Florida Agenda

By Bill Hirschman

In this season of election hype, politicians are forever warning ominously, “We’re at a crossroad.” But in our case, South Florida theater is, indeed, at a tipping point. We are at a crucial watershed when local professional theater can either commit to evolving into an even more creative and economically-stable art form, or it will deteriorate into an art-as-a-glorified hobby model.

Stagnation and status quo are not viable long-term scenarios, because the mortality of this region’s “core audience” will inevitably erode the economic base until professionals can no longer afford to stay, or even visit the region. Without that level of quality, audiences will dwindle because there won’t be anything worthwhile that can compete with the other arts, or mass media options. Theater will become even more of a niche.

The actions that need to be taken today are aimed at five and 10 years out. Audience building, finding reliable funding streams, and the other big challenges cannot be overcome quickly. They require concerted, coordinated campaigns by all the players, not skirmishes or even battles.

Words like “concerted,” “coordinated,” and “campaign” are drawn from an alien language for most of the players; they have proven incapable of implementing them in anything but the most perfunctory sense. Sending out email blasts touting someone else’s production is hardly enough.

Further, the long-term strategic planning required is not on most players’ radar screens. They are focused on staying afloat for the next season or two, and maintaining their “slice” of the audience “pie,” rather than attending to the real answer: Joining together to bake a bigger pie.

And that last phrase, right there, is why the dream of South Florida as a thriving regional theater hub is perfectly feasible, not just wishful thinking. It’s already happened. More than a half-dozen theaters have closed, but in the same period more than twice that number have opened.

On the debit side of the ledger are tangible threats: Theater’s invisibility to the public, the fear that financial ruin is not even a season away, miserable pay scales, an unwillingness to join forces, the slow erosion of revenue, and terror at the sight of a vanishing audience. But on the credit side of the ledger are considerable—if less corporeal—assets: Will, imagination, resourcefulness, and passion, plus the blessing that many of the solutions are already known. That might sound too much like naïve cheerleading, but the flurry of startup companies in the midst of this recession, other troupes’ survival through previous economic maelstroms, and a current surge in quality (against all odds) are concrete proofs of those assets’ efficacy.

In a three-part series of essays at FloridaTheaterOnStage.com, we capped three months of inquiry by examining where local theater is, what it can be, what problems block its progress, and what some of the solutions may be. We invite you to take a look and give us your feedback.

Bill Hirschman is the Editor and Chief Critic for FloridaTheaterOnstage.com.

He can be reached at bill@floridatheateronstage.com.

By Warren Day

Stephen Schwartz has had an illustrious career as the composer of musicals for the stage (“Wicked,” “Pippin,” “Godspell”), and also for animated musicals produced by Walt Disney (he’s the winner of three Oscars for Best Song). The one musical that didn’t seem to work so well seems to have stuck in his craw, however. “Working” opened on Broadway in 1978, but closed after just 23 performances. After nearly 35 years, Schwartz has recently revamped the show, adding two new songs, cutting others, and updating the book. This new version is experiencing one of its first productions now through April 1 at the Caldwell Theater in Boca Raton. And as usual for this company, it’s a first-rate production.

Based on a non-fiction book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Studs Terkel, the musical tells–through a series of vignettes—stories about the everyday experiences of a variety of working people: a fireman, a cleaning lady, a teacher, a trucker, a housewife, a money manager, a receptionist, an iron worker, a fast food clerk, a prostitute, and even a retiree, whose time is spent talking about not working. Rather than a traditional book musical with a main storyline, it’s a kind of staged cantata devoted to the poignant, unexpected, and funny experiences of the workplace, providing insights into the dreams and disappointments of people who are often otherwise invisible to us.

The workplace has seldom been the focus of a musical. Offhand, I can think of only two others among the hundreds of musicals in the Broadway canon: “The Pajama Game” and “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.”

