Broken air handler dumps gallons of water all over Lee Alliance for the Arts offices

The Alliance for the Arts in Lee County suffered a disaster Sunday, Oct. 6.

According to a post on the article.org website [titled "Help Us Recover From Our Sunken Offices], an air handler failed, dumping about 50 gallons of water directly over the staff's main office space.

You can see some of the damage here:
http://www.artinlee.org/4336-2/

Carpet, walls and office equipment were all damaged. Worse, the staff have been displaced while cleanup takes place.

The Alliance faces cleanup bills, the cost of replacing equipment AND the cost of replacing the air handler.

Donations are being accepted online (via PayPal) or call 39-939-2787 if you would like to help out.

Gulfshore Playhouse presents signed performance of "Venus in Fur"

Kelley Curran in "Venus in Fur."

Gulfshore Playhouse will present a signed performance of "Venus in Fur" by David Ives in conjunction with Florida Gulf Coast University's Office of Adaptive Services at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9th, 2013.

A team of two American Sign Language interpreters will be on stage providing an interpreted performance to the Naples audience.

Read my review of "Venus in Fur" here: http://www.gonaples.com/news/2013/oct/05/review-gulfshore-playhouse-venus-in-fur-tickets/

"Venus in Fur" is the Tony-nominated play that the New York Times called "a suspense-filled sex comedy."  "Venus in Fur" upends the traditional power relationship between director and actress and man and woman in this scintillating, fascinating,  and thought-provoking "play within a play" that investigates the layers of love, lust, power and gender politics with humor, intensity and good kinky fun.

Tickets for this special performance are still available at www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org or by calling 866-811-4111

Theatre Conspiracy celebrates 20 years; season opens with "All My Raisins in the Sun"

Theatre Conspiracy turns 20! Or as Bill says "we're almost old enough to drink!"

The 20th anniversary season begins Oct. 18 with the word premiere production of John Twomey's "All My Raisins in the Sun," the winner of Theatre Conspiracy's 15th Annual New Play Contest. Find out what happens inside one high school teacher's lounge - at one school where the teachers are just as bad as the students!

One eager new teacher gets quite the education when confronted with the quirky personalities and deadly serious politics of the public high school teacher's lounge.

Individual tickets are $20 each. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8PM with one Sunday matinée at 2 p.m. Oct. 27. Opening night is “pay what you will” and Thursdays are “buy one get one half off”. Tickets can be purchased by calling Theatre Conspiracy’s box office at 239-936-3239 or by visiting www.theatreconspiracy.org.

PROMO EMAILS: TheatreZone, Lab Theater, Naples Players, Opera Naples, Marco Players

THEATREZONE
Here's the latest TheatreZone marketing email. Bonus points for including a link to my story. Extra bonus points for including a "view on web" link. The TheatreZone season opens Jan. 9, 2014 with "Whistle Down the Wind."

http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/742466/7ff6dcc72c/286668103/e411e24715/

As Mark Danni states: "We are nearing our first-ever, sell-out year, so order your tickets now."

Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $43 & $48, plus $2 per ticket fee. Season ticket and snowbird packages available. Call 1-888-966-3352 or theatrezone-florida.com.

Kathleen Moye and Rob Green
in "Miss Witherspoon."

LAB THEATER
There's a few photos from "Miss Witherspoon" in this Lab Theater promo. There's also the first official word that Mitch and Joann Haley will co-star in "Death of a Salesman" later in 2014.

http://mad.ly/715d14?pact=556901485190188259&fe=1

"Miss Witherspoon" runs Oct. 11-26. The Laboratory Theater of Florida is located at 1634 Woodford Avenue in downtown Fort Myers. Tickets are $12-$22 and available online at laboratorytheaterflorida.com. Tickets are also available online here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/391346.

OPERA NAPLES (read the email)
Mark Danni will direct the Opera Naples double bill of chamber operas, "The Telephone" and "The Medium." Performances are 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 and Saturday, Oct. 19, presented in partnership with Artis-Naples (in The Daniels Pavilion.

Limited seats are still available for both performances. Purchase tickets ($60 & $75) online at www.OperaNaples.org.

NAPLES PLAYERS
The latest issue of the Naples Players newsletter is available online.

MARCO PLAYERS
The Marco Players will open "Absalom" on Nov. 6.

