This column appeared in the March 29, 2006 edition of the Tribune & Georgian newspaper as well as in the March 30, 2006 edition of the Kings Bay Periscope.
Much of what I have been writing about for the past few weeks comes to fruition in Camden County this week and during the month of April. Before April tests its tenderness against daunting spring breezes and chilly nights, more than 80 Camden County High School artists will overpower you with their enthusiasm, their energy and their fearlessness. And, before the merry month of May arrives, we will see a project that has been bubbling in the caldron of creativity for nearly four years receive the breath of life from the throats of your neighbors and friends. In that order, here are some details.
Last November, teachers and directors at Camden County High challenged their charges. The aspiring artists responded with fervor. “Everybody cut ‘Footloose’,” they shouted at the top of their lungs! And they began to rehearse. Practicing almost daily since before their winter holiday break, these wonderful kids are ready for you. They are begging you to come see this story that is almost as heart-warming as the performers themselves.
“Footloose” features the title song, plus other hit songs such as “Let’s Hear it for the Boy,” and “Almost Paradise.” The play is based on a real event that happened in the small town of Elmore, Oklahoma, where, ever since the town’s founding in 1861, dancing had been illegal. (No one knew why, it had just always been that way.) In 1980, some local teens protested, town leaders and church elders battled them and eventually, after 120 years, the town had its first dance. The event made the national news, and ultimately, became a movie.
The movie opened as a box office smash in 1983, and in the 90’s, it was re-imagined for the Broadway stage with new songs, story line changes and stage choreography to capture the energy of the cast and the audience. The stage production is funnier, with a lighter brand of teen pathos than the movie. It also allows audiences to more deeply appreciate the efforts of concerned parents to protect their children.
“Footloose” cast members include Peter Anderson as Ren McCormack, Brittany Bingham as Ariel Moore, Greige Lott as Willard Hewitt, Becky Kuitems as Rusty, and Hampton Dixon as Reverend Shaw Moore. The show also features members of the CCHS Top Cats Dance Team in its high energy dance numbers, as well as a cadre of CCHS teachers in the opening number as members of the church choir. The student musicians are from Camden High’s award winning instrumental music program. Tickets are $5 in advance at the high school Auditorium or $6 at the door day of show.
Next up in April and continuing into May is “Crooked Rivers’ Sisters Three.” The homegrown, historical play is slated for three weekends beginning Thursday (April 20). The performances dates are: April 20, 21, 22, 23; April 27, 28, 29, 30; and May 4, 5, 6, 7. Thursday-Saturday performances begin at 7:30 pm. Sunday performances begin at 2:30 pm. All performances are scheduled at Crooked Rivers State Park, which is seven miles north, at the end of Charlie Smith Sr. Hwy (or Spur 40). Tickets are available by calling (912) 729-3154 beginning April 1. Also, some area merchants will be making “Crooked Rivers” tickets available in their stores soon (that list is not quite complete yet – I will get it for next week). Put this on your calendar now!
Opportunities for this week and the future: string virtuosos from the No. 1 world album, Celtic Woman, TUC, Mar. 30, 8 p.m.; 70s hit makers The Lettermen and The Association at the TUC, Mar. 31, 8 p.m.; Oceanfront Music Festival’s “Springing the Blues,” March 31-April 2, Seawalk Plaza, Jax Beach; 150 artists and musicians live at San Marco Art Festival, San Marco Square, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free; do not miss Cirque du Soleil’s “Delirium” at Veteran’s Memorial Arena, April 6 & 7.
If you have ideas or events you want me to share with readers, send me a note at pkraack1@tds.net.
3.29.06
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
There is Magic To Do in Camden
This column appeared in the March 22, 2006 edition of the Tribune & Georgian newspaper, as well as in the March 23, 2006 edition of the Kings Bay Periscope.
There is some magic going on right now in Camden County. It is casting its spell in church fellowship halls, dance studios and personal homes. There are 80-plus “members” under the power of this force right now. And they intend to extend their conjuring energy to the rest of us soon. This corps of enchanters ranges in age from three to several scores old. They have been described as “wonderful” and “crazy.” I was wary of this apparent propaganda.
