to keep sketching. They made their way downtown full of energy. Perhaps someday I will return to sketch the building in all it’s former glory. The economy of the surrounding neighborhood however implies that the restoration might take a couple of more decades.

Kattya Graham performed in Blue Box #5.

27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes
are for panhandlers and buskers. Busking is possible only during day
light hours. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street
performers must use the blue boxes. If a police officer receives a complaint or witnesses a street
performer asking for money, that officer can “take the appropriate
action related to that issue, a warning is an option, but so is arrest.” said Sgt. Barb Jones of the Orlando Police Department. Performing outside the boxes can
result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. In 2002, former Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood killed a proposal to allow
street performers in downtown Orlando, saying that would be
“inconsistent” with the city’s ordinances that ban panhandling.

Kattya Graham volunteered to perform in Blue Box #5 on the Corner of Amelia Street and Orange Avenue. This corner is near the Court House parking garage. As I arrived on foot, I searched for the now familiar blue dotted lines that delineate a box about 5 by 15 feet. For the first time the were no blue lines. There were red lines and orange lines that surveyors put down as they plan where to dig for electric and plumbing pipes. I checked the City Hall issued Blue Box map and this it was the right spot. The blue lines must have been power spray washed away. There was a small blue plate above the street drainage. It said, “No dumping, all water drains into lakes.”  The spray washed blue paint must now be in Lake Eola.  The blue plate became our Blue Box.

Kattya arrived and unpacked her guitar and set up her music stand. At first she put her collection pan right on the blue plate and then she decided it made more sense to put it out behind her for pedestrians to see. As a joke she stood on her tip toes on top of the blue plate. There weren’t many pedestrians, at most three people walked by in the two hours we were on that street corner. There were however plenty of cars that had to stop at the stoplight as they waited to drive West across Orange Avenue. Kattya got to watch drivers reactions. Many drivers smiled through their closed car windows. Three women rolled down their windows to listen better while men did the opposite, by rolling up their windows. Perhaps they feared she would rush up to them and squeegee clean their windows and demand money. Only one pedestrian glanced over his shoulder at Kattya as he was waiting to cross over Orange Avenue. No one ever dropped an money in her tip pan. She has just recorded a new album of original songs and several covers at the Timucua White House. Benoit Glasier is now polishing the sound mix.

Kattya grew up in Mexico City which is the largest city in the world. She started busked in Mexico City when she was 18 years old. Crime was rampant, but she never had an incident as she performed. Here in Orlando for the past 15 years, she feels safe, but performing on a city street corner didn’t, seem appropriate. She performed beautiful Mexican ballads in Spanish. After one song, she said me, “I’m glad most people don’t understand the lyrics, the last song was about being a drunk.” I laughed. The music was soothing and lyrical, at times being drowned out by honking horns, or the sound of the Sun Rail train roaring by a block away. Her brightly embroidered blouse was the only bright note of color on the otherwise grey street corner. Had she performed on block south, closer to the entrance to the court house, there would have been a constant stream of lawyers and jurors who would pass her on their way to find lunch. There is no blue box one block south however.

The Tin Roof is a new live music venue on International Drive.

Event Planners from around the country descended on the Orland Convention Center for an event planner’s conference. I was invited to sketch at a lunch time event of some of the countries top planners. The event was to take place at The Tin Roof (8371 International Dr, Orlando, FL). Stacey Paul Barbie was the event planner who asked me to help out. She asked me to join her for lunch at the Tin Roof in order to make plans. 

We were offered a sampler of the restaurant’s best appetizers. I was told that the chief had whipped together a new macaroni and cheese dish that had chicken and a crumble crust. I ordered that and it was amazing. I also sampled some raw tuna which was quite good as a lite bite. 

The Tin Roof has a down home country feel to it. Antique signs from the 1950s adorn the walls and the furniture feels like it was lifted straight out of a 1950s diner. I had to meet in with the venue’s tech guy and we set it up so that I could sketch on my tablet and the image would appear on every TV screen in the venue. On the day of the event, my logo flashed on the screens as an event sponsor. That was a proud moment.

After the meeting, I relaxed and sketched the venue. Being right next to the Orlando Eye Ferris wheel, there was a light crowd of tourists who would stop in for lunch. The venue probably gets much more crowded at night when live music acts hit the stage. I need to get on their mail in list so that I can return sketch some performances.