Mary Damiano Photo by David Vance

Mary Damiano’s Arts Scene

Kids Fest at Miracle Theatre
Fun for kids will be on tap when Actors’ Playhouse presents an entire weekend of theatre for the whole family at the 13th Annual National Children’s Theatre Festival Kids Fest. Featuring activities geared toward children and their families, Kids Fest will be held at the Miracle Theatre on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27. The festival will showcase performances Paint! Marc Chagall’s Colorful Musical Adventure, a new musical about young Marc Chagall’s passion and persistence to follow his dream to become an

Ethan Bortnick, the seven-year old piano sensation, will perform at the 13th Annual National Children’s Theatre Festival Kids Fest at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables

internationally renowned artist. The Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine musical Into the Woods, Jr., a skewed version of our favorite fairy tales, will be performed by Actors’ Playhouse’s youth performing troupe, the Musical Miracles. Ethan Bortnick, the seven-year old piano sensation, will perform selections from the great composers and songs he has composed about zoo animals at Kids Fest Saturday, April 26 at noon. In addition to admission to all three performances, Kids Fest attendees can try their hand at making puppets, acting, designing costumes and masks and singing American Idol style. There will also be backstage tours. Passes are available for $15. Call 305-444-9293 or visit www.actorsplayhouse.org.


Brian Antoni: The Book Signing

Brain Antoni’s South Beach: The Novel charts the area’s evolution from trash to smash

Miami Beach resident and author Brian Antoni will do a meet and greet and book signing of South Beach: The Novel, Friday, April 25, 7 p.m. at the Wolfsonian-FIU The Museum. South Beach is Antoni’s fictionalized fable of the colorful characters that populated South Beach in its transition from rundown neighborhoods to international hot spot. Cocktails will be served. The museum is located at 1001 Washington Ave. The event is free and open to the public, but you do must RSVP to 305-535-2631 or thea@thewolf.fiu.edu. For more on Brian Antoni, read the upcoming feature about him and his book in the May 9 issue of MiamiARTzine.com.

Theatre Openings

John Manzelli and Ursula Cataan in The Accomplices at GableStage in Coral Gables Photo: George Schiavone

No one could ever accuse Joe Adler, the artistic director of GableStage of shying away from tough subjects. This season has included plays dealing with AIDS and pedophilia. In their new production, The Accomplices, longtime New York Times journalist and playwright Bernard Weinraub dramatizes how the American government, media, and even American Jewish officials, fearing a backlash of anti-Semitism at home, failed to act decisively enough to stop the World War II massacre of European Jews. Among the many real-life characters depicted are Peter H. Bergson (a Zionist emissary in the United States, born Hillel Kook), prominent Reform Rabbi Stephen Wise, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Henry Morgenthau, Jr. (FDR’s Secretary of the Treasury), Breckenridge Long (FDR’s obstructionist immigration overseer) and Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hecht. The Accomplices opens April 26 and runs through May 25. www.gablestage.org. The Naked Stage production of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis was delayed one week due to a cast change. The story of the playwright’s battle with mental illness will now open Friday, April 25 and run through May 18. www.nakedstage.org.
The Women’s Theatre Project has the southeastern premiere of Three Fittings by Stephanie Alison Walker, about three brides-to-be at a bridal salon with very different ideas about weddings and marriage. Three Fittings opens April 25 and runs through May 17. www.womenstheatreproject.com. Palm Beach Dramaworks in West Palm Beach concludes its 8th season with Michael Frayn’s Benefactors, a mix of political drama, irony and wit, about a prosperous couple who take on their struggling neighbors as a redevelopment project. Benefactors runs through June 15. www.palmbeachdramaworks.org.

Original 1979 movie poster for Milos Forman’s Hair

Hair-raising Movie Party
Put some flowers in your hair, break out your tie-dyed T’s and take a trip back to the 60’s as the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Broadway musical Hair with a stylish, blow-out event and special screening of Milos Forman’s award-winning 1979 movie, Hair on Wednesday, April 30 at Cinema Paradiso. Hair stars John Savage, Treat Williams and Beverly D’Angelo and features chorography by Twyla Tharp. The fun begins at 6:30 p.m. on the Cinema Paradiso party patio. Guests can enjoy vegetarian cuisine from Sublime and organic pizza from Pizza Fusion, get their body painted, or just groove to some great 60’s tunes. Hairstylists for Humanity, who works with the Broward Partnership for the Homeless will be at the event providing flowers to put in attendees hair. The screening begins at 8 p.m. Admission to both party and screening is free with new/sealed toiletry and hair care items that will be donated to Broward Partnership for the Homeless. Items can include: shampoo, hairbrushes, combs, soap (bars), toothpaste (large tubes), toothbrushes, dental floss and deodorant. Cinema Paradiso is located at 503 SE 6 Street, downtown Fort Lauderdale on the South Bank of the New River, just East of Broward County Courthouse. For additional information, visit www.FLIFF.com or call 954-525-3456 ext 101.

