Fort Myers Entertainment
OK, SO THE ELECTION’S OVER. WOW. TIME TO REFOCUS ON MORE SERIOUS ISSUES SUCH AS ARTISTS AND ENTERTAINMENT IN FORT MYERS.
I’ve included samplings of some great things in store for the new year. Kicking it off (in non-chronological order), the River District’s Sidney & Berne
Davis Art Center again presents the seriously good T.G.I.M indie film nights on first Mondays. You see short films from around the country, celebrity judges deciding whether filmmakers are selected for the red carpeted Fort Myers Film Festival March 8-12 at the BBMann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers. It’s cozy and intimate fun, with Eric Raddatz and co-host Melissa DeHaven emceeing the best couple of hours in town. The January T.G. I.M. features musician Chloe Friedman. The third Friday at the Berne is also Gulf Coast Leisure’s Art & Poetry Networking
Event showcasing the best SWFL offers. Jan. 6, Art Walk night, the Berne also welcomes “Palettes: Past Present & Pursuits: The Leoma Lovegrove Retrospective.” Art Walk Fridays and now Saturdays ignited the downtown, of course, which led to Music Walk. We’re now showered in new restaurants and a rumored mega-hotel. It’s very cool. One of Art Walk’s co-founders has also started the Second Saturday SoCo [South of Colonial] art walk/venue in the Royal Palm Square off Colonial in Fort Myers. David Acevedo’s DAAS
CO-OP Art Gallery centerpieces the SoCo walk around. Back at the Berne, Philadelphia’s Curtis Chamber Orchestra on Jan. 10, performs Mozart concertos with famous players such as Roberto Diaz and Shmuel Ashkenasi. There is also a Lecture Series at the Berne featuring Kristin Harmel on Jan. 16, Anthony Franze on Feb. 13.
There’s also Ghostbird Theatre Company’s 24-Hour Festival. The interesting idea is for visual and theater artists, filmmakers, dancers, musicians, poets, etc., to create a work based on prompts. Applicants sign in Jan. 20 at the Berne, returning 24 hours later to perform, show or otherwise stage their interpretation of the prompt by actor/playwright Barry Cavin. The Berne also features jazz on Jan. 27, featuring vocalist Veronica Swift and jazz trumpeter Dan Miller.
Starting to feel the Berne? It’s hard to imagine the place was empty just a few short years back.
Second Mondays is when UFTA meets―the United Film and Television Artists association covers all of Fort Myers with members in all facets of the entertainment industry. Guest speakers visit each month. The association in January visits the gettvlive studios, near the River District, for a behind-thescenes look at a new episodic development called S.O.L.I.S. (SEERS OF LIGHT IN SHADOWS) featured this summer at the Fort Myers SPACECON 2017.
You’ll want to hit the Taps & Tunes Craft Beer & Music Festival in Centennial Park West in the downtown on Jan. 14. The LA-based duo Johnnyswim is the musical guest and 80-plus craft beers will be on tap. Nice.
And finally, The Laboratory Theater of Florida in downtown Fort Myers features in most of January Mothers and Sons by Terrence McNally and Burn This in February by Lanford Wilson. Evening, season and matinee tickets are available.
From Gulf to Main, Fort Myers will be a hopping place over the next couple of months. Erik Krefeld is Fort Myers entertainment writer and media specialist with gettvlive.com.