Connecting with The Voice's Josh Kaufman

Cake from local celebration of Josh's win

When my editor asked if I would be interested in writing an article for Florida Weekly about Josh Kaufman, this year's winner of "The Voice," I of course said yes.  (Really, when do I ever decline???)  The connection to Charlotte County is a bit tenuous -- he was born in Sarasota and his father lives in North Port -- but the community got behind him as people here do, so a story it would be.

My first call was to my friend Susan Fraley, an avid fan of "The Voice."  Having literally watched about three minutes of the show when I was channel surfing, I needed a primer before I even thought about talking to Josh's father--or Josh--about the competition.  Then I spent a lot of time on YouTube watching performances from the show.  I realized that the three minutes of "The Voice" that I did watch were a performance in the finale by Josh of "Signed, Sealed and Delivered."  (How weird is that?)  And I realized that we were talking some real talent here. 

The Kaufman entourage (sans Josh)

When I spoke with Mark Kaufman, Josh's father, I was struck by the closeness of their family.  Mark and his wife Doris had made several trips out to LA to see live tapings of "The Voice," with a stop in Indianapolis each time to pick up Josh's wife and his three young kids.  There was no way she could negotiate airports and rental cars with the kids--and all the stuff that comes with them--by herself. 

I was also struck by how hard it must have been for Josh and his wife to be separated while he was on the show.  And so I appreciated all the more Josh's willingness to talk with me a few days before he headed out on The Voice Tour.  He was going to be on the road for about six weeks, with plans to see his family only once.  

Josh and family outside
The Voice soundstage

I spent a good 30 minutes on the phone with him, talking about the show and his background and his signature fedora. (The fedora was chosen with the help of a salesclerk in hopes of distinguishing himself from the others.  As he said, "I don't have much fashion sense.  I'm a Mr. Mom who barely has time to pull on a pair of jeans and a teeshirt.")  As we talked, I could hear his kids in the background, and he excused himself once to head off in search of a bandaid for one of the kids' booboos.  He strikes me as a nice guy who has finally gotten his break and is hoping to make the most of it.   I wish him the best.

Here's the article I filed with Florida Weekly:

Josh at the finale -- from The Voice website

Connecting with The Voice’s Josh Kaufman

You have probably heard the expression “six degrees of separation.” The concept is that everyone on the planet is connected through six or fewer relationships. Whether or not you buy into this theory, such a connection surely exists between Charlotte County residents and Josh Kaufman, the latest winner of the reality TV show “The Voice.”   

Josh’s father is Mark Kaufman, a local businessman who owns and operates Mark Kaufman Roofing in North Port. As Josh progressed through “The Voice” competition, their relationship--and the resultant connection with our community--became increasingly known. By the time the finale aired, viewing parties had popped up across Charlotte County to root for Josh, who had become one of our own. 

One more try

Josh playing at the 
Potbelly Sandwich Shop

Fans of “The Voice” are familiar with Josh’s story, which is similar to that of many aspiring musicians. Despite his talent and passion, Josh could not support himself and his family working exclusively as a musician. Before his journey on “The Voice” began, Josh was working in his home town of Indianapolis as a tutor while performing gigs day and night at places like the Potbelly Sandwich Shop. 

When Josh learned that “The Voice” was holding auditions in nearby St. Louis, he decided to give it a shot. At 38 years old, he realized this might be his last chance to fulfill his dream. His choice of song was the aptly named “One More Try” by George Michael. After making the initial cut and surviving a callback, he was selected as one of 120 singers from across the country who went on to Los Angeles.

Luck of the draw

For the viewing audience, “The Voice” begins with the blind auditions. Each “coach” builds a team of 12 singers from the pool of contestants. This season’s coaches were Adam Levine, Shakira, Blake 

Shelton and Usher.

 When a contestant begins his audition, the coaches’ chairs are turned away from the stage. If he is still looking at the back of all four chairs when he sings the last note, he goes home. If, however, a coach likes what he hears and wants the singer on his team, he swivels his chair. If more than one coach “turns his chair,” the contestant chooses whom he wants as his mentor.

Once 48 singers have been selected, the teams are full and the auditions are over. A contestant who hasn’t performed yet might have the best voice of all, but she goes home unheard. The contestants are not told how the week-long audition schedule is determined. They know, however, that those who perform early on have an advantage. Josh’s audition was slated for Day 2. 

Turning their chairs

It’s no surprise that Josh found the process nerve wracking. “It was my first time on the stage, “ Josh said. “There’s a large audience, and the coaches have their backs to you. I felt like every moment was happening individually, like in slow motion. When I finished, though, it had become a blur.”  

