The Theatre was much tamer than I expected when I arrived Friday evening about 20 minutes before show time. The lobby was full of fresh faced teens and an occasional parent, quite a repectful crowd waiting patiently for things to get underway. I easily made my way backstage to see if that destination was offering any extra excitement. What I found there was the opening band, Band Marino, an awesome group of guys from Orlando, and the impromtu opportunity to announce them. While lead singer Nathan Bond scribbled a few directional notes for me on a sheet of loose leaf, my brain did some mental scrambling to figure out what I was going to say. I was able to avoid an appearance on stage, opting for the mysterious "man behind the curtain" announcement and ushered Band Marino on to the sounds of an energetic crowd. I enjoyed the rest of the show as one of the audience. Band Marino was a spunky opening act, quite the crowd pleaser with their assortment of instruments as well as the infectious hoedown that ended...

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You know, when you’re young and you watch your favorite movie, you play for the next three hours as if you were a certain character living the scenes from the film. You repeat the dialogue over and over, don a cape and frolic around the house with that glimmer of youthful exuberance in your eyes. All of this behavior comes from a pure excitement from the experience of the movie; you just don’t want to let that excitement stop, so you relive it as best you can. Well, my movie wasn’t on the big screen. It wasn’t even just on the stage. It was in my mind, projected onto the worldly screen through my eyes. The whole day was quite a production. I followed the stage crew and Theatre staff all day long to see the development of a big show, which just happened to be Jason Mraz, a musician who I have listened to and enjoyed for years. Fast forward to sound check. Here is where the plot...

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I am still recovering from my bellyache last night. Sinbad partnered with the Community Asthma Partnership (CAP) to provide unstoppable laughter for their annual fundraiser. It is a rare occasion to see such a great celebrity come to town and be as real and down to earth as Sinbad. It all started when he arrived at the Jacksonville International Airport and well, the limo waiting for him at the airport couldn't locate the 6ft+ stunner. So what did he do? He got in a taxi cab and went to his hotel. Before the event there was a reception for sponsors with Sinbad. I was anxious to greet him and take him safely into the theatre. I try not to be so star crazy when guests come here, but I have been a huge fan for many years (I loved him on Night at the Apollo). Plus, our new office "Wall Of Fame" has his picture on it several times from the previous years he has been here. When his car pulled up, it was like slow motion. His legs swung out of the car and his feet touched the ground with purpose. He was dressed in...

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Although Art After Dark has been held at the Theatre for 10 years, this was my first experience with the event. My excitement for this event had been building as we put together the displays for the silent auction. I had really enjoyed working on that project, so I knew that the actual event, the product of everyone's labor, would be well worth all the planning. My task for the evening was to take care of the sales for the night's featured and student artists. It was a fabulous job because I finally got to put faces to the names of all the artists as I went around to hand out the sale folders at the beginning of the night. I spoke with many of the artists and their assistants, all of which were very warm, charming people. Each floor was a different experience. The aroma from the food was all you needed to be lured up the stairs to each of the level's different buffets. The...

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The Florida Theatre has recently renovated our Web site to usher in the New Year with a brand new look. This revamped site will give you access to event and ticket information, as well as a history of the Theatre itself.

Please check the Blog often for updates and reactions to the shows from our staff.