It’s strange that the workplace should be so ignored since we spend far more of our waking life at our labors than we do anyplace else. At least 70% of our time awake is spent either at work, or traveling to and from–much less preparing for or thinking about it. It’s estimated that the average American worker spends 100,000 hours of his lifespan in full or part-time jobs. (If that cold fact isn’t excuse for an instant mid-life crisis, what is?) So it’s refreshing when a musical finds the workplace as its rhyme and reason, particularly one that’s as well directed and well performed as this one. Clive Cholerton, the Artistic Director for the Caldwell Theater Company, has personally directed and given the production a creative and energetic flow that makes the evening pass quickly. The cast of six professional and highly talented actors play various roles, and succeed in making you both laugh and cry. Particular notice should be given to Laura Hodos, who sings a show-stopper of a song about what a waitress does to turn her job into art.

Schwartz is the creative force behind the show, but the songs are not only his alone: six others, including five-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer James Taylor, and Mary Rodgers, daughter of legendary “Great American Songbook” composer Richard Rogers, contribute to the libretto.

In the end, “Working” does what good theater has always done: help you see the life and choices of another person in a new and clearer light.

The Caldwell Theatre Company is located at 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL 33487.

Performances at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Call 561-241-7432 or visit caldwelltheatre.com.

Ray Boltz; New Life, New Career, New Hope

KEY
SP: Shane Phoenix
RB: Ray Boltz
FS: Frank Sperduti (Ray’s Partner)

Winner of the Out Music Awards for “Album of the Year”, “Songwriter of the Year” and “Spiritual Song of the Year”
for his brand new album, “True,” International Recording Artist Ray Boltz has sold 4.5 million records worldwide. Once adored by millions of Christian Fans around the world, in 2008 he came out to the world. Now Ray faces a new life, a new career and new hope! His new CD, “True,” tells us his story, a story millions of LGBT people share with him. He took time to sit with Shane Phoenix, a music review writer and reporter for multiple music and entertainment magazines.

SP: After millions loved you, after hundreds of thousands sent you hate mail, where did you find the strength, courage and self-esteem to write new songs? And was this the inspiration for “True”?

RB: When I was married and singing Christian music, I was struggling, it was a tough time. In 2004, I was sitting at the kitchen table with my kids and my wife at the time, Carol. My family has always been keen to my emotional state, we are very close. My son looked at me and asked, “Dad, what going on with you, what’s wrong”? So, I have been struggling with what was in my heart: Knowing I was gay. I tried to not be gay; try to be what I wasn’t; I tried to pray that I wasn’t gay; I confessed in hope that I could not be gay; all these things that they tell you to do, I tried to do for 30 plus years. So when my son asked me that question, I decided to be honest, to be authentic. I could die and my own family wouldn’t even know who I was. I thought to myself, ‘if I cannot be honest and authentic with my own family, the ones who I love the most, then who could I be honest and authentic with?’ So I told them, “I’m Gay”. And that’s where I think “True” was born

SP:What was the feeling like the very moment you uttered those words out loud for the very first time?

RB: It was overwhelming, but surreal; there was no super joy, or excitement or pride in it. It was the truth and sometimes being that honest with those you love and who love you so very much can be hurtful. I am very thankful my family and I are so close.

SP:How did your family react?

RB: We knew things would change, we knew tough times were ahead, not only for my career but for us as a family. We also knew that the one thing that wouldn’t change was our love and commitment to our family. My wife Carol and I would end up separating and obtain a divorce, but now she is part of Soul Force, a nonprofit organization that helps families like ours and others from oppression of anti-homosexual religious peers (read more at www.soulforce.org). My kids and I remain very close, and now my grandchildren, as well.

SP:You were selling millions of albums each year, about 4.5 million copies. How badly was your career hurt by your coming out?

RB: At the time I came out publicly in 2008, I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. I was kind of wrong there. I received a lot of hate mail, lots of youtube videos were put up against me and me coming out. I was told that I was going to burn in hell – all sorts of negative things were said. At the same time, a lot of great things were being said from other people and friends.

SP:Was this when you started writing songs again?

RB: When my wife and I separated and we were all going through this very tough time, I decided to do what I always did.  I picked up my pen and paper, tuned the guitar and started to put down how I was feeling. That’s where all my songs come from, deep within me.

SP:We know you have sold millions as a Christian singer, now that “True” is out and nowhere near that number, how do you look at that?