Adam Levine was the first coach to “turn his chair,” indicating that he wanted Josh on his team.  “It was a huge relief,” Josh said, “to know that I would be moving on.” Before the song was over, all four coaches had turned to face him. Josh chose “Team Adam” because he felt that Levine/Maroon 5’s crossover work in genres from soul to pop suited his own musical style best. 

From Team Adam to Team Usher

The concept behind “The Voice” is that the celebrity coaches work with their team members to advance their skill and style. But how much interaction actually occurs? “In the early battle rounds,” Josh said, “the coaches decide which singers will compete against one another and what song will be sung without input from the contestants. What you saw on TV was pretty much the full amount of interaction I had with Adam [Levine.]”   

Usher and Josh at the finale -- from The Voice website

In one battle round, Josh was pitted against Delvin Choice in a performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” With evident difficulty, Mr. Levine named Mr. Choice as winner of the round. Moments later, Usher exercised his right to make Josh part of his team by dramatically slamming a button on his chair. Without Usher’s “steal,” that would have been the end of the line for 

 Josh’s dream.

Josh believes that Team Usher was “the right place” for him. As the size of Team Usher shrank, Josh’s interaction with his coach grew. “Usher is quiet,” Josh said, “but serious and focused. His approach made sense to me.” It was an approach that made sense to the viewing public as well, as the audience ultimately chose Josh as the winner. 

Doris and Mark Kaufman

Support of family and Charlotte County friends

Mark and Doris Kaufman were there for Josh throughout the process, traveling to Los Angeles on multiple occasions to watch him perform. They would stop in Indianapolis on the way to pick up Josh’s wife and their three young children.   

The Kaufmans were in the house the night Josh won. Mark says that it was an unreal experience. “We were onstage with confetti streaming all around us.  You can see me on TV hugging Usher and Shakira. It all happened so fast.” 

Charlotte County residents were celebrating Josh’s victory as well. Perhaps the largest viewing party was organized by Marie LeBrosse. “If it were my son performing,” she said, “I’d want to know that my community was supporting him.” 

Ms. LeBrosse also knew about a second connection between Charlotte County and “The Voice.” Her good friend Elsie Yurchuk is a resident of Port Charlotte. Ms. Yurchuk’s son is co-executive producer of the show. Consequently, the viewing parties actually supported the endeavors of two different Charlotte County offspring.

Hold onto your dream

To Mark Kaufman, Josh’s story has a fairy tale quality. “It’s like he’s Cinderella,” he said. “One day he’s doing the musical equivalent of mopping floors and the next he’s a national celebrity appearing on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jimmy Fallon.” 

To Josh, his victory is a sign that people should hold onto their dreams. Ironically, Josh didn’t even watch “The Voice” before he decided to audition. But he knew an opportunity when he saw one, and he wasn’t afraid to go for it.    

Coming up next

The next installment of Josh’s dream will begin on June 21 when The Voice Tour hits the road.  The tour will appear in several Florida cities and includes a stop in Tampa on June 25. 

After the tour wraps, Josh will be in the studio working on his first album. The plan is for the album to be signed, sealed and delivered to stores well in advance of the holiday shopping season.

 

WorldFest at Venice Theatre, Part 4

Rihards Zalupe and Elina
Gaitjukevica from Latvia

There's no doubt that WorldFest 2014 had some of the most creative and beautiful theater that I've had the pleasure to see.  Case in point:  Poetry Butterfly brought to us by the Latvian Drawing Theater.  I knew going in that the piece incorporated dancing, live music and art, but I had no idea what that would actually translate into.

As the show opened, Elina was sitting on the floor behind a large book that covered her body and face.  Her feet began to dance with the music created by Rihards on his elaborate set-up that included a synthesizer, different types of drums, chimes, a xylophone and probably some other instruments that I missed.  (The music was amazing.)  Soon her arms came to life and then her body as she danced across the floor with a paper butterfly that emerged from her book.

The stage had five panels of differing colors that she began to paint on with a large wand.  The pictures were whimsical -- a book, a girl, a flower.  At one point she painted rain and this umbrella and took shelter under it.  It was so charming.  Then I realized that the paintings were vanishing before our eyes, much like when you shake an etch-a-sketch.  I have absolutely no idea how that worked, but it enabled Elina to re-use the canvases to create more images to advance the story.

After the rain dried up, the sun came out, and she made shadow puppets on a canvas using her hands and the stage light.  Rihards set his synthesizer on the equivalent of autopilot and came out to join the fun.  The butterfly atop the stage began undulating as it flapped its wings.  It was a wonderful performance.

