By PAM HARBAUGH
Don’t despair. While local theater has hit the summer headwinds, there are still a couple of shows in Orlando for those with an itch to get outta town. Area galleries are cool and inviting. A Film Society kicks off tomorrow evening. The big fun artsy thing around here to do today is get to the Eau Gallie Arts District for its monthly FIRST FRIDAY event. It runs 6 to 9 p.m. along Highland Avenue. Galleries are open. Music abounds. Food vendors. Read below about a couple of exhibitions opening tonight.
Please click onto the sponsors’ ads to show your appreciation of their support of BREVARD
Theater:
SUPERIOR DONUTS runs through July 9 at Theater on the Edge in Orlando. The play features three Brevard actors — NELIA LAKE, ZACK ROUNDY and ALLAN WHITEHEAD. To read more about it, click here. In addition to conventional Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows, there are some 7 p.m. Wednesday industry performances as well. For those who have never been there, Theater on the Edge is a 30-seat theater with a penchant for hyper-realism. It is at 5542 Hansel Ave., Orlando. $19 to $24. Email info@theaterontheedge.org or visit TheaterOnTheEdge.org or click on their ad. SKYLIGHT runs through Sunday at Mad Cow Theatre in Orlando. Written by David Hare, the play concerns in part two former lovers with differing political views. Tickets are $40 with discounts available. Mad Cow Theatre is at 54 W. Church Street (second floor) in downtown Orlando. Call 407-297-8788, ext. 1 or visit MadCowTheatre.com.Film:
SURFSIDE FILM SOCIETY will present THE TRUMAN SHOW 6:30 p.m. Saturday. gathers 7 p.m. July 8. There will be one 15-minute intermission and a film discussion with Alex Jackson following the screening. $15 general, which includes one soft drink and one snack. Surfside Playhouse is at 301 Ramp Road (5th Street South), Cocoa Beach. Call 321-783-3127, visit SurfsidePlayers.com or click on their ad.
Nightlife:
28TH SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT PARTY for Cocoa Village Playhouse begins 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 8 at the King Center. $25. This is quite the announcement. You’ve got to get dressed up for this one or you’ll feel out of place amidst all those sparkly gowns and tuxedos. Oh, also…make sure to grab a nap before you go. The merriment lasts a long time. Call 321-636-5050, visit CocoaVillagePlayhouse.com or click on their ad. If you don’t get anyone, try the King Center box office at 321-242-2219. The King Center is at 3865 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne.
HOWL AT THE MOON this weekend at Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach featuring dueling pianos by Ken Gustafson and Rob Volpe. This fun-packed music-filled evening has shows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The shows invite guests to come enjoy a picnic style dinner while listening to some great music, free. Tickets start at $16. Shows sell out quickly, so purchase in advance. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, FL. Call 772-231-6990, visit RiversideTheatre.com or click on their ad.HEIDI’S JAZZ CLUB is a cool thing to do in the hot summer. The lively spot is busy this weekend with some great entertainment, a wonderful bar and a super bar menu. Steve Kirsner & Friends perform 5 to 8 p.m. Friday followed by the Ron Teixeira Trio. On Saturday, the Israeli entertainer Hella joins the trio from 8 p.m. to midnight. And Sunday is the always fun Jam Session from 7 to 11 p.m. Heidi’s is at 7 N Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL. Call 321-783-4559 or visit HeidisJazzClub.com or click on their ad.
Exhibits:
DOMINIC AGOSTINI PORTRAITS exhibition opens tonight and runs through Sept. 22 at the Renee Foosaner Education Center, 1520 Highland Ave, Melbourne. There will be a public reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. tonight during the Eau Gallie Arts District First Friday event. The works on view reveal the photographer’s keen interest in celebrating the heroic in every day people. Look for a story next week in Brevard Culture. The exhibit is installed in the Frits Van Eeden Gallery. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Admission free. Call 321-674-8923 or visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org.
THE STRIPES RUN THROUGH US, a one-woman show with works by Daytona Beach artist Babz Lupoli, opens today at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery. The works in the exhibition are richly textured and enlivened with a vivid palette create. Look for a story next week in Brevard Culture. The exhibition will have a special reception this evening during the Eau Gallie Arts District First Friday event. The Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is at 1470 Highland Avenue, Melbourne. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Call 321-259-8261, visit FifthAvenueArtGallery.com or just click on their ad.PAN AMERICAN MODERNISM runs through July 29 at the Foosaner Art Museum. Organized by the University of Miami’s wonderful Lowe Museum, the exhibition comprises work by artists from 13 countries in North, South and Central American plus those living in the Caribbean between 1919 and 1979. The Foosaner Art Museum is at 1463 Highland Ave. in the Eau Gallie Arts District of Melbourne. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Free admission. Call 321-674-8916, visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org or click on their ad.
COLORS OF THE SPIRIT runs through July 15 at The Studios of Cocoa Beach. The exhibition comprises watercolor paintings by eight guest artists: Jeanette Drake, Therese Ferguson, Darlene Hunt, Witha LaCuesta, Linda D Neal, J. Susan Cole Stone, Lolly Walton and Pam E Webb. The Studios of Cocoa Beach is at 165 Minuteman Causeway, Cocoa Beach. Call 321-613-3480 or visit StudiosOfCocoaBeach.org.
FLORA & FIBER runs through Aug. 26 at the Ruth Funk Center for the Arts. The exhibit, culled from the Textile Center’s permanent collection, is designed to show how plants inspire hand-weaving and dyeing and how they also inspire both the design and adornment in textile art especially in Asia and later in Europe and America. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. The center is located next to Evans Library on the Florida Tech campus, 150 W. University Blvd. in Melbourne. Admission is free. More information click here or click on their ad.
Call for Art:
12th ANNUAL 100% PURE FLORIDA Juried Show at The Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, 1470 Highland Avenue, Melbourne, FL. Call for art is open to all Florida artists. Entries must be postmarked by Saturday, July 8. The show runs Aug. 29 to Sept. 30, 2017. Entry form available online at FifthAvenueArtGallery.com.
Plan Ahead:
THE CASE OF GHOSTLY HALL, a murder mystery event, takes place at Surfside Playhouse on July 15.
THE LION KING will be performed July 13 to 15 by the Henegar Center’s youth musical theater program.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN will be performed July 27 to 29 by the Henegar’s youth musical theater program.
BRIGADOON will be performed by the King Center/Cocoa Village Playhouse Summer Musical Theatre Project July 14 to 16.
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER performed by Titusville Playhouse’s Rising Stars program runs July 20 – 23.
ROBERT MARX, the famous underwater archeologist, will discuss two of history’s most important sea battles in a free public lecture at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, at Florida Institute of Technology’s Gleason Performing Arts Center.
NOT QUITE RIGHT PLAYERS presents its Long Short Story July 15 at Derek Gores Gallery.
THE FEARLESS IMPROV BRIGADE performs July 29 at Surfside Playhouse in Cocoa Beach.
GALLERY TALK by Carla Funk, director of University Museums, begins 1 p.m. July 15 in the “Flora & Fiber” exhibit at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts. Ms. Funk brings great passion and energy to her gallery talks. They are always intellectually and artfully stimulating. This is a don’t miss event for art lovers in the area. Admission is free. The Center is on the campus of Florida Tech, 150 W. University Blvd., Melbourne. Call 321-674-8313 or click here.