RB: Well I did not do this album for money, it was about being authentic, about being true, not only to myself but to my fans. We have sold a bunch of records for “True,” but for me it’s not about the sales, it’s about the letters I am getting from so many who say, “Yea that’s exactly how I feel right now”, “Thank you Ray for saying what I needed to hear”, “Finally someone who knows how I feel”. That’s what “True” is about; it’s about those who listen to it and understand that living an authentic and “True” life may not always be easy, but is better than living a lie.

SP:Your partner Franco and you have been together almost 5 years, where did you meet and has he been a part of the album?

RB: Franco and I met through a friend at the MCCC Church Softball league. Yes, there is a song on the album called “You Came To Me”. It was written for him, he is like a big teddy bear. He cry’s every time I play it on stage.

SP:Franco, so what is it like being with a celebrity of Ray’s stature?

FS: Well I didn’t even know who Ray Boltz was. I met him as just a regular guy, not until later did I find out about his singing.  Ray is just Ray to me. He doesn’t act like a celebrity or anything like that, he is just Ray, so I know him and love him for who he is, just Ray – a very caring and loving nice man. Not for Ray the celebrity.

SP:Franco, what was it like the first time he sang “You Came to Me” on stage in front of you?

FS: I cried. It is such a beautiful song. Ray and I talked about it being on the CD, and it almost didn’t get to be on it, but I know what the song means and know what

it can mean to so many others.

SP:What artist do you like to listen to?

RB: I like Adam Lambert, Lady GAGA, Rufus Wainwright, but I haven’t listened too much lately.

SP:Since you live here in the Ft. Lauderdale, where is your favorite place to hang out at?

RB: (laughing) There are a lot of places, but I find I go to Scandals a lot. I like the Lady Fancy show they have, and the atmosphere there as well.

FS: The softball field (laughing) every Sunday – that’s my church.

SP:Wilton Manors has an influence on the new CD as well, doesn’t it?
RB: Yes there is a song called “American Queen” on the cd. It talks about a guy walking past Five Points and Georgie’s Alibi and talks about all the great things I love about Wilton Manors.

SP:How does it feel to be the most nominated and then win The Out Music Awards?

RB: I was overwhelmed at the response, not only to the Album, but at the outpouring of good wishes and the wonderful responses to it. I have been nominated for awards before, and have won 3 Dove awards, but The Out Music Award wins are like an acceptance into the community.  Like they are saying, not only do we love your music, but we appreciate your efforts, as well. I am so very thankful to all my fans and family.

SP:You are going to appear at The Stonewall Street Festival and Parade on June 19th, 2011. Will it be any different now that you are an Award winner?

RB: No it will be an authentic and “True” show just as before.

SP:If equal marriage was allowed, would you and Franco be married?

RB: I think that would be up to us. I think we should have that choice already. Not IF we should have that choice.

FS: I don’t think it’s anyone’s business. If Ray and I want to get married it should already be our choice and not something we should have to ask anyone’s permission to do!

SP:Anything you want to say to our readers here at the Florida Agenda?

RB: I would like to thank each one of them if I could. I love the fact that there is a publication out there that reaches so many and has some really great content.

SP:Thank you, Ray Boltz, for your time, compassion and music.

RB: It’s been a pleasure, Shane. Thanks so much for having me here.

You can reach Ray Boltz for comment or questions, or to listen to his Multi-Award Winning Album online at www.rayboltz.com.

Shane Phoenix is an independent music review writer and international talk show host of “South Off with Shane Phoenix” and contributes regularly to Billboard Magazine and several Music Blogs around the world.  He can be reached at Shane@prideshows.com

One thing you can look forward to after Gay Pride and Father’s Day is a film that’s an almost perfect entertainment for those two neighboring celebrations. Opening July 1st in Florida, Beginners is a true story that reverses a moment found in countless gay-themed movies.

Rather than the son coming out to his father, it’s the father, Christopher Plummer, who comes out to his straight son, Ewan McGregor. And what follows is not the usual anguish and incrimination, but a touching and revealing account of how self-acceptance is the first step for everyone when it comes to falling in love.

