Compiled by Steve Blanchard
It may still feel like summer in Florida, but the arts don't follow weather patternsâ┚¬â€Âthey follow the calendar. And since its September, that means area theater groups, music halls and arts organizations are serving up a new season of entertainment that's sure to captivate members of the LGBT community and beyond.
With so many incredible offerings on the table this season, it can be hard to pick and choose what to see. National acts as well as several very enthusiastic local productions run the gamut from Broadway-style showcases and plays to music concerts and art exhibits sure to bring in crowds.
Do you want to enjoy some music? Check out kd lang in Sarasota and Clearwater. Are you up for some hilarious puppetry? Check out Avenue Q at Theatre Downtown in Orlando.
While lineups change each year, one thing remains constantâ┚¬â€ÂFlorida continues to be a hub of activity for the arts community. As you browse the following pages, you'll see that 2011 is no exception. We've done our best to dissect this massive list to make it as easy to follow and read as possible. Our special â┚¬Å”Don't Missâ┚¬Â offerings highlight some of the more well known acts coming our way this fall and we've added special icon near other listings to indicate specific LGBT interest.
We may wonder what happened to summerâ┚¬â€Âit seemed to fly by. But with so many great plays, concerts and exhibits coming our way this fall, it's hard not to look forward to the cooler months and the moment when the lights dim in the darkened theater.
Watermark Recommended Picks.
In the fall of 2002, D.J. Holt wanted to bring together a group of gay men who wanted to musically focus on choral excellence. Now in preparations for its 10th season, Una-Voce: The Florida Men's Chorale, has announced an ambitious holiday show this December and a large anniversary show in April.
â┚¬Å”There are a lot of places to sing,â┚¬Â says Una Voce board president Tom Barker. â┚¬Å”But our singers want a gay chorus and a semi-professional organization wanting to improve the art of choral singing. That's our mission.â┚¬ÂÂ
Barker, who joined the men's chorale in 2005 as a singing member, was elected president in 2007â┚¬â€Âa position he's held since. One of the things he's focused on is gaining recognition outside of the LGBT community. In hindsight, he's done a remarkable job.
â┚¬Å”We've done benefit concerts for the Susan Kohman Foundation and the Suncoast Hospice and this year we're doing a benefit concert for the Gulf Coast Senior Center Foundation,â┚¬Â he says. â┚¬Å”Our focus has been to reach out and give back to the community as a whole.â┚¬ÂÂ
Una Voce has also performed at Tropicana Field, where the men sang the national anthem before a Tampa Bay Rays game.
This year's holiday concert is titled Vienna Boysâ┚¬Â¦Two Men, which is a take on the Boyz2Men group of the 1990s.
According to Barker, the concert is a story, where the members of Una Voce portray men who were once part of the Vienna Boys Choir and have come back for a reunion. The first act of the concert is comedic, he says, with the men interacting as gay, straight, married and unmarried characters who find common ground in music.
â┚¬Å”When the curtain opens after intermission, it's a concert within a Vienna Cathedral. We'll have a beautiful gothic cathedral backdrop an the guys will be in tuxedos.â┚¬ÂÂ
The music will be provided by a brass quintet and the music will be very sacred, traditional Christmas Music.
The concert will be under the direction of artist director Dwight Thomas, who came on boarding January 2011.
In all, Una Voce boasts more than 60 membersâ┚¬â€Âwith a dozen or so of those members as support members, meaning they handle tickets, scheduling, etc. The others are singing members who are on stage throughout the concert.
â┚¬Å”Most of our members come from some kind of singing background,â┚¬Â Barker says. â┚¬Å”Our youngest member this season is 22. Our oldest is 78.â┚¬ÂÂ
In April, the men will perform an anniversary concert to celebrate a decade of choral music excellence. With the resurgence of choral music's popularity, thanks to shows like Glee and The Sing Off, Barker is optimistic that Una Voce has a long life ahead of it.
â┚¬Å”Choral music is getting stronger,â┚¬Â Barker says. â┚¬Å”People see it as a new art form and part of our success has been from the general public's interest.â┚¬ÂÂ
For more information on Una Voce: The Florida Men's Chorale, and for concert dates and tickets, visit Una-Voce.org or call 855-Una-Voce.
â┚¬â€œSteve Blanchard
Clearwater/Largo
LARGO
Eight O’ Clock Theatre 727-587-6751
Sept. 9-18 Camelot
Nov. 4-13 Mister Roberts
Feb. 24-Mar. 11 Funny Girl
CLEARWATER
Ruth Eckerd Hall 727-791-7400
Sept. 10 Shaquille O'Neal's Comedy Jam
Sept. 11 Return to Forever
Sept. 17 Elvis Costello
Sept. 20 The Defiant Ones
Sept. 24 Blondie
Sept. 29 Enter the Haggis
Oct. 2 Oceans are Talking!
Oct. 5 The Script Lindsey Buckingham (Capitol Theatre)
Oct. 6 â┚¬Å”Weird Alâ┚¬Â Yankovic Marc Broussard (Capitol Theatre)
Oct. 7 k.d. lang
Oct. 8 Peter Frampton
Oct. 10 Duran Duran
Oct. 15 Dolly Parton
Oct. 22 Dream Theater
Oct. 26 Amy Grant & Michael W. Smith
Oct. 27 Colbie Caillat
Nov. 4 Melissa Manchester
Nov. 6 Cirque de la Symphonie
Nov. 9 The Australian Pink Floyd Show
Nov. 12 Benise Richard Marx (Capitol Theatre)
Nov. 17 Shelby Lynne
Nov. 19 Sarasota Ballet Project
Nov. 20 Queensryche Kathy Mattea (Capitol Theatre)
Nov. 25 Joe Bonamassa
Nov. 30 Dave Koz & Friends
Dec. 3-10 A Thousand Cranes
Dec. 3 Masters of Illusion Live
Dec. 6 Celtic Woman Christmas
Dec. 10 Michael McDonald & America
Dec. 11 Christmas at the Pops!
