Visual and Performing Artists and Events in the news January 22-31, 2023

____________________________________

2      DIRECTORS & CHOREOGRAPHERS

Kevin Hendricks directing ‘Need to Know’ for The Studio Players

Kevin Hendricks is a local actor who was born, raised and educated right here in Naples (at Golden Gate Middle School and Naples High). Hendricks makes his directorial debut with Wendy MacLeod’s Slow Food. His next project is directing The Studio Players’ production of Jonathan Caron’s Need to Know. When he’s not acting or directing, Kevin produces Studio Players shows, builds sets and sits on The Studio Players’ board. Go here to see all of Hendricks’ theatrical credits.

3     ARTISTS

Spotlight on River Basin muralist Sherry Lynn Diaz

Sherry Lynn Diaz is one of 39 artists who have painted murals for the River Basin Mural Project being conducted by the City’s Public Art Committee, Community Redevelopment Agency and Fort Myers Mural Society. Sherry has contributed two murals to the project, the first being this one of the great Seminole chief and warrior Billy Bowlegs. Sherry has exhibited her art in juried local, state and national shows, earning awards on all three levels. She has enjoyed two well-received one-woman shows. Her art can be found in private and corporate collections in the Dominican Republic as well as many places throughout the United States. Please go here to see Sherry Lynn’s full profile.

______________________________________

_______________________________________

Spotlight on River Basin muralist Lesley Morrow

Lesley Morrow is one of 39 artists who have painted murals for the River Basin Mural Project being conducted by the City’s Public Art Committee, Community Redevelopment Agency and Fort Myers Mural Society. Lesley painted the portrait of John Alexander Weatherford that appears on one of the stanchions across from Ella Mae’s Diner at the Luminary Hotel. Morrow is locally known for expressive oil, acrylic, airbrush and mixed media paintings that express the feminine experience and mystique. Featuring vibrant brushstrokes and a distinctive palette, Morrow’s paintings are bold, raw and eye-appealing. You can read Lesley’s full biography here.

____________________________________________

Spotlight on River Basin muralist Eric Riemenschneider

Eric Riemenschneider is one of 39 artists who have painted murals for the River Basin Mural Project being conducted by the City’s Public Art Committee, Community Redevelopment Agency and Fort Myers Mural Society. Eric’s contribution to the project is a portrait of a Miccosukee warrior named Billy Fuel who fought alongside Seminole Chief Billy Bowlegs and Miccosukee Chief Sam Jones during the Seminole wars.Eric is a portrait artist who also reimagines commercial spaces to match the theme of the business through murals and collections of paintings.  Go here to read Eric’s full bio.

_______________________________________

________________________________________

______________________________

4     ART SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS

Alliance accepting work for 37th Annual All Florida Juried Exhibition

The Alliance for the Arts is accepting work for the 37th Annual All Florida Juried Exhibition. As the name suggests, this exhibition features pieces created by artists working in a wide variety of media from all over the 65,000 square miles that make up Florida.

Categories for entry are sculpture, painting (including oil, acrylic, collage, watercolor and mixed media), photography, prints and drawing. An entry may consist of 1 to 3 artworks. All entries are due by January 23, 2023. If you would like to be considered for this show, please download the prospectus found on the Alliance website, ArtInLee.org/AllFlorida2023. For more information, please email our gallery manager at exhibitions@ArtInLee.org.

The accepted entries will come together for an award-winning and exciting exhibition in March 2023 representing Florida’s contemporary artists. Awards include $1,000 cash for Best In Show, a 2nd place gift certificate, $100 cash for 3rd place and Juror’s Choice Award(s) of Alliance for the Arts membership(s).

Receptions and gallery tours are open to the public and do not require tickets or reservations. While the gallery admission is free, a $5 suggested donation keeps the Alliance programming affordable and accessible.

While visiting the exhibit, please be sure to also partake in the Arts & Economic Prosperity survey. All answers are anonymous and help to measure the economic and social impact of arts and culture in our community! More information can be found at americansforthearts.org.

