… if trying to cope /with a misanthrope:

The greatest challenge in producing Moliere’s “The Misanthrope” at Gulf Coast Community College, said director Jason Blanks, had nothing to do with the elaborate costuming or the historical accuracy of the setting.

It wasn’t even the usual challenge the leading actors face of learning a vast number of lines.

“One of the unique challenges of doing Moliere or any of the classic French comedies is it’s done in rhymed couplets,” Blanks said. “The challenge is to make sure that it doesn’t sound like an elaborately costumed Dr. Seuss book.”

Webster defines “misanthrope” as a person who hates or distrusts all people. In Dr. Seuss terms, he’d be something of a Grinch — cuddly as a cactus, charming as an eel.

The show opened Friday, and has a matinee performance today at 2:30 p.m. Encores will be Nov. 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and next Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids under 18; GCCC students, faculty and staff get free admission with a college ID.

See Photos Here.

In this play, the titular character (played by Nathan Simmons, who may want to start worrying about being typecast) is blinded by his infatuation with a flirtatious woman (Allison Fleckenstein) who embodies all the qualities that he dislikes in other people.

(Personal note: Don’t mistake this column for an unbiased examination of the production. I know most of the young men and women involved, and I contributed to the procreation of one of them. Having said that, what I saw of dress rehearsal on Wednesday was pretty darn funny.)

“You have to make it sound normal — normalized speech — but also there are points where accentuating the rhyme scheme actually makes it funnier,” Jason said. “So it’s skating the fine line between normal speech and heightened rhyming speech.”

The misanthrope in question engages in wordplay throughout the show, sometimes mimicking the delivery of his intended’s other suitors. Compared to those fops, he’s a bad banana with a greasy black peel.

Certainly, the style won’t work for everyone, but you shouldn’t mistake it for Shakespeare: There’s no iambic pentameter, the scenes are more madcap romantic/comedy style than that, and the rhymes come fast and furious, often disguised in the witty dialogue. Part of the fun is seeing what words will be matched and how they’ll be played.

That, and seeing if the misanthrope’s heart grows three sizes that day.

Peace.

It all passed too quickly, and the music didn’t linger.

In the Hammocks neighborhood, the music of the night was the giggling of costumed children who spent the early evening hours of All Hallows Eve rushing house to house and filling bags, pillowcases and boxes with treats. Hannah Montana was as ubiquitous as the many clones of Batman and Spider-Man, and some put more effort than others into their presentation.

More than a few of the goodie bags extended on this evening were grasped by children wearing no costume at all to cover their street clothes. But their lack of effort just made the imaginative one stand out all the more, like the child dressed as a mouse in a trap, or the little turtle who paused to model her head gear and berate me for rushing her before speeding along the sidewalk to the next house.

Before we knew it, the streets were empty. The ghouls had gone home to nurse stomachs packed too full of sweets. Porch lights all around were extinguished.

Later that night, in a house near downtown Panama City, the music was delta blues, but it carried an eerie edge, almost the whine of a theremin, like you’d hear in a 1950s sci-fi film. The keening moan came from a saw wedged between the knees of artist Heather Clements, who flexed the metal and excited it with a bow.

She accompanied guitarist and singer Slim Fatz, who worked the strings of a box guitar and sang the blues.
The location was the UnReal Artists Gallery, 839 Oak Ave., which was hosting an after-hours Halloween “Spooktacular.”

Host and owner Paulette Perlman encouraged guests to take a candle and wander through the darkened back rooms of the house on a self-guided art tour. They moved carefully, studying walls adorned with art — paintings, collections of objects, photographs, and a room decorated with ghosts and spider webs. Some held their candles perilously close to the work to pick out details.

Outside, in the “outdoor house,” the air was cool and clear. Though people milled and mingled, nothing went bump in the night.