Dec. 14 Miracle on 34th Street
Dec. 15 Arlo Guthrie and Judy Collins
Dec. 17-18 My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewishâ┚¬Â¦and I'm Home for the Holidays
Dec. 20 A Christmas Carol
Dec. 21 Woody Allen & New Orleans Jazz
Dec. 27-28 Nutcracker
Dec. 31 Salute to Vienna
Jan. 8 Jim Stafford
Jan. 12 Stan Hunger and Jazz Combo
Jan. 14 Gregg Allman Band Voxare String Quartet
Jan. 15 Spencers: Theatre of Illusion
Jan. 17 Liza Minnelli
Jan. 20 Gordon Lightfoot
Jan. 21 Tim Conway & Friends
Jan. 24 Danny Aiello
Jan. 25 ABBA: The Concert
Jan. 27 Tom Rush (Capitol Theatre) Temptations & Four Tops
Jan. 28 Les Ballets Trockadero
Jan. 29 Elvis: â┚¬Å”Ultimate Elvis Birthdayâ┚¬ÂÂ
Jan. 29 Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
Feb. 1 Patti Labelle & Boney James
Feb. 2 Sha Na Na
Feb. 7-12 Memphis
Feb. 11 Daedalus String Quartet (Capitol Theatre)
Feb. 12 Christine Lavin (Capitol Theatre)
Feb. 14 Barbara & Frank: The Valentine
Feb. 15 Mandy Patinkin
Feb. 18 Michael Amante
Feb. 19 Vicki Lawrence and Mama
Feb. 23 Terrance Simien & Zydeco (Capitol Theatre)
Feb. 24 Debby Boone Feb. 25 Jane Monheit (Capitol Theatre) Rigoletto
Feb. 28 Irish Rovers Jackie Mason
Feb. 29 Moscow Fest Ballet: Swan Lake
Mar. 1 Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
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Since 2007, Tampa Bayâ┚¬â€Âand now the countryâ┚¬â€Âhas enjoyed the talented men of the St. Petersburg Twirling Project. With their trademark lookâ┚¬â€Âcrisp white uniforms and colorful flowing flags and catchy choreographyâ┚¬â€Âit's hard not to see the group of 16-20 men marching in the parade.
â┚¬Å”One of the things I like most about STP is the fraternal aspect of our group,â┚¬Â says Chuck Henson, one of the founders of the group. â┚¬Å”We have become more than performance ensemble. We're brothers.â┚¬ÂÂ
STP's first performance was the 2007 St. Petersburg Santa Paradeâ┚¬â€Âan event that nearly didn't happen. When the Lions Club of St Petersburg was going to cancel the annual holiday tradition due lack of funds, it was STP (then called Santa's Twirlers) who reached out into the community to find sponsorship necessary to host the Parade. They have been a performance anchor of the event ever since.
In 2011, the group expanded its reach and was invited to participate in the Los Angeles Pride Parade in West Hollywood, Calif.
The St. Petersburg Twirling Project (or STP) may be only a few years old, but the groups roots are firmly planted in 1992. That was the year President Bill Clinton signed â┚¬Å”Don't Ask Don't Tellâ┚¬Â into lawâ┚¬â€Âwhich prohibited the military from discriminating against LGBT service members as long as they kept their sexuality secret.
That same year, three friends in Chicago banded together with a dozen other men to form the Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps (ROTC)â┚¬â€Âan all-male, military-based color guard group designed to enhance the Pride message of inclusiveness in the city's Pride Parade.
Similar groups quickly formed across the United states and Canada using the ROTC name or Flaggots. An strong ROTC contingent is based in St. Petersburg to this day.
Since its incorporation, STP has been a focal point at the St. Pete Pride Promenade, Tampa's Christmas parade in Ybor City, the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Sarasota Pride, and the St. Petersburg Grand Prix Illuminated Night Parade.
And, of course, Henson says that the group will appear again at the Santa and Pride parades this December and next June before.
In July 2012, STP will cash in its invitation to participate in the Philadelphia Fourth of July Celebration and Parade.
STP is a diverse group of men, ranging in age from 17 to 51. While the group is based on the tradition of marching band color guard, STP's choreography and choice of music is far traditional. (2011's song was Katy Perry's â┚¬Å”California Gurlzâ┚¬ÂÂâ┚¬â€Âfollowing Madonna's â┚¬Å”Holidayâ┚¬Â and â┚¬Å”It's Rainin' Men!)
â┚¬Å”STP is a precision-oriented performance ensemble,â┚¬Â said Henson. â┚¬Å”But we have never forgotten why we performâ┚¬â€Âto make our audience smile.â┚¬ÂÂ
For those interested in joining STP, visit their Facebook group or call José Perez
at 727-865-7554.