_____________________________________________________________________

IMAG celebrates 100th anniversary of discovery of Tut’s tomb with ‘Return of the King’

November 4th marks the 100th anniversary of British archeologist Howard Carter’s discovery the tomb of King Tutankhamun. Because Tut’s successors tried to obliterate his name from the annals of Egyptian history, the pharaoh had been buried in an out-of-the-way place that had prevented robbers from finding and plundering the tomb. So when Carter opened it, the tomb still held the bulk of its treasures. The IMAG History and Science Center in Fort Myes is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the tomb’s discovery with an exciting exhibition containing reproductions of scores of the artifacts found in Tut’s tomb. Listen on WGCU for the details: https://news.wgcu.org/…/imag-history-science-center…

__________________________________________________________________

Late works of Helen Frankenthaler on exhibit at Baker Museum through February 5

Helen Frankenthaler: Late Works, 1990-2003 is on exhibit at the Baker Museum of Art in Naples. It is the first museum exhibition dedicated to the last phase of the painter’s prolific career. The show features 20 paintings on paper and 10 paintings on canvas. These works demonstrate the artist’s long-standing interest in the relationship between landscape and abstraction and reveal her continued sensitivity to the emotional effects of color. The exhibition is on loan from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation.

Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) played a defining role in the history of postwar American painting. Her innovative soak-stain technique inaugurated the shift from Abstract Expressionism to Color Field Painting and influenced artists such as Morris Louis, Jules Olitski, Friedel Dzubas and Kenneth Noland. In the 1950s, Frankenthaler created saturated, luminous surfaces by applying thinned oil paint onto raw, unprimed canvas. For more than 60 years, she never stopped experimenting with new materials and tools to expand painting’s possibilities—on canvas, paper and prints.

_________________________________________________________________

‘Envisioning Evil: The Nazi Drawings’ at Baker Museum through February 19, 2023

On exhibit now through February 19, 2023 at the Naples Museum of Art are selected drawings of Mauricio Lasansky from his series entitled Envisioning Evil: The Nazi Drawings. Crafted from graphite and charcoal, asphaltum turpentine, and red and white wash, the series of 33 raw and haunting monumental drawings is making its first comprehensive exhibition since its inaugural tour over 50 years ago.

You can read the full advance for this exhibit here.

______________________________________________________________

The Alliance for the Arts and dozens of local arts organizations are surveying audiences attending their events in an effort to quantify the economic impact of the arts here in Southwest Florida. In fact, it’s part of a nationwide study by Americans for the Arts of the contribution made by arts organizations to their local economies.

This is the sixth such study and involves 387 participating communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In Lee County, the Alliance for the Arts is spearheading the effort to collect the data needed for the study. Go here to hear why you should participate in the study if you are asked to complete a survey.

5     PUBLIC ART

First mural installed at river basin

The first of the murals being installed around the detention basin between Hendry Street and Luminary Hotel was installed today. Featuring a portrait of Seminole Chief Billy Bowlegs painted by local artist Sherry Lynn Diaz, the mural is part of a walkable outdoor art and history museum that will ultimately include 57 murals depicting people and scenes from Fort Myers’ early days as a riverfront port city.

The project is a collaboration between the City’s Public Art Committee, Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency and the Fort Myers Mural Society, and involves the participation of 40 local artists. The artists have been painting images since late September that were culled by a selection committee the month before from an aggregation of nearly 500 historical photographs and postcards provided by the IMAG History & Science Center, Southwest Florida Historical Society, True Tours, Joanne Iwinski Miller’s Fort Myers Old Photo Facebook Page, and local historians Woody Hanson, Ken Rager and Randy Koger.

The rest of this story is here.

___________________________________

Identifying river basin murals and muralists

Work is underway at the river basin adjoining Luminary Hotel on an ambitious new outdoor art and history museum. When it is completed, the walkable gallery will feature 57 murals – four on the obelisks on Edwards Drive and 53 on the concrete stanchions which anchor the decorative fence that circumscribes the basin.

The project is a collaboration between the City of Fort Myers Public Art Committee and Community Redevelopment Agency and the Fort Myers Mural Society. The Mural Society has engaged 38 local artists to render the murals which, in turn, tell stories about Fort Myers’ early existence as a port town on the river that many once called the most picturesque waterway in all of Florida.

The artists are painting the murals on special, high-grade cloth that is being glued to the concrete in a way that converts them into scratch-resistant tiles that prevent fading and resist damage from moisture and other elements. So far, Fort Myers Mural Society artists Erik Schlake and Roland Ruocco have installed about 14 of the mural panels, and their efforts are attracting crowds.  Their recurring question:  What will the other murals depict? Here’s the answer.

_________________________________

6     THEATER PRODUCTIONS

‘Faceless’ an enthralling, thought-provoking drama based on real court case

Alliance for the Arts debuts two new faces in January’s performances of Faceless. This Florida premiere comes from an exciting new playwright – the two-time winner of the Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival and the recipient of the first annual Judith Barlow Prize, Selina Fillinger. The full advance is here.

Go here for play dates, times and ticket information.

