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SRQ DAILY Dec 7, 2016

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"Hopefully, it'll remind everybody what our dreams and ambitions were or still are and that we should never give up on them."

- Dom Ruggiero, director
 

[Theater]  "Fame" Inspires, Puts Community Onstage
Philip Lederer, Phil.Lederer@srqme.com

Fame—The Musical hits the stage at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center tonight for the first of two productions of this upbeat and inspiring tale of aspiring artists and starry-eyed students trying to make their dreams come true. Directed by international stage and opera director Dom Ruggiero, whose production of Phantom won wide acclaim across the US as his Italian production of West Side Story did in that country, the performances feature local Sarasota high schoolers in walk-on roles amidst the professional cast.

Inspired by the Academy Award-winning 1980 film, Fame, the musical continues that story with the next generation of young artists at New York City’s High School of Performing Arts, where life, academics and performance collide. Fighting for their dreams, the students clash and commiserate in equal proportions as the path to stardom sometimes leads to rocky and unfortunate episodes. It’s something Ruggiero remembers identifying with when he first saw the film in 1980, a young artist himself. “Fame has always been a special memory for me,” he says, and so jumped at the opportunity to direct.

“It’s all about living your dream—making it happen and not giving up,” says Ruggiero, and although not everything that happens in the story is strictly uplifting, the overall feel and the energy around the show and with his young cast certainly is. “They’re so excited to do the show that it was just a joy for me to work with these kids,” he says. “It’s reminding me of why I got into the business, because you forget that as you get older, as it becomes more of a job.”

Part of the youthful energy is undoubtedly due to some of the cast’s local additions—a handful of high schoolers from Sarasota High School and Northport High School stepping in for cameos in crucial scenes to fill out the cast. They won’t be delivering monologues or singing solos, but they do get to be part of the show and garner early experience. “They get to be backstage and see how a show happens, how it works and all the effort that goes into making the performance happen,” says Ruggiero, and the production benefits as well. “The story is very real with these kids in the show—students going through the same emotions as the kids in the show.”

But though the story centers on the difficulties of young artists, Ruggiero remains confident that the central message can resonate with any audience. “They’ll see the joy and hard work it takes to do what you love to do as a profession,” he says. “Hopefully, it’ll remind everybody what our dreams and ambitions were or still are and that we should never give up on them.

Because if you give up, what kind of life would that be?”

Fame—The Musical hits the Van Wezel stage tonight at 7pm with another production the following night at the same time. 

Pictured: The cast of "Fame." Photo courtesy of the Van Wezel.

[Good Bite]  Gotta Have It All
Aviel Kanter, aviel.kanter@srqme.com

Indecision, indecision; what to order when looking through the endless delectable morsels on the Jpan menu? Why not get a little bit of everything? Hit up the new UTC location for lunch and feast your eyes on the salmon teriyaki bento box—with a nook for each part of the meal, it's just the right amount for a filling, but not heavy, imbibe on your lunch hour. Baby pink wild Scottish salmon simmered in miso sits on a pillow of veggies in one cranny, white rice next door and four generously cut California rolls rest in the next. One square over, two slivers of spring rolls with a dollop of white sauce hang out next to steamed shrimp shumai. Top it all off with your choice of warming miso soup or a health-conscious ginger salad.  

Jpan, 3 Paradise Plaza, Sarasota; 229 North Cattlemen Rd, Sarasota, 941-954-5726.

[SRQ Story Project Partner Spotlight ]  The Butterfly Researcher

After she graduated from New College of Florida in 1999, Emily Saarinen traveled and worked all over the world: conducting wildlife surveys in Alaska, teaching rock climbing in Thailand, getting her doctorate at University of Florida and teaching at colleges in Oregon and Michigan.

Now she’s back where her academic career began, teaching biology and conducting research on endangered butterflies at New College of Florida.

 “The students have retained the same passionate drive as they did when I was a student,” Saarinen says. “Students continue to encourage each other to be their academic best, while fostering a sense of community that allows for creativity and innovation.”

Those qualities are on display in her lab at New College, where freezers maintain hundreds of samples of butterfly DNA. She uses non-lethal sampling and molecular techniques to extract the insects’ genetic coding. Then she provides that information to zoos and agencies working to prevent the extinction of species like the Miami Blue butterfly.

Establishing a colony of the Miami Blue butterfly is emblematic of her concept of teaching: giving students a foundation in scientific theory and training them to use it in the world.

 “I am a product of New College's supportive, but not restrictive, academic structure,” Saarinen says, “and I am honored to continue that tradition today with the next generation of innovators.” 

New College of Florida

[Expansion]  NewGate School Expands To Second Campus

NewGate School, the independent, international, college-preparatory Montessori school of Sarasota, opens the door to its second campus on a five-acre site in Lakewood Ranch. The new campus will house 7th to 12th grade students of NewGate’s upper school, which offers a Montessori International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program. NewGate plans to integrate the two buildings, expansive gardens and surrounding nature preserves of its Lakewood Ranch campus to engage their students in hands-on research and exploration. 

