Actors, artists, directors, filmmakers and events in the news May 22-31, 2022

Grouped under headings that include art openings, film, outdoor art fairs and festivals and theater are advances, announcements and articles about the actors, artists, filmmakers and events making news in Southwest Florida this week:

1     FILM

12th Annual Fort Myers Film Festival to open with ‘Calendar Girls’ documentary

The Fort Myers Film Festival will open its 12th annual festival on May 18 with Calendar Girls, a 2022 film about a group of Southwest Florida senior volunteer dancers who are determined to prove that age is just a number. The Calendar Girls give it all they’ve got, and they have a lot to give — impressive makeup, handmade costumes, elaborate dance routines, and, most notably, their unparalleled enthusiasm and sparkling personalities. Through revealing conversations and choreographed dance scenes, the film captures the challenges of being a woman over 60 and the delicate balance of family, home and dance. With laughter and tears, relationships and identities change as new dreams are discovered. The rest of this advance is here.

____________________________________

Listen to ‘Calendar Girls’ interview on WGCU

Since 2005, the Calendar Girls have danced their way into the hearts of Southwest Florida residents and vacationers. Known for their impressive make-up, handmade costumes, choreographed dance routines and bubbly, effervescent personalities, the troupe gives over 100 public and private performances each year. While they often appear at other organizations’ fundraising events, all of the money they earn from their appearances goes to support the Southeastern Guide Dogs’ mission of supporting veterans with disabilities. And one reason the Girls are especially excited about having their documentary shown locally is the spotlight it will shine on Southeastern Guide Dogs – as long-time member Lynn Hutton effuses. Go here to listen to the rest of this Spotlight on the Arts on WGCU.

___________________________________________

Eric Raddatz promises cornucopia of fresh indie films

The 12^th Annual Fort Myers Film Festival is currently under way at the historic Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in the downtown Fort Myers and at other venues. If you missed Wednesday evening’s opening night gala and rock-the-house performance by the Calendar Girls, don’t worry! Film Festival Executive Director Eric Raddatz promises that there are still plenty of entertaining fresh indie films to see over the next three days. Go here for more.

_____________________________________________________________

Spotlight on documentary ‘Missing Meadows: Restoring Florida’s Seagrasses’

The Fort Myers Film Festival will screen a number of environmental films this year, including three by filmmaker Sonny DePasquale. During the 3:00 p.m. Global Environmental Block 1, FMff will show Missing Meadows: Restoring Florida’s Seagrass. The subject of this 7-minute documentary is Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, one of the most biodiverse estuaries in North America. Go here for more.

_________________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Missing Meadows’ filmmaker Sonny DePasquale

The Fort Myers Film Festival will screen a number of environmental films this year, including three by filmmaker Sonny DePasquale: Missing Meadows: Restoring Florida’s Seagrasses, Busy in the Battery and Protecting the Monarch Butterfly. DePasquale is the founder of Emergent Productions. Named after the highest layer of the rainforest symbolizing the conservation heroes watching over us, Emergent Productions is a nonprofit organization that uses the power of storytelling to inspire environmental awareness. The rest of this Spotlight is here.

___________________________

Spotlight on short film ‘Music Box’

The Fort Myers Film Festival will play the sh0rt film Music Box on Thursday, May 19 during its “Interesting Shorts Block 1.” The short is about a man who goes on an emotional journey while writing a letter.

Music Box is directed by Kyle Cyr. Miguel Gonzalez-Floyd wrote the screenplay and stars in the film. Besides the Fort Myers Film Festival, Music Box is an official selection of the Subculture Film Festival and CenFlo Film Festival. It won 2022 Best Short Fiction Film honors from the Direct Online Monthly Film Festival and 2022 Audience Award at Film Slam.

___________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Music Box’ filmmaker Kyle Cyr

The Fort Myers Film Festival will play Kyle Cyr’s sh0rt film Music Box on Thursday, May 19 during its “Interesting Shorts Block 1.” Cyr’s other films are The Vial, Tape 23 and Breakthrough.

Cyr has a passion for telling stories that touch on themes of love, loss, moving on, and the impact that people have on our lives and the nuances of it all.

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

______________________________________

Spotlight on documentary ‘It’s Just Parkinson’s’

Filmmaker Diane Akam’s documentary It’s Just Parkinson’s will be shown by the Fort Myers Film Festival at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 19th. The film is an inspiring and emotional look at one man’s journey to live life to the fullest while living with a disease that has no cure. Written by Mary Dart and featuring John Cullen, Vince Lamphere and Pattie Stoffel, IJP is about life, death, brotherhood and the profound impact of mindset in the face of adversity.

John Cullen is a 62-year-old man battling Parkinson’s disease with grit, courage, grace, and a warrior mindset. Five years before, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The rest of this Spotlight is here.

______________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘It’s Just Parkinson’s’ filmmaker Diane Akam

Diane Akam’s documentary It’s Just Parkinson’s will be screened at the Fort Myers Film Festival at 7:00 p.m. on May 21.

____________________________________________

‘Letter for My Son’ a call to action in time of uncertainty

The Fort Myers Film Festival will show Letter for My Son during the 2:30 p.m. Random & Animated Short Film Block on Friday, May 20. The film is a call to action in support of Arts for Act Gallery, a Fort Myers art gallery owned by Abuse Counseling and Treatment, Inc., a non-profit agency that provides shelter and support services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.

The 9-minute short was produced by Elijah Gromalski and directed by Justine Sophia. Cineastes and patrons of the Fort Myers Film Festival know Gromalski (who also goes by Elijah Green) through the theme he wrote and recorded for FMff and its first-Monday-of-the-month TGIM screenings. The rest of this Spotlight is here.

______________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Letter to My Son’ producer Elijah Gromalski

A Letter to My Son producer Elijah Gromalski is a visionary artist. His works range from music, film, writing, poetry, and visual arts to political and technological sciences. His life work is to promote the 486 Covenant Merkabahedron, which is his contribution to the scientific community as a Universal Theory of Everything. All of his works revolve around a singular point, which is to bring man closer to God.

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

___________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Letter to My Son’ director Justine Sophia

A Letter to My Son director Justine Sophia is a film director, producer and editor at Scheherazade Pictures. She majored in film and television production at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts on a full university grant. Prior to film school, she trained at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Hollywood and has competed in the United States Chess Federation. She’s the creative director of “Mondays at the Mission”, a career and life skills program for youth experiencing homelessness where she’s been volunteering on Skid Row for seven years. She currently works for the actor Benicio del Toro as well as the company, Forever Tango.

______________________________________________

Spotlight on animated environmental film ‘Watch the Feet’

The Fort Myers Film Festival will show the documentary short film Watch the Feet during the “Random & Animated Shorts Block” at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 20.

Most consumers want to do the right thing to help keep our planet healthy, but it can be confusing. Feel good words like biodegradable, natural, recyclable, sustainable, etc. may actually encourage consumers to purchase more without guilt. But everything has an environmental footprint that affects our planet, and to truly keep our environment healthy, we need to reduce the number of nonrenewable resources we extract and the number of toxins we release. You can read the rest of this preview here.

