Rediscovering the Florida Theater with BackLight Group

[Metro Jacksonville]

Rediscovering the Florida Theater with BackLight Group



Metro Jacksonville discovers the Florida Theatre in Downtown Jacksonville being used (and considered) in a new way:  As a living part of the Jacksonville theatre community.

Robb Clare's recent workshops drew participants from all over the area to learn technique from a master of the craft, and the informal, exciting use of the building may serve as a building block for the future.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-apr-rediscovering-the-florida-theater-with-backlight-group

[SarahEHarper]

This was such a fabulous workshop. I hope the Florida Theater starts having more of this type of thing!

[fieldafm]

Is Backlight planning on putting on any performances at Florida Theatre???
Im going to the Hollywood party on the 15th, and that will be my first time back to the theatre for a couple of years.  I always enjoy visiting the old girl.  Does anyone know if the Sunday afternoon movies will be coming back this summer?

[redgie]

Damn son, but you are a writer! What a superb use of language to so effectively transport the reader to that place & time. I was there. I felt it. I experienced it. But days later you recreated it to a T-- the colors, sounds, feelings and learning we saw in those classes were all captured in this article. Thank you.
With that noted, what's of real importance & value to your piece is questioning what we the people, in conjunction with folks like Devlin Mann  &  Rob Clare, with organizations like The Backlight Theatre Group, The Mayors Office, The Florida Theatre and the Jacksonville Cultural Council are going to DO with this energy and spirit, intelligence and talent. I guess it falls back to the same core elements of any successful initiative-- active involvement and commitment of time & wallet, from people, groups and  BUSINESSES--- across the spectrum vigorous support. This is easy to write. Pleas come in the mail every day. What we're left with is the choice to make quality Theatre a priority. The  Backlight Theatre Group appears to be willing and able to lead. I hope we'll all take an ACTIVE role participating and enthusiastically following them into an exciting, spiritually reviving artistic future in Jacksonville.

[sheclown]

Ahh....class comes downtown.

[scottjsmith]

The Summer Movie Classics will return.  The dates are on Florida Theatre's Facebook page, but not their website.  Guess their communications team could work on consistency.

[Dawn Button]

Steven, this is a great article. You really captured, the excitement, the spirit, and the intensity of these three workshops. It was such a unique theater event.  I have not seen anything like this in Florida, and the Florida Theatre was the perfect venue for this event too.  What a fantastic space!  I hope that there will be more events like the Rob Clare Workshops, Acting Classes, and Plays there in the very near future. 

An actor longs for a play to play in and a stage to play on,
A stage longs for a play to be performed in it, and actors to act on it;
Both the stage and the actor also long for an audience.

Thank you.

Dawn Button

[fieldafm]

The Summer Movie Classics will return.  The dates are on Florida Theatre's Facebook page, but not their website.  Guess their communications team could work on consistency.

Sweet... looks like there will be movies on July 4th and July 11th.

[devlinmann]

I was thrilled with the event and the energy it brought to the space.

Stephen you have done an extraordinary job of transporting the reader into the exciting atmosphere and experience of those nights.

As far as our plans go, they include many more nights like this across a range of disciplines as well as productions from every arm of the BackLight Group (Theatre, Film, Dance).

I am hoping to provide more details asap and I will do so as soon as all the elements have been finalized.

Thanks to everyone who made the event such a success!! 

We are just getting started!!

[devlinmann]

Getting the schedule together for the year... more soon!

[devlinmann]

This would look good on the Florida Theatre stage as well...




...I'm just saying...

[devlinmann]

I can now say that our next offerings will involve more master class theatre as well as film and dance, music and visual arts coming soon...

[devlinmann]

we are in lab session tonight and fri 6:30-9:30 unf fine arts center email devlindirector@mac.com for details

[devlinmann]

FL HB 697 Florida is BACK IN
THE BUSINESS...Film, TV and digital media that is!! Tell all your
friends!! We need to structure Florida Theatre and area into this !

[devlinmann]

Labs are in full swing, contact me at devlindirector@mac.com for details