Sunrise 2008-2009 Posters

Step Afrika! wrapped up the regular season tonight, so to celebrate the year that passed and the upcoming IRSC Portfolio Day we decided to look back at the unique posters Indian River State College students did for our shows. For example, Ravin Miller's poster for Step Afrika! made the logo the defining element of the poster, and the large size plays well with the loud stomps and beats the stepping troupe is known for.


Stacy Givens uses a bold two-color background to capture people's attention for this B-52s concert. She also uses Photoshop to "silhouette" the band members and their shadows, which means she removed them from a photograph and inserted them onto the poster.


Silhouetting is a taxing process, as Oscar Colloazos knows from this poster for Jigu! The user has to carefully outline the subject using Photoshop's pen and selection tools, zooming in to make sure no part of the subject is cut out. It's the computer version of using a pair of scissors: Anyone can use scissors, but anyone can also spot where the scissors cut too deep or left a jagged edge. Check out the seventh and eight images in the photo reel on the company's Web site to compare Oscar's work.

Kyle Scully keeps the focus on a single acrobat for this poster for the New Shanghai Circus, using Photoshop brushes to accentuate the image. The high-tech version of arts-and-craft stamps, brushes imprint a shape that can be any color and re-sized and altered to the designer's liking. Brushes can be created or found on the Internet, often free to download.

Jennifer Harris completes our roundup with this elegant poster for Masters of the Fiddle. She goes beyond a silhouette, graying out the main players while keeping the robust colors on the fiddles. Text also helps make this picture, as the words have the same hardwood colors as the instruments.

Check back latter this week with more posters from IRSC students.

Black Box Presents - IRSC Portfolio Day

The Sunrise couldn’t have gotten through this season without the hard work of the students at Indian River State College’s Digital Media Institute. For almost two years IRSC students have created posters for the Theatre that are both professional quality and unique. And we’re not the only ones happy to have them - the list of people who requested copies of our posters include Bryan Adams, Chris Botti, and opera company Teatro Lirico D’Europa Productions.


To honor their work, the Sunrise will showcase their talents in a Portfolio Day at the Black Box. The event is open to the public, so you’ll be able to see the best posters, logos, animation, and other works the area has to offer, as well as meet some of the students behind them. These students are hungry for experience, so don’t be modest about any projects you have that require a creative touch.

Fresh off of displaying their work at IRSC’s Digital Media Exhibition and almost finished with their college portfolios, these students will have their best ready for next Thursday’s presentation from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Sunrise Theatre Presents - Step Afrika!

The Sunrise Theater finishes off its season next Monday with the dance troupe Step Afrika! These dancers combines modern stepping with its distant roots in African dance. The movements and costumes span generations, but they’re all connected through foot stomps, handclaps, and drum beats. And the builders of the 1920s constructed the Sunrise stage with acoustics in mind, meaning you’ll hear every sound of this unique show as clear as possible.

Check out the video above about the troupe’s recent South African performance, or click here for more information and tickets.

Black Box Presents - "Uncle" Dow Thomas

"Uncle" Dow Thomas is stringing up for an appearance at the Black Box this Saturday. Uncle Dow has been around the country and throughout Florida, and he'll be ready to entertain Fort Pierce citizens with his banjo and his repertoire of twisted songs and anecdotes. Watch the video above for a taste, then click here for tickets.

Sunrise Prepares for the Shopping Cart Parade!

We’re still putting the finishing touches on it, but our cart will be ready for the first-ever Shopping Cart Parade at the Hibiscus Festival this Saturday. We are driving two of the 40 shopping carts filled with nonperishable goods that will rattle through Downtown Vero Beach, all to benefit the Harvest Food & Outreach Center. We encourage you to stop by the festival to donate goods and check out the booths, live music, and other events.

The Hibiscus Festival is on Friday and Saturday at Historic Downtown Vero Beach on the corner of US1 and 23 Street. For more information, click here.

Sunrise Theatre Presents - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Sign Stage on Tour brings an American Sign Language version of Ronald Dahl’s book to the Sunrise this Sunday. Sign Stage on Tour is dedicated to raising awareness of hearing issues, and in this production the actors speak with their mouths and their hands at the same time. The cast is comprised of both deaf and hearing actors, and hearing issues are also integrated into the plot.

This show puts a unique twist on a well-known story as Charlie, his grandpa, and a bunch of misbehaved brats brave the wonders of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

For more information and tickets, click here.

Sunrise Theatre Presents - So You Think You Can Step

You’ve seen the movies before. The ones about the troubled loner from the other side of the tracks who find talent and focus in the fast-paced, hard-stomping team dance known as stepping.