__________________________________________________

‘Faceless’ showcased in this week’s WGCU Spotlight on the Arts

In 2014, a 19-year-old Colorado woman, Shannon Maureen Conley, was arrested at Denver International Airport as she attempted to board a flight bound for Istanbul to meet and marry an ISIS fighter known simply as Y.M. Conley and her ensuing trial inspired playwright Selina Fillinger’s high-concept courtroom drama Faceless. The show’s Florida premiere is on stage at the Alliance for the Arts through January 29 and is featured on WGCU’s Spotlight on the Arts. Listen here.

____________________________________________________

Belle Theatre in the Cape presenting ‘Four Old Broads’ in January

Belle Theatre in the Cape is presenting Leslie Kimbell’s comedic farce Four Old Broads January 13-22.

The action revolves around four sassy residents of the Magnolia Place Assisted Living Center in Putula, Georgia. Their names are Beatrice Shelton (a retired burlesque queen), Eaddy Mae Clayton, Imogene Fletcher and Maude Jenkins, and together they dish the dirt, fall in love and get into a whole heap of trouble as they find themselves thrown headfirst into solving a dangerous mystery. But to figure out why so many residents have been moved to “the dark side,” they’ll need to outsmart evil nurse Pat Jones, find out what happened to Doctor Head and figure out what’s in Nurse Jones’ mysterious pill . A roller coaster of hilarity ensues through loads of naughty laughter, happy tears and even an old Elvis impersonator (who’s trying to bed every woman in the building) as Imogene goes undercover and Maude enters the Miss Magnolia Senior Center Pageant to throw Jones off their trail. One thing is certain…these old broads are not YOUR grandmother…or wait…maybe they are.

Margaret Bowman directs Suzanne Davies (Beatrice Shelton), Laurie Strum (Eaddy Mae Clayton), Carolyn England (Imogene Fletcher), Christine Sprague (Maude Jenkins), Howard Nutt (Sam Smith), Robin Murray (Pat Jones) and Peyton McCarthy (Ruby Sue Bennett).

Matinee performances are at 2:00 p.m. Evening performances start at 7:30. Tickets range from $27.50 to $35. Purchase tickets online, www.TheBelleTheatre.com or by calling our box office at 239-323-5533.

_________________________________________________________________

Belle Theatre bringing ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ to the stage January 27-February 12

Belle Theatre is bringing the beloved comedic musical Little Shop of Horrors to the stage January 27 through February 12. The show contains all of the delectable elements audiences relish in a musical – delicious song and dance numbers, good acting and marvelous costumes and sets.

The music is by Alan Menken, with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, a duo that went on to collaborate on shows such as Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.

But there’s more to Little Shop of Horrors. For as entertaining as Little Shop is, the show is actually a pretty damn good allegory. On a psychological plane, the musical can be viewed as a warning that when we give in to our baser instincts, dire consequences are likely to follow. Small or modest compromises of ethics and honesty lead invariably to larger, even wholesale ethical sacrifices until no moral code remains and life becomes totally transactional.

That said, Little Shop may be better understood in the rich tradition of science fiction as an examination of the threat posed to mankind’s survival by scientific discovery gone awry – as Seymour represents no less of an historic figure than the father of the atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer, a personage who is sure to be on the tips of everyone’s tongue when Oppenheimer (starring Christopher Nolan, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh and Matt Damon) explodes onto cinematic screens in July.

In case you’ve forgotten, Oppenheimer said as the first atomic bomb was detonated, ” Now I become Death, destroyer of worlds.” Or, as Audrey II puts it, “If you wanna be profound/if you really gotta justify, take a breath and look around/ A lotta folks deserve to die!” And just as Audrey II devours Seymour and all he loved in the end, nuclear fission has the power to annihilate the world and every living thing in it. And that makes the “Finale Ultimo (Don’t Feed the Plant)” all the more poignant and meaningful.

The point is that there’s nothing little in the message underlying all the fun, singing and dancing and lighthearted caricatures that Alan Menken and Howard Ashman have built into the storyline, characters , dialogue and lyrics of their timeless little musical.

So bravo to everyone involved in this devious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical which has devoured the hearts of theater-goers for more than three decades.

____________________________________________________________________

Center for the Performing Arts brings ‘Portraits of Love’ to Moe Auditorium in Bonita

The Center for the Performing Arts Bonita Springs has something special in store for Southwest Florida on Valentine’s Day. They’re hosting The Biasi and King Music Experience (BKME), featuring local vocalist Jesse King, pianist Angelo Biasi, and their full band, along with Southwest Florida artist Marcus Zotter. In an event touted as Portraits of Love, the band will perform a lineup of romantic favorites along with debut original songs (King’s “Dancing with You” and Biasi’s “Love Me Forever”) while Marcus Zotter paints a charcoal portrait live on stage.