â┚¬â€œSteve Blanchard
Lakeland
LAKELAND
The LakelandCenter 863-834-8100
Sept. 2-3 Disney on Ice
Nov. 12-13 Wine Lovers: The Wine Tasting Musical
Dec. 7 RAIN: A tribute to the Beatles
Dec. 9 Loretta Lynn
Dec. 16 Sandi Patty: Yultide Joy
Jan. 26 Elvis: The Ultimate Tribute Show
LAKELAND
Polk Museum of Art 863-688-7743
Through Nov. 13 The (Lost Art of Drawing)
Sept. 17-Dec. 10 â┚¬Å”En Pleinâ┚¬Â Sight: Paintings by Lilian Garcia-Roig
Jessica Lange: In Mexico
Oct. 15-Jan. 21 The Blues
St. Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG
American Stage 727-823-7529
Through Sept. 25 Barefoot in the Park
Oct. 22-30 August: Osage County
Nov. 18-Dec. 24 An Ideal Husband
Jan. 20-Feb. 26 Seven Guitars
ST. PETERSBURG
City of St. Petersburg
Nov. 3-6 St. Pete International Folk Fair
Nov. 11-13 Ribfest
Nov. 13 St. Petersburg Yacht Club Vintage Motor Classic
Nov. 19-20 Craft Art 2011 & Artscape
Nov. 19 Chillounge
Dec. 1-4 St. Pete Power and Sailboat Show
Dec. 20 Beef O'Brady's Bowl
Dec. 31 First Night St. Petersburg
TREASURE ISLAND
The Club 727-367-4511
Sept. 9 Adam Farrara
Oct. 14 Richard Lewis
Oct. 29 The Music of ABBA: The Arrival of Sweden
Nov. 4 Emeril Lagasse
Nov. 18 Three Dog Night
ST. PETERSBURG/TAMPA
Florida Orchestra 727-892-3337
Oct. 14-16 Carmina Burana
Oct. 22 Pops in the Park
Oct. 29-30 Mahler's Symphony No. 9
Nov. 3 Gotta Dance
Nov. 4-6 Cirque de la Symphonie
Nov. 11-13 Beethoven's Violin Concerto
Nov. 25-27 The One & Only Frank Sinatra
Dec. 2-4 Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21
Dec. 9-11 Christmas at the Pops
Jan. 6-8 Celebrate Delius
Jan. 13-15 Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition
Jan. 20-22 Music for Lovers
ST. PETERSBURG
Freefall Theatre 727-498-5205
Sept. 15-Oct. 2 Grey Gardens
Oct. 27-Nov. 13 The Comedy of Errors
Dec. 15-Jan. 1 A Christmas Carol: The Musical
Feb. 2-19 Becky Shaw
Gulfport Players 727-322-0316
Nov. 3-13 The Constant Wife
ST.PETERSBURG
Jannus Live 727-565-0550
Sept. 16 Almost Kings/Hot Action Cop
Sept. 26 Pepper
Oct. 8 An Evening with WEEN
Oct. 12 Gym Class Heroes
Oct. 17 New Found Glory
Oct. 19 Lucinda Williams
Oct. 20 Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Oct. 23 Bassnectar
Nov. 22 Mac Miller
ST. PETERSBURG
Mahaffey Theater 727-898-2100
Dec. 26 Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker
Jan. 15 Swan Lake 
ST. PETERSBURG
St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Art 727-896-2667
Through Sept. 4 The Human Touch
Through Nov. 13 Four Portfolios of the Twentieth Century Archipenko, Gropper, Evans and Doisneau
Sept. 17-Nov. 27 The New York School: Selections from the Gollay Collection
Sept. 17-Dec. 4 Story and Symbol: Dutch and Flemish Paintings from the Collection of Dr. Gordon and Adele Gilbert
Dec. 17-Apr. 29 Ancient Egyptâ┚¬â€ÂArt and Magic: Treasures from the Fondation Gandur pour l'Art
ST. PETERSBURG
St. Petersburg Opera 727-822-3590
Sept. 30-Oct. 4 Die Fiedermaus
Nov. 17 Mommie Dearest: Famous Opera Moms
Dec. 15 Bohemian Rhapsody: Characters from La Boheme
Jan. 19 Bad Girls and the Boys that Can't Resist Them
ST. PETERSBURG
State Theatre 727-895-3045
Sept. 3 Trial By Stone
Sept. 4 The Human Abstract
Sept. 5 Funk E' Junque Entertainment
Sept. 6 Phone Calls from Home
Sept. 10 Cute Lepers
Sept. 11 Guttermouth
Sept. 14 Stryper
Sept. 16 Desolation-fest
Sept. 17 Tidal Jive
Sept. 20 Bad Brains
Sept. 22 Buckethead
Sept. 23 Boyce Avenue
Sept. 25 Passafire
Sept. 30 Variance
Oct. 3 Decapitated
Oct. 6 Das Racist
Oct. 7 Conspirator
Oct. 9 Firewind
Oct. 20 Underoath
Oct. 21 Electric Six
Oct. 22 The Toasters
Oct. 22 Off!
Oct 28 Charlie Mars
Oct. 28 Youth Brigade
Nov. 5 Wednesday 13
Nov. 9 Saves the Day/Bayside
Nov. 11 Tinariwen
Nov. 17 The AP Tour
Nov. 23 Pierce the Veil
ST. PETERSBURG
Studio At 620 727-895-6620
Sept. 15-18 Dance Theatre
Sept. 20 Swing@620
Sept. 20-Oct. 1 The Evolution of Pedro Jermaine
Sept. 27 The Crafty Hag's Rubber Stamp Workshop
Tampa Staci Backauskas has had many titles in her career. She's a singer, actress, performer, artist, author and closet stand up-comedienne. Now, the Tampa-based performer is combining her love of the arts with her new job as a life coach with a series of workshops to help those on a path to self discovery.
â┚¬Å”If you're questioning where you stand in your life, searching for ways to be happier or wondering how you can have more peace, you're a perfect fit for this experience,â┚¬Â says Backauskas. â┚¬Å”You'll discover the beliefs and perceptions that keep you from living the life you want and see your favorite characters from a fabulous new perspective.â┚¬ÂÂ
The series, called â┚¬Å”Whimsical Enlightenment: Workshops that Transform Entertainment into Spiritual Wisdomâ┚¬Â begins in some familiar territoryâ┚¬â€Âthe Land of Oz.