_________________________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Watch the Feet’ screenwriter and director Laura Tufariello

The Fort Myers Film Festival will show the documentary short film Watch the Feet during the “Random & Animated Shorts Block” at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 20. The 6-minute animated film was written and co-directed by Laura Tufariello. Committed to education, Laura has given conferences and presentations on sustainability to many large corporations in the USA. Laura Tufariello is a long-standing advocate for sustainability and corporate responsibility. An active founding member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and past adjunct professor in the Packaging Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Laura uses education and peer-collaboration to develop new paths towards social change. Go here for more on Laura Tufariello.

________________________________________________

Spotlight on 1836 documentary ‘Experience the Adirondacks

The Fort Myers Film Festival will show the short documentary Experience the Adirondacks during its 3:30 p.m. “Global Environmental Block 2” on Friday, May 20. The film chronicles the epic mountain adventure into the Adirondacks made by four young adults with autism compliments of a program for neurodivergent individuals offered by Sarasota-based Adventure For All.  This short documentary follows them from their training to their wilderness excursions in the Adirondack mountains.

You will find the rest of this Spotlight here.

____________________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Experience the Adirondacks’ filmmaker 1836 Agency

The Fort Myers Film Festival will show the short documentary Experience the Adirondacks during its 3:30 p.m. “Global Environmental Block 2” on Friday, May 20. The film chronicles the epic mountain adventure into the Adirondacks made by four young adults with autism compliments of a program for neurodivergent individuals offered by Sarasota-based Adventure For All.  The documentary was made by the 1836 Agency, which is co-owned by Dev Walker and Morgan Alley.

__________________________________________

Spotlight on environmental film ‘Busy in the Battery’

The Fort Myers Film Festival will screen a number of environmental films this year, including three by filmmaker Sonny DePasquale. On Saturday, FMff will show Busy in the Battery followed by Protecting the Monarch Butterfly during the 3:30 p.m. Global Environmental Block 2. You will find the rest of this Spotlight here.

_____________________________________________________

Spotlight on environmental film ‘Protecting the Monarch Butterfly’

On Saturday, FMff will show Busy in the Battery followed by Protecting the Monarch Butterfly during the 3:30 p.m. Global Environmental Block 2.

Monarch butterflies are one of the most recognizable species on Earth due to their brightly colored wings and black-and-white markings. They also have one of the longest migrations of any insects. Each year, they travel thousands of miles from Canada to Mexico for warmth during the winter months.

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

_______________________________________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Busy in the Battery’ & ‘Protecting the Monarch’ filmmaker Sonny DePasquale

The Fort Myers Film Festival will screen a number of environmental films this year, including three by filmmaker Sonny DePasquale: Missing Meadows: Restoring Florida’s Seagrasses, Protecting the Monarch Butterfly and Busy in the Battery. DePasquale is the founder of Emergent Productions. Please go here to view DePasquale’s film and other credits.

________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Tales of Sunshine: Florida Ecostories

Award-winning director Vincent Marcucci will premiere the highly-anticipated environmental documentary series Tales of Sunshine: Florida Ecostories at the Fort Myers Film Festival. The four-part documentary series navigates the serene forests and waters of Florida to uncover four powerful environmental stories that took place during the height of COVID-19. The meditative docuseries weaves together captivating histories of curiosity, resilience, and environmental justice through the personable stories of four naturalists from different regions of Florida. The rest of this Spotlight is here.

______________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Tales of Sunshine’ filmmaker Vince Marcucci

Tales of Sunshine: Florida Ecostories is a four-part documentary filmed by Vincent Marcucci in collaboration with students and alumni from the University of Central Florida. Marcucci made the film as his thesis for his 2021 Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Environmental Studies from the University of Central Florida. With the film’s release, Marcucci hopes to impart a new artistic perspective on Florida ecology and conservation using stunning cinematography and immersive sound design. The rest of this Spotlight is here.

__________________________

Spotlight on short film ‘Managed’

The Fort Myers Film Festival will show Janae’ Rachel Ballot’s short film Managed during the “Awesome Fun Shorts Block” at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 20. The short marks Ballot’s debut as a screenwriter, director and producer.

Managed is a satirical web series pilot that follows high-strung talent manager Susanna Feinstein (Savannah Ballot). In the pilot, her 20-year-old hyper-sensitive movie star client, Albert Harris (Devin Brochu), announces his retirement and fires Susanna on Twitter. Feinstein gets her revenge on him with a young Instagram influencer, sparking a social media war with the actor.

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

____________________________

Spotlight on ‘Managed’ filmmakers

Managed represents Janaé Rachel Ballot’s debut as a screenwriter, director and producer. A proof-of-concept for a series, Managed is a biting satirical anthology that tells comedic stories through the eyes of a high-strung talent manager who is compelled to navigate her clienteles’ existential crises while trying to not lose her identity in the midst of Hollyweird.

Ballot has previously written two feature films that are currently in development, including the Anthony Perkins biopic Don’t Fence Me In. Another project, a short film titled Contract Player, is currently in post-production.

You will find the rest of this Spotlight here.

__________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Managed’ short film actor Devin Brochu

The Fort Myers Film Festival will show Janae’ Rachel Ballot’s short film Managed during the “Awesome Fun Shorts Block” at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 20. Devin Brochu plays the part of a hyper-sensitive movie star named Albert Harris, who announces his retirement from acting at the age of 20. Go here to see what all Devin’s been in.

____________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Managed’ short film actor Savannah Ballot

The Fort Myers Film Festival will show Janae’ Rachel Ballot’s short film Managed during the “Awesome Fun Shorts Block” at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 20. Savannah Ballot plays Hollywood talent manager Susannah Feinstein in the film, which is a proof-of-concept pilot for a six-part series. Besides Managed, Ballot’s film credits include The Narrator in the short film Contract Player (post-production), which she wrote and produced, and Lifestyle Baby (2013).

_____________________________________________

Spotlight on Michelle Danner action thriller ‘The Runner’

The Fort Myers Film Festival will play Michelle Danner’s The Runner at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 20. The action thriller focuses on a troubled teenager by the name of Aiden who is forced to go undercover and risk his life to bring down a dangerous drug king pin after being busted for drug possession. The star-studded cast includes Edouard Phillipponnat as the teen and Elisabeth Rohm, Eric Balfour, Jessica Amlee, Nadji Jeter, Kerrie Meddars and Cameron Douglas, in his first role in more than a decade.

“Elisabeth Rohm offers a compelling turn as Aiden’s mother, a woman trying to be the perfect mother while simultaneously aware she’s watching her son downward spiral into something she can barely recognize,” adds Richard Propes writing for The Independent Critic.

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

_________________________________________

Spotlight on Caytha Jentis short film ‘April Showers’

The Fort Myers Film Festival welcomes 2021 FMff Best Feature filmmaker Caytha Jentis back to Fort Myers. This year, FMff will show a 12-minute short romantic drama that Jentis filmed in Montclair, New Jersey and New York City’s Central Park during the pandemic. April Showers stars Bill Sage (Hap and Leonard (2016), We Are What We Are (2013), Even Hand (2002)) and Lorraine Farris (The Slap (2015), Blue Bloods (2010)). They play a man and woman who meet on a bench in an unusually stark Central Park while the city and its residents are grappling with life at the epicenter of the pandemic.