I sought an audience with their leader, to divine exactly what this magical experience was all about. He goes by the moniker of Jerry; his brood calls him “The Director.” I asked: “What is going on here?” With a wry smile he just said: “You know, it hasn’t just been the temperature that was warm in this county the past two weeks!” “What?” I was puzzled by this riddle. “Yes,” Jerry confirmed, “the first two weeks my cast and I have spent working on ‘Crooked Rivers’ have been amazing, productive, and warm. The smiles and laughter of our crowd of people from all over Camden County have been a powerful welcoming force. I've done this before, but Camden County is welcoming in remarkable ways. I don't want to jinx us, but I think we are off to a extraordinary start.”
So I went to a “Crooked Rivers” rehearsal to see for myself this “magical happening” that was coming to life and binding these cast members together before our eyes. I watched the giggling, squirming “Gnats”- that's what they call the kids in the Crooked Rivers’ cast. I saw storytellers, diverse in race, age, and gender, weave their fanciful tales about family traditions and social occasions. And I heard their poignant stories about tough times and tough people that shaped our community. I found out that the magic being woven here in Camden County is taking shape inside the hearts and minds of the cast of “Crooked Rivers’ Sisters Three,” our local play about our history, our heritage, our future and our legacy. Their efforts in taking this magic into their hearts will pay off for them and for you starting April 21, when they offer some of their magical mixture to audiences at performances of this theatrical event at Crooked Rivers State Park.
Now that we have discovered the source of this magical force taking hold in Camden County, we ought to listen again to director, Jerry Stropnicky, when he counsels, “This play is musical, funny, and wise. Some of the stories are filled with laughter and joy. Some of the stories are “hard stories,” stories about hate and struggle.” Then, with a wise look, he intrigues us with this observation: “the conversations we’re having around all those stories prove that they are worth the telling.” And seeing and hearing.
Next week, how you can get tickets to see and hear “Crooked Rivers’ Sisters Three,” live and in person.
Opportunities for this week and the future: pop a capella tunes by Rockapella, March 24, Florida Theatre, 8 p.m.; barbecue and rock lovers gather at Jacksonville BBQ Blast, Metropolitan Park, March 24-26; family arts and entertainment at the Book Club and Rally Jacksonville, Cummer Museum, March 25, free, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; remarkable string virtuosity by Irish players Celtic Woman, TUC, Mar. 30, 8 p.m.; 70s hit makers The Lettermen and The Association at the TUC, Mar. 31, 8 p.m.; Oceanfront Music Festival’s “Springing the Blues,” March 31-April 2, Seawalk Plaza, Jax Beach; The Great American Jazz Piano Competition at The Florida Theatre, April 6, 7 p.m.; do not miss Cirque du Soleil’s “Delirium” at Veteran’s Memorial Arena, April 6 & 7;
If you have ideas or events you want me to share with readers, send me a note at pkraack1@tds.net.
3.22.06
There is some magic going on right now in Camden County. It is casting its spell in church fellowship halls, dance studios and personal homes. There are 80-plus “members” under the power of this force right now. And they intend to extend their conjuring energy to the rest of us soon. This corps of enchanters ranges in age from three to several scores old. They have been described as “wonderful” and “crazy.” I was wary of this apparent propaganda.
I sought an audience with their leader, to divine exactly what this magical experience was all about. He goes by the moniker of Jerry; his brood calls him “The Director.” I asked: “What is going on here?” With a wry smile he just said: “You know, it hasn’t just been the temperature that was warm in this county the past two weeks!” “What?” I was puzzled by this riddle. “Yes,” Jerry confirmed, “the first two weeks my cast and I have spent working on ‘Crooked Rivers’ have been amazing, productive, and warm. The smiles and laughter of our crowd of people from all over Camden County have been a powerful welcoming force. I've done this before, but Camden County is welcoming in remarkable ways. I don't want to jinx us, but I think we are off to a extraordinary start.”
So I went to a “Crooked Rivers” rehearsal to see for myself this “magical happening” that was coming to life and binding these cast members together before our eyes. I watched the giggling, squirming “Gnats”- that's what they call the kids in the Crooked Rivers’ cast. I saw storytellers, diverse in race, age, and gender, weave their fanciful tales about family traditions and social occasions. And I heard their poignant stories about tough times and tough people that shaped our community. I found out that the magic being woven here in Camden County is taking shape inside the hearts and minds of the cast of “Crooked Rivers’ Sisters Three,” our local play about our history, our heritage, our future and our legacy. Their efforts in taking this magic into their hearts will pay off for them and for you starting April 21, when they offer some of their magical mixture to audiences at performances of this theatrical event at Crooked Rivers State Park.