On Sept. 18, at Enchanted Spirits in Dunedin, Backauskas will use the campy consciousness of The Wizard of Oz to help participants take the next step on their journey of self-discovery. Her company, The Language of Light, focuses on helping others know who they are by learning who they're not.
She says she wants the inaugural workshop to be an experience where people in the gay community would feel comfortable.
â┚¬Å”We're all searching right now,â┚¬Â she says. â┚¬Å”There are so many changes going on and it's the lies we tell ourselvesâ┚¬â€Âthe meaning we assign to thingsâ┚¬â€Âthat make it so stressful. I wanted to select an iconic tale that appealed to people I care about.â┚¬ÂÂ
The Pittsburgh native is a fan of Maya Angelou, J.D. Salinger and Sarah Watersâ┚¬â€Âand its through them that Backauskas learned what her true calling was.
â┚¬Å”They are all great storytellers,â┚¬Â she says. â┚¬Å”That's really what I consider myself to be â┚¬â€œ a storyteller. Writing is the vehicle.â┚¬ÂÂ
Backauskas is the author of eight books, including the popular The Fifth Goddess and Where Fat Girls Haven't Gone.
â┚¬Å”[My] journey has taken me down many different roads, but all with the same goal,â┚¬Â Backauskas says. â┚¬Å”Everything I've done, from authoring eight books and becoming a minister to supporting others as a life coach and teaching creative writing, has helped me to better know Source, because that's the only way I can really know me. This has required an unraveling of the beliefs, perceptions, and thoughts I've held about who I believed I was, and a willingness to release them all.â┚¬ÂÂ
Future workshops will focus on other films, television shows and books, including It's A Wonderful Life, Star Wars, Catcher in the Rye, and The Real Housewives, as well as some of Staci's own novels.
Workshop registration is $18 and limited to 15 people. For details or to register, call 727-286-6279 or visit TLOL.org. Enchanted Spirits is located at 712 Broadway in Dunedin.
â┚¬â€œSteve Blanchard
Tampa
TAMPA
Carrollwood Players 813-265-4000
Sept. 9-Oct. 1 Cat's Cradle
Oct. 14-Nov. 5 You Have the Right to Remain Dead
Nov. 25-Dec. 17 Holiday Review
Jan. 6-28 Odd Couple (Female Version)
Feb. 10-Mar. 3 The Rainmaker
TAMPA
1-800-ASK-GARY Ampitheatre 877-870-3674
Sept. 3 Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival: Avenged Sevenfold
Sept. 9 Brad Paisley
Sept. 17 Journey, Foreigner and Night Ranger
Sept. 18 Icubus
Sept. 24 Blink 182 and My Chemical Romance
Oct. 7 Chris Brown
Oct. 14 Toby Keith
Nov. 30 Judas Priest
TAMPA
Gorilla Theatre 813-879-2914
Oct. 13-30 The Sea Horse
Dec. 1-18 The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
TAMPA
Jobsite Theater 813-229-7827
Sept. 8-25 The Guys
Oct. 20-Nov. 6 Quills
Jan. 12-29 The 39 Steps
TAMPA
M.A.D. Theatre 813-386-6173
The 2011 fall season will be announced at the end of September.
TAMPA
New American Theater 813-575-9241
February A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline
TAMPA
St. Pete Times Forum 813-301-2500
Sept. 9-11 Disney on Ice
Sept. 30 Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall & Larry the Cable Guy: Them Idiots Whirled Tour
Nov. 12 Taylor Swift
Dec. 4 Andrea Bocelli
TAMPA
Stageworks Theater 813-251-8984
Oct. 14-30 Gruesome Playground Injuries
Dec. 2-18 The Blue Room
Jan. 20-Feb. 5 â┚¬Ëœnight Mother
TAMPA
Straz Center for the Performing Arts 813-229-7827
Sept. 3 Brian McKnight
Oct. 18-23 The Addams Family
Nov. 8-13 Peter Pan
Oct. 13 Josh Ritter
Dec. 2 The Kinsey Sicks: Oy Vey in a Manger
Dec. 6-11 A Christmas Story: The Musical
Dec. 16-22 Holiday Inc.