This unique live music and art experience featuring local artists is the first of its kind.

“We love writing and performing love songs and wanted to bring something special to this area,” pianist Angelo Biasi explains. “What better way to celebrate the love among us than through music and the arts – and on Valentine’s Day with the Moe Auditorium as the perfect backdrop!”

“We look forward to a wonderful, heartfelt performance that highlights the Centers’ motto of sharing Arts for All,” adds Theatre Director, Frank Blocker.

Portraits of Love will be performed at 7:00 on February 14 in the Moe Auditorium and Film Center at 10150 Bonita Beach Road.

Tickets are $30 per person and are on sale now at artcenterbonita.org. Limited seating is available.

Founded in 1959, the Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs (CFABS) is committed to enriching the lives of the community by providing opportunities for artistic expression, education, and appreciation. CFABS has two campus locations—each dedicated to the visual or performing arts. The Performing Arts Center is a 4-acre, two-building campus, which is home to the 400-seat Hinman Auditorium and Gallery in the Round; the 200-seat Moe Auditorium & Film Center/Dance Studio; fully equipped art studios; and edible garden/teaching kitchen. At this diverse center, patrons can enjoy an ongoing array of live concerts, theatre, comedy, film, lectures, youth and adult dance classes, music lessons, and art classes, as well as multicultural events featuring visual and performing arts from around the world.

_______________________________________________

Cultural Park produces ‘The Sound of Music’ January 12-22

Cultural Park Theatre is producing The Sound of Music January 12-22. In this Tony-Award-winning final collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, Cultural Park Theatre comes alive with all the enduring musical numbers audiences revere – from “The Sound of Music,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen, “Do-Re-Mi” and “My Favorite Things” to “Climb Every Mountain” and the heartbreaking ode to Austria “Edelweiss.” Set in Austria in 1938 on the eve of the Anschluss, the musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess of a large family while trying to decide whether or not to become a nun. Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse based the book for the show on real people and events, as relayed in Maria von Trapp’s 1949 memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.

Cathy James directs.

The Sound of Music plays on eight dates between January 12 and the 22nd. Evening performances are at 7:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Sunday matinees are at 3:00 p.m.

_____________________________________

Cultural Park performs Pippin February 16-26

Cultural Park Theater in Cape Coral will perform Pippin February 16-26. Directed by Mark Fleming, book by Roger O. Hirson and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, an ensemble cast tells the story of a young prince who longs to find passion and adventure in his life. To prove his loyalty to his distracted father, King Charles, Pippin goes to war. But when The Leading Player convinces the prince to fight tyranny, Pippin kills Charles and takes over the throne. Realizing his mistake, Pippin begs The Leading Player to bring his father back to life, and she obliges. The prince falls in love with Catherine, a widow with a young son, and (much to The Leading Player’s chagrin), Pippin struggles to decide whether he should settle down and pursue a peaceful life or continue to make magic with the dazzling troupe of performers.

Pippin plays on eight dates between February 16 and the 26th. Evening performances are at 7:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Sunday matinees are at 3:00 p.m.

__________________________________________________________

‘Little Women’ musical brings adventures of March sisters lyrically to life

Little Women comes to Fort Myers Theatre February 3-12. The musical brings Louisa May Alcott’s beloved story of the adventures of the four March sisters to vivid, lyrical life. The full advance is here.

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

______________________________________________________________

Gold Theatricals’ ‘Love Letters’ a tender tragi-comedy that spans half a century

Gold Theatricals is producing A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters at The Charlotte Performing Arts Center on Friday, February 17. This tender, tragi-comedy takes audiences on a nuanced examination of the shared nostalgia, missed opportunities, and deep closeness of two complicated lifelong friends. While spanning nearly five decades and numerous locations, it is staged simply, with two actors behind desks or sitting in cozy chairs, letting their words describe a world of emotion.

You will find the rest of this advance here.

Go here for play dates, times and ticket information.

_____________________________________________________________

More on Naples Performing Arts Center’s TYA production of ‘Lion, Witch and Wardrobe’

Naples Performing Arts Center has officially announced its first Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) touring production, C.S. Lewis’ iconic The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.  This new and innovative program delivers a fully-realized professional touring production to area schools.  Each production will be tailored to not only provide engaging and educational entertainment, but tie in with the host school’s curriculum and Florida’s Education Benchmarks and Standards. The highly-imaginative production runs 50 minutes and comes with an optional fifteen-minute Q and A with the actors following the performance.