I have to admit to wondering if the afternoon's performances would hold up to the morning of theater that I had seen.  They did.

Actors from the Henan Qu Opera Troupe

The Mouse's Daughter's Wedding from the Henan Qu Opera Troupe was a light-hearted musical performed in Chinese opera style -- in Mandarin.  Any apprehension I had about the language (or, let's face it, opera) was immediately alleviated when four elaborately costumed mice pranced onto the stage in the opening scene.  The audience laughed and immediately got into the story, which was taken from a traditional folk tale.

It was time for the beautiful mouse daughter to marry, and a series of suitors came to call.  The daughter fell in love with one after the other in dramatic fashion, dancing the Argentinian tango with one beau and swooning to a Celine Dion song with another.  Her hopes were dashed in each case, though, when her mother decided that the suitor did not have enough to offer the family.  Eventually, along came a cat bearing gold chains and riches.  The mother was blinded by his wealth, and the wedding was set.  Happily, the cat's dubious character was revealed before vows were exchanged, and the daughter was free to marry the mouse of her dreams.

The performance was funny and charming, the music was great, and the costumes and make-up were extraordinary.  It was a wonderful introduction to Chinese opera.

Members of the Lieder Theater Company

The final show of the Festival was The Servant of Two Masters by Australia's Lieder Theater Company.  Just thinking about the show makes me laugh.   The inspiration was an 18th century Italian comedy in which our "faithful" Truffaldino figures out a way to serve two masters--and earn two salaries--at once. As the program promised, hijinks abound, and the audience was practically rolling in the aisles.

Josh Waters as Truffaldino

Although every actor in this large troupe is comedically gifted, Josh Waters' performance as Truffaldino was truly inspired.  Both his physical humor and his timing were great.  (And I'll never forget the bit with the vegemite sandwich.)  I don't know if Amanda Aitken's's resemblance to comedienne Kathy Griffin was intentionally played up with the pink wig, but I kept coming back to the thought whenever she was onstage.  The Servant of Two Masters was a brilliant note on which to end the Festival. 

All in all, WorldFest 2014 was a fabulous celebration of theater with lots of laughs -- and a few tears -- along the way.  Every day was punctuated with moments that surprised me and made me shake my head in wonder at the creativity and talent of the people onstage.  It was a reminder of why I love live theater so much.

It was announced at the closing ceremonies that Venice Theatre will once again host WorldFest in 2018.  I will be the first one ponied up at the ticket counter when the box office opens. 

WorldFest at Venice Theatre, Part 3

The final day of WorldFest 2014 began with an excerpt from The Century of Music by Venice's Loveland Players.  The Loveland Center is an organization that works with developmentally disabled adults.  For the last 19 years, the Center has partnered with the Venice Theatre to teach its clients life skills through theater studies.  Each May, the Loveland Players present a full-length production at VT, and the performance I saw was a portion of this year's show.  This original script covered four generations of music in an American family.

Loveland Players in "America" 

The show opened with projected pictures of Ellis Island and immigrants making their way to America.  Actor Mark Pagliaro began to recite the words from Neil Diamond's "America."  "Far," he intoned, "We've been traveling far, Without a home, But not without a star. Free, Only want to be free, We huddle close, Hang on to a dream..."  I was a puddle of tears from the first moment with the realization that I was watching these actors hang on to their dream of learning to lead independent lives.

The next portion of the show also packed an emotional wallop as we met the matriarch of the family (whose name I unfortunately didn't get).  Her first number was "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Mis.  "I dreamed a dream in times gone by, When hope was high and life worth living, I dreamed that love would never die, I prayed that God would be forgiving..."  (I apparently learned from the performance of POP! to really listen to the lyrics, and I came away with the smeared mascara to prove it.)

From there things got a lot more upbeat, as our matriarch is discovered and appears at the Apollo Theater.  The story took the audience through several decades of her family of performers and their music.  There were lots of crowd pleasers along the way, like "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Diamonds are Forever."

John Lisko stole the show, though, with his lip synching performance.  I can't remember what song he did, but it really doesn't matter.  What I do remember is the joy in his performance, as he sang and worked the audience.  He was hilarious as he shucked off his coat jacket in true rock-and-roll style.  (I am surprised he didn't twirl it around and throw it off the stage.)  We laughed and cheered and clapped, and it was a thing of true beauty.

As I went into the last day of the Festival, I had hoped for one more performance that would really leave its mark on me.  The Century of Music did that and more.  And the day was just getting started.

