Ovation - February/March

February/March 2011

RUTH ECKERD HALLRICHARD B. BAUMGARDNER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTSRUTH ECKERD HALLRUTH ECKERD HALLR RICHARD B. BAUMGARDNER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ART

presents the 2010-2011 Seasonovation

Phot

o: P

aul k

olni

k

member connections...

Annica Keeler of the St. Petersburg Times, a corporate partner since 1980, with electric and acoustic performer Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson.

CorporatePartners

Members are important to Ruth Eckerd Hall. They help us accomplish our mission of engaging the community to master, experience, discover and explore quality performing arts.

1Up Club Members C.J. Supel and Nathan Ward meet comedian Margaret Cho (center). Club1Up.com

Vocalist and Tony Award® winner Sutton Foster with Ken Hamilton, member since 1988.

Member Meet & Greets

2 OVATION February/March 2011

Become a member and experience the magic.

member connections...

The cast of Giggle, Giggle Quack, characters from Doreen Cronin’s popular book series, met Alyona Ruley, daughter of Suzanne and Matthew Ruley, members since 2003, at a Family Membership Connection event.

Penelope Lara (third from left), and Dr. Cesar Lara (fifth from left), founding Friends of Music members, with members of Maroon 5.

Family Membership

For more information on becoming a Ruth Eckerd Hall member, contact us at (727) 712-2720 or www.rutheckerdhall.com.

A COPY OF THE REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Registration #CH-1562. 100% of each contribution goes to Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc.

Members are important to Ruth Eckerd Hall. They help us accomplish our mission of engaging the community to master, experience, discover and explore quality performing arts.

3OVATION February/March 2011

Become a member and experience the magic.

uPCOMInG EvEnTSAPRIL 2011Janis Ian In Concert (CT)With natalia ZukermanFri., Apr. 1, 8 pm

Leading Ladies “Pickfair” At la villa des Beaux Art* Fri., Apr. 1, 6 pm, at private estate of Julian Hartzog, Tarpon Springs

Steve Solomon’s My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish and I’m Still in Therapy (MST)Mar. 29 - Apr. 2, Eight performances

GREASEApr. 1 - 2, Three performances

Too Marvelous for Words:A Tribute to Rosemary Clooney (MST)Fri., Apr. 8, 7:30 pm

Disney Tv’sLauran Irion In Concert (MST)Sat., Apr. 9, 7:30 pm

Dick Fox’s Golden Boys StarringFrankie Avalon, Fabian, Bobby RydellSat., Apr. 9, 7:30 pm

Clearwater Chorus Choral CornucopiaSun., Apr. 10, 2 pm

Paul Taylor DanceTue., Apr. 12, 8 pm

Boz Scaggs Special Guest Marc CohnThu., Apr. 14, 7:30 pm

The Beach BoysFri., Apr. 15, 8 pm

Ralphie May Sat., Apr. 16, 8 pm

The Aluminum ShowSat., Apr. 23, 2 & 7 pm

6th Annual Spring Gala **Fri., Apr. 29, 6:30 pm$250, $350 and sponsorship opportunities

Earth, Wind & FireSat., Apr. 30, 8 pm

MAY 2011One Night of Queen (CT)Thu., May 5, 8 pm

Pinellas Youth Symphony (MST)Finale Chamber Ensembles ConcertFri., May 6, 7:30 pm

Silent Melodies with Ian Beck & Melody Craven (MST)Fri., May 20, 7:30 pm

Corbian visual Arts and Dance presents Darwin the Dinosaur: A Glow-in-the-Dark AdventureSat., May 21, noon

(MST) Murray Studio Theater At Ruth Eckerd Hall(CT) Capitol Theatre In Downtown Clearwater(MHGR) Margarete Heye Great Room

*For info, call Betty Lang with Leading Ladies (727) 772-8012.** Call nancy Dietrich at (727) 712-2760 for details.