Ewan McGregor plays Oliver, a graphic designer who seems to be going through a mid-life crisis several years before he’s supposed to have one. He’s adrift both personally and professionally when his life is turned topsy-turvy after his mother dies and his father, Hal, announces he’s gay, has always been gay, and is now going to live the rest of his life with a flamboyant enthusiasm. “I don’t want to be theoretically gay,” Hal explains to his startled son.

Oliver has had a series of short and not-so-happy relationships, something he blames on the lifeless marriage of his parents, but then he sees his father at age 75 blossom and fall in love for the first time in his life with a 39 year-old named Andy. And with that positive example before him, Oliver finds himself increasingly involved with a French actress with an equally fickle history. Anna is played by the beautiful Mélanie Laurent, who starred in Inglorious Bastards.

The repressive Oliver often ends up expressing his true feelings to his father’s dog, a Jack Russell terrier, who comments back to the audience in succinct subtitles, thus proving what canine lovers have long suspected – dogs understand the foibles of human beings better than we do ourselves.

The central situation actually happened to the writer-director Mike Mills, and Beginners has the rhythm and resonance of something that’s been lived and not just imagined. And it also has the weakness of many an autobiographical- based movie in that it’s more moving in moments than it is as a whole. Memory is, by its nature, episodic, so the story goes back and forth in time as Oliver works his way toward a new understanding of his father and of himself.

The Vice-Versa Film of 2011

All the performances are masterful, including that Jack Russell, and one can hope that this role might earn Christopher Plummer the Oscar that has eluded him so far.

One critic complained that it wasn’t feasible for a man of 39 to fall in love with a man of 75 years, thus revealing that critic’s narrow views and narrow acquaintances. The verities and varieties of the human heart are far more mysterious and extensive than our puny categories can encompass.

And unlike the usual soap-opera that dominates so many gay-themed stories, Beginners is filled with hilarity and hopefulness as people struggle to find that precarious balance between head and heart.

The simple and sweet message of this delightful film is that when it comes to love and relationships, all of us, regardless of age or orientation, are – and always will be – beginners.

Beginners will be released in theatres nationwide July 1st. Check your local listings for theatres and movie times.

Anita Priest’s Foundation Awards Money to GLBT Youth in the Arts

(Photo courtesy of Anita Priest Whispering Angels Memorial Scholarship Fund)

BY DMITRY RASHNITSOV

Having come off a successful third year of scholarship donation at their banquet this past April, the Anita Priest Whispering Angels Memorial Scholarship Fund is ready to give out more money to highly qualified GLBT students in the arts and design programs.

Candidates wishing to be considered for Scholarships may send their resumes to stuart@gellerdesigngroup.com The Scholarship Committee will be meeting Mid July to review all applicants.

Last year’s scholarship winner was Jennifer Maria Cordoba. She received more than $1,000 a year to study photography.

“What a terrific group and an outstanding legacy in helping other up and coming students. I am very proud to be part of this group,” said UK Entertainer Ross Sykes.

Mrs. Priest was famous in the Miami circles for being one of the best interior designers in all of South Florida. She also started an interior design college that was the first to offer classes to women. Her college was located in what is now known as the design district.

The person behind the scholarships is Sandra Holiday, Anita’s long-time partner.

Along with Stuart Geller, the duo have put together an impressive board of directors and in a short amount of time raised a lot of money to help students of the arts and design.

“Through the Scholarship fund, you are continuing Anita’s life and legacy,” said longtime friend Enbar Cohen.

Some of the famous people gathered on the Scholarship board include singer Debra Hampton who wrote the song Whispering Angels of which the group has its name, Madonna’s brother Christopher G. Ciccone, and famed Fashion Designer Isaac Mizrahi.

“Anita Priest has left a legacy. now “Whispering Angels” will help others to leave theirs. The Scholarship Memorial Fund has been created to help those ‘deserving and passionate’ about the Arts!” Geller said.

For more information or to see photos of last years banquet, join the Facebook group, Anita Priest Whispering Angels Memorial Scholarship Fund.