“The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is a tour de force adventure that enables the audience to join our journey as we utilize imaginations and creativity to depict the stories of Narnia,” notes NPAC in its press release announcing the production, which stars Danica Murray and Cameron Rogers, who play storytellers as well as a dozen other characters within Narnia that careen in and out of the story with a simple costume change and complete physical and vocal transformation.

The production is directed by veteran TYA Director, Kody C Jones with support by NPAC Production Manager, Jenn Murray.

“There is nothing more special than TYA Theatre for Young Audiences,” says Jones. “It’s a program with the sole purpose of introducing the performing arts to as many kids as possible while introducing life skills and inspiring creativity and imagination.”

Recommended for 1st through 6th grades, the show is designed and directed to be performed any space, large or small whether it be a classroom or large theatre or gym.

For pricing questions or to book your tour today, please email Associate Artistic Kody C Jones at kodycjones3@gmail.com.

And to listen to more on TYA and the production on WGCU, please click here.

________________________________________________________________

Players Circle Theatre tackles issues of diversity & entitlement with ‘Admissions’

In 2019, Joshua Harmon’s drama Admissions won both the Drama Desk and Obie Awards for Best Off-Broadway Play. The hype surrounding the play focuses almost exclusively on its subject matter: white entitlement and guilt. However, at its core, Admissions is a family drama that deals with the way one upper middle class New England family deals with a setback – their son’s failure to get into the college of his choice. It’s this facet of the play that has Players Circle Theater co-founder and Artistic Director Bob Cacioppo drawing parallels between Joshua Harmon and legendary playwrights Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller.

“People will relate to the play in that it is a family drama. If you bring up Arthur Miller in particular, it’s about family,” said Cacioppo. “The mother is the admissions officer at a private high school and the father is the headmaster. Their values are called into question when their son, who is the best student in the school – great SAT scores, lots of extracurricular activities – doesn’t get into Yale and his best friend, who is one-quarter black, gets into Yale.”

Go here for the rest of this review on WGCU.

______________________________________________________

‘Need to Know’ provides steady stream of surprises and red herrings

Coming to the Joan Jenks stage at Golden Gate Community Center is The Studio Players production of Jonathan Caron’s situational comedy Need to Know. Directed by Kevin Hendricks and starring John Strealy, Rosie DeLeon and Nathan Eichhorn, Need to Know keeps surprises and red herrings in constant flow while having fun with a symbolic pair of fish in a bowl.

The play revolves around Steven (John Strealy) and Lilly (Rosie DeLeon), an attractive and charismatic couple who have just moved into a new apartment. To their dismay, they discover that the tenant with whom they share a wall, Mark Manners (Nathan Eichhorn), is mannerless.

Go here for the rest of this advance.

Go here for play dates, times and ticket information.

____________________________________________

Spotlight on ‘Need to Know’ playwright Jonathan Caron

Jonathan Caron is an American playwright and screenwriter. His plays include The House That Jake Built (2017), Need to Know (Colt Coeur Play Hotel 2015, Rogue Machine 2015),  The Recommendation  (IAMA 2014, The Flea 2013, Old Globe 2012, Craig Noel Award, Best New Play,  2014 Ovation Best Play, NAACP nomination), The Morning The Sun Fell Down (MTC 7@7 2013), Catch The Fish (Most Outstanding Play, NY Fringe),  The Venerable Raman Gupta (Sundance Finalist, New Group 2014 New Works Lab).

His work has been developed at theaters across the country including MTC, The Roundabout, EST, The Rattlestick, New Group, Williamstown, Ars Nova,  Pasadena Playhouse, The Keen Company, Colt Coeur, Woodshed Ensemble, Berkshire Playwright’s Lab, Rogue Machine as well as developmentally at The Lark, New York Stage and Film, The Jewish Plays Project, Partial Comfort and in The Samuel French OOB Festival and The Old Vic in London.

He is a 2016 member of the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writer’s Group at Primary Stages, a MacDowell Colony Fellow, a Dramatist Guild Fellow, The New York Stage and Film Founder’s Award Winner, a two time recipient of a Fellowship to SPACE @ Ryder Farm, a two-time Lecomte du Nouy award winner and a recipient of the Theater Publicus Prize for Dramatic Fiction. Additionally, he was a finalist for the Laurents/Hatcher Award, a nominee for the Otis Guerney New American Playwright’s Award.

In TV, Jonathan is a writer on Netflix’s new original drama Gypsy and has written pilots for FOX and CBS with frequent collaborator Jason Winer.

He is a graduate of The Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwright’s Program at The Juilliard School and Vassar College where he studied mythology and religion.  He’s a member of The IAMA Theater Company, Partial Comfort and originally hails from Los Angeles.