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THE BUSINESS OF ART: Painter hopes to highlight the value of art. 6> < SUMMER SALON: Two brothers play Bach, Beethoven and more. 5

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“Humanity can travel to the stars and build convincing androids, but we still can’t talk about our feelings in an honest and open way.”

— Brendan Ragan, co-artistic director, Urbanite Theatre

Donors pledge FST

Susan and Ed Maier offer $500,000 matching gift for artist housing project.

PAGE 7

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‘The Real Stephen Blatt’ The Sarasota-filmed comedy series makes its web debut.

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THINGS CHANGE The voyagers of ‘Pilgrims’ face ancient problems in a brave new world at Urbanite Theatre. SEE PAGE 2 ‘Siesta Key’

Read our review of MTV’s new locally filmed reality show, “Siesta Key.” YOUROBSERVER.COM Photo by Daniel Kelly

Brendan Ragan and Betsy Helmer co-star as a soldier and teenage girl aboard a space ship to a new planet in “Pilgrims.”

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

Courtesy photos

In “Pilgrims,” two characters traveling in space must confront past trauma.

A FAMILIAR

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IF YOU GO

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Urbanite Theatre has taken area audiences on journeys to postapocalyptic urban wastelands, the haunts of a Victorian serial killer, through the twists and turns of a blue-collar odyssey and into the cold conference room at the heart of a murderous conspiracy.

With the upcoming production of Claire Kiechel’s “Pilgrims,” it will explore the final frontier: space.

That voyage began with an intriguing email. To director Carl Forsman, it had the most unusual subject line he’d ever read.

“Have you ever directed a play set in outer space?”

FACE IT .

It takes a little more to fix your

‘PILGRIMS’ When: Runs Aug. 4-Sept. 10, Where: Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. Tickets: $29; $20 younger than 40, and $5 for students Info: Call 321-1397.

A far-out question, but Forsman knew it wasn’t spam. The email came from Daniel Kelly, an Urbanite associate and one of his former pupils at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. So he read the email. After that, he opened the attachment — and read Kiechel’s script.

Her play put a new twist on the science-fiction trope of colonists on a voyage to a new world.

Kiechel’s protagonists were a soldier and a teenaged girl. (Called simply the Girl and the Solider in the script.)

When a disease broke out, their ship locked down. The Girl and the Soldier found themselves quarantined in the same cabin, where they’d be stuck with each other (and an obsolete android) for a long time. A classic lockeddoor situation.

Forsman was moved by what unfolded when the two were bottled up together. It was a tale of raw emotion, painful revelation and a profound understanding of the human heart. Although Kiechel’s play is set in the future,

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Betsy Helmer

Cameron Morton

it deals with a problem as old as Homer’s “Odyssey.” Post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Soldier and the Girl were both damaged goods. He’d been traumatized by combat. She’d been mentally wounded by rape.

Both long to escape their past, whether through fantasy, isolation or human connection.

Forsman finished reading the script and replied to Kelly’s email.

His answer was yes.

“I’ve been a science fiction fan all my life,” he says. “But the sci-fi genre and live theater don’t often come together. This offered a rare opportunity to do a charactercentered play set in a futuristic milieu.”

The playwright’s use of language also intrigued the director.

The words on the page read like free verse. Sentence fragments, ellipses and anacoluthons. All punctuation-free.

“Kiechel is the master of the incomplete thought,” says Forsman. “Her characters struggle to express themselves — and to be themselves. They’ve both experienced serious trauma. They deal with it by playing parts and putting on masks.”

The playwright’s story deals with the different ways men and women handle trauma. The Soldier is forced to share his cabin, and he’s furious. He just wants to withdraw, shut down and not talk to anybody. The Girl wants to make a human connection and get the pain out of her system.

Beneath the wildly different reactions, the pain that drives them has a harsh similarity.

“When they break through their barriers, it’s shocking how much the Solider and the Girl have in common,” notes Forsman.

He adds that rehearsals have been a challenge. And a long, strange trip.

“The playwright leaves so much unsaid — and that sets a very high bar for the actors. They have to flesh out the empty spaces, and they love it. Theater is an actors’ medium, and they get a chance to show what they can do.”

Brendan Ragan, the Urbanite’s co-artistic director, will portray the Soldier.

“I think setting the play in space was a brilliant choice,” he says. “Humanity can travel to the stars and build convincing androids, but we still can’t talk

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

|

Brendan Ragan

Director Carl Forsman

about our feelings in an honest and open way.”

Cameron Morton plays Jasmine, the obsolete stewardess android programmed for passenger comfort and comic relief.

“Cameron was my student at NCSA last year,” says Forsman.

“She’s a wonderful, beautiful, talented young lady, and not afraid to embarrass herself. That’s crucial when you’re playing a slightly dysfunctional robot.”

Betsy Helmer is the Girl. “She’s the engine of the play — the motor driving it forward,” says Forsman.