NewGate

[Exec Moves]  Gulfshore Homes Completes Glenbrook Model

Artfully designed in a distinctive West Indies style to make the most of its tropical waterfront location, the Glenbrook model by Gulfshore Homes is complete and open for viewing at Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club. The grand estate home encompasses 7,587 square feet total, with 5,537 square feet under air, and has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a powder room, cabana bath, study, family room and four-car split garage. The Glenbrook is one example of several floorplans that can be built by Gulfshore Homes in Lugano, the newest waterfront neighborhood to be introduced in Miromar Lakes.  

Miromar Lakes

[Recognition]  Gurley Recognized As Top Florida Attorney

Gurley Vitale, a Sarasota law firm specializing in construction law, announced that founded and president David E. Gurley has been selected by Super Lawyers as a top Florida attorney. This marks the eighth consecutive year Gurley has achieved this recognition, having first received the honor in 2009. An active participant in the American Bar Association, Gurley serves on both the tort trial and insurance practice section's fidelity and surety law committee and the forum on construction law. He is also a member of The Florida Bar, the Sarasota County Bar Association, the Florida Surety Association, the National Bond Claims Association, the Defense Research Institute and the Judge John M. Scheb American Inn of Court. 

Gurley Vitale



[Inside the Issue]  For Heaven's Sake

This month in For Heaven’s Sake, indulge in a product whose process of manufacturing is just as much a science as it is an art. Venture alongside writer Phil Lederer as he learns what it takes to be a toji, or sake brew master, how to determine the overall quality of sake (it’s all about water and rice) and where to find the best brews both here and abroad. Just don’t ask for it hot.   

Read more

[TODAY]  THEATER: Million Dollar Quartet , November 9 – January 1

A smash-hit musical, Million Dollar Quartet, tells the story of legendary music icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. This musical gives audiences a unique behind the scenes look at these musicians before they were icons. Single tickets and subscriptions are available online or by calling the FST box office. 

Gompertz Theatre, 1241 N Palm Ave Sarasota, 34236

[TODAY]  PERFORMANCE: Guys and Dolls , November 18 – January 1

When it comes to wit, style, and sheer exuberant joy, Guys and Dolls is the odds-on favorite as the best musical comedies, paired with a feature score by Frank Loesser. The plot involves the unlikeliest of romantic pairings: a high-rolling gambler and a save-your-soul missionary, a showgirl dreaming of the straight-and-narrow and a crap game manager who is anything but. Place your bet on love conquering all in this hilarious classic that defined Broadway’s Golden Age.

The Asolo Repertory Theatre , 5555 North Tamiami Trail Sarasota, 34243

[TODAY]  GALLERY: Together & Apart: The Love Letters of Georgia O'Keeffe & Alfred Stieglitz , November 17 – January 13, 5:30-8pm

Love letters, spanning more than 30 years, between Georgia O'Keeffe & Alfred Stieglitz, is the subject of Together & Apart. The opening night recpetion will be held November 17th. The show will feature a 20ft x 20ft installation that includes two symbolic bedrooms, a ceiling-to-floor silo and 2,500 pieces of correspondence. 

Alfstad& Contemporary, 1419 5th Street, Suite A

[SOON]  BUSINESS: 2017 Home of the Year Call for Entries , December 9 – January 6, Submissions must be received digitally by SRQ Magazine by 4pm.

You are invited to participate in the 13th SRQ Annual Home of the Year competition brought to you by SRQ magazine. Our panel of expert judges will review entries based on innovation, functionalisty and overall design aesthetic toname SRQ's Home of the Year Platinum, Gold and Silver awards. Local professionals are invited to submit their best work in architecture and home design by the Call for Entries Deadlline of Friday, December 9, 2016 by 4pm.

SRQ MEDIA, 331 S. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236

[SOON]  THEATER: Clever Little Lies , December 14 – March 4

Clever Little Lies by Joe DiPietro is an edgy yet hilarious show that challenges our beliefs about the sanctity of marriage. Most suitable for college aged students and adults, this play will be held in the Keating Theatre. Subscriptions and single tickets are available online or by calling the FST box office. 

Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 North Palm Avenue

[SOON]  GALLERY: Gateways , December 16 – January 20, 11am-5pm

Hans Van de Bovenkamp, renowned for monumental sculpture installations with the pwoer, lyricism and grand proportions that heighten a viewer's sense of imagination and discovery, unveils Gateways at Alfstand& Contemporary. The exhibition features more than 30 pieces. The opening reception will be December 16 from 5:30pm-8pm.

Alfstad& Contemporary, 1419th 5th Street, Suite A

SRQ Media Group

SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email

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