Jan. 10-15 Love, Loss and What I Wore
Jan. 31-Feb. 12 Les Miserables
Feb. 21-26 La Cage Aux Folles
Feb. 24-May 6 Boeing Boeing
TAMPA
Tampa Museum of Fine Art 813-274-8130
Oct. 8-Jan. 8 No Limits: Janet Biggs
YBOR CITY
The Ritz Ybor 813-247-2555
Oct. 3 Between The Buried and Me
Oct. 5 FUEL
Oct. 6 The RITZ Ybor Fall Concert Series
Oct. 7 Mixed Martial Arts
Oct. 9 Arctic Monkeys
Oct. 21 The Rocky Horror Picture Show Party
Oct. 23 Panic! at the Disco
Nov. 2 Odd Future
Nov. 29 The Airborne Toxic Event
Dec. 1 Miracle on 7th Avenue: 3rd Annual Holiday Celebration
Dec. 16 Skrillex
Dec. 30 J.J. Grey and Mofro
Daytona Beach/Space Coast
DAYTONA
Daytona Playhouse 386-255-2431
Sept. 16-25 Move Over Mrs. Markham
Nov. 11-20 First Baptist of Ivy Gap
Jan. 6-15 George Washington Slept Here
Feb. 24-Mar. 4 Moving Mountains
DAYTONA
Daytona Beach Symphony Society 386-253-2901
Nov. 18 Munich Symphony Orchestra
Dec. 11 Tribute to Weekley and Arganbright
Jan 12 Winter Wonderland High Tea
Jan. 27 Mozart's Don Giovanni
Jan. 28 Canadian Brass
Jan. 29 Russia's St. Petersburg State Orchestra
Feb. 24 Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty
Mar. 2 Verdi's La Traviata
MELBOURNE
King Center for the Performing Arts 321-242-2219
Sept. 24 The Who: Who's Next
Oct. 7 Steve Miller Band
Oct. 8 Henson Alternative's Stuffed and Unstrung, featuring the Miskreant Puppet
Oct. 9 Il Volo
Nov. 10 Spencers Theatre of Illusion
Nov. 11 The Australian Pink Floyd Show
Nov. 12 Trace Adkins
Nov. 26-27 My Fair Lady
Nov. 29 Dave Koz and Friends
Dec. 12-13 Shrek: The Musical
Dec. 16 The Irish Tenors Christmas Show
Jan. 10 Golden Dragon Acrobats
Jan. 18 Twelfth Night
Jan. 31 Boney James
Jan. 31 ArcAttack
NEW SMYRNA BEACH
Little Theatre of New Smyrna Beach 386-423-1246
Through Sept. 18 Alone Together
Oct. 14-30 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Dec. 2-11 Dashing Through The Snow
Jan. 13-22 I Hate Hamlet
Feb.24-Mar. 11 Pajama Game
DAYTONA BEACH
Museum of Arts and Sciences 386-255-0285
Sept. 16-Dec. 11 Florida and Its Wildlife: Through the Lens of Harry Moulis, MD
Nov. 13-Mar. 11 Reflections II: Watercolors of Florida 1835-2000, from the Collection of Cici and Hyatt Brown
Dec. 15-Mar. 18 Greek and Russian Icons: From the MAOS Collections
Illuminated Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts: From the Collection of Ronald R. McCarty
DAYTONA BEACH
Peabody Auditorium 386-671-3461
Oct. 4 Henson Alternative's Stuffed and Unstrung
Nov. 18 Munich Symphony
Nov. 19 The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute
Nov. 22 My Fair Lady
Dec. 10-11 Nutcracker Ballet
Dec. 16 Miracle on 34th Street
Jan. 5 102 Years of Broadway
Jan. 10 The Wizard of Oz
Jan. 21 Spencers: Theatre of Illusion
Jan. 23 Air Force Reserve Band
Jan. 26 Roberta Flack
Jan. 27 Mozart's Don Giovanni
Jan. 28 Canadian Brass
Jan. 29 St. Petersburg State Orchestra
Jan. 31 Freedom Train
Feb. 9 George Jones
Feb. 18 The Singing Chef: Andy LoRusso
Feb. 21 Ray Stevens
Feb. 22 Monty Python's SPAMALOT
Feb. 24 Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty
Feb. 29 Cirque Mchanics' Boom Town
â┚¬Å”My earliest artistic memory involves drawing castles and moats while secretly watching reruns of Three’s Company to get a dose of John Ritter,â┚¬Â says artist Rebecca Rose. â┚¬Å”Upon seeing my drawings, my brother besmirched the wilted look of my droopy flowers and I argued the slopes of the stems were drawn that way to bring the flower heads towards the front of the page. From that moment forward, I realized I saw things a bit different.â┚¬ÂÂ
Rose accredits her aesthetic to Andy Warhol and Sam Wagstaff, who is most known for his influence in the 1980s photography art scene.
â┚¬Å”Just like the advances he made bringing photography into the limelight, he was planning to do the same with silver sculpture but died of AIDS before given the chance to see it manifest,â┚¬Â says Rose.
The Arizona native is the artist behind the functional art on display at Mr. Sisters. Rose infuses stark, contrasted blacks, whites, and grays to capture her subject’s essence in portraits.
â┚¬Å”What better way to dine, than off the face of a fabulous icon,â┚¬Â says Rose.
After creating a series of paintings on vintage vinylâ┚¬â€Âaptly named “Tablespoons of Paint” because it took roughly one tablespoon of paint to create each oneâ┚¬â€Âshe was urged by a friend to submit the idea to bar co-owner Brian Humphries for a larger scale version. Not long after debuting her work at the new nightspot, Parliament House commissioned her to add a few of her prints to their growing collection of local artists' renderings.
Rose also creates what she calls â┚¬Å”sculpturings.â┚¬Â She utilizes precious metals and found and burnable objects to create functional mobile sculpture, which are generally in the form of a wearable ring.
â┚¬Å”Sculpturings prompt discussion as the work moves with its owner, rather than art that waits for its audience,â┚¬Â says Rose.
She explains that her inspirations come from every day thoughts or events, which she translates into a theme for each ring.
â┚¬Å”If I was friends with Webster I’d ask him to add this entry to [his dictionary]; Sculpturings: an artistic collection of small sculpture on a mobile scale for fingers, with the intent to combine current social issues artistically represented in a physical sculptural form with language that contain the word or suffix â┚¬Ëœring,' cast into precious metals like gold and silver from the lost wax casting process.â┚¬ÂÂ
For the second year, Rose will auction her â┚¬Å”sculpturingsâ┚¬Â at this year's Headdress Ball. The sculpturing titled “Peppering” will be up for the highest bidder, celebrating the many incarnations a pepper can have.
Rose's work can be seen at Taste in College Park c/o Benjamin’s E&A and at the Lee James Gallery, City Arts Factory, and Mother Falcon in Orlando and Sickboys in Daytona.