Now that we have discovered the source of this magical force taking hold in Camden County, we ought to listen again to director, Jerry Stropnicky, when he counsels, “This play is musical, funny, and wise. Some of the stories are filled with laughter and joy. Some of the stories are “hard stories,” stories about hate and struggle.” Then, with a wise look, he intrigues us with this observation: “the conversations we’re having around all those stories prove that they are worth the telling.” And seeing and hearing.
Next week, how you can get tickets to see and hear “Crooked Rivers’ Sisters Three,” live and in person.
Opportunities for this week and the future: pop a capella tunes by Rockapella, March 24, Florida Theatre, 8 p.m.; barbecue and rock lovers gather at Jacksonville BBQ Blast, Metropolitan Park, March 24-26; family arts and entertainment at the Book Club and Rally Jacksonville, Cummer Museum, March 25, free, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; remarkable string virtuosity by Irish players Celtic Woman, TUC, Mar. 30, 8 p.m.; 70s hit makers The Lettermen and The Association at the TUC, Mar. 31, 8 p.m.; Oceanfront Music Festival’s “Springing the Blues,” March 31-April 2, Seawalk Plaza, Jax Beach; The Great American Jazz Piano Competition at The Florida Theatre, April 6, 7 p.m.; do not miss Cirque du Soleil’s “Delirium” at Veteran’s Memorial Arena, April 6 & 7;
If you have ideas or events you want me to share with readers, send me a note at pkraack1@tds.net.
3.22.06
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Life is Good - Baseball, round ball and ballet
This column is scheduled to appear in the 3.15.06 issue of the Tribune & Georgian newspaper.
I am about to become an addict…again. I love this time of year, and this year is even better. For me, it’s a time of renewal and reaffirmation, combining two of my favorite non-arts events. How can we not pay homage to this duality of physical accomplishment – the commencement of March Madness (where real basketball is played by athletes that are still students [at least in part] and more than marginally devoted to team play) and the opening of Spring Training, where baseball is played for sport’s and opportunity’s sake. This year holds an added attraction for me since we are fully engulfed in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, which teeters on the brink between nationalistic pride and pure love of a game that transcends cultural and ethnic barriers. The WBC also offers us this incentive to watch: a chance to see multi-million dollar athletes play for free.
Between satellite TV’s March Madness package, XM radio’s wall to wall coverage of the WBC and MLB, MLB.com; ESPNnews, CBSsportsline.com, and my daily dose of print and online news, I am approaching addict status. The love of my life shakes her head and tolerates me like a governess monitoring the ultimately harmless antics of a spoiled charge. The level of phone calls, emails and text messages between father and sons expands with alarming regularity. (Last week, 30 minutes before going on stage, my youngest called me, anxious to find out if the US pulled out a last inning victory of team Canada in the first round of WBC play. They didn’t. However, there is a son with his priorities straight!)
Because of the focus of this column, I suppose, in my anticipation for the events of the next few weeks, I should attempt to make some connection to the arts. Luckily, my reading for this week took my rapidly into a story buried deep within the March13 issue of Sports Illustrated, beyond its sensational cover topic and its review of Tiger’s latest victory. In the table of contents, I was stunned to see a page-wide photo of Glen Davis, LSU’s 6’8”, 315 pound post player, in perfect ballet first position as he and seven dance partners execute a beautiful sauté or jump. I flipped to page 58 and there in a two-page photo spread is Davis, arms extended, smiling beautifully as he and his dancer friends soar gracefully above the dance floor. Turns out Davis, whose early life was chaotic and violence filled, sought out ballet in high school to be close to a girl he liked and remains a devotee still. His love of the arts extends back to middle school where he brought down the house during a talent show when, as a colossal sized sixth-grader wearing his grandmother’s wig, he channeled the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Whatever his training or reasons, I think I am going to make LSU one of my underdog picks in the NCAA basketball tournament. I mean, how can you not root for a man this big that can willingly and happily execute a grand jeté?
Opportunities for this week and the future: Theatre Jacksonville’s “Silent Heroes,” about military pilot wives waiting for word of their possibly downed men, through Mar. 18; Marvin Hamlisch with JSO, TUC, Mar. 16-18, 8 p.m.; TV’s Sharon Gless and Richard Masur star in Neil Simon’s “Prisoner of Second Avenue,” UNF Fine Arts Center, March 18, 7:30 p.m.; Latin dance extravaganza “Forever Tango,” TUC, Mar. 19, 7 p.m.; remarkable string virtuosity by Irish players Celtic Woman, TUC, Mar. 30, 8 p.m.; 70s hit makers The Lettermen and The Association at the TUC, Mar. 31, 8 p.m.; Oceanfront Music Festival’s “Springing the Blues,” March 31-April 2, Seawalk Plaza, Jax Beach; The Great American Jazz Piano Competition at The Florida Theatre, April 6, 7 p.m.
