The Alliance for the Arts is continuing its new Spanish language immersion classes beginning Saturday, May 11 from 10-11AM.  In this six week class children ages 4 to 7 are not just taught to speak Spanish, they are taught IN Spanish.  The immersion class provides the foundation for understanding and speaking Spanish as a second language.  Activities include language books, art projects, flash cards, interactive games and DVDs.  The cost is $60 for Alliance members or $72 for nonmembers.  Pre-registration is required and space is limited to 12 students.

The instructor, Anaily Perez, has designed curriculum for language learning programs, classrooms and private tutoring, and she has developed programs to encourage children to get excited about learning to read, while exploring their creativity.

 On Saturday, May 25 at 10AM GOLDEN Certified Working Artist K. D. Tobin will present an “All Things Acrylic” Lecture Demo at the Alliance for the Arts.  Back by popular demand, the two hour session is FREE for Alliance members or $10 for nonmembers.  This lecture packs in a ton of valuable information about acrylics, guiding attendees through the basics while opening up new possibilities.  Artists will gain information about mineral and modern pigments and how this relates to clean color mixing, glazing and the creation of fabulous new colors.  They will learn the unique properties of OPEN acrylics and get a grip on the many gels and mediums and how they can change texture, saturation and intensity of color.  They will even discover how acrylics can simulate oil and watercolor.  All attendees will receive a valuable information packet and free samples of Golden products.

The GOLDEN Certified Working Artists are professional artists with extensive acrylic product training. They have studied extensively for a minimum of six months, and completed three specialized trainings. These talented acrylic experts conduct Lectures demonstrations and staff trainings on behalf of Golden Artist Colors.  The “All Things Acrylic” lecture demo is part of the Alliance TRY IT FREE program, one of the many year round benefits to the Alliance’s more than 900 active members.

10 Performances, 10 different Casts to benefit 10 Different Charities!!!

Theatre Conspiracy is proud to announce the opening of LOVE LOSS AND WHAT I WORE, a play written by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the 1995 book of the same name by Ilene Beckerman, on May 9, 2013 at the Foulds Theatre, Alliance of the Arts in Fort Myers.

Each performance of the show is a reading and will feature a new cast and benefit a different Southwest Florida charity including DRESS FOR SUCCESS, ADONIS AUTISM ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION, JUNIOR FLORIDA EVERBLADES. and WGCU PUBLIC MEDIA.

Made famous in its off-Broadway run, LOVE, LOSS explores five women and how their wardrobes relate to pivotal moments in their lives. The late Nora Ephron, celebrated as a successful screenwriter, director and essayist is most proud of this particular contribution to American Theatre. The show won a special Drama Desk Award and was nominated for two Drama League awards in 2010. Nora Ephron, in an interview in Huffington Post said “Everybody associated their clothing with an important event in their life – their divorce, their marriage, falling in love, their prom nights. It’s just so powerful for women.”

The show plays May 9 – 25. Thursday, Friday and Saturdays at 8Pm with one Sunday matinee at 2Pm on May 19. Tickets to the show are $20 each and can be purchased by calling Theatre Conspiracy’s box office at 239-936-3239 or visiting www.theatreconspiracy.org. A complete list of casts and charities will also be posted on the website.

The show was initially presented as a part of the 2008 summer series at Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York, and then as a benefit series at the DR2 Theatre in New York in early 2009. Later the same year, the show was produced Off-Broadway as an ongoing commercial theatrical production at the Westside Theatre in New York, where it continues to run as the second-longest running show in the theatre’s history. The show has been produced on six continents and more than eight countries.

THE CHARITIES AND CAST SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:

May 9 at 8PM To benefit FLORIDA REPERTORY THEATRE

Carrie Lund, Susan Johnson, Tera Nicole Miller, Lisa Marie and Ivy Levinson

Florida Rep is committed to providing a first-class regional theatre for Southwest Florida; to creating, nurturing and developing an ensemble of theatre professionals who will develop long term relationships working on a wide variety of plays; to helping improve the quality of life in our community through all the arts; and to making the arts, especially theatre, accessible to all.

May 10 at 8PM to benefit HOPE CLUBHOUSE OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

Andrea Prather, Angel Duncan, Tera Nicole Miller, Lisa Marie and Ivy Levinson

HOPE Clubhouse is a community resource that fills a significant gap in the opportunities for people living with mental illness in Southwest Florida. HOPE Clubhouse offers opportunities for meaningful work, education, friendships, and access to housing in a supportive, caring, dignified and respectful community setting. Members of HOPE Clubhouse develop hope for recovery and achievement of their full human potential.

May 11 at 8PM to benefit ADONIS AUTISM ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION

Kathy Grey, Joann Haley, Annette Trossbach, Christine Kobie and Pat Clopton

The Adonis Autism Assistance Foundation (AAAF) will strive to enhance the quality of life for people living with autism by providing resources, activities, information, advocacy and support to those who love someone living with autism. As funding becomes available, AAAF will also provide financial assistance grants to fund autism related expenses for children and adults meeting criteria.