Theatre by the Book and on the Stage
Theater by the Book, is a new organization whose mission is to preserve the great literary legacy of classic theater by presenting staged readings of the great works of the European and American stages, at minimal or free admission, with professional actors, primarily for the community of Miami-Dade County, at multiple locations throughout South Florida. Their first reading will be Our Town by Thornton Wilder, and will take place Sunday, April 27 at 7 p.m. at the GableStage Theatre in Coral Gables. Our Town depicts the lives, loves and losses of the citizens of the imaginary town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire. Spanning the years 1900 through 1913, the play celebrates the joys of a simpler, more innocent time back in the days when folks forgot to lock their front doors at night and when the arrival of the first automobile in town was a major event, and Sunday concerts in the park, church picnics. The cast includes David Kwiat, Bill Schwartz, Robert Strain, Kimberly Daniel, Sally Levin, Nicholas Richberg and Cecilia Torres. The event will be followed by an informal get-together with the actors to discuss the play. www.gablestage.org.

That Classical London Sound

Christoph von Donhnanyi, who will conduct the London Philharmonia in concerts in Miami and Boca Raton

The Philharmonia of London, conducted by Christoph von Donhnanyi, will appear on two Florida stages performing two separate programs. First up is a concert Thursday, May 1 at 8 p.m. at the Arsht Center in Miami. The program will include Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 Italian and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major. Tickets are priced at $120, $81, $48, and $18. Then on Friday, May 2, at 8:30 p.m., they will perform at Boca Raton’s Florida Atlantic University’s Carole & Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium. The program will include Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, Spring; and Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5 in C minor, Op. 67. All remaining tickets for the concert have been priced at $20. The concerts are presented by the Concert Association of Florida. The Philharmonia of London, founded in 1945 primarily as a recording orchestra, is one of the world’s most renowned orchestras. Comprised of more than 80 musicians, it is acknowledged as United Kingdom’s foremost musical pioneer. Given its extraordinary recording legacy, the Philharmonia leads the field for its quality of playing and innovative approach to audience development, residencies, music education and use of new technologies geared towards reaching a global audience. Some of its more recent achievements include a 2007 Grammy Award for its recording of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel opera, soundtrack recording of 2006 Oscar-winning British animated film of Peter and the Wolf, the first-ever classical music organization to be short-listed for a 2005 BT Digital Music Award, first-ever fully interactive webcast and first podcast by a U.K. orchestra, and two BAFTA Award nominations for Harry Potter computer game scores. Remaining tickets for the May 2 performance at FAU in Boca Raton are $20. Call 1-877- 311-SHOW (7469) or visit www.concertfla.org.

Outsider art

Outsider Art
The National Art Exhibitions by the Mentally Ill (NAEMI) marks its 20 years of service to outsider art with its 20th annual exhibition from May 2 through May 27. The exhibition begins with an opening reception May 2, 6-9 p.m., offering attendees a chance to meet the featured artists. A lecture by Silvia Quintana LMHC CAP about art performed by mentally ill patients will also be featured. All 50 works featured in the exhibition will be available for sale with all proceeds benefiting the artists. Featuring the works of artists from the European Union and the United States, the exhibition is open to the public. It will be held at the Miami Center for the Photographic Arts, 1601 SW 1st St., Miami. www.naemi.org

Marching to a Different Drummer

Percussion master Zakir Hussain

The Rhythm Foundation presents percussionist Zakir Hussain in concert Sunday May 4 at 8 p.m., at the Manuel Artime Theater, 900 SW 1 Street, Miami. For his exclusive Florida performance, tabla master Zakir Hussain has put together an ensemble to showcase the diversity and beauty of Indian music. The concert offers the audience an opportunity to experience both melodic (raga) and rhythmic (tala) development and will feature the traditional repertoire of North Indian drumming on tabla in solo and duet as well as excursions exploring the frontier between traditional and contemporary, folk and classical. The ensemble includes Fazal Qureshi on tabla and kanjira, Taufiq Qureshi on percussion, Niladri Kumar on sitar, Abbos Kosimov on doyra, Ram Kishan on nagada, Dilshad Khan on sarangi, Vijay Chauhan on folk drums and Manipuri Jagoi Marup, the dancing drummers of Manipur. Admission is $30 in advance, $35 day of show, on sale online, or by phone 305-672-5202. www.rhythmfoundation.com

Mother’s Day Event at FLIFF
The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and FAB! Films For Kids will host an early Mothers’ Day event for the entire family Saturday May 3, 10 a.m. at Cinema Paradiso. For the kids, there will be four short films about moms. Afterwards, the kids will create unique Mothers Day gifts with the guidance of counselors from Camp Jernee, outside in the courtyard, while their moms enjoy some time off watching a romantic comedy. Admission is free. Cinema Paradiso is located at 503 SE 6 Street, downtown Fort Lauderdale on the South Bank of the New River, just east of Broward County Courthouse. Parking is free in the courthouse parking garage. www.FLIFF.com.