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

__________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘April Showers’ filmmaker Caytha Jentis

Caytha Jentis’ short romantic drama, April Showers, will be shown at 3:50 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 during the Rom-Com Hot Films Block. Her indie comedy Pooling to Paradise opened last year’s Fort Myers Film Festival and took Best Feature honors. Directed by Roxy Shih, the 85-minute feature starred Taryn Manning (Orange Is the New Black, Hustle & Flow), Jonathan Lipnicki (The Resident, Jerry Maguire), Dreama Walker (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Gran Torino), Lynn Chen (Saving Face, Go Back To China) and comedian Jordan Carlos (Broad City, Guy Code, Girl Code).

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

______________________________________________

Spotlight on short film ‘Gretel and Hansel: A New Musical’

The Fort Myers Film Festival will show Gretel and Hansel: A New Musical during the “Awesome Shorts Block” at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. In this modern rendition of the classic Brothers Grimm tale, when impoverished, 13-year-old Gretel learns her stepmom is a witch, she must join her skeptical brother Hansel on a quest to the Millhouse to uncover the mysterious truth about their family. The rest of this preview is here.

____________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Gretel and Hansel’ filmmaker Alex Preston

Alex Preston is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning producer, writer and director. In addition to Gretel and Hansel: A New Musical, his filmmaking credits include the short film The Last Gift (2020, director/editor/writer), Artists Unite (2020, editor),  the short Painted (2018, director/editor/writer), Wake Up (2018, producer), the short film #Slap (2018/producer), the short film The Flipside (2018, producer/writer), the short Out (2017, director/producer/editor/writer) …. You will find the rest of this Spotlight here.

_______________________________

Spotlight on short film ‘In the Driver’s Seat’

On Saturday, May 21, the Fort Myers Film Festival will show the short film In the Driver’s Seat during its 5:00 p.m. “Awesome Shorts (Fire) Block” of films. This will represent one of the final screenings of the award-winning and IMDb-recognized Chicago short film.

The drama is centered around an early morning accident between a biker, Rick Munoz (The Artifact, The History Channel) and a driver, Luke Daigle (Collide, Chicago PD) on a cold and snowy Chicago morning. An argument ensues about who was at fault, which exposes a deeper, hidden conflict between the two strong and distinct characters. You can read the rest of this preview here.

_________________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘In the Driver’s Seat’ filmmaker Ralph Klisiewicz

On Saturday, May 21, the Fort Myers Film Festival will show the short film In the Driver’s Seat during its 5:00 p.m. “Awesome Shorts (Fire) Block” of films. The film was directed and co-written by Ralph Klisiewicz. Go here for this Spotlight.

______________________________________

Spotlight on Tim Ritter short film ‘The Lost Age’

Tim Ritter wowed Fort Myers Film Festival cineastes in 2017 with his film Moment of Truth, the first locally-produced feature film to appear in the film festival’s history.  Ritter returns to this year’s FMff with his short film, The Lost Age, in which a young dinosaur enthusiast’s surprise trip to a prehistoric-themed park with his parents won’t be the biggest or last surprise the day has in store for him.

The film stars Noel Gates (Echoes, Threat Level Zero, Between the Lines) as the mom, Yago Lupi (A Single’s Guidebook to Love, Sincerely P.M. and Rap Sh*t) as Dad and Bryson JonSteele as the boy.

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

___________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Lost Age’ filmmaker Tim Ritter

Tim Ritter wowed Fort Myers Film Festival cineastes in 2017 with his film Moment of Truth, the first locally-produced feature film to appear in the film festival’s history.  Ritter returns to this year’s FMff with his short film, The Lost Age.

Ritter’s directing credits include the feature films Echoes (2022), Testament (2017) and Moment of Truth (2017) as well as the short films The Lost Age (2021), The Interview (2015), Dawn (2012), Keeper of the Earth (2010) and The Long Wait (2009). He also produced Testament, Moment of Truth The Interview, Dawn, Keeper of the Earth and The Long Wait.

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

_____________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Lost Age’ actory Bryson JonSteele

The Lost Age will be screened in the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. Bryson JonSteele stars as a young dinosaur enthusiast whose surprise trip to a prehistoric-themed park with his parents won’t be the biggest or last surprise the day has in store for him.

Although only 11, JonSteele has already amassed a long and impressive filmography.

Go here to see all the films he’s already been in.

___________________________________________________

Spotlight on Pat Michell film ‘Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes’

On Saturday, May 21, the Fort Myers Film Festival will show the feature film Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes. Filmmaker Pat Mitchell shot the film in just five days at locations in Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres and Punta Gorda.

The protagonist of the film is a timid young man who chronically suffers from social anxiety. At a house party, an unlikely encounter inspires a night of drinking, joy and romance. Incapable of driving, he accompanies his high school crush on a late night journey to her home across the neighborhood.

Go here for the rest of this preview.

_________________________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes’ filmmaker Pat Mitchell

The Fort Myers Film Festival will play Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May21 in the grand atrium of the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. The film was written, directed and produced by Pat Mitchell, who has been part of the Fort Myers Film Festival family for a number of years, and is a perennial attendee of FMff’s Thank God for Indie Monday screenings.

Go here for the rest of this Spotlight.

______________________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes’ actor Calvin Waldau

Calvin Waldau is an aspiring film actor. He stars in the role of Henry Boyd in Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes.

He has previously appeared as Jonathan in Todd (2021) and Conner in the short film Falling Apart (2020). He caught the acting bug when he was 12, appearing at Florida Repertory Theatre in A Christmas Story.

________________________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes’ actor Skye Marie Sena

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Skye Marie Sena caught the acting bug at age five, when her parents took her to the theater to see a performance of Beauty and the Beast. Later that same year, she watched in amazement as her sister appeared in the role of Maria in Sound of Music in a production at her school. After her family relocated to Naples when Skye was 13, she became a member of the International Thespian Society, which eventually led Skye to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Forida Southern College in Lakeland. The role of Natalie Newman in Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes is her first foray into the realm of film.

_________________________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes’ actor Valeria Di Babb0

Valeria Di Babbo is a Venezuelan actor based in Miami. She found her love for the performing arts as a child when she began her training in flamenco and, later, for singing when she joined her high school’s choir. However, she did not catch the acting bug until she participated in her first musical theater production at age 17. Since then, she has appeared as Cinderella in Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Holly in The Wedding Singer and Tinker Bell in Peter & Wendy. Go here for more.

_____________________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes’ actor Jim Barbour

A native of Lexington, Kentucky and 26-year Southwest Florida resident, Jim Barbour makes his acting debut in Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes in the role of Mason, who is open to allowing two young strangers into his home in the middle of the night and using the opportunity to dispense advice on love and romance. Barbour is uniquely qualified for the part as his creative pursuits have heretofore included comedy writing and performing stand-up.

You will find the rest of this Spotlight here.

_________________________________________

Spotlight on Michael Glover Smith feature ‘Relative’

Chicago filmmaker Michael Glover Smith’s fourth feature film, Relative, starring Wendy Robie (Twin Peaks) and Cameron Scott Roberts (The Walking Dead), will screen at the 12th annual Fort Myers Film Festival on Saturday, May 21. Relative is a heartwarming dramedy about a large dysfunctional family, the Franks.

Karen Frank (Twin Peaks Wendy Robie) and her husband, David (Steppenwolf Ensemble member Francis Guinan) are retirement-age progressive activists who have lived in the same Victorian home in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood for 30 years.

Go here for the balance of this preview.