3.15.06
I am about to become an addict…again. I love this time of year, and this year is even better. For me, it’s a time of renewal and reaffirmation, combining two of my favorite non-arts events. How can we not pay homage to this duality of physical accomplishment – the commencement of March Madness (where real basketball is played by athletes that are still students [at least in part] and more than marginally devoted to team play) and the opening of Spring Training, where baseball is played for sport’s and opportunity’s sake. This year holds an added attraction for me since we are fully engulfed in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, which teeters on the brink between nationalistic pride and pure love of a game that transcends cultural and ethnic barriers. The WBC also offers us this incentive to watch: a chance to see multi-million dollar athletes play for free.
Between satellite TV’s March Madness package, XM radio’s wall to wall coverage of the WBC and MLB, MLB.com; ESPNnews, CBSsportsline.com, and my daily dose of print and online news, I am approaching addict status. The love of my life shakes her head and tolerates me like a governess monitoring the ultimately harmless antics of a spoiled charge. The level of phone calls, emails and text messages between father and sons expands with alarming regularity. (Last week, 30 minutes before going on stage, my youngest called me, anxious to find out if the US pulled out a last inning victory of team Canada in the first round of WBC play. They didn’t. However, there is a son with his priorities straight!)
Because of the focus of this column, I suppose, in my anticipation for the events of the next few weeks, I should attempt to make some connection to the arts. Luckily, my reading for this week took my rapidly into a story buried deep within the March13 issue of Sports Illustrated, beyond its sensational cover topic and its review of Tiger’s latest victory. In the table of contents, I was stunned to see a page-wide photo of Glen Davis, LSU’s 6’8”, 315 pound post player, in perfect ballet first position as he and seven dance partners execute a beautiful sauté or jump. I flipped to page 58 and there in a two-page photo spread is Davis, arms extended, smiling beautifully as he and his dancer friends soar gracefully above the dance floor. Turns out Davis, whose early life was chaotic and violence filled, sought out ballet in high school to be close to a girl he liked and remains a devotee still. His love of the arts extends back to middle school where he brought down the house during a talent show when, as a colossal sized sixth-grader wearing his grandmother’s wig, he channeled the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Whatever his training or reasons, I think I am going to make LSU one of my underdog picks in the NCAA basketball tournament. I mean, how can you not root for a man this big that can willingly and happily execute a grand jeté?
Opportunities for this week and the future: Theatre Jacksonville’s “Silent Heroes,” about military pilot wives waiting for word of their possibly downed men, through Mar. 18; Marvin Hamlisch with JSO, TUC, Mar. 16-18, 8 p.m.; TV’s Sharon Gless and Richard Masur star in Neil Simon’s “Prisoner of Second Avenue,” UNF Fine Arts Center, March 18, 7:30 p.m.; Latin dance extravaganza “Forever Tango,” TUC, Mar. 19, 7 p.m.; remarkable string virtuosity by Irish players Celtic Woman, TUC, Mar. 30, 8 p.m.; 70s hit makers The Lettermen and The Association at the TUC, Mar. 31, 8 p.m.; Oceanfront Music Festival’s “Springing the Blues,” March 31-April 2, Seawalk Plaza, Jax Beach; The Great American Jazz Piano Competition at The Florida Theatre, April 6, 7 p.m.
3.15.06
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Crooked Rivers Cast In Rehearsals
This column appeared in the 3.8.06 edition of the Tribune & Georgian newspaper.
Well, the final Crooked Rivers Sisters Three “participation gatherings” are done. More than 80 souls committed to playing some role in the success of this project; to help tell the tales of Camden County past and near present. Diverse in age, gender, race and ethnicity, these tender friends will be your guide when Crooked Rivers Sisters Three comes to life in the moonlight of Crooked Rivers State Park, for three weekends beginning on April 21. Director Jerry Stropnicky is “in the house” and sets, costumes and music are all in process. On Saturday, he gathered the cast together and they read through the script together for the first time. There were many insights gained, parts assigned and there was much laughter shared. The stories are beginning to take shape on the lips and in the minds of the Crooked Rivers Sisters Three cast members. And they cannot wait to share them with you.