For more information on Rebecca Rose, visit Sculpturings.com and RebeccaDownin.com
â┚¬â€œErik Caban
Orlando
ORLANDO
Abbey Theater 407-704-6261
Sept. 9 WMMO Acoustic Showcase
Sept. 11 Bill Allred Classic Jazz Band
Oct. 7 WMMO Acoustic Showcase
Oct. 9 The Orlando Bones with Greg Parnell
Nov. 13 Suzy Parks & Friends
Dec. 4 Michael and Ben Kramer and Greg Parnell's An Afternoon at the Movies
Jan. 8 Gary and Glenn Listort's Phoenix Jazz Orchestra
Feb. 12 Jarrit Sheel's Harlem Renaissance Tribute to Duke Ellington and Count Basie
ORLANDO
Amway Arena 407-489-2020
Sept. 9-11 Disney on Ice
Sept. 17 So You Think You Can Dance?
Sept. 18 Marc Anthony
Oct. 20 Sugarland and Sara Bareilles
Oct. 21 Euphoria Tour: Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull and Prince Royce
Oct. 29 Josh Groban
Nov. 18 Battle of the Bands
Dec. 11-12 Trans-Siberian Orchestra
ROLLINS COLLEGE, WINTER PARK
Annie Russell Theatre 407-646-2145
Sept. 23-Oct. 1The Sweetest Swing in Baseball
Nov. 11-19 Little Shop of Horrors
Feb. 11-Feb. 19 Picasso at the Lapin Agile
In his two-and-a-half years as the Artistic Director for the Orlando Ballet, Robert Hill has seen the struggles a darkening economy has placed on the arts. But with optimism and creativity, Hill is certain the artsâ┚¬â€Âand the Orlando Balletâ┚¬â€Âwill continue to survive.
â┚¬Å”The arts scene in Orlando remains very diverse and I think there's a lot of energy in this community,â┚¬Â says the former principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and the New York City Ballet.
Too many people, Hill says, have a pre-conceived idea that ballet is an old-fashioned take on a music box ballerina. But that's not the case, especially with the Orlando Ballet, and Hill wants to issue a challenge to skeptics.
â┚¬Å”I say see our Battle of the Sexes or our Vampire's Ball program,â┚¬Â he says. â┚¬Å”Ballet is sexy, athletic, exciting and youthful with beautiful bodies on the stage. The more contemporary programs seem to hook people, who say if they'd known ballet was like this, they'd have come a long time ago.â┚¬ÂÂ
That's not to say Hill doesn't present the classics. Productions of Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Giselle are still on the tap because, honestly, he admits, he realizes how good they are. Those programs are also very satisfying for the dancers as well as the audience members who desire a more diverse repertoire.
â┚¬Å”It's the physicality of the dance that tells these stories,â┚¬Â Hill says. â┚¬Å”There's a lot of high-energy dancing and the subject can be looked at from many different angles.â┚¬ÂÂ
Hill admits that there is not currently a large LGBT contingent in his audiences, but he expects that to change in the coming season and in the coming years. He adds that the success of the blockbuster film Black Swan, has been helpful in reinvigorating interest in the ballet community.
â┚¬Å”The film has encouraged people to inquire about ballet,â┚¬Â Hill says. â┚¬Å”I know a lot of companies are doing Swan Lake this year, including us. It has certainly put the ballet world up there.â┚¬ÂÂ
While Hill enjoyed many years as a performer on the stageâ┚¬â€Âhe retired from that role at the age of 42â┚¬â€Âhe says he is perfectly happy to remain as a director rather than a performer. His favorite part of his job is working with young talent and helping them find their abilities.
â┚¬Å”I had a great career on stage and I'm very fortunate for that,â┚¬Â Hill says. â┚¬Å”But one of the things I learned when I began to teach and coach is that I get a great deal of pleasure helping young talent find their potential. That makes what I do really satisfying.â┚¬ÂÂ
â┚¬â€œSteve Blanchard
MAITLAND
Art and History Museum 407-539-2181
Through Nov. 6 Maitland History Illustrated: Works by Dawn Schreiner
Sept. 17-18 Girl Scout Hats, Teas and History
Sept. 23-Nov. 6 Florida Artist Group
Sept. 24 Smithsonian Free Day
Oct. 16 An Evening in the Grove
Nov. 11 Culture and Cocktails
Nov. 18-Jan. 22 Dialogue: Camilo Velasquez
Nov. 23-Jan. 15 Holidays at the Waterhouse
Dec. 9 Culture and Cocktails
Dec. 9-Feb. 26 Borders of Paradise: The New World in the Eyes of Explorers
Dec. 10-11 Girl Scouts Hats, Teas and History
Jan. 13 Culture and Cocktails
Jan. 15 Borders of Paradise: Explorers
Feb. 3-April 15 Emerge! Molly Chism
EUSTIS
Sept. 16-Oct. 9 Dracula
Nov. 18-Dec. 11 Nunsense Jamboree
Feb. 3-26 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
ORLANDO
Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre 407-849-2577
Sept. 19 Elvis Costello
Sept. 24 Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
Oct. 8 Heart of the King: A Tribute to Elvis
Oct. 15 Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
Oct. 21-22 Orlando Ballet: Vampire's Ball
Oct. 30 David Sedaris
Nov. 1-6 The Addams Family
Dec. 6-11 South Pacific
Dec. 15-18 Orlando Ballet: The Nutcracker
Jan. 17-22 Les Miserables
Feb. 10-11 Orlando Ballet: Battle of the Sexes III
Feb. 15-26 Billy Elliot
Now in its ninth season, the Winter Park Playhouseâ┚¬â€Âtucked away on north Orange Avenueâ┚¬â€Âhas played host to many local seasoned thespians including Kevin Kelly, Tim Evanicki, who wrote and performed in their production of Bathhouse: The Musical, and Todd Allen Long.
Long, pictured in the cowboy hat, is also the theatre's box office manager, facilities manager and volunteer coordinator. He has been with the company since 2004. A Musical Education major, his background includes stints at Mad Cow Theatre, Orlando Opera, the Jester Theater Company and the Orlando Fringe Festival.