WorldFest 2014 at Venice Theatre, Part 2

Live theater is an experience that cannot be replicated. Each performance has its own nuances.  Every audience responds to what it is seeing a bit differently, and the actors respond in turn to this vibe.  And when the run is over, the actors roll up their figurative tent and move on -- often to something totally different.  This impermanence is one of the things that makes theater so special.

But there's a downside as well.  Sometimes you see a performance that is so special, so creative, so magical, that you want to watch it over and over.  But you can't just hit the "play" button again.   The performance lives on only in your mind.

I came away from Wednesdays's WorldFest line-up having seen two shows that made me feel both grateful that I was there to have the experience yet regretful that it was so fleeting.  Interestingly, both shows used music throughout, but the experiences were radically different.

The first was "Our Daily Bread" by the Argentinian duo of Gabriela Pages and Mario Marino. The performance was done in silent movie style, with music advancing the story along with their movements.  As the curtain rose, a spotlight alternately shone on Pages and Marino as each waited with visible anticipation for the other on what might have been a blind date.  I was captivated from the first moment by her charming flapper-like leg movements and the look on his face that conveyed a wistful sense of hope.

During the course of the next hour, we were taken through their relationship, from that first meeting to their shared old age.  The "bread" theme was used liberally early on in the show.  During the courtship (and later when the relationship needs some reviving), flour is used like pixie dust as a means of flirtation.  A little dough creation represents their baby, which breasts feeds (quite energetically), grows before our very eyes and eventually leaves home.  (Both actors were hilarious during these scenes.)

Then things got really interesting, and even more difficult to describe in a way that will capture the magic.  The action included:  Pages moving behind a screen and changing into a wedding dress with an enormously long train that was used as a prop.  Marino coming offstage and manipulating a stagelight on her, boxing her in as she moved around the stage with an effect that reminded me a bit of a horror movie.  Images projected onto her that I took as an indication that she was struggling with an illness.  Both actors wearing masks--don't we all do that sometimes?--both on their faces and on the back of their heads, with their costumes designed in a way that worked both front and back.  The couple moving away from each other with the inevitable ebbs and flows of a marriage and coming back together.  The curve of their bodies indicating that they had grown together into old age.

The audience erupted at the end of the show in appreciation of a performance that was beautiful and moving and inordinately creative.  The concept of wanting to be able to hit the "replay" button came to me as I was walking out of the theater after watching this show.

The second performance that grabbed me and has yet to let go was "POP!" presented by the Danish Black Box Pangea.  When I was working on my article about the Festival, I skyped with the group's Emilie Bendix (who is a returning participant) to hear about what she had planned for this year.  She explained that they would be doing a "theater concert," a style of theater that is popular in Europe that hasn't yet migrated to the United States.  She said the purpose was to make the audience focus on the lyrics of popular songs.   I couldn't quite imagine how they were going to do this, but it sounded interesting.

The songs included Christina Perri's "I Am Human," Pharell Williams' "Happy," and Fun's "We Are Young." But having a sense of what lyrics were included is almost meaningless.   Sometimes they sang but often they spoke the words, forcing you to really hear what was being said. They used intonations and timing that made the words their own. They threw--and ate--paper hearts.  They played guitar and keyboard. They manipulated the lights. They came into the audience.  They switched clothing. They shared feelings of love and loss and pain and vulnerability. Ultimately, they defied any expectations I had about what my evening was going to hold.  The performance closed with Rasmus Rhode standing on a far side of the stage atop a box wearing Emilie's dress and his jacket and singing "Say something, I'm giving up on you" (from A Great Big World) in a haunting voice.  This moment in particular left me breathless.

"POP!" was edgy and made me simultaneously feel uncomfortable and exhilarated.  It was incredibly powerful.  I left the theater hoping this is the type of performance I'll be able to see when I go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival later this summer.

Thank you to Venice Theatre for bringing these amazing performances to the WorldFest stage.  And there's still more to come!  I can't wait.

WorldFest 2014 at Venice Theatre -- Part 1

It's a whirlwind here at WorldFest 2014.   We are less than 36 hours into the six day festival and my head is already spinning from everything that I've seen.

Ben Vereen was a special guest at the Festival's opening ceremony.  He is magnetic.  All he had to do was walk onstage and the audience was his.  He spoke about the importance of the arts to a civilized world.  (Do I hear an "amen" in the house?) He sang "Magic To Do" from Pippin (the show for which he won the 1973 Tony for best actor in a musical).  The chorus of "join us" seemed particularly apt as the Festival got underway.  He also performed "There's No Business Like Show Business" with some help from the Venice Theater crew.  What a start!

