Deborah Bostock-Kelley - Page 18

On February 8-10, 2019, thirteen talented adult actors will bring to stage the trials and tribulations of school life and being a kid in KIDSPEAK 4.0, a Staged Reading in the CWP Black Box at Carrollwood Players.

As part of a means to celebrate the rich and beautiful diversity in Tampa Bay, The Straz Center created The Straz Arts Legacy REMIX Project, where writers, actors, musicians, singers, and dancers join together to perform for a free event showcasing a particular culture. During February's Black History month, The Straz Arts Legacy REMIX Project will celebrate artists of color on screen by showing three influential films in TECO Theatre 3-5pm on February 3, 10, and 17.

One night only, on February 7 at 6:30 PM, Oxford Exchange will close to the public and reopen to ticketed patrons for a live theatre showcase. The atrium, sweeping staircase and balcony will become the set for local professional actors dressed in costumes that evoke the scholarly spirit of the design of Oxford Exchange to celebrate Shakespeare's most famous love sonnets and monologues in 'Shakespeare on the Stairs.'

On Tuesday night, despite a thirty-minute delay due to technical difficulties beyond the group's control, the enthusiasm of both audience and band members did not dampen. In tank top and jeans, Abigail Bengson approached the mic - that too was not working - and said "all our sh*t's broken" and magically, the mic boomed her voice over the audience as she, her husband Shaun took their seats on empty stools and were soon joined by the band.

You won't just be sitting in the dark watching a play, director L. Peter Callender promises. This is a play unlike any other at American Stage. "You should expect to be engaged, indicted by the text, by the story, by the message," he said. "The audience should very much expect to be part of the production, to listen, and a part of the solution to the questions asked in this play. Be prepared to be enlightened figuratively and realistically because lights will be shone at the audience."

LES MISERABLES is a worldwide phenomenon, the timeless musical that tells the triumphant tale of redemption of Jean Valjean, sentenced to 19 years of hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread to save a starving child. In Morsani Hall at the Straz Center on Thursday, we, the grateful audience, were transported.

Through interviewing a pair of Aladdins and Jasmins, as well as a Genie, the consensus is clear. FL Drama Kids is so much more than learning the steps to putting on a musical. Friendships are forged, confidences built and the instructors/directors create a much-needed, fun and safe haven for kids to be themselves.

Imagine meeting the one you know in your heart is "the one" and a whirlwind courtship where you are married three short weeks later. Written by Abigail Bengson, Shaun Bengson and Sarah Gancher, "HUNDRED DAYS" tells the story of how the Begsons, a musician couple, would embrace life if gifted with only HUNDRED DAYS.

I'll admit - I'm addicted to 'Who's Line Is It Anyway.' From my first taste of the British version to discovering the US version on ABC Family to following its revival over to CW Seed, I've loved every crazy minute watching the talented cast make up hysterical performances on the fly. I actually wondered if it was some TV editing trick or did they really make it up as they went along. 'Whose Live Anyway?', a 90-minute concert on January 12 at Ruth Eckerd Hall, proved just how incredibly gifted these performers were. Yes, they actually make up every story and song spontaneously.

If you love Steel Magnolias as much as I do, you always wait with bated breath to see if the actresses in the production can pull off the believability of long-term bonds of friendship. At the opening night of director Aaron Washington's production at Carrollwood Players Theatre, as soon as the cast of six was on stage together, it was easy to see the real, comfortable rapport.

Back by popular demand is the Winter Cabaret at TECO Theatre at the Straz Center on January 12. Performed by Patel Conservatory students in grade seven through adult, Winter Cabaret features solo, duet and small group musical performances, with a choreographed opening and closing number.

Today, live shooter drills in elementary, middle and high school are as normal as fire drills, but twenty years ago, school shootings weren't commonplace. When Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris went on a shooting spree on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado that killed 15 and injured 20, it became part of a history that we have yet to be able to escape, a division of 'Before Columbine' and 'After Columbine.' On January 10-20, Innovocative Theatre, known for their thought-provoking, edgy performances, will bring COLUMBINUS, a mixture of fact and fiction, to Stageworks. Leading an eight-person ensemble are Nick Hoop and Ryan Fisher in the roles of Eric and Dylan.

We asked our editors to pick out 9 shows to look forward to in 2019! Check out Deborah Bostock-Kelley's list of theatre to watch for Tampa/St. Petersburg!

On Thursday, January 3, the lyrics of NEXT TO NORMAL battered us. Our hearts broke for Dan and Natalie, watching his wife, her mother struggling with a terrible loss, with highest highs and lowest lows of mental illness and trying help as best they could, often getting caught in the crossfire.

Imagine combing through 500 diverse submissions of new works to choose selections to perform during the third annual 21ST CENTURY VOICES: NEW PLAY FESTIVAL at American Stage. Producing Artistic Director Stephanie Gularte and a committee of 40 members read and evaluated each new play and selected five outstanding plays for staged readings on January 3-6, 2019.

A passion project for the cast, directed by Devan Kelty and musically directed by Joseph Scarbrough, 'Next to Normal' centers on a mother who struggles with mental illness and the impact on her family. Featuring a live band of 5 musicians and running January 3-11, 'Next to Normal' showcases a small cast of seven: Bethany S. Moore as Diana, Erin Johnson as Diana, Gabriel Flores as Dan, Rachel Rodriguez as Natalie, Devan Kelty as Gabe, Zach Finley as Henry and Nic Harrington as Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine.

Something extraordinary is coming to Powerstories Theatre during Women's History Month in March 7-24, 2019. If as a female, you've ever wanted to place to display your creative self - be it music, theatre, storytelling, poetry, dance, or art - SHEVOLUTION is a very special event and Powerstories a haven for talented women.

Whether you find Betty Taylor socially irresponsible or admirable for wanting to share her love with a family of 12, "Raising Twelve on a Nickel and a Prayer" is a special holiday treat. The true-story musical written by Fran Powers about her parents and siblings, with music by Terez Hartmann, has everything needed to become a holiday classic: romance, family, drama, comedy and tons and tons of heart.

Playing through December 25 at Show Palace Dinner Theatre, in Holiday Incorporated, it doesn't matter what you celebrate, multitalented actor, director and playwright Jonathan Van Dyke has you covered in a musical tale about an elf named Ivy who's lost her love for the holidays and the five magical board members who help her find her way back to believing.

If a time machine could bring Chicago crooner Evan Tyrone Martin back to the decades where Nat King Cole, hailed as one of the best and most influential vocalists, pianists and small-group leaders of the swing era, was brilliantly entertaining audiences, the question he would ask the American legend is simple: Am I doing this right?