May 16 at 8PM to benefit WGCU PUBLIC MEDIA

Amy Tardiff, Kathy Grey, Heather Fulkerson, Christine Kobie and Pat Clopton

The Mission of WGCU Public Media is to provide media content and services that enrich the lives of our citizens and strengthen the social, democratic and cultural health of our region by fostering personal growth, celebrating human diversity and motivating community engagement.

May 17 at 8PM to benefit JUNIOR FLORIDA EVERBLADES HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

Lauren Taylor, Liz Abbot, Nancy Stetson, Joy Davidson and Karen Goldberg

The Junior Everblades program stresses the principles of good sportsmanship, leadership, teamwork, respect for authority, the fundamentals of ice-skating, and the elements of hockey. Although winning is a desired outcome of this program, positive team and individual development, as well as instruction of good sportsmanship to the participating youth, will not be sacrificed to the goal of winning.

May 18 at 8PM to benefit Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation

Liz Abbot, Lauren Taylor, Karen Goldberg, Brittany Albury and Tiffany Campbell

Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, has made a lasting commitment to the prevention and cure of cancer, working tirelessly in the areas of patient care, research and education to advance one step further in fighting this disease.

May 19 at 2PM to benefit THE ALLIANCE OF THE ARTS

Lydia Black, Rachael Endrizzi, Betty Madonna, Unota Lucero and Marianette Torres

The Alliance of the Arts is the state designated arts agency: a non-profit member supported organization with a passion to facilitate and nurture the creation, development, promotion and education of arts and culture.

May 23 at 8PM to benefit ABUSE COUNCELING AND TREATMENT

Jenna Persons, Lucy Harris, Betty Madonna, Rachael Endrizzi and Marianette Torres

Act’s mission is to protect, support and educate victims of domestic violence and their children, survivor of sexual assault and human trafficking and the new and temporarily homeless in Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties.

May 24 at 8PM to benefit GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

Madison Mitchell, Stephanie Davis, Jenny Smith, Denise Scott and Joan Olsen

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida builds lives, families, and communities–one job at a time by helping people with disabilities and disadvantages overcome their barriers to employment and independence.

May 25 at 8PM to benefit DRESS FOR SUCCESS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

Sunny Lubner, Nancy Antonio, Madison Mitchel, Stephanie Davis, Joan Olsen

Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization offering services designed to help our clients find jobs and remain employed. The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and career development tools to help them thrive in work and in life. Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has a job interview and can return for a second suit or separates when she finds work.

The Alliance for the Arts concludes its series of Outdoor Family Movie Nights on Friday, April 19 with The Muppets, starring Jason Segel and Chris Cooper.  Bring your lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets and enjoy the film with your family and friends under the stars!

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary and Mary from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10-million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit the Frog reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways.

The movie begins just after sunset at 8:00PM.  A suggested $5 donation helps continue free family programming remains at the Alliance.  Support for Family Movie Night generously provided by Briers CPA, DinoLingo.com, Riverside Realty, Staging Matters and Winged Foot Title.

The 2013 Bruce T. Gora Sunset Concert Series wraps up on Sunday, April 21 when The David Mayfield Parade takes to the Margaret Morrow Frizzell Amphitheater stage at the Alliance for the Arts.  The indie folk rock act is well-known on the jam band circuit and has often played with The Avett Brothers.  The concert begins at 5PM.  Lawn chairs and coolers are welcome and encouraged.  Alliance member pre-sale tickets are $15.  Tickets at the gate, which opens at 4PM, are $20.

Growing up in Kent, Ohio, David Mayfield was surrounded by Bluegrass music. At the age of twelve he was playing bass for the family band, traveling from festival to festival, along with his younger sister, noted songstress, Jessica Lea Mayfield, singing and absorbing the stories and lessons taught by road hard veterans, all the while picking up tips on how to play a lick on guitar or mandolin. By the time he was a teenager, Mayfield had won several national awards for his guitar and mandolin playing and his reputation was being forged in the world of Bluegrass as a player to watch out for.

But over the years he’s forged an indie folk rock style that caught the attention of Scott & Seth Avett.  The three quickly developed a friendship, leading them to invite David to sit in with them dozens of times including their 2010 Bonnaroo & Merlefest sets.  After urging him more and more to make a record of his own, when he took to the studio the Avett’s were quick to lend their voices.  The David Mayfield Parade is the culmination of that encouragement. The music and showmanship reflects the numerous influences that come from a lifetime of being immersed in American music and channeling its unique forms with sincerity and celebration from the howl of early rock-n-roll, to the low lonesome twang of folk and country with a voice that is all at once heartbreaking and inherently hopeful.

Gates open at 4PM & concerts begin at 5PM.  The Nosh Truck will be selling food, but guests are encouraged to bring their own coolers, lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy a picnic on the amphitheater lawn.  General admission tickets are $20.  Pre-sale tickets are $15 for Alliance Members, and are available at the Alliance for the Arts, located on the corner of Colonial and McGregor in Fort Myers.  Proceeds from the concert series will benefit Alliance Education and Outreach Programming.  The 2013 Bruce T. Gora Sunset Concert Series is sponsored in part by LCEC & The News Press Media Group.

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