____________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Relative’ filmmaker Michael Glover Smith

Michael Glover Smith’s 96-minute feature film Relative will screen at the 12th annual Fort Myers Film Festival on Saturday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m. Relative is the writer/director/producer’s fourth feature film.

Smith’s debut feature, Cool Apocalypse (2015), won multiple awards at festivals across the U.S.  Before being released on home video by Emphasis Entertainment, it screened at Chicago’s prestigious Gene Siskel Film Center and Movies in the Parks’ Onscreen Local Film Showcase.

Go here for the rest of Michael Glover Smith’s Spotlight.

________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Relative’ lead Cameron Scott Roberts

Cameron Scott Roberts stars in the role of Benji in Michael Glover Smith’s feature film Relative. Roberts is a film actor known for his appearances in The Walking Dead (Trooper Tyler Davis in New Haunts (2022)

and Splinter (2021)) and Chicago Fire (Griffin Darden in Two Hundred (2021), The Right Thing (2021), Counting Your Breaths (2021) and Head Count (2021)). Other credits include the role of Caleb Haas in the television series Don’t Look Deeper (Loophole, Reset, Panic, Alphas, all in 2020) and High Schooler #1 in The Last Shift (2020).

Relative will screen at the 12th annual Fort Myers Film Festival on Saturday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m.

_________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Relative’ actor Wendy Robie

Wendy Robie plays the role of Karen Frank in the Michael Glover Smith feature film Relative.

Robie is an American actress known for playing eccentric, mentally disturbed characters in television and on film, especially the ferocious, eye-patch wearing Nadine Hurley in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and as Mommy in Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs.

Other roles include Andromeda in Dreaming Grand Avenue (2020), Margaret in the short film Good People (2008), Ms. Tebbit in Were the World Mine (2008), Ms. Tebbit in Courts mais GAY: Tome 12 (2006) ….  The rest of this Spotlight is here.

____________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Relative’ actor Heather Chrisler

Heather Chrisler plays Sarah in Michael Glover Smith’s fourth feature film, Relative. Her character is the “cam girl” who left Rod Frank years ago and who he’s never gotten over.

Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune once called Chrisler “an utterly fearless Chicago actress capable of extraordinarily deep dives into driven characters” and “at once the strongest Young Woman I’ve seen and the most vulnerable.” All of these attributes, and more, were on display in Collide … The rest of this Spotlight is here.

________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Relative’ actor Clare Mairead Cooney

Clare Mairéad Cooney portrays Evonne Frank in Michael Glover Smith’s feature film Relative.

Clare served as writer, director, editor, producer, and lead actor in her award-winning short film Runner, which played at 15 film festivals, winning 6 awards and garnering Cooney a “Filmmaker to Watch” nomination from the Academy-Qualifying Atlanta Film Festival. She also directed, wrote, edited, produced, and played the lead of Nina in the pandemic-era short romantic drama Pick Up (2021).

Cooney’s other directing work includes Dead Man Walking and Go Ahead, Grab Time by the Throat.

You can view the rest of Ms. Cooney’s film credits here.

_____________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Relative’ actor Keith D. Gallagher

Keith D. Gallagher plays the part of Rod Frank in Michael Glover Smith’s feature film Relative.

The actor is best known for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Chicago P.D. (2014) and Detroit 1-8-7 (2010). His other film credits include Alderman Liam Maguire in an episode of the TV series Power Book IV: Force (Fire Starter (2022)), two episodes of the TV series Chicago Med (Brandon Murphy in When You’re a Hammer Everything’s a Nail (2021) and James Harper in Backed Against the Wall (2018)), PFC Fagen in Orders (2017), an episode of the television series Empire (Heckler in A Furnace for Your Foe (2016)) and an episode of Chicago Fire (Gunman #2 in Shoved in My Face (2014)).

_______________________________

Spotlight on short film ‘Daggers Drawn’

The short film Daggers Drawn is part of the 9 p.m. “Hottest Indie Film Block” on Saturday, May 21. The 11-minute short film from the United Kingdom is a thriller about a couple who are on a date, but neither of them are looking for love. In fact, their intentions are quite the opposite!

“I like elevated genre that is playful, and I prefer the bombastic over the subtle – twists and turns, comic-book violence and dark humor,” filmmaker James Cotton shares. “Influences are much more John Woo and Brian De Palma than straight drama.”

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

___________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Daggers Drawn’ filmmaker James Cotton

James Cotton’s short film Daggers Drawn screens on Saturday night during the Fort Myers Film Festival’s coveted “Hottest Indie Film Block.” Daggers Drawn is the third film that Cotton has penned. The other two are the short Tiger Claw (2019) and Rule Number Three (2011). Cotton also directed the first two.

James is also an accomplished film producer.

You will find the rest of this Spotlight here.

____________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Daggers Drawn’ actor Gley Viera

The short film Daggers Drawn is part of the 9 p.m. “Hottest Indie Film Block” on Saturday, May 21. The film stars Gley Viera as Ana and Ricky Herrera as Michael. Viera is a film actor whose credits include complex leading roles in short films produced by The New York Film Academy and Miami Dade College. Her recent project, Metanioa, was nominated for the CinenaSlam Competition in the 2020 Miami Film Festival.

Go here for the rest of this Spotlight.

_______________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Daggers Drawn’ actor Ricky Herrera

The short film Daggers Drawn is part of the 9 p.m. “Hottest Indie Film Block” on Saturday, May 21. The film stars Gley Viera as Ana and Ricky Herrera as Michael. Film and television actor Ricky Herrera is a first generation Cuban-American from Miami Florida. He began acting in independent films and local stage productions before relocating to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Go here for the rest of this Spotlight.

____________________________

Spotlight on short film ‘The Jogger’

The Fort Myers Film Festival will show Daryl Denner’s The Jogger during the “Hottest Indie Film Block” at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. The film depicts a woman out for a morning job who is forced to run for her life after the appearance of a mysterious man. The 7-minute short stars Michael R. Bollentin, Rodney Reyes and Amanda Troisi as the jogger.

______________________________________

Spotlight on ‘The Jogger’ Director Daryl Denner

Daryl Denner is a director and actor. As a director, his credits include the short film The Jogger (2021), Unspoken (2020), Fists of Love (2018) and the short films Licentious (2016), Diana (2014), The Morning After (2013), A Hero’s Return (2012), Loss (2012) and The Encounter (2011). He also wrote The Jogger, Unspoken, Diana, The Morning After, A Hero’s Return and Loss. Here’s the rest of this Spotlight.

_______________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Jogger’ actor Amanda Kristen Troisi

Amanda Kristen Troisi is an American actress, writer, editor, director, and an environmentalist known for her leading role in The Jogger (2022), for which she has received a best acting performance nomination. She is also known for her roles as Nikki (a runaway on her way to New York to follow her dreams of becoming an actress) in Ben’s Entanglement (2018), Gail (a young woman in an abusive relationship who goes on their nightly walk to discover something incomprehensible) in Run (2022) and Carly Smith (a newly engaged space cadet separated overseas by her fiancé trying to keep her calm during the outbreak) in Abducted: SCCS 2020 (2020). The rest of this Spotlight is here.

______________________________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘The Koreshans: Legends and Legacies of Estero’s Urban Pioneers

The Fort Myers Film Festival screened The Koreshans: Legends and Legacies of Estero’s Urban Pioneers outside on the lawn at the Edison Ford Winter Estates on April 22nd. Now, by popular demand, FMff will show the Ilene Safron/Main Sail Video Productions documentary a second time at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 22 as part of the closing awards ceremony in the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center.