The Playhouse offers a variety of theatrics, including reviews, musicals and â┚¬Å”book shows.â┚¬Â Currently on display: the spoof Musical of Musicals: The Musical, which takes audiences on a journey through famous Rodgers & Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Kander & Ebb productions, pointing out the foibles and shortcomings of musicals, all the while embracing and celebrating the art form.
Another unique entertainment option is their cabaret series, which features a variety of singers and pianists. Guests can experience true â┚¬Å”New York styleâ┚¬Â cabaret in the beautiful lobby piano bar.
â┚¬Å”It's like listening to jazz in your living room,â┚¬Â says Long.
While most non-profit theaters have had to close their doors recently, Winter Park Playhouse remains one of the five withstanding in Florida. According to Long, it hasn't been easy but it is thanks largely in part to donations from the community.
â┚¬Å”One of the misconceptions is that just buying a ticket is donating,â┚¬Â Long explains. â┚¬Å”However, ticket sales only cover 45% of the operating costs.â┚¬ÂÂ
As a part of the community, the Playhouse does enjoy giving back as well. Thanks in part to grants, it established the outreach program R.E.A.C.H.(Relevant Educational Arts for Children), which offers Title One and other under-served elementary schools in the Central Florida community the opportunity to experience live musical theatre and hopefully educate, engage and entertain.
This year's show selection, Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr. teaches history, grammar, math, science and politics through clever, tuneful songs. Some of the song titles include: â┚¬Å”A Noun is a Person, Place or Thing,â┚¬Â Ã¢â”šÂ¬Ã…”Three is a Magic Number,â┚¬Â Ã¢â”šÂ¬Ã…”Just a Bill,â┚¬Â and â┚¬Å”Conjunction Junction.â┚¬ÂÂ
Coming up in October is Ruthless, which combines The Bad Seed, All About Eve, Valley of The Dolls and Kevin Kelly in drag! Then, in November, catch an original Playhouse review Anything Cole: The Music of Cole Porter.
For more information on Winter Park Playhouse, visit WinterParkPlayhouse.org
â┚¬â€œSteve Blanchard
WINTER PARK
Breakthrough Theatre of Winter Park 407-920-4034
Sept. 2-19 12 Angry Men
ROLLINS COLLEGE, WINTER PARK
Cornell Fine Arts Museum 407-646-2526
Oct. 22-Jan. 8 The Very Queer Portraits of Heyd Fontenot
Oct. 22-Jan. 15 Synchronicity: Studio Faculty Biennial Exhibition 2011
Kim Russo: Family
A Room of One's Own: Women Artists from the Permanent Collection
ORLANDO
Footlight Theater at the Parliament House, Wanzie.com 407-454-8478
Sept. 3 Cazwell and His Boys
Sept. 3-12 Gidget Galore's Aiming for the Moon
Sept. 24-Oct. 8 BabyBlue's Carnivale
Oct. 15-31 The Mystery of Irma Vepp
Oct. 17 Miss Gay Orlando Pageant
Nov. 5-19 Danny Feedback's Crack Rock Opera
Nov. 26-Dec. 17 Wanzie's Glittering Star-Studded A Christmas Carol
WINTER GARDEN
The Garden Theatre 407-877-4736
Sept. 9 DiamondRocks! and Friends
Oct. 14-Nov. 6 Little Shop of Horrors
Nov. 12-13 Sleeping Beauty
Nov. 16-20 Suddenly Seniors
Dec. 2-18 The Diviners
Jan. 27-29 Orlando Ballet's Best of Battle of the Sexes
Feb. 10-26 The Bikinis: A New Musical Beach Party
ORLANDO
Hard Rock Live 407-351-LIVE
Oct. 4 3 Doors Down
Oct. 5 â┚¬Å”Weird Alâ┚¬Â Yankovic
Oct. 7 Arctic Monkeys
Oct. 8 The Script
KISSIMMEE
House of Blues at Downtown Disney 407-934-BLUE
Sept. 2 Erasure
Sept. 3 Orlando Rocks! With Not Tonight Josephine
Sept. 6 Menealo Martes
Sept. 8 Slippery When Wet: Ultimate Tribute to Bon Jovi
Sept. 9 Return to Forever IV with Zappa Plays Zappa
Sept. 16 Stryper
Sept. 17 Jared Blake, from The Voice
Sept. 28 Avicii
Oct. 2 Joe Jonas and Jay Sean
Oct. 7 Cyndi Lauper
Oct. 12 Never Shout Never
Oct. 14 Gym Class Heroes
Oct. 16 Jack's Mannequin Oct. 19 Bush & Chevelle with Filter
Oct. 28 Colbie Caillat
Nov. 4 Yngwie Malmsteen
Nov. 6 Bayside & Saves the Day
Nov. 8 Steven Wilson
Nov. 12 Queensryche
Nov. 18 Josh Turner
Dec. 15 Skrillex
MOUNT DORA
The Icehouse Theatre 352-383-4616
Nov. 18-Dec. 18 Annie
Jan. 20-Feb. 12 Lend Me a Tenor
ORLANDO
Mad Cow Theatre Co. 407-297-8788
Sept. 23-Oct. 16 Next Fall
Oct. 14-Nov. 20 The Drowsy Chaperone
Jan. 27-Feb. 19 Sunday in the Park with George
MAITLAND
Maitland Art Center 407-539-2181