Dancers from Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida perform a pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet

On Their Toes
Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, under the direction of ballet master Vladimir Issaev is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the company. And they are ending this special season with a classical repertoire that only high quality dancers can perform. The performance will include pas de deux from Lavrosky’s Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, as well as two neo-classical pieces by Issaev: Glinka’s Suite Fantastique and Summer Pas de Deux from his ballet Four Seasons. The program will conclude with Paquita by choreographer Marius Petipa. The mission of Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida is to give recently graduated ballet dancers the opportunity to acquire performing experience and increase their repertoire, while earning a salary and getting additional training. The performance will take place Saturday May 3, 7 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and Sunday, May 4, at 3 p.m. at the North Miami Beach Performing Arts Theater. Tickets are $25 with discounts for seniors, children and groups. Call 954-462-0222 or 1-800- 494-8497. www.artsballettheatre.org.

Mississippi Sissy at Stonewall

Journalist and author Kevin Sessums will speak about his book, Mississippi Sissy at Stonewall Library in Fort Lauderdale

Journalist and author Kevin Sessums will speak and sign copies of his book Mississippi Sissy on Saturday, May 3, 2 p.m., at Stonewall Library & Archives. Sessums was a contributing editor at Vanity Fair for 14 years where he wrote probing not-to-be-missed profiles of Hollywood royalty. He was also a contributing editor at Allure magazine and was executive editor for Andy Warhol's Interview magazine. His first book, Mississippi Sissy, is a memoir of his early life in the Deep South, in which Sessums paints a vivid self-portrait of a solitary boy who was orphaned at age 8 into a world of racial division and complex family relationships. Copies of his book will be available for purchase. The event will include light refreshments and is free and open to the public. Stonewall is located at 1717 North Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. www.stonewall-library.org

Miami Short Film Fest Accepting Submissions
Attention short filmmakers—that’s people who make short films, not those who are height-challenged. The Miami Short Film Festival (MsFF) has opened registration early for the 7th Annual Miami Short Film Festival. Offering a $12,000 grand-prize for the Best of Festival category winner, and awards of goods and services to all other category winners, the MsFF is dedicated to supporting independent filmmakers and catering to the world’s most creative filmmaking genre. Film will be accepted in several categories: animation, documentary, experimental and narrative. Recognizing a responsibility to support the local film community, South Florida produced films, submitted to any of the four categories, are automatically considered for nomination to a special Best of Local category. As an incentive, the Best of Local category winner will be automatically nominated for the Best of Festival award and can win its $12,000 grand-prize. As an international film festival, films produced outside of the United States are automatically considered for nomination to the Best Foreign category. The winner of this category is also automatically nominated for the Best of Festival award. The 7th Annual Miami Short Film Festival will run from December 1-7, at several area venues. The submission deadline is September 15. www.miamishortfilmfestival.com.

Arts for Learning Showcase

Professional teaching artist Kristoff Skalet, who participated in last year’s Arts for Learning showcase

Actors, dancers, musicians, and visual artists from the non-profit organization Arts for Learning will exhibit the talents they use to enrich the learning experience of students throughout Miami on Friday, May 2 at the Space 4004 Gallery located at 4004 NW 2nd Avenue, from 7:00 -11p.m. Arts for Learning’s professional artists spend time engaging the minds of young people through art in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, pre-schools, and area parks. At the showcase, the artists become the stars and share their talent with fellow artists, arts supporters, families, and friends. A collaborative visual art installation will feature various A4L artists along with dance and musical performances. Wine and light refreshments will be served. Performers include Miriam King, Nzingha Blanchard, Lela Lombardo, Dinorah Perez, Michelle Riu, Matthew Sabatella, Latrice Bruno, Rochelle Brown, Kalyn James, Kristoff Skalet, Carrie Sue Ayvar, and Roberto Garrido. The visual art installation is a collaborative work featuring Adela Jezova, Armando Droulers, Asser Saint-Val, Dia Carter-Webb, Diego Romero, Jamie Crooke, Janet Evans, Karina Delanuez, Kerry Phillips, Laura Luna, Lorraine Boogich, Luis Valle, Maria Tuma, Monica Eichmann, Tania Duran, Veronica Fazzio, Maria Perez, and Angel Condori. www.A4lmiami.org.

Marvelous MiMo

MiMo motels

The Biscayne Boulevard Historic District will take center spotlight May 2-4 as a revamped, and downright trendy MiMo part of the world, at the First Annual Cinco de MiMo Festival. The three-day celebration of MiMo architecture stretches along Miami’s Biscayne Boulevard from 66th to 77th streets, and features guided historic walking and bus tours, artists, live concerts, free film screenings, wine tastings, a sock hop, a Frieda Kahlo look-a-like contest, antique cars, a “Little Miss MiMo” pageant and even a Hula Hoop contest and MiMo Sunday brunches. “Our goal to be able to provide an educational, yet very entertaining schedule of activities to bring to the MiMo area an audience that may not be aware of its treasures, as well as to celebrate an audience that has already embraced it,” said Fran Rollason, president of the MiMo Biscayne Association. For a complete schedule of events, call 305-758-6144 or visit www.MiMoBoulevard.org.