“We’re making sure we approach

“Pilgrims” explores the different ways in which its characters handle their traumatic pasts. One seeks isolation; the other wants connection.

the material in a respectful way.”

He explains that Kiechel’s play has a few scenes involving nudity and physical contact. Fight directors Dan Granke and Selena Vela will also provide intimacy coaching — a new theatrical specialty devoted to preventing emotional damage during intimate scenes.

Forsman isn’t directing the material in a science-fiction style.

It’s a story that happens to be set in space, that’s all. He’s taking a gut-level, realistic approach.

“This isn’t a play about two bad roommates fighting with each other,” he says. “It’s about two people trying to connect. How do they negotiate the difficulty of their relationship and not give up? There’s a relentlessness of their pursuit of each other.”

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

THURSDAY ART AFTER 5 5 p.m. at The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road $15 Call 358-3180.

Explore The Ringling’s exhibition galleries and the Circus Museum.

Tickets required.

APRIL MACIE 7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $15 to $19 Call 925-3869.

April Macie was a finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and is a regular guest on the “Howard Stern Show” and will appear in a Showtime stand-up special called “Vegas Is My Oyster.” Performs through Sunday.

PEEP SHOW 8 p.m. at The Gator Club, 1490 Main St. $20 Call 366-5969.

It’s risqué business at this performance, featuring Black Diamond Burlesque dancers and guests.

FRIDAY MUSIC ON MAIN 6 p.m. at Lakewood Ranch Main Street Free Call 907-6000.

The Klick Band plays this monthly music showcase and block party, performing classic rock.

Event benefits the Tiny Hands Foundation.

‘PH_ASHION 121’ CLOSING RECEPTION 6 p.m. at the Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery, Ringling College, 2700 N. Tamiami Trail Free Call 255-7695.

PH_ashion 121 is a photography exhibition created last fall by Ringling students studying fashion photography and portraiture with Tom Winchester. Students worked alongside models, stylists, makeup artists and hair stylists.

PALM AVENUE ART WALK 6 p.m. at ART Inside Gallery, 32 S. Palm Ave. Free

SATURDAY

NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: ‘AMADEUS’ 6:30 p.m. at The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road $20; $18 for members Call 360-7399.

FST IMPROV 7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre Bowne’s Lab Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. $15 Call 366-9000.

Lucian Msamati plays Salieri in Peter Shaffer’s iconic play, broadcast live from the National Theatre with live orchestral accompaniment by Southbank Sinfonia.

At FST Improv, audiences can enjoy an impromptu performance of sketches, songs and other improv routines. `

SUNDAY

‘LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU’ 8 p.m. at Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W. $20 Call 488-1115.

Sinning Sirens Burlesque offers a unique twist on the art of the tease, including live singing in a variety of vintage styles. Continues Saturday at 10 p.m.

DON’T MISS ‘PILGRIMS’ 8 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. $29; $20 younger than 40; $5 for students Call 321-1397.

Relationships don’t get much more improbable than a soldier and a teenage girl quarantined on a luxury spaceship en route to colonize a newly

Celebrate first Friday with this art walk, which showcases featured artists and offers refreshments.

BLU MANGROVE

discovered planet.

In “Pilgrims,” these two characters and their antiquated robot companion cut through small talk and are forced to confront their painful pasts.

Fans of the dystopian anthology series “Black Mirror”will enjoy a similar look at the perks and pitfalls of technology in this regional premiere.

Runs through Sept. 10.

HD AT THE OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS ‘OTELLO’

BY GIUSEPPE VERDI 1:30 p.m. at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $20 Call 328-1300.

This production, from the Royal Opera, London, features conductor Antonio Pappano and stars Jonas Kaufmann as Otello in Verdi’s passionate retelling of Shakespeare’s great tragedy of jealousy, deception and murder.

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VERY MERRY JERRY DAY 4 p.m. at WSLR 96.5 Community Radio, 525 Kumquat Court $15 Call 894-6469.

Break out the tie-dye and hula hoops for WSLR’s annual celebration of Jerry Garcia. This year’s musicians include the Michael Miller Band, Grass is Dead and The Schmitz Brothers.

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‘DOUBLE INDEMNITY’ 7:30 p.m. at the FSU Center for Performing Arts Cook Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $25 to $35 Call 351-8000.

Dog Days Theatre presents this stage adaptation of the crime novel and film of the same name — a story of love, murder and a highly suspicious life-insurance policy. Runs through Aug. 27.

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BLUE EYED BETTYS 7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre Court Cabaret, 1241 N. Palm Ave. $36 to $39 Call 366-9000.

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Folk trio The Blue Eyed Bettys got its start in a Florida Studio Theatre cabaret production. Their Americana-inspired storytelling tunes, with lush vocal harmonies and a lovable, theatrical stage presence, are not to be missed.

Runs through Aug. 20.

Brad Williams, principal trombonist with the Sarasota Orchestra, along with his brother, Jamie, principal trombonist of Deutsches Opera Berlin, present a program of Bach, Beethoven and beyond.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

The business of art Painter Kevin Tobin wants artists to translate their passion into success.