Marco Players auditions: "Fox on the Fairway" and "Apartment 3A"

Marco Players show "The Fox on the Fairway" auditions will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11 & Tuesday, Nov. 12. Rehearsals  begin Nov. 25. The show runs Jan. 8-26, 2013. Director TBA. For more information, call (239) 404-5198 or themarcoplayers.com.

Marco Players show "Apartment 3A" auditions will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18 & Tuesday, Nov. 19. Rehearsals for "Apartment 3A" begin Dec. 16. The show runs Feb. 12 - March 2, 2014. Director TBA. For more information, call (239) 404-5198 or themarcoplayers.com.

Naples Players ETC... releases directors, casts for Nov. 3 "You Call This Love???" season premiere

The Naples Players’ ETC…Readers’ Theatre will present staged readings of four short plays with the theme of “You Call This Love???” at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, in the Tobye Studio at Sugden Community. Tickets ($10) are available at the box office or by phone (239) 263-7990.

• “Sorry” by Timothy Mason - Claire McKinney directs Dee Betcher and Harvey Choddock.
  
• “The Wedding Story” by Julianne Homokay - Bev Canell directs Ellen Grimes, Mary Haynes and Keith Gahagan.
  
• “Rain” by Garry Williams - Vic Caroli directs Denny Hoover, Carole Greene, Karen Gudknecht, Joanie Nellis and Scott Doucette.
  
• “Present Tense” by John McNamara - Joe Moran directs Todd Irby, Bill Everett, Rose Mary Everett, Stan Kraushaar, Kim Polson and Allayne Barnum. 

Complete press release below.

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ETC…Presents “You Call This Love???” Quartet Sunday Nov. 3

The Naples Players’ ETC…Readers’ Theatre will present staged readings of four short plays theatrically themed “You Call This Love???” at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, in Tobye Studio of Sugden Community Theatre in downtown Naples.  Tickets priced at $10 each are on sale at the Box Office; phone 239-263-7990.

The seriocomic quartet will open ETC…’s 12th season and will include:

“Sorry” by Timothy Mason.  NYC can be an unforgiving and lonely place.  But when Pat shoots Wayne mistaking him for an intruder the two are given a chance to make a connection – even when Pat discovers the secret behind Wayne’s identity.  Claire McKinney directs Dee Betcher and Harvey Choddock.

“The Wedding Story” by Julianne Homokay.  A narrator tells of a high school couple about to be married and start a beautiful life together – only they constantly interrupt and correct him until he can’t stand it anymore and tells them the brutal truth.  Bev Canell is director and cast members are Ellen Grimes, Mary Haynes and Keith Gahagan.

In “Rain” by Garry Williams, a farmer who has fallen from a roof and is confined to a wheelchair ponders his life and seeks the meaning of it.  Director is Vic Caroli with cast members Denny Hoover, Carole Greene, Karen Gudknecht, Joanie Nellis and Scott Doucette.

And in “Present Tense” by John McNamara, a gawky but cute teen-age boy wins back the affection of an attractive girl from the handsome but vain captain of all the school teams and editor of the other lad’s copy in the school paper.  Joe Moran is director; cast members are Todd Irby, Bill Everett, Rose Mary Everett, Stan Kraushaar, Kim Polson and Allayne Barnum.

Friday and Saturday Dec. 6 & 7, ETC …will present “An Evening of New Plays” in its 10th annual contest for original one-act plays by Southwest Florida playwrights.  A reception will follow the Dec. 6 program.

Interested in being a reader, director, producer or ETC… Committee member?  Please call Becky Troop, Director of Volunteers, at 239-434-7340, ext. 14.

Improv group Random Acts of ,D to perform Oct. 20 at Lab Theater

Improv group Random Acts of ,D (pronounced "comedy" - comma,D - ha-ha) will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, October 20 at the Kiwanis Hall in downtown Fort Myers. Admission is $10. Call (239) 218-0481 or cash/credit at the door. This is the second show at the Lab Theater for the group after a successful kickoff last weekend.

Random Acts of ,D has played several successful shows at Anthony's on the Boulevard in Cape Coral; several members of the group, including Lucy Harris, Shawn Genther and James Recca, have performed in a variety of roles with Lab Theater.

(I'll be honest. I didn't get the comma-D joke in the name until Wednesday afternoon.)