Before we knew it, morning broke with Christmas music in the retail stores and on the radio. Jingle bells rang as crumpled Jack O’Lanterns dropped into garbage cans and candy wrappers got scooped off the floor. The sudden change was jarring, but then I had a flash of Jack Skellington in his Santa suit, and realized everything was going to be OK.

Peace.

… for shooting Andy Warhol

Despite (or perhaps because of) his professed superficiality, Andy Warhol would have appreciated the irony and even might have been amused by the artistic value of the stunt.
It happened one evening last month at the Gallery Above. Local artist Matty Jankowski arranged to have three young women (Tabitha, Mary and Amanda) show up to act as models, and he supplied his own piece of artwork a portrait of, Warhol printed on a discarded muffler and mounted on a bedpost, to serve as the centerpiece.
His concept: “Shooting Andy Warhol.”

(Click here to see a photo gallery from the event.)

(Click here to see VIDEO of the event.)

Matty started by giving the audience a history lesson via published reports and essays, bringing them up to speed on Warhol’s philosophies of art, death, time and reality. Tabitha sat with a wood-handled revolver in her lap and read aloud the tale of how Warhol got plugged in the chest by an unbalanced and marginal member of his Factory scene one day in June 1968.
Then the virtual carnage began. Toting real guns, the models took turns aiming at the muffler, at each other, and at random points overhead and all around. They also traded off posing with an antique Polaroid, shooting each other shooting “Andy,” and in turn being shot by Matty and any other person holding a camera or using a cell phone camera.
Electronic flashes whirred and snapped. Hammers click-clickclicked as the triggers tripped. This continued in fitful starts and stops for a quarter-hour, reflecting Warhol’s famous pronouncement that, in the future, everyone would be famous for 15 minutes.
The audience was encouraged to participate further by writing about their experiences in a book Matty passed around. Some wrote notes or quick poems or sketches. I attached a short story I had read earlier in the evening.
The “shooting” spree was part of last month’s Open Mic Night, which next occurs from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29. The Gallery Above is at 563 Harrison Ave. For details, visit galleryabove.com
As a photographer attempting to capture the other photographers as they stalked the models that night, I became acutely aware of the audience, one step farther removed from the action, observing even me. It spun an already surreal happening into the realm of the absurd.
I had the experience of existing outside myself for a few strange minutes, and I think Andy could have sympathized.
Peace.

From light to darkness, two recent events on the same night reflected the dichotomy of this life. Wherever the sun shines, shadows fall, and even in uncertain hours, the familiar can be recognized.

As the evening started, breezes came in off the lagoon and the Lady Anderson passed silently in the night. Up on stage and under bright lights, an extended family reunited to share their music with restaurant patrons.

The Raders, late of the Ocean Opry, brought the sounds of gospel, country and Southern rock to the dockside Boatyard restaurant early in the evening of Oct. 3. A few hours later, across the bridge and up a narrow flight of stairs, the Gallery Above had an after-hours reception to open its October exhibit, the “Darkness” show.

There, conversations merged into the hum and rumble of electronic feedback. People mingled in the loft space to view art on display and body art in progress. Two young men in black bent over their instruments, a keyboard and a cannibalized guitar, urging scratches and moans into the air.

Moving from one into the other was like crossing from the known world into an undiscovered country, passing through an invisible membrane between the mundane and the mysterious. But in both experiences, joy was evident all around.

Back at the restaurant, patrons sat in small knots in low light, ate and drank, and listened to the family of musicians and singers performing familiar songs. Some danced, some giggled at the jokes and impressions, and some teared up when a song pulled heartstrings. Overall, the mood was light, filled with hearty hugs and waves of recognition, cheers and whistles and laughter, like a homecoming.

The Raders, young and old, celebrated their joy through music and laughter; Billy put on a bandana to sing in Willie Nelson’s nasal twang, and sawed a mean fiddle to the tune of “Orange Blossom Special.”

At the gallery, a diffuse red glow bathed the mob, evoking at once the warmth of life and the coming of night. Friends reunited, strangers met. Art lining the walls set a mood of whimsy tinged with danger, or perhaps a threat of pain behind a smiling facade. The mood was one of anticipation, of approaching and embracing the unknown.

