By PAM HARBAUGH

Shows opening. Shows closing. Sorta like life…and daffodils.

Be sure to click on ads for the organizations supporting Brevard Culture. Thank you.

Theater:

SPAMALOT opens tonight and runs through May 13 at Cocoa Village Playhouse. Read a story about it by clicking here. CVP is at 300 Brevard Ave., Cocoa. Tickets are $24 general, $22 seniors, active military and students and $16 for children. Call 321-636-5050, visit CocoaVillagePlayhouse.com or click on their ad.

THE GAME’S AFOOT opens tonight and runs through May 6 at Surfside Playhouse. Read a story about it by clicking here. Surfside Playhouse is at 301 Ramp Road, Cocoa Beach. Tickets are $25 general, $22 seniors, military and students. A $1.75 ticket fee is applicable to each ticket. Call 321-783-3127, visit SurfsidePlayers.com or click on their ad.

IT’S ONLY A PLAY runs through April 29 at Melbourne Civic Theatre. This is exciting news since so many of us did not get the opportunity to see Broadway’s much ballyhooed production of this Terrence McNally comedy giving us a behind the scenes glimpse at BroadWAY. To read more, click here. In the meantime, scoop up those tickets, which run from $29 to $31. MCT is at 817 Strawbridge Ave., Melbourne. Call 321-723-6935, visit MyMCT.org or click on their ad.

DISNEY’S HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME closes Sunday at Titusville Playhouse. Read a story about it by clicking here. Tickets are $23 to $29. TPI is at 301 Julia St., Titusville. Call 321-268-1125, visit TitusvillePlayhouse.com or click on their ad.

MAMMA MIA! closes Sunday at Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach. You do not want to miss this professional production. Read the review by clicking here. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Drive, Vero Beach. Tickets start at $35 and are quickly selling out. Call 772-231-6990, visit Riversidetheatre.com or click on their ad.

Nightlife and Music:

HEIDI’S JAZZ CLUB presents Steve Kirsner and Friends 5 – 8 p.m. today followed by the Ron Teixeira Trio. Hella performs Saturday night with the Ron Teixeira Trio. In addition to great entertainment, Heidi’s offers a wonderful bar and a super bar menu. This is definitely a favorite sophisticated night spots in Brevard. It’s warm and inviting and has a dance floor and impeccable service. Read more by clicking here. Heidi’s is at 7 N Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL. Call 321-783-4559 or visit HeidisJazzClub.com or click on their ad.

THE KING CENTER presents JOHNNY MATHIS 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $58.50. The King Center is at 3865 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne. Call 321-242-2219 or visit KingCenter.com.

Festivals and Special Events:

MELBOURNE ART FESTIVAL takes place this weekend in Wickham Park (Parkway Drive and Wickham Road). It kicks off with a 7:30 a.m. 5K Flamingo Run. There are exhibits, music, food, kids stuff and, yes, plenty of beer. Just be sure to have a designated drive because you know the law’s gonna be watching you. Admission and parking is free. Find out more on their Facebook page or by clicking here.

NEVER AGAIN: PROJECT UKRAINE will feature Mikayla Goetz in a talk Sunday about her recent cultural experiences in Ukraine. Ms. Goetz is the woman behind the Boots on the Ground Theater company which is coming to life at Derek Gores Gallery. The topic of her talk will be “Remember the Past and Live in the Present.” It is free and is sponsored by The Sister City Program of Cocoa, Florida and Beit Shemesh, Israel. The talk is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Central Life Church, 5995 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne, FL.

VERDI EcoSCHOOL will hold a Kentucky Derby Fundraiser 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 4 in the Community Garden in the Eau Gallie Arts District. It will feature live betting, silent auctions and mint juleps. Artists from around the country have created unique horse game pieces for the fundraiser. The Verdi EcoSchool is a non-profit urban farm school for hands-on learning. Admission is $10. Call John Verdi at (321) 298-2501.

Exhibits:

MASTERWORKS OF PHOTOGRAPHER & FRENCH TWIST runs through May 19 at the Foosaner Art Museum, 1463 Highland Avenue. Call 321-674-8916 or visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org.

CODED COUTURE runs through Saturday at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts. The interactive exhibition explores the idea of customized fashion in the digital age. The Funk Admission to the center is free. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. The center is next to Evans Library on the Florida Tech campus, 150 W. University Blvd. in Melbourne. For more information, call 321-674-8313 or click here.

A VIEW FROM THE LOFT runs through Sunday at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery. The exhibit comprises works by the Art Students’ Guild of Brevard. The Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is at 1470 Highland Ave., Melbourne. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Call 321-259-8261 or visit FifthAvenueArtGallery.com.

Auditions and Calls for Submissions:

18th ANNUAL FULL LENGTH PLAY COMPETITION at Surfside Playhouse is accepting scripts from Brevard County playwrights through May 7. Unproduced original works only. The winning play will have performances June 29 and July 1 (with auditions May 20 and 21). Visit SurfsidePlayers.com.

News in Passing

BRIAN DOWDALL an acclaimed visionary artist who lived in Cocoa Beach for a really long time, passed away recently. He was one of the first artists I interviewed when I worked at Florida Today. He was fun and giggly and had a huge human heart. A special celebration of his life is planned for 5 to 8 p.m. May 4 at the Studios of Cocoa Beach, 165 Minuteman Causeway, Cocoa Beach. Brian was such a treasure. A fascinating, kind man who was always first to admit error and the last to claim victory. You can see a lot of his work at Heidi’s Jazz Club.

Here’s a notice that was sent recently from the Studios of Cocoa Beach: “The acclaimed visionary artist Brian Dowdall passed away recently in Baltimore. Dowdall lived in Cocoa Beach for 33 years from 1978 to 2011. His many friends and admirers in Florida will gather at the Studios of Cocoa Beach on Friday May 4, 2018 from 5 to 8 pm to celebrate his creative life and wish him a fond farewell. Food, drink and art will surround his friends. For the month of May Brian’s work will be featured in the window of the Studios at 165 Minuteman Causeway in Downtown Cocoa Beach A self taught outsider artist Brian used cardboard to create objects and as his canvas. His paintings depict spirit animals, angels, mermaids and goddesses. Each animal was set in a luminous field of color” from the sun , moon, fire, earth, trees and water” Brian amassed over 2000 books on poetry, mythology, art and Irish literature. His home contained 5000 works of art, both his own and that of other visionary artists , works that he obtained by trading his art. He moved to Baltimore to work with the American Visionary Art Museum. The city of Baltimore provided a house for him to live in and in exchange he provide art works including mural throughout the city. Nationally recognized he will be fondly remembered by everyone lucky enough to meet him. Those who didn’t have the privilege will want to view the profile done by the PBS News Hour in 2017. For more information on the memorial contact Mike at bigdaddyscash@yahoo.com.

Plan Ahead:

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY opens May 4 at the Henegar Center.

LEGENDS OF JAZZ — GREAT AMERICAN BIG BANDS concert will be held May 14 at the Henegar Center.

MAMMA MIA! SINGALONG to the movie will be held May 17 at Cocoa Village Playhouse.

HAY FEVER opens May 18 at Melbourne Civic Theatre.