Like the color beige, B-list actors are destined to just sort of be everywhere without really standing out. Paul Giamatti is about the most beige actor of them all, with appearances in over 70 movies, dozens of awards and an uncanny ability to be “that guy who was in that one movie.” But for a trio of comedy writers in New York City, the time has come to give Paul Giamatti the pedestal he deserves (quite literally). Val Bodurtha, Sophie Mann and Rebecca Shaw are three comedy writers and longtime friends living in NYC, and a fateful trip to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum sparked a social movement and subsequent mockumentary that aims to get Giamatti his own wax effigy in the oddly prestigious halls of Tussauds.

The story begins when the three amigas drop Giamatti’s name in the figurative suggestion box. They waited and waited, but Tussauds failed to respond. “We felt our voices weren’t being heard,” says stand-up comedian and author Bodurtha, “so we took our campaign to the web and the streets.” The campaign began with the hashtag #waxpaulnow and a series of sign-holding publicity stunts at the museum’s doorstep. “I don’t know if Tussaud’s ever really expected a fight like this,” says Bodurtha, but the fight came nonetheless and picked up enough steam to warrant a full-fledged film about the crusade. 

The film, titled Wax Paul Now, was written and directed by the three friends and follows their unwavering, whimsical journey that eventually received the wholehearted endorsement of Giamatti himself. “I met him on my college campus and got a chance to tell him about the movement,” says Bodurtha, “and he pulled me into a big hug; he was honored if a bit bemused.” The mockumentary has now been screened at film festivals around the US and makes its Sarasota debut tomorrow afternoon at the Through Women’s Eyes International Film Festival, offering a bit of comic relief from the more serious films that explicitly address feminist and other social issues.

“It’s important to get different perspectives,” says Scott Osbourne, chair of the festival and president of the UN Women USA Gulf Coast Chapter. She refers not only to the overall aim of the festival in trying to champion underrepresented voices, but to the mockumentary specifically for its more subtle, implicit brand of feminism. “Not every feminist film has to hit you over the head with it,” says Osbourne, a sentiment echoed by Bodurtha. “There’s this pressure as a female writer to make everything you do a commentary on gender,” says Bodurtha, “our goal was to free ourselves from expectations and have the ability to choose our message.”

And with well-rehearsed gravitas, Bodurtha sums up the message eloquently. “Haven’t we all been overlooked at one time in our lives? Aren’t we all, in some way, wax statueless Paul Giamattis?”

The film screens at Hollywood 11 tomorrow at 2:35 pm, then returns for the Sarasota Film Festival later this month. 

From left to right: Paul Giamatti, Val Bodurtha, Fake Paul Giamatti, Sophie Mann and Rebecca Shaw. Photo courtesy of Val Bodurtha.

A new exhibition opens tonight at Alfstad& Editions over in the Rosemary District, celebrating the lasting legacy of Akira, the massively influential Japanese manga published in 1982 and adapted into a similarly groundbreaking animated film in 1988. Featuring a variety of work from local artist M@ Collins, the show highlights not only Akira’s aesthetic impact, but also the lasting emotional impact it had on the artist as a child. “I’m trying to capture the mood, the feel, the little emotional snapshots,” says Collins. “Ultimately, it’s a love letter.” Plus, it gave the artist, who also owns Panku Skateboards, the chance to show off a dying art—screenprinting on skateboards.

Set in a dystopian sci-fi future, Akira takes audiences to the city of Neo-Tokyo, post-apocalypse, falling into authoritarianism and poised on the brink of full societal collapse. The streets are rocked by unrest and home to roving teen gangs that patrol their turf by motorcycle. Meanwhile, the military-controlled government runs experiments on the citizenry, leading to the emergence of powerful psychic forces in the population. For Collins, this had a serious impact. “As a kid growing up in the Cold War, you’re like, ‘That’s probably the future,” he says. “Minus the science fiction stuff.”

And, unlike other dystopian films of the time, such as The Terminator, the story of Akira stayed with Collins. “It wasn’t about the death of humanity, so much as teen angst and feeling less than,” he says. “We all carry something like that with us—that fragility but invincibility at the same time.” 

As Collins grew as an artist, he also grew to appreciate the groundbreaking nature of the animation itself, likening the innovation to that seen during the Golden Age of Disney, with films like Pinocchio. “Akira did a lot of inventive things with their human animation and bike animation,” he says. “No one would even try to do it that way today, because it’s so much easier to do it in 3D.”

Similarly, Collins says, no one these days is really trying to screenprint on skateboards either. Collins thought it would be easy. In the end, it took him four years to figure out.

At the Tribute to Akira exhibition, Collins treats the audience to a wide array of media, including classic screenprints, posters, archival prints from hand-drawn sketches, stickers, t-shirts and even prints on different types of wood and metal. But the skateboard-as-canvas presented a particular challenge, with its warps and curves defying the typical screenprinting process. To make it work, Collins eventually had to build a custom screenprint mesh with a larger grid and about a third of the tension. Then, he had to make his own custom squeegee to match, carving the standard one into three pieces and reassembling it. “It was so hard,” Collins remembers, and it didn’t help that everything in the skateboard industry is still a trade secret. Years of trial-and-error were to follow, but quitting is never an option for the obsessed.

“You always seek that perfect line,” Collins says. “I wanted that perfection.”

Tribute to Akira opens tonight with a reception from 6pm to 9pm. Collins will be in attendance to talk more about Akira, the art and the skateboard industry. 