However, area middle- and high-school students don't need a Hollywood script to train their hearts out for Step Florida’s regional dance competition. As they leave everything on the Sunrise stage this Saturday, these steppers will prove that they are the best around. And seeing their hard work is better than any movie climax.

Click here for more information. Tickets are only $12 if you order in advance!

Black Box Presents - Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials

Blues returns to the Black Box this Thursday with Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials. Lil Ed is a Chicago-born musician who describes his fast and upbeat style as “happy blues.” Check out this video where Lil Ed talks about his career and latest record Full Tilt. Then get ready for a lively night in our side theatre.

Click here for more information and tickets.

Sunrise Theatre Presents - Menopause: The Musical

A change is coming to the Sunrise on April 10-11, when Menopause: the Musical comes to town for three shows. The hit show has been performed around the world and is meant for anyone who is a woman or knows a woman.

The show takes place in the lingerie department of Bloomingdale’s, where four women from a Professional Woman to a hippie Earth Mother bond over a black lace bra. Stacy Schwartz, who plays the Soap Star, spoke to us by phone about how much fun it is for the cast and the audience alike.

"It’s for audiences of both sexes,” she said. “We’ve talked to men before and after the show and they say something like, ‘I was dreading it and was kicking and screaming, but we had a ball.’”

The show involves parodies of baby-boomer songs from “Stayin’ Awake” to “My Husband Sleeps Tonight,” and that’s part of the fun.

“The appeal is the music,” Ms. Schwartz said. “Men know the music. They’re surprised that they get a better perspective of what the women in their lives are going through. Everything is done with humor and song.”

All of the performers are over 40, some a little more than others. Schwartz is one of the younger ones, but that’s all right.

“My character is supposed to have had a nip, a tuck, an injection,” she said. It’s okay that I look a little younger.”

Schwartz lived in the Fort Lauderdale area for 11 years and has performed throughout South Florida. For Menopause, the audience tends to be in their 40s and 50s.

“There are a lot of girls-nights-out audiences,” she said. We’ve seen them in boas and tiaras. Saturday night is more date night and we have the largest male audience.”

While Menopause examines some serious issues in women’s health and aging, the show sticks with a light pace.

"It’s pure entertainment,” Ms. Schwartz said. “There’s something for everyone. Everything is comically based. If there’s a slight embarrassment, we’ve gone on to the next thing.”

Ms. Schwartz cautioned that it’s important to stay until the very end.

“There’s a surprise,” she said.

You’ll have to come to the Sunrise to find out what it is.

Shelly Koppel
Writer

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Menopause: The Musical will have shows on Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and on Sunday at 2 p.m. Click here for more information and tickets.

The Beach Boys and John Stamos Cause Waves at the Sunrise

The Beach Boys came to the Sunrise on April 1 and together with special guest John Stamos played the good vibrations we loved and remembered. A frequent Beach Boys collaborator, the Full House actor played both the drums and guitar for the sold-out crowd.

Before the show, guests and members of the media met with original member Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, and Stamos at the Black Box next door.

“The first concert I went to was a Beach Boys show,” Stamos said. “I jokingly hoped that the drummer would break his finger and they’d come out and get me to play the drums instead.”

That didn’t happen, but he did become friends with the group and began playing with them on occasional tours and records in the mid-1980s.



When asked why their music has endured for such a long time, Love talked about the brilliance of original member and chief songwriter Brian Wilson, while Stamos got philosophical.

“It’s heart music,” he said. “It bypasses the brain and goes straight to the heart. It’s timeless. Every new generation gets hooked.”

Bill and Nancy Welling were among the lucky group who got to meet the Beach Boys. Bill Welling said worked for the New York Mets during Spring Training and said he was a big fan.

“I’ve seen them in Ohio and at Tradition,” Bill Welling said. “Good music doesn’t get old.”

Nancy Welling added that they’ve been to the Sunrise a for jazz musician Doc Grober and Chris MacDonald’s “Memories of Elvis,” as well as the local sights at the marina.

“I love it,” she said. “They did a beautiful job and it’s right here. We come to Friday Fest and have a good time and the library is great. You can’t beat it.”

The concert attracted a wide range of ages. Most were there for The Beach Boys. The reason for many of the younger audience members became clear when Stamos took the stage. There were female screams as if he were – well – a rock star.

Lauren Hellstrom, 24 of Port St. Lucie, was there with her parents, but they didn't have to drag her to the show.

"I'm here to see John Stamos."

Shelly Koppel
Writer

Groucho's Comedy at the Black Box - Comedian-Magician John Ferrentino

The Black Box is usually closed in the day, but when the sun sets it comes alive like magic!

… OK, we’ll leave the comedy to John Ferrentino, who is both a comedian and a magician. He’ll be showcasing his talents at sarcasm and sleight of hand live this Saturday. Click here for more tickets and info.