Last November, I wrote in a column about a friend of ours that is a drama teacher in Kentucky. I related that Carolyn Greer is a former student of this drama teacher that I am close to (OK, married to), and how Carolyn is a dynamo whose theatre program embodies all the winning attributes to which the arts are supposed to expose students. In this context, I explained that her One Act Play was selected the best in Kentucky and that her students would be performing in March in Orlando, FL at the Southeastern Theatre Conference. I further offered a small wager that a certain mentor of hers would be seated front and center to see that performance and the reunion would create a memory to live a long time.
That event occurred this past Friday night at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando. In the shadows of Universal Studios, more than 20 teenagers from Owensboro, KY created this special moment. Taking it all in was Carolyn’s mentor and former teacher, as well as my oldest son, his wife and my oldest grandchild. They all came because Carolyn is part of our family; she lived with us for parts of two summers after college graduation. After their play ended, Carolyn gathered her charges around like a mother hen and introduced them to the assembled extended family. After their performance, there was wonder in the eyes of her young performers when they finally met this “legendary” teacher; talking about her is often one of Carolyn Greer’s favorite topics of conversation. The words and tears tumbled out in gobs and drips, with an intensity and passion that is a rare thing to experience. (Of course, I was there too, taking it all in, pondering the meaning of this legacy in the making and pretending to have something in my eye.) I just got busy and hugged them all immensely - students, spouse, children, grandchild and friends, for I know it is important to get close to winners.
Opportunities for this week and the future: “Hello Dolly” at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre; Jerry Seinfeld at the TUC, 3.9, 7 & 9:30 p.m.; “Brigadoon” at Flager College, through 3.12; Russian American Kids Circus at The Florida Theatre, 3.11, 7:30 p.m.; a 20-year tradition, The Great American Jazz Piano Competition at The Florida Theatre, 4.6, 7 p.m.
3.8.06
Well, the final Crooked Rivers Sisters Three “participation gatherings” are done. More than 80 souls committed to playing some role in the success of this project; to help tell the tales of Camden County past and near present. Diverse in age, gender, race and ethnicity, these tender friends will be your guide when Crooked Rivers Sisters Three comes to life in the moonlight of Crooked Rivers State Park, for three weekends beginning on April 21. Director Jerry Stropnicky is “in the house” and sets, costumes and music are all in process. On Saturday, he gathered the cast together and they read through the script together for the first time. There were many insights gained, parts assigned and there was much laughter shared. The stories are beginning to take shape on the lips and in the minds of the Crooked Rivers Sisters Three cast members. And they cannot wait to share them with you.
Last November, I wrote in a column about a friend of ours that is a drama teacher in Kentucky. I related that Carolyn Greer is a former student of this drama teacher that I am close to (OK, married to), and how Carolyn is a dynamo whose theatre program embodies all the winning attributes to which the arts are supposed to expose students. In this context, I explained that her One Act Play was selected the best in Kentucky and that her students would be performing in March in Orlando, FL at the Southeastern Theatre Conference. I further offered a small wager that a certain mentor of hers would be seated front and center to see that performance and the reunion would create a memory to live a long time.
That event occurred this past Friday night at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando. In the shadows of Universal Studios, more than 20 teenagers from Owensboro, KY created this special moment. Taking it all in was Carolyn’s mentor and former teacher, as well as my oldest son, his wife and my oldest grandchild. They all came because Carolyn is part of our family; she lived with us for parts of two summers after college graduation. After their play ended, Carolyn gathered her charges around like a mother hen and introduced them to the assembled extended family. After their performance, there was wonder in the eyes of her young performers when they finally met this “legendary” teacher; talking about her is often one of Carolyn Greer’s favorite topics of conversation. The words and tears tumbled out in gobs and drips, with an intensity and passion that is a rare thing to experience. (Of course, I was there too, taking it all in, pondering the meaning of this legacy in the making and pretending to have something in my eye.) I just got busy and hugged them all immensely - students, spouse, children, grandchild and friends, for I know it is important to get close to winners.
Opportunities for this week and the future: “Hello Dolly” at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre; Jerry Seinfeld at the TUC, 3.9, 7 & 9:30 p.m.; “Brigadoon” at Flager College, through 3.12; Russian American Kids Circus at The Florida Theatre, 3.11, 7:30 p.m.; a 20-year tradition, The Great American Jazz Piano Competition at The Florida Theatre, 4.6, 7 p.m.
3.8.06
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