The artists celebrated their bliss through art itself; as patrons circulated around them in the electronic ambience, two men painted the bodies of two young women. They later painted whoever requested it, a grownup version of the face-painting clowns found at so many events.

The Raders will next perform at Gulf World Marine Park on Oct. 25. Meanwhile, the Darkness show is open for viewing throughout October; go to galleryabove.com for details. Two more different things could not be more alike in providing a glimpse into the human heart.

Peace.

See photos and video of the Rader family and the Darkness show at newsherald.com

The Project Joy Boots auction did not go precisely according to plan. And that’s a good thing. Held Sept. 26 at the Gulf Coast Community College “black box” theater lab, where Marisa Joy Williams spent so many of her days and nights working on productions, the auction of painted rain boots was a labor of love by her friends and family to raise money for a memorial scholarship.
Marisa died in a single-car accident on Feb. 23. She was 18. We like to think of her as our angel.
With the auction, we had expected only a modest return on our efforts. We had hoped to sell at least half of the boots we’d gathered, and we hoped they would pull in a few hundred dollars.
But an angel of another kind sat in the black box audience, bidding on boots that otherwise might not have sold. Each time it became apparent a pair was getting no attention from bidders, this woman would bid $50 or $100 or $200.
She ended up with a total of nearly $900 in bids. But that’s not even the most fantastic part.
She paid with a wad of cash — $5,000 in cash. She would not give her name, and even though the donation was tax-deductible, she did not want a receipt. She also gave some of her newly acquired boots back to the artists or offered them to others at the auction.
She spoke to me briefly but would not tell me her name, and her words and demeanor moved me to tears. She said she had read about Marisa and the project in this paper, and she knew she wanted to participate. She hoped to set an example for her own child, she said. She came to the event planning to give a certain amount of money, and she wouldn’t bid on any boots in which other people showed interest.
“I pray that God blesses her in every area of her life,” Marisa’s mom, Donna, said of the mystery woman. “She truly is an angel to those of us who witnessed her generosity.”
As a result of her kindness, Project Joy Boots now has raised more than $8,000 toward endowing a perpetual scholarship in Marisa’s memory. (Tax-deductible donations still can be made to the Gulf Coast Community College Foundation; write “Marisa Joy Williams Scholarship Fund” on the “For” line of your checks.)
Each fall and spring term, a technical theater major will receive a check to help him or her pursue the dream that Marisa was denied. Think of it as us trying to help someone pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

Their Joy Boot straps.

Peace.

Learn more about the project and see some photos here.

And here.

Check out this video for a sneak peek at the Gallery Above’s new show, which opens with a reception on Friday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

It’s shaping up to be a spooky October. Who’d'a thunk it? Here are some events you might want to participate in:

The Darkness Show: Back by popular demand, the third annual “Darkness” show…Bring On The Night!

EnVisions Announces ‘Spirit of Life’ Metaphysical Festival: Oct. 18 & 19, Local metaphysical store En Visions will host a two-day metaphysical festival called ‘Spirit of Life’. There will be more than a dozen vendors including psychic readers, metaphysical merchandise and more; the event will be at the Comfort Inn Conference Center, 1013 E. 23rd St. Cost is $5 for adults, with children 15 & under free. Advance tickets can be bought at En Visions for $3 each. En Visions is located at 231 Harrison Ave. in Downtown Panama City. Details: Contact En Visions’ Mimi Eincholz at (850) 215-3401.

Seeking ghouls:Panama City Jaycees is accepting applications for Haunted House actors and volunteers, ages 15 and up. Information meeting to be held Oct. 4 (10:30 am) at Panama City Marine Institute. Information: jallen@pcjaycees.org or (850)763-8282. Haunted House opens Oct. 10 and will run weekends through Nov. 1.

Got stuff to add? Drop me a line or leave a comment.