A Night at the Sunrise With One Night Of Queen

Gary Mullen: Ascended fan. Mullen won the British TV show Stars In Their Eyes with the most votes in the show's history through his recreation of legendary Queen singer Freddie Mercury. Now he tours with his band The Works as the “One Night of Queen” tribute show, which stopped by the Sunrise last Friday.

Mullen hits all the Mercury mannerisms. He comes out in the classic white pants and a jacket he removes as the concert goes on. He wields a microphone with half the stand still attached, holding it upside down while singing and miming the guitarists during instrumentals. He roams the stage, using every square foot to his advantage.

Big deal. Anyone can imitate a performer’s mannerisms, and Mercury is a once-in-a-lifetime performer. So what makes Mullen more than "The Great Pretender"?

After a few songs Mullen does the bit in Live Aid and other concerts where Mercury shows his vocal range while the audience tries to mimic it. Mullen goes low and high, coming close to the tonal range that made Mercury famous. Eventually he reaches for his highest pitch and hits it perfectly. For half a minute.

A tribute singer has two challenges. Aside from just being a good singer, Mullen has to sing as close as the original as possible – to create the illusion that it is the real Queen on stage. Mullen does right on both tests, and doesn’t shy away from a variety of songs.

Of course Mullen can do classics like “Another One Bites the Dust,” where the 48 lights hanging over the band flashed to the song’s beat. But he can also sing ballads like “Love of My Life” and “Too Much Love Will Kill You” that few would attempt. Just as Mercury had done, Mullen also stepped out of the regular Queen set for a rendition of Elvis’s “Jailhouse Rock.”

His bandmates were also excellent. David Brockett’s guitar solos capped off several songs, while Jonathon Evans alternated between cymbals as purple and green lights danced in the background. Mullen played with his bandmates, messing around with keyboardist Malcolm Gentles and swiping a cowboy hat off of bassist Billy Moffat.

The playfulness extended to the audience. Mullen slapped his fanny in the middle of songs and spotted himself a front-row drink during interludes. He took pictures with an audience member’s camera and let a young fan onstage for the “We Are the Champions” encore (yeah yeah - it isn’t hard to predict which songs would be in a Queen encore.) Mullen is the ascended fan, singing so hard his eyes bulge out, commanding the audience to rise and sit to his whim, and having fun doing what he did in British karaoke bars years ago.

As Mullen said after commanding the crowd to rise for another fast-paced song – “That is how you change a theater audience to a rock and roll audience.”

Chris Hoadley
Blog Editor

Sunrise Theatre Presents - Lisa Lampanelli

Lisa Lampanelli likes to say mean things, as William Shatner, Bob Sagat, and other Comedy Central Roast “honorees” will attest to. Meanwhile, her appearances on Howard Stern and other radio shows are the definition of "Not Safe For Work."

So why see a show this Thursday about a self-described “Queen of Mean?” Because those mean things are also very funny, and even if she says mean things about you it’ll still make you laugh.

Click here for more information and tickets.

Wouldn't it be Nice to See The Beach Boys and John Stamos at the Black Box?

Last Thursday, Beach Boys Mike Love (right) and Bruce Johnston (left) stopped by Sunrise's Black Box Theatre to talk to media and fans about their sold-out concert that night. John Stamos of Full House fame was also with the group - while he made his name playing a struggling musician on TV, he's been playing with the Boys since the mid-80s. Stamos also came back just before the show to take pictures and to sign one fan's Jesse doll. And he still knows how to make girls swoon.

Thanks to Mitch Pix for the pictures.
















Here are some more photos from the press conference.

Sunrise Theatre Presents - The Country Rat Pack, Featuring Mark Chesnutt, Tracy Lawrence, & Richie McDonald

Tracy Lawrence is a country staple thanks to his multi-platinum albums with songs like “Sticks and Stones” and “Time Marches On.” Richie McDonald is the former lead singer of Lonestar, a band with a knack for crossover hits such as “Amazed” and “I’m Already There.” Joining them for the first of five dates is another star in Mark Chesnutt, whose No. 1 singles include “Brother Jukebox” and “Almost Goodbye.”

In other words, this show will be a lot like creating a set list out of Billboard’s Hot Country charts. The difference is that it’s live, acoustic, and will have stories from the past two decades of music. And it will be at the Sunrise this Saturday. Click here for more information and tickets.

Sunrise Picture of the Day

A view from the Balcony.

The Fort Pierce Marina has had a lot of renovations the past few years. Now it is a mix of the old and the new, businesses and the arts, and the natural and the industrial. The Sunrise is part of this ecosystem, so we thought we'll show you the buildings, paintings and sculptures that are as much worth seeing as the Theatre itself. Check back regularly for more updates.