Viewers will learn a lot about the Koreshans in this expertly-crafted documentary, which presents a series of re-enactments, 3D animations, breathtaking drone-made aerials and interviews with contemporary scholars.

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

_________________________________________________________

Spotlight on Koreshan documentary filmmaker Ilene Safron Whitesman

The Fort Myers Film Festival screened The Koreshans: Legends and Legacies of Estero’s Urban Pioneers outside on the lawn at the Edison Ford Winter Estates on April 22nd. FMff will show the documentary a second time at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 22 as part of the closing awards ceremony in the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. The documentary is the latest film created by Ilene Safron Whitesman.  Go here to read about her.

_________________________________________________

‘The Runner’ named Best Feature by Fort Myers Film Festival

The Fort Myers Film Festival selected The Runner as this year’s Best Feature Film. Directed by Michelle Danner, the action-thriller focuses on a troubled teenager by the name of Aiden who is forced to go undercover and risk his life to bring down a dangerous drug king pin after being busted for drug possession. The star-studded cast includes Edouard Phillipponnat as the teen and Elisabeth Rohm, Eric Balfour, Jessica Amlee, Nadji Jeter, Kerrie Meddars and Cameron Douglas, in his first role in more than a decade.

Phillipponnat’s work in the film is riveting and portends well for his future roles and success. But Balfour and Douglas are equally terrific – and terrifying – as the soulless drug kingpin and relentless detective who’s out to bring him in no matter the price.

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

_______________________________________________________

‘Calendar Girls’ named Best Documentary by Fort Myers Film Festival

On Sunday, May 22, the Fort Myers Film Festival selected Calendar Girls as this year’s Best Documentary. The film takes a look at a group of Southwest Florida senior volunteer dancers who are determined to prove that age is just a number.

Go here for the rest of this Spotlight.

__________________________________________

Best Local Film is ‘Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes’

On May 22nd, the Fort Myers Film Festival chose Apples, Oranges, Lemons & Limes as Best Local Film at this year’s festival. Written and directed by Pat Mitchell, the film follows a timid young man who chronically suffers from social anxiety. After playing drinking games a house party, he’s induced to walk his high school crush home through darkened streets and the dimly lighted path down memory lane. Go here for the rest of this Spotlight.

__________________________________________________________________

‘Everyone in Between’ names Best Environmental Film by Fort Myers Film Festival

On Sunday, May 22, the Fort Myers Film Festival selected Everyone in Between as Best Environmental Film. A collaboration by the Captains for Clean Water, Trout Unlimited and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, Everyone in Between explores the value and wonder of Florida’s Everglades and Alaska’s Bristol Bay fisheries – as well as the threats to both – through the eyes of Captain John Landry. Although they are thousands of miles apart, the two ecosystems have one thing in common – we are in danger of losing both.

The Everglades is imperiled. But there is a solution through the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

The rest of this Spotlight is here.

___________________________________________________

‘In the Driver’s Seat’ wins Best Short at Fort Myers Film Festival

On Sunday, May 22, the Fort Myers Film Festival selected In the Driver’s Seat as this year’s best Short Film. The drama is centered around an early morning accident between a cyclist, Rick Munoz (The Artifact, The History Channel) and a driver, Luke Daigle (Collide, Chicago PD) on a cold and snowy Chicago morning. An argument ensues about who was at fault, which exposes a deeper, hidden conflict between the two strong and distinct characters. You will find the full story here.

____________________________________________________

‘Lost Age’ named 2022 Fort Myers Film Festival’s Best Short Short

The Lost Age was named the 12th Annual Fort Myers Film Festival’s Best Short Short Film.  The film was written and directed by Tim Ritter, who wowed Fort Myers Film Festival cineastes in 2017 with his film Moment of Truth, the first locally-produced feature film to appear in the film festival’s history. The rest of this Spotlight is here.

_________________________________________________

Best Student Film at 2022 FMff is Nya Chambless’ ‘Just Believe’

Nya Chambless took Best Student Film honors at the 12^th Annual Fort Myers Film Festival for her 8-minute short Just Believe. It’s about a precociously confident home-schooled girl who begins to doubt herself and her social skills in the wake of life changing news.

“It’s about being okay with yourself, to not let anyone tell you or make you feel like you are not enough by just being you,” shares Nya, who urges her peers to be “happy with your freaky, weird, nerdy and unique self!”

Some of Nya’s favorite films and influences include Death on the Nile, Encanto, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Ben Hur, 12 Angry Men, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot and High School Musical, the series. Please go here for the rest of this story.

_________________________________________________________

Ilene Safron wins Edison Innovation Award at Fort Myers Film Festival

Ilene Safron Whitesman’s short documentary The Koreshans: Legends and Legacies of Estero’s Urban Pioneers received the Fort Myers Film Festival’s coveted Edison Innovation Award. Go here to read the rest of this Spotlight.

________________________________

2     ACTORS

Jim Brock and Ghostbird bring ‘One Island’ to Wasmer Gallery in June

Jim Brock is a founding member and Producing Director of Ghostbird Theatre Company. An actor, playwright, poet and Professor of English at Florida Gulf Coast University, Brock’s latest project is One Island, a combo performance piece and art exhibit “400 million years in the making” made possible by an Arts Project Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Brock’ extensive acting and playwriting credits can be viewed here along with information about his four books of poetry and academic achievements.

_______________________________________________________

Danielle Channell plays ‘Clark Gable Slept Here’ fixer Morgan Wright

Morgan Wright is a Hollywood fixer. She’s paid handsomely to keep the lid on the unsavory details of the stars’ lives. She’s loud, sarcastic, superior and condescending. Some might even call her a beeatch. One thing’s for sure – you don’t want to get on this woman’s wrong side. The role calls for an actor with a big personality. Someone who doesn’t just command the stage, but commands every scene. Someone who has a definitive feel for comedic overdramatization. In other words, it’s a role tailor made for the Southwest Florida’s Queen of Farce, Danielle Channell. Go her to discover how Danielle became a royal.

_______________________________________________________

Next up for Steven Coe is Mitch Brenner in Lab’s ‘The Birds: A Parody’

Steven Coe will portray Mitch Brenner in Lab Theater’s spoof of the iconic Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds. His evolving body of work includes the impudent, bitingly witty rake Vicomte de Valmont in Lab Theater’s production of Dangerous Liaisons, Chris in Killer Joe, Jim Fingal in Lifespan of a Fact for Players Circle Theatre, Joe Gillis in Lab Theater’s summer spoof Sunset Schmoulevard, Sandro Botticelli in the regional premiere of Jordan Tannahill’s Botticelli in the Fire, John Proctor in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Thomas Novachek in David Ives’ Venus in Fur for The Studio Players and Andri in Andorra. You can view Steven’s full profile here.

____________________________________________________

Katelyn Gravel part of ‘One Island’ Ghostbird/FGCU collaboration

Katelyn Gravel is part of the Ghostbird Theatre Company creative team that is bringing the One Island performance piece and correlative art exhibit to the Wasmer Gallery at Florida Gulf Coast University. Gravel is an actor, singer, songwriter, poet, playwright, make-up artist, costume designer and stage manager. She has performed in numerous Ghostbird productions, including Samuel Beckett’s Catastrophe, Barry Cavin’s Ibb (in the historic Langford-Kingston Home), ORBS! (at Koreshan State Park), Writing Shadows (also in the Langford-Kingston Home), No. 27, The Chicken Play and Antigonick. Go here to read more about Katelyn’s theatrical and related accomplishments.