Each afternoon and evening features a block of two or three performances (typically in both the Main Stage and Pinkerton theaters).  The Festival kicked off with "Crowns" by a U.S. troupe from Mississippi, "Noah and the Flood" by a German duo, and "The Winged" from an Armenian group.

I have been to JazzFest in New Orleans a couple of times, and the gospel tent is always a favorite venue.  So it's no surprise that I loved the gospel music in "Crowns" with its strong voices all around.  The show was part musical/part vignette (reminiscent of "Love, Love, and What I Wore" with the unifying theme of hats).  As one of the judges said, they could have used some scissors to trim the performance (which ran well over 90 minutes), but who can blame them in their excitement to show off their stuff?   And I must say that the ladies' "crowns" were magnificent!

"Noah and the Flood" began with Mr. and Mrs. Noah entering from the back of the theater, he strolling as he strummed his guitar and she schlepping all of the necessities for their voyage -- including a life preserver. The audience didn't need to speak German to understand this comedic performance as Mrs. Noah unpacked her bags and loaded their items onto the ark that they constructed onstage.  There was toilet paper and wine and kitchen items and--oh yes--the animals to be taken on their journey.    Kerstin Plewa-Brodam seemed to be channeling Lucille Ball with her facial expressiveness and physical comedy as she imbued the stuffed animals with life and personality, making the monkeys play and the lions roar and the bunnies proliferate.  It was a wonderful feel good story that had the audience on its feet at the end.  I loved it.

The final show in this block of performances was "The Winged" from Armenia.  It is impossible to find the words to describe this performance, which was one of the most visually stunning works I have ever seen.  The show started with the bird-man pictured here coming to life.  Each of the characters was masked and one was more funky (yet beautiful) than the next. (It was killing me not to take pictures during the show as the costumes were so incredibly unique.) Throughout the show, music in different genres played--sometimes piano, sometimes African, sometimes almost Cajun--and the performers danced and connected in ways that I didn't begin to understand.  I wanted it to go on forever.

The Festival was off to an amazing start.  I'm exhausted already -- and all I'm doing is watching!   WorldFest 2014 is on through Saturday.  There's lots more to come, including performances by the troupes from Australia, South Africa, China, Latvia, Denmark, and New Zealand. If you're in the area and have any interest in the theater, run--don't walk--to get tickets to this celebration of theater.

Witness: Art & Civil Rights in the Sixties at the Brooklyn Museum

I knew I was in for a special experience the moment I walked into the first gallery of "Witness:  Art and Civil Rights in the Sixties" at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.  Music was playing -- first the African-American spiritual "Go Tell It On the Mountain," then Sly and Family Stone with "Everyday People", then Bob Dylan with "The Times They Are A-Changin',"  (A later gallery was dedicated to a video performance by Nina Simone.)  It set the tone for a special exhibit on the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

The exhibit contained a wide variety of works in a variety of media.  Here are some of the ones that spoke to me the loudest.

"Ku Klux Klan Rally, Atlanta, Georgia " (1962)
by Bruce Davidson

Not surprisingly, there were a number of works that referenced the Ku Klux Klan.  Bruce Davidson was a civil rights photographer who was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to pursue his craft.  His pictures captured images from marches in Selma to protests in Harlem to this Ku Klux Klan rally in Atlanta.  He learned about this rally when he picked up a flyer in the streets of Atlanta.

"City Limits" (1969) by Philip Guston

My initial instinct was to smile when I saw this work by Philip Guston.  The colors are happy and at first blush I didn't see the Klansmen on their merry way.  (An article in ArtNews Magazine entitled "14 Artworks that Prove Pink is Tough" included "City Limits.") The cartoon-like feel makes the Klansmen all the more dangerous.

"Untitled (Standing Figure)" by
Noah Purifoy

Noah Purifoy's assemblage sculpture called "Untitled (Standing Figure)" didn't strike me until I read that it was made from detritus found on the streets after the six day uprising in the Watts section of Los Angeles.  This sculpture recently sold for $62,500 at the Swann Galleries auction featuring the works of African-American artists of the 1960s and 1970s.  The auction was titled "The Shape of Things to Come."  (Apparently the Brooklyn Museum isn't the only arts organization working the civil rights theme.)