Through Sept. 11 The Confident Line: Henry Patrick Raleigh
Through Nov.1 Maitland History Illustrated: Works by Dawn Schreiner
Sept. 23-Jan. 2 Florida Artists Group Exhibition
Nov. 18-Jan.30 Dialogue: Camilo Valasquez
Dec. 9-Feb. 26 Borders of Paradise: The New World in the Eyes of Explorers
Nov1-Jan. 30 Holidays at the Waterhouse
Feb. 3-April 15 EMERGE! Molly Chism
ORLANDO
Mennello Museum of American Folk Art 407-246-4278
Through Sept. 25 FLA ART
Feb. 11-12 10th Annual Orlando Folk Festival
CLERMONT
Moonlight Prayers 352-319-1116
Sept. 23-Oct. 23 Willy Wonka
Nov. 18-Dec. 11 Pinochio
Jan. 13-Feb. 12 Nine
WINTER PARK
Morse Museum of Art 407-645-5311
Through Oct. 9 Morse Vignette
Through Jan. 15 A Church Record: Photos from the Tiffany Studios Ecclesiastical Department
ORLANDO
Orange County Regional History Center 407-836-8500
Jan. 21-Mar. 18 Beyond Baseball: The Life of Roberto Clemente
ORLANDO
Orlando Ballet 407-426-1739
Oct. 21-23 Vampire's Ball
Oct. 22 The Sleeping Beauty
Dec. 16-18 The Nutcracker
Feb. 10-12 Battle of the Sexes III
ORLANDO
Orlando Gay Chorus 407-841-SING
Dec. 10-11 There's Something About Merry
ORLANDO
Orlando Museum of Art 407-896-4231
Through Dec. 30 Tony Robbin: A Retrospective, Paintings and Drawings 1970-2010
Through June 30 2012 Of Cloth and Culture II
Life Stories: American Portraits Past and Present
Common Ground: Art of the American Landscape
Currents in Contemporary Art
Aztec to Zapotec II
ORLANDO
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra 407-896-6700
Sept. 24 Piccini e Verdi: An Evening of the Most Beautiful Melodies Ever Written
Oct. 15 Night at the Oscars
Nov. 12 American Voices
Nov. 26 Home for the Holidays
Jan. 14 Wolfram Plays Brahms
Jan. 28 The Music of Billy Joel and More
Feb. 4 Rite of Spring
ORLANDO
Orlando Shakespeare Theater 407-447-1700
Sept. 14-Oct. 9 The Importance of Being Earnest
Oct. 12-Nov. 13 God of Carnage
Nov. 30-Dec. 30 A Tuna Christmas
Dec. 1-18 Sleigh
Jan. 25-Mar. 17 Romeo and Juliet
Feb. 8-Mar. 18 Cymbeline
Feb. 21 Mock Trial
KISSIMMEE
Osceola Center for the Arts 407-846-4643
Oct. 14-30 Man of La Mancha
Dec. 2-18 White Christmas: The Musical
Jan. 20-29 Blithe Spirit
Feb. 24-Mar. 11 My Fair Lady
ORLANDO
The Pointe Performing Arts Center 407-374-3587
Sept. 8-11 The Guys (A 9-11 Tribute)
Sept. 22-Oct. 9 RENT
Oct. 27-Nov. 13 Driving Miss Daisy
Dec. 1-21 Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
Jan. 13-29 M*A*S*H
Feb. 17-Mar. 4 To Kill A Mockingbird
ROLLINS COLLEGE, WINTER PARK
Rollins College 407-657-4848 x212
Sept. 11 Sept. 11th 10th Anniversary Concert
Sept. 20 Department of Music Faculty Concert
Oct. 1 Donald George and Lucy Mauro
Oct. 2 Brass & Organ Fireworks
Oct. 12 Joni Roos and Gloria Cook
Oct. 14 Choral Concert
Oct. 17 Jazz Concert
Oct. 27 An Evening of Chinese Music
Halloween Orchestra Concert
Nov. 3 Julie Batman
Nov. 17 Opera Scenes
Dec. 1-3 Christmas Vespers
ORLANDO
Theatre Downtown Orlando 407-841-0083
Sept. 9-Oct. 9 Avenue Q
Oct. 28-31 Halloween Extravaganza
Nov. 25-Dec. 19 A Christmas Carol
ORLANDO
Sept. 21-25 Cirque du Soleil: Dralion
Nov. 5 Kansas
ORLANDO
UCF Conservatory Theatre 407-823-1500
Sept. 22-24 Savage in Limbo
Sept. 29-Oct. 8 Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music
Oct. 20-30 The Pajama Game
Nov. 3-5 Locomotion
Nov. 17-Dec. 4 Gem of the Ocean
Jan. 19-29 The Last Night of Ballyhoo
Feb. 16-26 Bury the Dead
SANFORD
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center 407-321-8111
Sept. 16-25 Guys and Dolls
Oct. 6-9 Cinderella
Oct. 15 Hits of the Brits
Oct. 22-23 Pasion Flamenca
Nov. 11-20 The Nerd
Dec. 10 Holiday with the Stars
Dec. 17 Simply Streisandâ┚¬Â¦Holiday Memories
Dec. 30 Toxic Audio
Jan. 14 A Live Musical Tribute to the Beatles
Feb. 1-5 Sacred Slave Stories
Feb. 4 The Long Run: Eagles Tribute
Feb. 10-12 Love Your Shorts Film Festival
Feb. 19-26 Phantom
WINTER PARK
Winter Park Playhouse 407-645-0145
Sept. 9-17 The Musical of Musicals (The Musical)
Oct. 7-29 Ruthless: The Musical
Nov. 18-Dec. 17 Anything Cole!
Jan. 20-Feb. 11 I Love You Because
WINTER HAVEN
Theatre Winter Haven 863-294-7469
Sept. 15-Oct. 9 The Full Monty
Dec. 1-18 It's A Wonderful Life
Jan. 12-Feb. 5 The Marvelous Wonderettes
Feb. 23-Mar. 18 Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story