______________________________________________

Heather Johnson appears for Lab in ‘The Birds: A Parody’

Heather Johnson appears for the Laboratory Theater of Florida in its summer spoof of Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic 1963 American horror, The Birds. Heather’s stage credits include Sharla in the Southwest Florida premiere of Killer Joe, Jane in the Florida premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, Rebecca Nurse in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, an aggrieved soccer mom (and the only adult cast member) in The Wolves, Andre’s mother in Max Frisch’s Andorra, multiple roles in Every Christmas Story Ever Told and the dip-spittin’ sheriff in Hush Up Sweet Charlotte. You will find the rest of Heather’s stage and other credits here.

______________________________________________________________

Steven Michael Kennedy portrays Melanie Daniels in Lab’s spoof of ‘The Birds’

Steven Michael Kennedy portrays Melanie Daniels in Lab Theater’s summer spoof of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 American horror movie The Birds. Steven previously played Princeton in Avenue Q,  Leonardo da Vinci in Botticelli in the Fire, Grumpy Old Men for Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, the role of Dan Anderson in the first U.S. licensed production of Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man and Elvis-impersonator-turned-drag-queen, Casey, in The Legend of Georgia McBride for the Laboratory Theater of Florida, and George Hay in Moon Over Buffalo, Sir Harry in Once Upon a Mattress, 35mm: A Musical Exhibition, Larry in Burn This and the titular role in Pippin.

Go here for all of Steven’s stage and film credits.

_____________________________________

Todd Lyman appearing in ‘The Birds: A Parody’

Todd Lyman is appearing for Lab Theater in its summer spoof The Birds: A Parody. Todd Lyman is a Fort Myers actor whose credits include the roles of Antonio in The Tempest, Assemblyman Paul Gordon, Dr. Tim and Mr. Yarmowich in Topher Payne’s Let Nothing You Dismay, Thomas Putnam in The Crucible, multiple roles (Customers 3, 6 and 9) in Lab Theater’s production of Zalman Velvel’s farce D.M.V.,  and Teddy LaPetite in Mitch Albom’s And the Winner Is … Go here to see all of Todd’s stage credits.

________________________________________

Adrial McCloud appearing in ‘The Birds: A Parody’

Adrial McCloud appears in Lab Theater’s summer spoof, The Birds: A Parody. McCloud has been a performer from the age of 4 and has a passion for all aspects of theater. Her performances have ranged from church plays to Broadway reviews to Shakespeare and more. In her most recent performance, she played Cecile de Volanges in Dangerous Liaisons. 

Go here for more on Adrial’s stage and other credits.

_____________________________________________________________

Daniel Sabiston has funny costumes, hilarious scenes in ‘The Birds: A Parody’

Daniel Sabiston appears in various roles for Lab Theater in its summer spoof, The Birds: A Parody, including a beleaguered and exasperated clapperboard tech who identifies takes and scenes to facilitate film and audio post-production synchronization. His scenes and costumes are some of the funniest in the show.

Go here to see Daniel’s previous roles and other credits.

________________________________________________________

Sue Schaffel playing role of Lydia Brenner in Lab’s spoof of ‘The Birds’

Sue Schaffel never misses a Lab Theater summer spoof, so in June she’s portraying Lydia Brenner in Lab Theater’s parroty of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 horror film The Birds. “I remember seeing this movie, The Birds, years and years and years ago, and it scared the daylights out of me,” says Schaffel. “I thought, well at least it’s a parody. It’ll be funny … dada dada da.” Schaffel’s stage credits include The Complete Story of America (Abridged), White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, Norma Desmond in the Lab Theater parody Sunset Schmoulevard, Blanche DuBois in Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf: A Parody and Velma in Hush Up Sweet Charlotte for Lab Theater. Go here to read up on all of Schaffel’s stage and film credits.

________________________________________

3    ART SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS

DAAS May show features art of Lawrence Dineen

DAAS CO-OP Art Gallery & Gifts is showcasing the art of visual and tattoo artist Lawrence Dineen during the month of May.

Dineen draws inspiration from music, family, past experiences, and his first love, Graffiti. His art ranges in style from urban to dark macabre. He is not limited to one worldview, and recommends we don’t either. The bright colors in his street style awaken the brain while his darker macabre style takes viewers down the path of inner torment and Dineen’s personal struggles. That being said, he always finds the beauty amongst the dark.

“Life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows and neither is my art,” says Dineen, who considers himself a self-taught artist in all facets of his work. “Remove the rose-colored glasses to see what I see.”

Lawrence was born just south of Philadelphia in Wilmington, Delaware. He became interested in art at an early age and was heavily influenced by street art and graffiti.  In third grade, he entered a pencil drawing of a rhino into national competition and won first place. From that time on, he was motivated to pursue an art career.

Throughout his school years, Lawrence’s love of art ebbed and flowed. Following some personal tragedies and convinced that his art would never go anywhere, Dineen walked away from his passion, putting his pens, markers, and spray cans down. Not for too long though. Eventually he returned to what made him happy, creating.

During this artistic revival, Lawrence painted with friends in a local graffiti crew known as Cangoods. He also worked as a barber, while producing art at his studio. After a long career in cosmetology, Dineen took his love for creating art to the skin and became a tattoo artist at Ancient Art Tattoo Studio in North Ft Myers Florida.

Art lovers, collectors and enthusiasts are invited to meet the artist during the Fort Myers Art Walk reception on the first Friday of May from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. The exhibition will be on display through Sunday, May 29, 2022.

DAAS CO-OP Art Gallery & Gifts is located in the Butterfly Estates complex at 1815 Fowler Street, Fort Myers, FL. The gallery’s business hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 10:oo a.m. to 3:00 p.m., except on the first Friday of each month when it has extended hours for opening night receptions in conjunction with Art Walk.

More information about the venue can be found at daascoop.com or by calling 239-590-8645.

_________________________________________________________

2022 Biennial Grant Recipient Show at Davis Art Center through May 26

The City of Fort Myers Public Art Committee is exhibiting its 2022 Biennial Individual Artist Grant Recipient Show during the month of May in the historic Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in the heart of the downtown Fort Myers River District. Running through May 26, the exhibition showcases the work of visual and performing artists who received grants from the City of Fort Myers in 2020 and 2021. It features a 3:36 minute trailer of multi-Emmy recipient and nominee Connie Bottinelli’s new film, Driving Mrs. M, video presentations of Green Wedding filmed by Leila Mesdaghi while visiting her parents’ home in Iran during a recent trip, and work by popular local artists Katherine Boren, Patricia Collins, Stephen Hayford, Krista Johnson, Leo Johnson, Dana Roes, Terry Lynn Spry and Roseline Young.