Peace.

We had a final get-together for a boot-painting party last Friday in advance of this Friday’s auction.

Kristina Hamilton, the weekend anchor of WJHG TV News Channel 7, stopped in and painted a pair of boots, and shot video and did an interview that ran on Sunday’s newscast. (Thanks, Kristina. It was nice to meet you, and I hope we weren’t too weird for you.) Here’s her report and accompanying video.

Here’s some video and photos I shot.

Hope to see you at the black box on Friday.

Peace.

The original ‘Joy Boots’

Friday will mark a milestone for a local charity group that I’m participating in. Project Joy Boots will have its long awaited auction to raise money for a technical theater scholarship at Gulf Coast Community College.

The auction will be in the GCCC Amelia Center Theatre Lab (the black box), where Marisa Joy Williams spent thousands of hours for countless performances and rehearsals — as an actress, a backstage tech or an audience member. Doors open at 7 p.m. for people to view the hand-painted boots, and the auction will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Marisa, New Year’s Eve, 2006

The daughter of Charles and Donna Williams of Lynn Haven, Marisa died in a car accident on Feb. 23. She was 18. She had recently moved to Orlando to pursue her bachelor’s degree in technical theater. She had finished her associate’s degree at GCCC ahead of schedule, just as she had graduated a year early from Bay High.
She was always a step of ahead of her time, and was taken before her time.

Katie and Jazma

Inspired by the painted rainboots that Marisa often wore, friends Katie Vickmark and Jazma Everett launched Project Joy Boots with the blessing of Marisa’s family. Their idea was to aid the healing process and raise money for a charitable donation. Donna Williams thought the funds should go to help a deserving student pursue the dream that was denied Marisa.
“We wish that we didn’t have to do this for the reasons that we do,” Katie said in an online post. “If we could trade all of this and more to have Marisa back, we would in a heartbeat, but we hope that she sees and smiles on this, and we also hope that this has helped even some of the people that loved her to heal a little — and helps the lucky student that will be awarded this scholarship.”

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.
Family and friends have gathered on several occasions to paint puddle-stompers. Others came from lone artists inspired by the project. The boots are wearable, or can be employed for various other uses around the house (doorstop, flower pot, pen holder, umbrella stand, etc.).
I encourage you to come out and see the boots, and bid on a pair if you like. Regardless, come view the fruits of this labor of love, meet the folks who made it happen, and help us honor the life of an exceptional young woman.
Peace.

Project Joy Boots has set a date for our big auction. We will be auctioning off some very artistic boots done by local artists and celebrities as well as our remaining stock of boots made by family and friends of Marisa Joy Williams.

All proceeds will go to fund a tech/design theatre scholarship in Marisa’s honor at Gulf Coast Community College. We are also giving to the Humane Society there are a couple of pair of boots set aside to raffle for that as well as we are asking that people attending the auction to please bring a donation of some kind to the auction ( dog/cat food,chew toys, blankets or money) will be accepted.

We are trying to have something good come out of the tradgedy that was Marisa’s death. Marisa loved animals and she was a motivated young woman who was trying to finish her B.F.A. degree by age 21. I know she would have done it!

The Date: Friday September 26,2009

The Place: Gulf Coast Community College Amelia J. Tapper Theater Lab ( the black box)

The Time: Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the auction will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Auctioneer: Nathan Simmons

Everyone please come out and help us celebrate the beautiful life that was Marisa and let’s give back to our community just a fraction of the happiness she brought to all of us.

If you are unable to attend but want to bid on a pair of boots, some of them are on display at GCCC in the Visual/Performing Arts building go see them and then go to the office and ask Ms. Sherri for the Joy Boots bid book. Write down your bid and keep your fingers crossed that no one out bids you.

Also for those wishing to make a donation to the scholarship, make your checks payable to Gulf Coast Community College Foundation and in the memo section put, for Marisa Williams memorial scholarship. Your gift will be tax deductible!

Thank you in advance for your generosity!