Best bets: Art studio tour, 'Hamlet,' 'Free Fridays' concert, 'Spamalot,' Blues Meets Girl
2022 GFAA ARTIST STUDIO TOUR: Visit 20 artists in 15 studios across Gainesville for a weekend of shopping and live demonstrations during the free 2022 GFAA Artist Studio Tour from 5 to 9 p.m. today plus 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Fiber artist Candace McCaffery, who will be sharing tour space at the GFAA Gallery with jeweler Sandra Matasick and fellow fiber artist Linda Krause, says she tries to create art that reflects her connection to nature. Potter/sculptor Steve Howell just completed construction of a new studio at his home in the Duckpond neighborhood, where he will demonstrate pottery making on the wheel as well as show his techniques for weaving copper. The studio was designed to be open, full of light and a pleasant place to see an artist at work with ample parking available. The 2022 tour’s participating artists include potters, painters, a woodworker, sculptors, fiber artists, jewelers, a photographer, printmakers and a mosaic artist. Visit gfaastudiotour.org to learn more about the participating artists and to find a map with all studio locations.
“HAMLET”: The Acrosstown Repertory Theatre is presenting an original adaptation of one of the most impactful and widely performed pieces of literature in the world — William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” In this story, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns from school to find his father dead and his mother married to his uncle. However, something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and his father’s ghost walks nightly through Elsinore castle crying out for revenge. Hamlet takes up the gauntlet to confront his mother and uncle, and avenge his father. Performance text, adapted and edited by Catherine Karow from Shakespeare’s second quarto, is fast-paced and has a running time of two hours. From its impactful staging, with technological enhancements, to its unique casting and costumes, this production is sure to provide a moving and memorable theatrical experience, fitting for the final production in the theatre’s current performance space. The theatre requests that all patrons be masked when not eating or drinking. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 7 at the Acrosstown Repertory Theater, 619 S. Main St. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for seniors, military and students. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit acrosstown.org/2022-07-hamlet.
“FREE FRIDAYS” CONCERT: Catch the next performance of the city’s popular “Free Fridays” concert series from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Bo Diddley Plaza downtown amphitheater, located at 111 E. University Ave. The free concert series highlights a different act each week, with Gainesville Big Band performing jazz and swing music today. Attendees are encouraged to bring their blankets and lawn chairs to Bo Diddley Plaza to enjoy the concert under the stars. For more information, including a list of upcoming performances, visit bodiddleyplaza.com/upcoming-events.
“MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT”: The musical comedy that raises silliness to an art form is back at the Gainesville Community Playhouse. This musical, featuring a bevy of beautiful show girls, a cow and killer rabbits is lovingly ripped off from the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Performances are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays at the playhouse, located at 4039 NW 16th Blvd., through Aug. 7. Tickets are $23 for general admission, $19 for seniors and $12 for students. For tickets or more information, visit gcplayhouse.org.
BLUES MEETS GIRL: The North Central Florida Blues Society is set to present the blues duo Blues Meets Girl at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Heartwood Soundstage. Blues Meets Girl, currently based in Crawfordville, is a collaboration between British Blues veteran Mr. Downchild (Steev Inglish) and Texas-born singer/songwriter Kasimira Vogel. Inglish and Vogel met at a jam session when a mutual friend asked them both to sit in. It was immediately evident that their musical styles were complimentary. Together, they weave their influences and experiences creating down-home blues. Their style has been called a combination of Delta and Chicago blues. Inglish was mentored and befriended by Robert Lockwood Jr., who was the only guitarist to learn directly from blues legend Robert Johnson. He was equally influenced and encouraged by Pinetop Perkins and Junior Wells. Vogel was trained at the Dana School of Music, but realized that blues and jazz were her passions, not opera. Her influences include Etta James, Big Mama Thornton and Koko Taylor. Blues Meets Girl advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 International Blues Challenge. Opening the show will be The Blues Art Form, a Gainesville/Micanopy act that combines the guitar styles of Dr. Jules Gliesche and Lothar Weimann with the saxophone playing of Adam Careaga. Gliesche has been on a crusade to preserve the blues and spread the sound with his uniquely skeptical and humorous lyrics. Weimann is a renowned guitar maker and guitar player who gained fame in Germany before moving to Florida. Careaga was born and raised in Key West, and has been swiftly gaining recognition since moving to Gainesville. Admission to Sunday’s performance is $15 for general admission and $8 for North Central Florida Blues Society members. The North Central Florida Blues Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, cultivation, nurturing and promotion of blues music. See ncfblues.org for more details.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Best bets: Studio tour, 'Hamlet,' 'Free Fridays,' 'Spamalot,' blues
