Culture worthy of your calendar

'9 Parts of Desire'

The arts allow us moments of greatness — those moments when an actor, painter or performer 'raises the bar' on what can be experienced and even expected from the art being presented to us. That 'greatness' is happening right now in the Empty Spaces Theatre production of Heather Raffo's "9 Parts of Desire". The play is a series of portraits of nine very different Iraqi women. Yes, it is a play about war, but the writing is so brilliant that the experiences of love, tragedy and horror faced by these women has inspired a production that ranks with the finest acting and directing that Central Florida has ever seen. This is the kind of growth — the kind of 'greatness' that shouts from the rooftops 'Yes, we are worthy of the new Performing Arts Center we've been promised for so long'. Directed by the visionary John Didonna, everyone associated with this not-to-be-missed production has been inspired by the material, and Central Florida is enriched by this exemplary production. There are a few performances left — through June 27 — at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Loch Haven Park. For tickets call 407-328-9005 or visit www.redchairproject.com.

'Feelin' Groovy'

"Feelin' Groovy" is one of those perfect titles that evokes memories and tells the story of what the Winter Park Playhouse's new summer musical revue is about. Featuring songs of the '60s, the show's 'tribute spirit' presents hits from The Drifters, The Supremes, The Four Seasons, The Beatles, The Mamas and the Papas and more! These songs are such classics that even if you weren't yet born in that "hippie" decade, you can still hum along to the songs, thanks to the fact that these songs have shaped contemporary music ever since. If you have not visited the Playhouse recently, their hard work has paid off in a wonderfully comfortable new theater space that is twice the size of the original. What better way to support that work than to buy a ticket and join them for the perfect summer entertainment for all ages? "Feelin' Groovy" is scheduled June 24-27 so "get your groove on" and get those tickets at 407-645-0145. Visit www.winterparkplayhouse.org for details.

First Friday Art Stroll

Picking a specific day of the month to present original fine art has been working big time ever since the Orlando Museum of Art instituted its ongoing and highly successful 1st Thursday events. Now art producer Brad Biggs is announcing "The 1st Fridays Art Stroll of Ivanhoe Village" with their first "1st Friday" happening on July 2 (which also happens to be Brad's Birthday). The Stroll will start in the Ivanhoe Village section of North Orange Avenue (also called Antique Row) from 6-9 p.m. Free and open to the public, the Stroll will feature artist booths with original art for sale, live painters creating on the sidewalk and live music. Contact Organizers Brad Biggs at 407-247-4552 or Jason Lee at 321-662-9073.

More honors for the Philharmonic

When we speak of growth in our arts community, the shining star is certainly the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. This was confirmed once again last week when our own Philharmonic was chosen to perform for the VIP opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Working under the baton of the world's most famous composer/conductor John Williams, the Philharmonic performed selections from the "Harry Potter" movies. With author J.K. Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) in the VIP crowd, the musicians of the Orlando Philharmonic performed under the composer of the most famous film scores in Hollywood history, including "Star Wars", "Superman", "Home Alone", "Harry Potter", "Indiana Jones", "E.T.", "Jurassic Park" and "Jaws". Williams has been nominated for 45 Academy Awards and won five. Big time congratulations to the Orlando Philharmonic. Being asked to perform for Harry Potter himself only confirms the "magic" our Philharmonic has been bringing to the community for years.