Cartoon of Akira, courtesy of Alfstad& Editions

Twenty-three volunteer board and community members with nonprofit organizations across the Gulf Coast region have completed the Winter 2020 Gulf Coast Board Institute. The participants took part in four full-day, interactive educational experiences that covered key nonprofit board governance topics and issues. The class completed its final session and celebrated its graduation on February 28. Gulf Coast Board Institute provides high-level board-governance training for new and veteran nonprofit board members. The Board Institute was created and is funded by Gulf Coast Community Foundation as part of its focus on building a vital nonprofit community with the capacity to respond to emerging issues. All training and resources are provided at no cost to participants in exchange for their commitment to advocate for good board governance within current and future board service roles. “Good board governance is crucial to the success of a nonprofit organization,” said Mark S. Pritchett, President|CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. “We know that this group will do great things for their organizations—they were eager to learn, attentive, and dynamic. ”

Gulf Coast will offer the next session of its Board Institute this summer. Applications for the Summer 2020 Board Institute will be available mid-April at GulfCoastcf.org/gulf-coast-board-institute. 

Photo courtesy of Gulf Coast Community Foundation

State labs have completed testing on 14 patients hospitalized at Sarasota Memorial Hospital with unexplained respiratory illness – all 14 tests were negative for COVID-19, hospital officials announced today. Results were shared with the hospital late Wednesday to help with patient care and notification, but are not considered official until confirmed by the Florida Department of Health and Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. SMH continues to treat a high volume of patients presenting with respiratory illness, and submit additional samples for testing, but does not currently have any presumptive or confirmed cases. Those who come to the hospital and meet CDC criteria for possible COVID-19 coronavirus are put in isolation and treated with all necessary precautions while the hospital completes a battery of tests to rule out flu and other viruses. If those results are negative, state health officials test the samples for COVID-19 at state-run labs in Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami. Results from the first batch of test samples sent to the labs on Monday were shared with the hospital late Wednesday night. 

When someone comes in with flu-like symptoms or a suspected infectious disease, such as tuberculosis or the new coronavirus, SMH treats them with all the necessary precautions while completing a thorough medical history and testing. If their condition is serious and they require hospitalization, the hospital will admit them and run tests to rule out influenza strains and other viruses, so the number of people under observation could fluctuate several times each day as test results either confirm or rule out illness. Before the CDC will test for COVID-19, current guidelines require precursor testing rule out all alternative explanations. SMH has opened a 24/7 coronavirus command center to provide staff, local healthcare providers, local nursing homes and others in the community with information and guidance. There is also a public coronavirus hotline (941)-917-8799 that SMH created for people to get updated information.

It is important that the public remain vigilant in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses. People experiencing symptoms consistent with this respiratory illness, including coughing, fever and shortness of breath, should follow proper precautions. Patients with severe symptoms or underlying conditions, such as a weakened immune system or chronic respiratory disease, should contact their family physician or the SMH hotline (941-917-8799) for guidance on how to seek care without exposing others. 

More information about prevention, treatment and SMH’s response to coronavirus in the community can be found online at smh.com/covid19. 

Art Center Sarasota’s 2019-2020 exhibition season continues with four distinct art exhibits, March 19 — April 17. A reception for all four exhibits is Thursday, March 19, 5:00pm - 7:00 pm. A “Garden Party,” featuring wine and craft beer, live music and food trucks will continue the reception until 9 pm or beyond. This cycle also features a special pop-up exhibit with well-known local artists Tom Stephens and John Pirman, March 9 — 13. An opening reception will be held on March 9, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm. 

Jungle Gardens Flamingos by John Pirman

For more details on the artist and exhibit announcement or to learn more about Art Center Sarasota

All aboard! Little engineers and their families are invited to Ride, Play, and Stay All Day at Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour. In 2020, Thomas & FriendsTM is celebrating its 75th anniversary, where families can join in the fun with an entire day of adventure when the #1 Engine pulls into the Florida Railroad Museum (12210 83rd St. E, Parrish) on March 13-15 and March 21-22, 2020. Day Out with Thomas: The Celebration Tour is presented by Amtrak in partnership with Mattel. This fun-filled event offers families the opportunity to hop onboard an interactive train ride with a life-sized Thomas the Tank Engine, as well as all-day access to Thomas & Friends activities including photo ops, app stations, toy play areas, and much more! It’s full steam ahead to an unforgettable day when children pick up their “Passport to Adventure” and track their journey to the Imagination Station, the Play Pod, and a Meet & Greet with Sir Topham Hatt, the Railway Controller from The Island of Sodor. Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour will make 34 stops to heritage railroad museums across the U.S. and Canada in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Thomas & Friends. 

Tickets for Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour are on sale now and available at dayoutwiththomas.com or by calling Ticketweb toll-free 866-468-7630.  

For more information on this event, or to purchase tickets

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) presents the World Premiere of Paralyzed by Etan Frankel, a striking story of guilt, personal responsibility, and the power of forgiveness. In this dramatic new play, the discovery of a mysterious suicide note in Georgia hotel bathroom sets two strangers’ lives in unforeseen directions. This production marks the first World Premiere presented as part of FST’s Stage III Series. “Paralyzed is about the capricious nature of life,” said Richard Hopkins, FST’s Producing Artistic Director. “The play examines how ‘luck’ leads to fortune and misfortune, and how, in the end, it is not about if we are ‘lucky’ but how we respond to the events in our lives.” This World Premiere follows Leigh and Lee, two strangers who have little in common besides their names. Leigh is a brilliant, Type-A statistician who tries to maintain control over her invariably changing life. Lee is a driven former football player who is ill-equipped to live a life that does not revolve around athletics. Pain, shame, and mercy set their lives on unexpected paths that go anywhere but according to plan. Paralyzed runs from March 18 to April 10 in FST’s Bowne’s Lab Theatre. Single tickets range from $25-39 and can be purchased online at floridastudiotheatre.org or by phone at 941-366-9000. 

For more information on this production and schedule of events, or more on FST