"New Kids in the Neighborhood (Negro in the Suburbs)" (1967)
by Normal Rockwell

Norman Rockwell made an appearance in the show with his "New Kids in the Neighborhood (Negro in the Suburbs)."  This illustration was created in 1967, four years after Rockwell left his job of 47 years at The Saturday Evening Post because the magazine would not print his work that pushed societal hot buttons.  (The work was published in Look magazine, where Rockwell made his home after leaving the Post.) There is a sweetness in the natural curiosity between these two sets of children -- alike in so many ways yet differentiated by the color of their skin.  The work leaves the viewer with a sense of hope that they might actually end up playing together after school.

"Homage to Nina Simone" by Bob Thompson was a burst of excitement with its bright color and sense of movement.  His work is a tribute both to Simone and her music and to the work of 17th c. Nicholas Poussin's "Bacchanale -- The Adrians."  Simone is represented by the fuschia figure to the left of the guitar player.  Her "natural Afro" was apparently recognized as a cultural symbol in the African-American community.

The exhibit, which runs through July 13, is interesting and thought-provoking, and I wish I could go back for another visit.  Shows like "Witness" and Ai Wei Wei's "According to What?" have made the Brooklyn Museum of Art my "go to" museum when I'm in New York.  Check it out the next time you're in the City.

Talking with Ben Vereen

"So," he said, "how's your week look?"
"It's getting off to a great start," I responded.  "I'm talking with a really famous guy whom I hear is very nice.  I have to admit that I'm a bit nervous."
"Breathe and embrace and feel the strength inside you."

And so began my conversation with the legendary Ben Vereen.

I am still a bit shocked that he spent 30 minutes on the phone with me talking about the arts and life and his upcoming master class on musical performance at aactWorldFest at the Venice Theatre. And I am still taken with what a cool and spiritual guy he is.

Mr. Vereen became an ordained minister in 2005, and his conversation is scattered with spiritual references.  "Life itself is a ministry," he said.  "People like to categorize, but it's all a ministry.  Your writing is a ministry."  (My reaction--as I was scribbling frantically--was not dissimilar to that of a teenage girl who's just been asked to the prom by her heartthrob. "Ben Vereen just said that my writing is a ministry!" I said to myself.  Of course, I realize that he hasn't actually seen my writing, but still....)

Mr. Vereen spends a fair amount of time these days on the lecture circuit and teaching.  He feels that it's a way for him to give back.  "I have and so I give," he said.

He's passionate about the importance of arts education and outreach.  When I spoke with him, he had recently appeared at an event for the Patti Rutland Jazz Outreach program in Dothan, Alabama.  Among other things, the program will enable underprivileged kids to take contemporary dance classes. "When kids move and are active and feel good," he said, "they're more receptive to learning."  Mr. Vereen considers dancing his "joy thing," so it's no surprise that he connects with the mission of this organization.  He wrapped his talk by singing "The Impossible Dream."  Watching on YouTube nearly brought me to tears.  I can't imagine how it must have impacted people who were in the house.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will get a chance to meet Mr. Vereen on Tuesday when he works with some lucky performers on developing their talent.  My only reference point for the session is Terence McNally's "Master Class" (with Maria Callas as the instructor), so I'm not sure what to expect.  I am confident, however, that Mr. Vereen's approach will be much kinder and gentler than Ms. Callas' was.

If you're interested in reading more, here's the story I filed with Florida Weekly about his upcoming appearance.

Master Class with Ben Vereen

By Nanette Crist, Florida Weekly Correspondent

It’s not unusual for an entertainer to be referred to as a “legend.” Ben Vereen is one of those rare individuals who actually warrants the title. 

Since the mid-1960s, Mr. Vereen has captivated audiences with his performances on the stage, in film and on television. He garnered a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his work in “Pippin” and an Emmy for his work in the TV mini-series “Roots.” He’s played roles as varied as Judas Iscariot in “Jesus Christ Superstar” to Reverend Sam Gibbs on “How I Met Your Mother.” 

These days, Mr. Vereen also plays the role of a teacher. And it is in this capacity that aactWorldFest participants will have the opportunity to watch him in action.

On Tuesday, June 17, Mr. Vereen will teach a master class on musical performance to some fortunate community theater actors. They will meet the star for the first time when they walk onto the stage with their material in hand. The experience promises to be exciting for participants and audience members alike. 

Mr. Vereen characterizes his approach to teaching a master class as “therapeutic.” He works with the students not only on their technical skills, but on the art of bringing what’s inside them to the stage. “The first step,” he says, “is to be honest with yourself. “ 

Mr. Vereen knows as well as--if not better than--the next guy that being honest sometimes means accepting hard realities and adapting your performance accordingly. In 1992, Mr. Vereen was in a near-fatal car accident. Doctors told him that it would be three years before he walked again. He was on the stage in “Jelly’s Last Jam” within a year. 

