Josh Garrick: Culture for Your Calendar

March 14 – One night – two openings at Art & History Museums Maitland

As part of Art 31, a month-long series of events celebrating artistic creativity, the Art & History Museums Maitland will present two openings on March 14. They include opening receptions for “Film Stories: Nancy Cervenka” and “Moving Pictures by Joyce Ely Walker” beginning at 5:30 p.m. This will be followed by a Culture Pop! event called Roll, Repeat – in partnership with Enzian Theater and the Florida Film Festival beginning at 7 p.m. The Maitland Art Center is at 231 W. Packwood Ave. Visit art31.org for a complete listing of events.

March 14 to 16 – CFCArts helps us ‘Believe in Spring’

After this ‘colder-than-normal’ winter, CFCArts invites us to “You Must Believe In Spring,” a cabaret musical about youth, love and warmer weather! Bringing together six singers and a jazz quartet, this sophisticated revue includes classics such as “Blue Skies,” “Singin' In The Rain” and “It Might As Well be Spring.” Performances will be March 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. and March 16 at 3 p.m. at Central Christian Church at 250 SW Ivanhoe Blvd. in Orlando. Visit cfcarts.com or contact [email protected]

March 14 to 16 – The Orlando Ballet – ‘Some Assembly Required’

“Some Assembly Required” is the name given to the World Premiere performances being offered by the Orlando Ballet on the weekend of March 14 to 16 at the Bob Carr PAC. The ballet is the newest creation by Artistic Director Robert Hill, and it promises to showcase the dancers’ physicality in movement as an evolving process. Additional works will be presented by guest choreographers Abdur-Rahim Jackson and Orlando Ballet’s Arcadian Broad and Telmo Moreira. Visit orlandoballet.org or ticketmaster.com

March 14 to 16 – ‘Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead’ at the Venue

In the unauthorized parody “Dog Sees God,” the popular Peanuts characters are teenagers battling real-life issues. When CB's dog dies, CB questions the existence of an afterlife, but his best friend is ‘burnt out,’ his sister has gone Goth and his girlfriend is in rehab. A chance meeting with an artistic kid (the target of the group's bullying), offers CB a friendship that pushes teen angst to the limits. Performed from March 14 to 16 at the The Venue in Orlando, tickets are available at DogSeesGodOrlando.com

March 18 at 8 p.m. – The art of Rik Hayes at the Peacock Room

The somewhat foreboding title “The Inmates Are Running the Asylum” should be enough to pique the interest of adventurous art-lovers, especially when the artwork comes from the inventive mind of Rik Hayes. On May 18, beginning at 8 p.m., we’re invited to see the inmates who have escaped onto his canvases and mixed media art. Personally I never leave home without Rik’s art. You see, Rik is also a professional tattoo artist, and he’s done three of my tattoos. The exhibit is at the Peacock Room at 1321 N. Mills Ave. in Orlando. Call 407-228-0048 or 407-484-3196 or visit inkinktattoos.com

March 19 to April 20 – Shakespeare Takes On ‘Julius Caesar’

Shakespeare’s version of the death of “Julius Caesar” explores the line between patriotism and personal ambition. After Caesar’s assassination, Brutus and Cassius are left to divide the empire, but they underestimate Caesar's devoted follower Mark Antony … leading the world to the brink of anarchy. In an already brilliant season for the Shakespeare Center, “Julius Caesar” is yet another timeless classic. Adding to the experience (30 minutes before each performance) an Orlando Shakes actor shares insights about the production with the audience. Visit OrlandoShakes.org or call 407-447-1700.

March 19 to April 20 – The Mad Cow has a ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’

Legend says that “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” was Tennessee Williams’ favorite play – perhaps because it won him the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1955. Set in the plantation home of Big Daddy Pollitt, the play examines relationships among Big Daddy's family, focusing on his son Brick and Brick’s wife – Maggie the Cat. Williams’ unflinching language takes on the concept of how families deal with greed, mendacity, (repressed) sexual desire and death. Presented in Mad Cow Theatre’s beautiful new complex, visit madcowtheatre.com or call 407-297-8788.

March 20 – Hannibal Square Wine Tasting

You don’t have to be an Art Collector to join the kick-off of Art Festival Weekend presented at Hannibal Square by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and Hannibal Square Merchants Association on March 20 beginning at 5 p.m. Held on the evening before the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival begins, the evening offers more than 40 varieties of wine and beer samples, appetizers from 16 local eateries and live music. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door with entrances at the corner of West New England and Pennsylvania avenues or West New England and Virginia avenues. Call 407-644-8281 or visit winterpark.org

March 20 – Jeb Bush at Rollins College

As part of a series of talks offered free to the public, the Winter Park Institute at Rollins College will present former Governor Jeb Bush in a talk called ‘America's Promise in Uncertain Times,’ in which he will share his insights on the current challenges facing America. Set for March 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Alfond Sports Center, the event is free and open to the public. Call 407-691-1995 or visit winterparkinstitute.org

March 20 to April 11 – The Twitter Art Exhibit: Orlando

Orlando continues to enhance its reputation in the art world as local arts legend Robin Maria Pedrero creates – and curates – the Twitter Art Exhibit: Orlando. Opening March 20 at the CityArts Factory, this is the fourth installment of a worldwide art experience featuring original, postcard-sized art, donated by artists from around the world. The postcard art will be displayed and sold through April 11 at a price of $35 each to benefit special needs students at The Center for Contemporary Dance. Free and open to the public, visit twitterartexhibit.org.

And looking ahead …

March 25 to 30 – ‘EVITA’ on the Broadway Series

The inventive – and decades later – classic Broadway show “EVITA” offers us the Argentinean diva Eva Peron center stage at the Bob Carr PAC. The multi-award-winning musical chronicles the life of Eva Peron in a six-day run from March 25 to 30 telling the rags-to-riches tale of Eva Peron and her rise to power from being an illegitimate child from the slums to becoming Argentina’s First Lady. For a brief time, Evita was high-flying adored, only to have her fragile health prove her downfall. Visit OrlandoBroadway.com or call 1-800-982-2787