_____________________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Grant Recipient Show digital illustrator Isabella Baquerizo

Isabella Baquerizo is a digital illustrator who was born in Ecuador and currently splits time between Naples, FL and New York City. Baquerizo graduated summa cum laude from Florida Gulf Coast University with a BA in Art and Graphic Design. Before graduating, she was an intern at the Rauschenberg Residency in Captiva, FL. She currently works as a graphic designer for B3 Marketing, based in Naples, FL. Baquerizo is passionate about sustainability, social causes, and being active in her community. She previously exhibited in Plays Well with Others, a 2020 exhibition curated by Jessica Todd featuring local and national artists who created work centered around play. Go here to read her Artist Statement.

_________________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Grant Recipient Show abstract artist Katherine Boren

Katherine Boren is an abstract and textural relief-collage artist. By employing a monochromatic palette and combination of nontraditional, unexpected materials, her works emphasize the reflection of light, varying textures and shapes, and differing grades of color saturation.

“My current work experiments with multiple mediums in two dimensions,” Katherine shares. “It is also influenced by personal, local, and world events.”

Go here for the rest of this spotlight.

______________________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Biennial Grant Recipient Show filmmaker Connie Bottinelli

Connie Bottinelli is a multiple Emmy recipient and nominee, with international awards for producing, directing and writing in documentary and series for broadcast and cable networks. Her career began at CBS Entertainment in New York City and documentary unit in Philadelphia. In 1995 she co-founded Grinning Dog Pictures, breaking ratings records for Lifetime Television with their one-hour special, Jessica Savitch: An Intimate Portrait.  The rest of this Spotlight is here.

_________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Grant Recipient Show pop artist Pat Collins

Pop artist Pat Collins creates mixed media works with a focus on painting & printmaking, including murals, interactive mixed media constructions/installations. Many of her artworks comment on current issues and human rights. For example, the pieces in her March, 2022 solo show, Action Reaction Interaction, in the Florida Gulf Coast University ArtLab combine those interests with social commentary on life during current times. Read here what Pat has to say about her current body of work.

_______________________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Biennial Grant Recipient Show composer/musician Kat Epple

Kat Epple provided musical accompaniment for Lily Hatchett’s Paper Grotto Live! performance during the opening reception of the Fort Myers 2022 Biennial Individual Artist Grant Recipient Show. Epple is a Peabody, Edward R Murrow, and Emmy Award-winning composer and flutist. Over the course of her storied musical career, Kat has released 42 original music albums, composed film scores for National Geographic, Nova and Valentino Fashions, and has performed at the United Nations and museums around the world including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim and Bob Rauschenberg Gallery. For over twenty years, Kat performed at legendary visual artist Robert Rauschenberg’s international art openings. For more, please visit katepple.com.

__________________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Biennial Grant Recipient Show artist Whitney Hackett

Whitney Hackett grew up in Fort Myers, FL, where she currently lives and works as an artist. She has a BFA from the University of Florida. Whitney explores memory and nostalgia through her body of dreamy and celebratory paintings. Her innocent appreciation for everyday life encourages a childlike playfulness in her work. Through the enshrinement of simple things, she elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary. For more, please go here.

_________________________________________________________________

Spotlight on Lily Hatchett’s 2022 Grant Recipient Show ‘Paper Grotto’ performance

The City of Fort Myers’ Biennial Grant Recipient Show opened at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center during Art Walk on May 6th with a performance of Paper Grotto Live! with musical accompaniment by award-winning flutist Kat Epple. Conceived and orchestrated by Lily Hatchett, Paper Grotto is an art happening that combines sculpture, drawing, video and live performance. The latter incorporates aspects of Butoh, a form of theater that features a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance and movement. Butoh is traditionally performed in white body makeup with slow hyper-controlled movement and playful or grotesque imagery in extreme or absurd environments – like a grotto, as Hatchett explains:

You can read the rest of this Spotlight here.

___________________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Biennial Grant Recipient Show paper artist Lily Hatchett

Hatchett is a multimedia artist who combines sculpture, video, drawing and live performance. Her art starts with drawing. Pencil, ink and paint on paper are her drawing mediums. She visualizes three dimensional ideas in flat space first.

“Drawing is a language,” Lily points out. “It is a universal language beyond the spoken or written word. Perhaps the spoken word preceded drawing, but drawings have lasting value, and are easily understood throughout time and culture. If you can’t read, just look at the pictures.”

You will find the rest of this spotlight here.

_________________________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Grant Recipient Show narrative photographer Stephen Hayford

Hayford hand crafts miniature scenes and populates them with customized action figures. He then draws upon his 20-year career as a photojournalist to create images that reflect his background in documentary photography. His images are often subtle social commentary or kitschy reflections of Florida.

Once he decides on a scene, Hayford begins with a sketch and a paper mock-up to determine the size of the props he will need, dimensions of walls, and the action figures who will populate the scenes. After designing, cutting and sculpting the props he’ll need, Stephen builds and paints the scene using a progression of base coats, washes, weathering and faux finishes.

The rest of Stephen’s profile is here.

_________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Grant Recipient Show artist Krista Johnson

Krista Johnson has spent her life in the lush nature of Southwest Florida and her paintings are spirited expressions that capture the color, abundance and mystery of the world she loves.

“I have arrived at a style which is intrinsically mine – my paintings have a part of me in them,” states Krista. “When I am moved by something extraordinary I have seen in nature, I try to convey those feelings onto the canvas.  My hope is that it translates to the viewer”

Johnson’s work has been exhibited in numerous local and national solo and group shows, including across town at the Alliance for the Arts, where she and husband, Leo, are exhibiting work in a show titled Duo.

Want to read the rest of Krista’s Spotlight? Go here.

______________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Grant Recipient Show abstract artist Leo Johnson

Leo Johnson is a third generation Cuban-Sicilian who is immersed in the realms of art, culture and language. An internationally-recognized artist, Johnson has exhibited his works throughout Europe, with his most recent exhibit taking place in the Sunflower Gallery on the island of Crete off the coast of Greece. He has enjoyed solo shows at Arts for ACT Gallery, Broadway Palm Dinner Theater, Syzygy, the Alliance for the Arts and Liquid Café in Fort Myers, Barrier Island Group for the Arts on Sanibel and Der Flur Gallery in Kassel, Germany. Leo’s work has also been included in numerous group exhibitions including across town at the Alliance for the Arts, where he is exhibiting work with his wife, Krista, in a show titled Duo. The rest of Leo’s Spotlight is here.

______________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Biennial Grant Recipient Show artist Chloe Lewis

Chloe Lewis is a freelance illustrator and designer who grew up in Fort Myers, Florida and is currently based in New York City. She graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and majored in Studio Arts. She currently pursues her love of illustration and graphic design. Her focus as an illustrator and graphic designer is to solve visual problems. Her creations are striking in their use of color and line. You may read the remainder of this Spotlight here.

________________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Biennial Grant Recipient Show artist Leila Mesdaghi

Leila Mesdaghi seeks to connect with viewers in a visceral, evocative, emotional manner. To her, art is a combination of emotional experience and social responsibility.  Through her performance pieces and now film, she comments on social and political issues like war in the Middle East, the negative reflections of Social Media in society, the housing crisis in the U.S, or the price and promise of progress. Mesdaghi used the grant she received from the City of Fort Myers to help fund her latest project, Green Wedding, a series of six portraits (Emotionscapes) with limited editions, which she staged and shot in the yard, in the pool, and inside the house in which she grew up in Iran.

Go here to read the rest of this post.