Four years later, though, he had both knees replaced as a result of lingering issues from the accident.  He no longer can dance the way he once did. “I miss the flight of the dance,“ he says. “I had it and lost it. Now, though, I’m able to fly within my heart and give this ability to other people.” 

Mr. Vereen is looking forward to participating in aactWorldFest, an event that will bring theater companies from around the world together.  For him, there’s no question that the power of the arts should be looked at on a global basis. “When we connect the dots around the world through the arts,” he says, “we change the world and make it a better place. The person playing a violin doesn’t have a chance to pick up a gun.” 

 

International Theater Fest

I am constantly amazed at the number of high caliber events going on in Southwest Florida.  A few months back, I was cruising through Venice Theatre's website and saw a reference to a theater festival that would be held in June.  It sounded intriguing, and I bookmarked it to look at closer to the date.  It turns out that it is going to be quite a big deal, with theater troupes from 16 companies descending upon Venice next week.

I am hoping to get a shot
of Elizabeth doing this!

I wrote an article about the festival for Florida Weekly, which gave me the opportunity to talk with a number of people involved in putting the event together.  I spoke with Murray Chase, Executive Director of Venice Theatre, who worked with his wife to find the talent for the festival. I talked to Kathy Pingel, an adjudicator who will also be giving a workshop geared towards working with young actors.  I talked to a couple who will be hosting some performers for the week and visited Tito Gaona's trapeze school.  (As an aside, my niece Elizabeth is coming over for a few days and a morning at Tito's trapeze camp is on her agenda.  Now THAT should be interesting.)  The icing on the cake was a phone interview with Ben Vereen (which I will post about separately).

With the festival opening on Monday, I wanted to share my article here. As luck would have it, the Russian troupe that sounded so intriguing to me isn't going to make it.  (Visa issues, I think.)  If you're in the area, come join the fun!

International Theater Festival Returns to Venice Theatre

By Nanette Crist, Florida Weekly Correspondent

China -- The Mouse's Daughter's Wedding

In the words of William Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage.” While that may be true, Venice is where the world of community theater will be onstage come June 16 when the curtain rises on aactWorldFest 2014. Over the course of the six day festival, theater troupes from 17 countries will perform shows as varied as Chinese opera to Commedia dell’Arte to puppet theater. The Festival will also offer workshops for theater professionals, administrators and aficionados. It is going to be one action-packed week.

Festival in Paradise

Since the 1980s, the American Association of Community Theater (AACT) has sponsored an international community theater festival every four years. The synergy and excitement that occur when theater companies from around the world interact have made this festival a fixture in AACT’s schedule. 

While AACT “sponsors” the Festival, responsibility for the details and logistics falls to the host theater. Gary Walker, President of AACT, calls the task “gargantuan.” The host theater identifies which theater companies to invite, persuades them to make the journey (at their own expense) and organizes their visas. Festival organizers also arrange housing, meals and transportation for the actors and crew during their stay.

Venice Theatre was home to the Festival in 2010, using the tagline “Festival in Paradise” to entice people to come to Southwest Florida. The event was a great success and so much fun that Murray Chase, Executive/Artistic Director of the VT, volunteered a repeat engagement for 2014 before the sets were struck. AACT jumped on the offer. This will be the first time the same theater has hosted consecutive festivals.   

From Bangladesh to Togo

The first, and most important, responsibility for festival organizers is to find the talent. “The job,” Mr. Chase said, “is to get a week of good and diverse theater that an American audience can relate to with as much global representation as possible.” 

With the 2010 festival experience under their belts, Mr. Chase and wife Lori, who serves as Festival Coordinator, had some ideas on ways to make aactWorldFest 2014 bigger and better.  In 2010, all of the shows were performed on the Main Stage, an auditorium that seats 432 people. Pinkerton Stage, a black box theater that holds only 90 people, was dark. The Chases decided to expand the Festival’s scope to include shows that require the intimacy of Pinkerton Stage’s space. 

The Chases searched far and wide for potential participants, traveling to theater festivals in Monaco and Nova Scotia and Norway. They also reviewed numerous submissions made via YouTube or DVD. 

At the end of the day, theater companies from 17 countries were selected to share their storytelling. The shows will be presented in blocks of two or three productions. (Each show runs approximately one hour.) This format will enable theatergoers who attend only one session to see performances by multiple theater troupes. 

