Love stories, an isolation play and our Oops Guys
Here are three local online arts events to check out this weekend (or in the future).
‘Seasons of Love’
After the success of its “Virtually Yours” online show, the Athens Theatre in
DeLand is back this weekend with another joint effort with The Studio Creative Group. This musical showcase features real-life couples celebrating not only their own love but the passion felt in the community for the brick and mortar of the Athens Theatre.
Alexa and Rob Baldwin, Chris and Erica deJongh, Aladdin and Tiffany Demps, and Becca and Trevor Southworth will share their love stories in song and soundbites.
“‘Seasons of Love’ lets us give a peek behind our personal curtains,” says Aladdin Demps, a marketing assistant at the theater.
“Music and storytelling bring people together,” says Erica deJongh, who played the Witch in the Athens production of “Into the Woods.” “‘Seasons of Love’ will help all of us to reflect on our own stories and to know that, when this is all over, we will all be together again.”
The show will be available at 7:30 p.m. May 30 and can be viewed for 24 hours by purchasing a $20 ticket. A $50 ticket allows viewers to download the show. Buy tickets at AthensDeLand.com.
Play readings
At 1 p.m. each Friday, a play is read by actors from The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol in The Villages. It’s free to watch, though the theater suggests donating to BroadwayCares.org, a fund that supports performers.
Watch at the theater’s website, The SharonStudio.com, or at its Facebook or YouTube pages. Upcoming readings include: George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” on June 5 and “Ever Young” on June 12. “Pygmalion” is the story of class differences that was later adapted as the musical “My Fair Lady.” In Alice Gerstenberg’s “Ever Young,” four older women discuss life, love, family and their place in society.
Previous installments are available on the Facebook page, so keep an eye out for “Qualia, A Post Nuclear Play” by Central Florida playwright Ashleigh Ann Gardner. In this dystopian story, the world has been decimated by toxic radiation. Among the few remaining humans, Alex lives alone with Dominic, an artificial intelligence. The play — perfect for these times — explores what it means to be human in a world of isolation.
Social Distance Showcase
We’re up to the eighth installment of the weekly Greater Orlando Social Distance Showcase — the local effort to entertain while raising money for out-of-work performers. On May 30, hosts Michael Wanzie and Kenny Howard welcome a pair of funny (and fun) guys — Dennis Giacino and Fiely Matias.
The world knows Giacino and Matias as the creators of the Disney princess spoof “Disenchanted.” Many of us locals can remember when they were the Oops Guys, entertaining us at the Orlando Fringe Festival with comedies such as “The Naked Guy” and “Asian Sings the Blues.”
More laughs are sure to come from Divine Grace, a drag performer I’ve seen uncannily channel Beatrice Arthur in such parodies as “The Golden Gals” and “Maude Redux!” It’s free to watch, but donations are welcome. Check out the show at 5:30 p.m. May 30 on the Greater Orlando Social Distance Showcase YouTube or Facebook page.