____________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Biennial Grant Recipient Show artist Dana Roes

Dana Roes received her MFA in Painting from the University of Pennsylvania and has received several notable awards including a Fulbright Fellowship and a Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Residency. Her work has been included in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States as well as in Sweden, Iceland, Australia and China. Prior to teaching at FSW, Dana was a Professor of Painting and served as the Director of Graduate Painting and Advising at the Savannah College of Art and Design; she was also a Professor of Painting at Carnegie Mellon University. Go here to read Dana’s Artist Statement.

__________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Grant Recipient Show artist Terry Lynn Spry

Terry Lynn Spry is one of sixteen artists who is exhibiting work in the Fort Myers 2022 Biennial Individual Artist Grant Recipient Show in the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center May 6-26. Her medium being oil on canvas, Terry Lynn loves to create paintings that tell stories. She considers painting the same as breathing and better than chocolate. Spry’s paintings have been exhibited in both local and national juried shows. In 2021, she took part in the COVID-delayed Fort Myers 2020 Biennial Individual Artist Grant Recipient Show.

Go here for the rest of this Spotlight.

___________________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Biennial Grant Recipient Show sub-curator Jessica Todd

Jessica Todd is the Development Coordinator for Tempus Projects, a nonprofit art gallery and residency, and the Administrative Coordinator for Crab Devil, an interdisciplinary arts collective, both based in Tampa, FL. She is a writer, curator, artist, and arts administrator who is passionate about building the creative infrastructures that support artists and arts organizations, as well as studying and addressing issues of equity, access, and inclusion in the arts. Prior to moving to Tampa in 2020, she was the Residency Manager at the Rauschenberg Residency in Captiva, FL for six years. She holds a BA in Metal Art & Technology from Penn State University and an MFA in Jewelry/Metals from Kent State University. You can learn more about Ms. Todd here.

_____________________________________________________________

Spotlight on 2022 Biennial Grant Recipient Show fiber artist Roseline Young

A fiber artist, Roseline Young utilizes weaving, quilting, spinning and fabric manipulation to create artworks and installations for both indoor settings and outdoor venues. Her medium includes cotton, wool, linen, mohair and raw, unspun fleece, some of which she obtains from friends who raise sheep and grow their own cotton.

“I love texture, things that come out, exploding from structured pieces,” comments Young.

She creates this effect in a number of ways.

Read the rest of this Spotlight here.

____________________________________

4     PUBLIC ART

Spotlight on Fort Myers’ Ward 2 art hub at Urban Community Farm

The City of Fort Myers Public Art Committee has been establishing art hubs in each of the City’s six wards using the 23 Edgardo Carmona sculptures that the City purchased in August of 2018. One such art hub is the Urban Community Farm which is located in Ward 2 a block south of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard between Barden and Flint Streets.

It may seem strange at first blush to establish an art hub at a farm, but Urban Community Farm is actually the perfect choice. The term art hub refers to a location that is already or which is intended to become either a cultural, business or residential destination. Urban Community Farm is all three.

Go here for the rest of this report.

____________________________________________________

Nanci Theoret’s ‘Art for All’ article compares public art programs

Be sure to pick up a copy of Florida Weekly and read, read, read Nanci Theoret’s excellent article “Art for All: How Outdoor Public Art Defines Our Community.” BTW, Art Southwest Florida contributed the “courtesy” photographs included in the feature, but that’s not why you should read this piece. It really makes the argument for why every community, including Fort Myers, the Cape, Bonita and Naples, benefits from having a vibrant public art program.

_________________________________

5     THEATER PRODUCTIONS

Ghostbird’s ‘One Island’ combines performance piece with art exhibit in Wasmer Gallery

In collaboration with the Art Galleries of Florida Gulf Coast University, Ghostbird Theatre Company will present One Island during the month of June in the Wasmer Gallery on the FGCU campus. One Island combines a performance piece with an art exhibition.

“We have brought together a set of international artists and performers, inviting you to join us for an evening of quiet, a little music, a little wonder, where we rise and find our own paths, where we learn to hold all that we love tenderly,” says Ghostbird in its advance for the production.

400 million years in the making, the play follows a boy is at the sea, talking about the sea. And then the sea is in the gallery. And the performers are in it too. And on the sand, stretched out, trying to speak to each other in the wind, feeling all the things that can be felt.

The rest of this advance is here.

_____________________________

Spotlight on CalArts’ Brittney Brady

Brittney Brady is returning from Southern California to participate in One Island, a collaboration of international artists that combines performance work with a correlative art exhibition. Both will be staged in the Wasmer Gallery at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Brady is remembered in Southwest Florida for founding Ghostbird Theatre Company with James Brock, Katelyn Gravel, Philip Heubeck and FGCU Theatre Professor Barry Cavin.  Ghostbird evolved organically out of Brady’s experiences while studying theater and English at Florida Gulf Coast University. During her time there, the FGCU TheatreLab produced two of her plays, Paler than Grass (2011) and Monty and the Bat Shaman (2012). The rich relationships she formed with Cavin, Brock. Gravel and Heubeck led to them to establish Ghostbird as the resident theater company at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center with the ambitious mission producing original, site-specific works that move audiences toward a poetic sense of the world, thereby engaging, inspiring and educating the Southwest Florida theater community at large. You’ll find the rest of this Spotlight here.

_________________________________________________________

Lab Theater’s eagerly-anticipated June parody is Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’

The Laboratory Theater of Florida Season 14 summer season opens June 3 with the world premiere of The Birds: A Parody. This laugh-out-loud spoof of the classic Alfred Hitchcock horror-thriller film features the inhabitants of Bodega Bay, California who inexplicably fall prey to violent attack by thousands of rampaging birds.

You can read the rest of this advance here.

And go here for play dates, times and ticket information.

_______________________________________________________________

Peep thrills are coming to the Laboratory Theater with a ‘parroty’ of ‘The Birds’

The Laboratory Theater of Florida celebrates the coming of summer each year by spoofing a famous Hollywood movie. This year, it’s Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 horror film “The Birds.” Naples actor Sue Schaffel plays Lydia Brenner, who was portrayed in the movie by Jessica Tandy. She had misgivings when artistic director Annette Trossbach told her that Lab’s doing a take off on “The Birds“ in June.

“I remember seeing this movie, “The Birds,” years and years and years ago, and it scared the daylights out of me,” said Schaffel. “And I thought, omigosh, when Annette comes up with this idea of we’re going to do a parody of “The Birds.” I thought, well at least it’s a parody. It’ll be funny … dada dada da.”

Listen to the story on WGCU here. Or go here to read the full story.

_________________________________________________

‘Clark Gable Slept Here’ big on laughs, wit and biting sarcasm

The Studio Players bring Clark Gable Slept Here to the Joan Jenks stage at Golden Gate Community Center June 3-19. Directed by Scott Lilly, the play stars Danielle Channell, Perry Ventro, Luke Lauchle, Alicia Schwartz and Ricky Shafer.

It is the night of the Golden Globes, and superstar Patrick Zane is on the red carpet with his wife. He’s nominated for “Best Actor” for a role he played in his latest action film. As Zane charms his way through the awards ceremony, his staff is attempting to put out a red hot dumpster fire. You see, the maid’s found the body of a male prostitute on the bedroom floor in Zane’s suite at Hollywood’s historic Chateau Marmont Hotel on Sunset Boulevard. The rest of this advance is here.

And go here for play dates, times and ticket information.