Garden Theatre starts 2015 with two concerts

By Observer Staff
| 7:00 a.m. January 8, 2015

West Orange Times & Observer
Neighborhood

WINTER GARDEN — The Garden Theatre hopes to kick off the new year on a high note as it welcomes two musicians to the stage this weekend.

Local favorite John Charles returns to the Winter Garden stage Friday, Jan. 9. The next night, the theater will welcome Dr. Sandy Shugart.

Charles, a veteran of the Disney Cruise Line, will bring a unique show full of music, comedy and tales from his travels. For more than three decades, Charles has been performing throughout the United States, Canada and Europe and has established himself as one of the most soughtafter entertainers in the corporate market. He has written, produced and hosted the openings of almost every Walt Disney Resort in the United States and Europe. As a corporate entertainer, he has performed for most of the Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, IBM, Kodak, Time Warner and Coca-Cola. He was voted Solo Artist Of The Year by American Entertainment Magazine.

Following Charles’ Friday night performance, Shugart, also the president of Valencia College, will bring his folk-influence, coffeehouse-style music to West Orange. Shugart said he often takes inspiration from his job at Valencia to craft the songs that find their way to the stage. Shugart has released three independent albums, including “Didn’t You Know?” in 2006, which is available digitally on iTunes.

Shugart has served as Valencia’s president since 2000. He earned his doctoral degree in teaching and learning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to his careers in education and music, he is a published poet and author of “Leadership in the Crucible of Work: Discovering the Interior Life of an Authentic Leader.”

Tickets may be purchased by calling the Garden Theatre Box Office at (407) 877-4736, Ext. 0, or online at gardentheatre.org.

IF YOU GO

JOHN CHARLES

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9

WHERE: Garden Theatre, 160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden

TICKETS: $25

PHONE: (407) 877-4736

WEBSITE: gardentheatre.org

SANDY SHUGART

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10

WHERE: Garden Theatre, 160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden

TICKETS: $25 ($15 with Valencia College ID)