The universal language of theater

Festival organizers want to warn you upfront: Many of the Festival’s offerings will be performed in the actors’ native language. Mr. Chase  is confident that language differences will not prevent the audience from understanding—and enjoying--what’s happening onstage. “Most of the shows are visually-based performances,” he explained.

 “M&W” from Russia is a prime example. For this show, Pinkerton Theater will be divided into two halves by a curtain, with male members of the audience sitting on one side and female members on the other. In effect, two shows (each featuring Russian clowning and burlesque) will occur simultaneously, with audience members comparing notes at the end. 

The German theater company will deliver its version of “Noah & the Flood.” By using a story familiar to everyone (Noah and the ark), audience members not conversant in German will easily follow along.

Canada -- Tower of Babel

Not all of the shows require audience members to be polyglots. The offerings from the American, Canadian, New Zealander and Australian theater companies will be performed in English (or at least a variant thereof). 

So will “POP” from Denmark’s Black Box Pangea. This group, led by returning Festival participant Emilie Bendix, will perform a “theater concert” that incorporates songs popularized by musicians such as Rhianna, Justin Timberlake and Beyonce. 

And some shows contain no language at all. Argentina’s “Our Daily Bread” will be acted in the style of silent movies. Similarly, Latvia’s “Poetry Butterfly” has no words, but it is anything but silent. This performance piece tells its story through dance and painting and includes live music.

Helping the audience along

While Festival organizers believe the stories being told onstage will speak for themselves, they will provide the audience with some tools to assist in their understanding. Just as when you go to the opera, the Festival program will contain a synopsis of each show. (The program will be published in English, Spanish and French to accommodate the various constituencies.)

In addition, a three person panel of adjudicators will be on hand to provide commentary after the first performance of each show. (The judges will also award prizes during the closing ceremonies.)  The Festival schedule specifies which performances are adjudicated. 

Kathy Pingel from the Des Moines Playhouse served as a judge at the 2010 Festival and will be reprising her role. Ms. Pingel explained the differences from an adjudicator’s perspective between aactWorldFest and a more traditional theater festival. Typically, the judges read the scripts in advance and formulate opinions about the challenges that have to be addressed. At aactWorldFest, the judges come into the performance with the same information as any other audience member. “We go in brand new and let it smack up against us,” Ms. Pingel said. 

The adjudicators will share with the audience, actors and directors (with the aid of translators) what they saw and how it affected them. The intention is not for the theater company to alter its performance in response to these comments. Instead, the discussion will provide a reflective tool for the audience to think about what they’ve seen and a learning tool for the theater company to understand how its work is perceived.

Workshop ‘til you drop

The Festival schedule will be rounded out with a wide range of workshops to enhance participants’ theater experience, be it on the stage, as an administrator or as a fan. All audience members with a Festival pass can register for any workshop that piques their interest. The workshops are free, with the exception of a master class on musical performance that will be given by the legendary Ben Vereen. (See separate article on Mr. Vereen and this workshop, which is $50 to attend.)  

The goal of Mr. Chase and his team was to devise a workshop schedule that would be fun and encourage participants to operate a bit beyond their comfort zones. For audience members, “stretching” might mean taking the stage themselves—or to the sky. 

With the increasing incorporation of circus arts in the theater (think the revival of “Pippin”) and Venice’s long circus history, a workshop incorporating a circus-related skill was a “must-include.” Fortuitiously, former trapeze star Tito Gaona lives in Venice where he operates The Sky Academy. His “Basics of Trapeze” workshop is sure to be a hit. 

Puppet making materials

Theatergoers interested in Commedie dell’Arte can join members of the Italian theater company for a session on this theater genre, complete with masks and costumes. People who enjoy physical comedy might sign up for the class on Russian clowning from Russia’s Theatre Mimicrea. And participants who loved “Avenue Q” can attend a session on puppet making and puppetry led by Steve Dawson.  (Mr. Dawson created the puppets for the Golden Apple Theater’s production of “Avenue Q” and has performed in the show.)

Workshops will also be offered for people who operate on the other side of the curtain.   Theater administrators can learn how to adapt programming to reflect area demographics and how to maintain a strong volunteer base.  Producers and directors may be interested in sessions on new technologies for musical rehearsal and production or how to use theater to effect social change. 

The list goes on and on. 

Celebrating the theater

Ultimately, the Festival is a celebration of the power and joy of the theater. Ms. Pingel summarized her reaction to aactWorldFest 2010 by saying, “This Festival is evidence that the theater is a place where you can come together and stand side by side as equals, whether you live in a war torn country or in the midst of opulence.”

Southwest Florida theater lovers are invited to join in this experience.