NICK FRIEDMAN A+E MANAGING EDITOR

“I USED to paint much larger work. I would paint on the ground, covering 70 feet of canvas. But that’s rough on my knees. Lately, I’m working much smaller, and the result is much more heavily textured stuff.

Photos by Nick Friedman

In his newest work, Tobin employs small-scale scultpure to explore the growing burden of life in the age of technology.

“ALL OF my paintings have newsprint hidden in them. People can discover the time frame in which it was created and have some framing for the theme.

“TRANSITIONING TO smaller work hasn’t been easy. It makes me approach things differently. I’ve even started working in sculpture. My latest series explores my frustration with technology. We live in a time where, if the power goes out, I have to reboot my refrigerator.

“ARTISTS ARE great at fabrication and at the creative side of

their work. But when it comes to the business side of things, they often don’t have those skills.

Tobin was one of 24 artists selected in the state of Florida to participate in the Creative Capital workshop, designed to promote art as a business.

“ART IS so often a solitary pursuit. The opportunity to share that camaraderie with 20 of my artistic peers, who are all at similar points in their careers, it was great. It felt like having coworkers.

out of your house; good art has value on the inside of your home, inspiring intellectual, visceral and emotional reactions.

“AS ARTISTS, we need to be willing to do the promotional and marketing things. It’s all about networking — whether it’s people inside or outside the art world. Everyone has a response

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Art and business. They don’t always go hand in hand. Anyone who’s ever picked up a brush and palette has surely heard a starving-artist joke or two. It’s a challenging profession, to be sure, but according to Kevin Tobin, it’s a viable one.

The Sarasota-based painter was recently chosen as one of 24 artists in the state to participate in the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs’ Creative Capital workshop — a weekend of networking and lectures in Jupiter designed to better equip participating artists with the tools they need to be not only successful artists, but business people, as well.

We caught up with Tobin to talk about his art, the workshop and why artists are their own strongest advocates.

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

7

Maiers pledge housing gift

Sarasota-filmed ‘The Real Stephen Blatt’ premieres

Local donors offer $500,000 matching gift for FST artist housing.

Justin and Christian Long produced the series last year in partnership with Ringling College and Semkhor Productions.

NICK FRIEDMAN A+E MANAGING EDITOR

NICK FRIEDMAN A+E MANAGING EDITOR

In an age when someone can be described as “Instagram famous” without a shred of irony, the creation of a series like “The Real Stephen Blatt” comes as no surprise.

The web-based Funny Or Die series, filmed in Sarasota last year

by Justin and Christian Long in partnership with Ringling College and Semkhor Productions, takes a dark comedic tone in its parody of the phenomenon.

The series premiered July 24 on Amazon Prime Video, where it’s streaming exclusively in its entirety.

The eight-episode series stars actor, writer and director Justin Long as the titular Stephen Blatt — a teenager obsessed with becoming a social-media star.

The comedy follows his misguided quest for stardom through mini-episodes that center around a mock television interview with the technology-obsessed Blatt.

Justin Long and his brother Christian Long wrote the Sara-

|

File photo

Justin Long visited Ringling College last year to discuss plans for the project.

sota-filmed series, which Justin directed and acted in, following a visit to Ringling College in 2015.

The shoot incorporated Ringling College students and alumni, who worked on the project as actors and crew members.

Justin Long says he was fascinated by the idea of social media influencers being used to brand and sell products, and he decided parody would be the best way to explore the topic.

“We wanted to establish the satire right away,” he says. “It’s about a kid who is corrupted by his desire for fame. If the parody wasn’t clear with my casting, some of these moments are so dark and tragic, you would never know we were filming a comedy.”

Sarasota philanthropists Ed and Susan Maier have pledged a matching gift challenge of $500,000 toward the Florida Studio Theatre Kretzmer Artist Housing Project.

The gift will be a one-to-one matching fund for all donations received by Dec. 31.

Since the match challenge gift was announced in June, FST has raised an additional $190,000 toward the project and will need to raise an additional $310,000 to receive the full amount of the gift.

The Maiers say the fund will allow the theater to complete the project debt-free and establish a reserve fund for the future.

“FST hopes to raise the value of art in our society,” Richard Hopkins, producing artistic director, said in a release. “One way to raise the value of art is by raising the ways we value our artists. And providing them with an excellent artistic home is a good first step.”

Following a lead gift by philanthropist Ernie Kretzmer in the memory of his late wife, Alisa, and funding through a Cultural Facilities Grant from the state of Florida, construction on the project began in October 2016.

File photo

Susan and Ed Maier will match gifts made by the end of the year up to $500,000.

The Kretzmer Artist Residence, located on Cohen Way in the Rosemary District, will comprise five townhomes to house actors in residence, who will live in the space for three to six months, as well as directors, designers, teaching artists and interns and apprentices, who require housing for nine months to a year.

“Florida Studio Theatre is a cultural jewel in our community,” Ed Maier said in a release.

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