new Shows Are Being Added All The Time!Go to www.rutheckerdhall.com


79$ RATEwhen mentioning Ruth Eckerd Hall

3535 Ulmerton Rd.Clearwater, FL

(727) 577-9100



Upcoming Events ...........................................................4Letter from the President & CEO of Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc. ...............................................8Letter from the Chairman of Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc. ...9Board of Directors and Leading Ladies ....................10Lovers and Other Strangers .....................................11Diana Krall ...................................................................12Joshua Bell, violin ........................................................13Young Frankenstein ...................................................1410th Concession .........................................................15Great Big Sea ...............................................................16Alvin Ailey ® American Dance Theater ..................17Honor Roll of Donors ...................................................18John Davidson in Concert .........................................22Willie Nelson ................................................................23Johnny Winter .............................................................24Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons ...............................25Leon Redbone ..............................................................26Celtic Woman ............................................................27Henry Gross One Hit Wanderer ..................................28Cirque Mechanics – Boom Town ..............................29Daniel O’Donnell In Concert ......................................30Andy Cooney’s Forever Irish .....................................31Leon Russell ...................................................................32Puccini’s Madama Butterfly ......................................33David Gonzalez: Run It Down ....................................34The Frog Bride ..............................................................35Michael Amante, Italian-American Festival .............36Peter Yarrow & Paul Stookey .....................................38Paul Anka .....................................................................39

The use of still and video cameras and audio/tape recorders is strictly prohibited at performances in Ruth Eckerd Hall. Patrons may be asked to check such equipment with the House Manager prior to entering the auditorium.All artists, programs and dates are subject to change.Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc., All Rights Reserved 2010–2011No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher. Reprint permission: Mary Sharrard Johnson, Publications Manager

Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.

New Orleans’ Own Dukes of Dixieland .....................40John Mellencamp .......................................................41Doo Wop Reunion XI ..................................................42Ballroom with a Twist ...................................................43‘S Wonderful ................................................................44Kenny G. ........................................................................45Lucid Druid ...................................................................46The Rat Pack Is Back! .................................................47Roslyn Kind In Concert ................................................48Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra ............................49Natalie Cole In Concert .............................................50Elayne Boosler ...............................................................51Spring Awakening .......................................................52Mitzi Gaynor ................................................................53Chris Botti ......................................................................54Jury’s Irish Cabaret ......................................................55The Avett Brothers .......................................................56I Never Saw Another Butterfly ....................................57Engelbert Humperdinck .............................................58Blue Suede Shoes ........................................................59My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish ....................60Laughter and Reflection with Carol Burnett .............61For Your Information .....................................................62Ruth Eckerd Hall Staff ...................................................63Memphis is coming ......................................................65Annual Contributors ....................................................67Legacy Society ............................................................69Ruth Eckerd Hall Map .................................................70CEO Hall of Fame ........................................................74Dining & Lodging Around Ruth Eckerd Hall .............77

Table of ContentsFebruary/March 2011


Support for Ruth Eckerd Hall is provided in part through the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, the National Endowment for the Arts, Pinellas County Cultural Affairs Cultural Tourism Grant Program, the City of Clearwater, the Bank of America Foundation, the Doyle Family Foundation and the Leading Ladies of Ruth Eckerd Hall. The Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute and the Eckerd Theater Company are supported in part by Bank of America, the Broward County Student Enrichment in the Arts (SEAS), South Arts, The St. Petersburg Times Fund, Inc., Publix Super Markets Charities, Inc., Verizon Foundation, the Pinellas Community Foundation, Eckerd Family Foundation, The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts and the MetLife Foundation.

-

Many people don’t realize that, like most performing arts centers, Ruth Eckerd Hall is a not-for-profi t, donor-supported organization. While our earned revenues are higher than the industry norm, covering 80% of expenses, ticket sales alone are insuffi cient to cover 100% of our operating costs. Ticket prices are directly related to the cost of bringing an artist to our community and cover performance-related expenses such as advertising, stage hands, artist fees, etc. We must raise funds to cover the remaining 20% of operational expenses. As a mission-driven, not-for-profi t entity, we try to make tickets as affordable as possible. If we were to set ticket prices to meet the full cost of presenting events, we would be inaccessible to many. We do our best to ensure that all shows have some moderately priced tickets to allow broad community participation.

Part of our mission is to present a wide variety of performances, many of which are important from an artistic standpoint but may not generate positive revenue. Our mission also includes a fantastic education program through our Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute, offering adults and children opportunities to discover, experience and master the arts. Our education program includes (among other offerings) SchoolTime performances, PASSport, Eckerd Theater Company, which performs children’s theater both locally and throughout the eastern U.S., an Arts in Medicine program, and

introductory and pre-professional instruction in group and private lessons, offering excellent classes in theater, dance, and vocal and instrumental music (jazz and classical), impacting tens of thousands of children and adults with more than 175,000 hours of experiences annually. As a not-for-profi t, we hope to achieve positive revenues, but unlike a for-profi t corporation, positive earnings are used to enhance programming, build cash reserves, and allow broader access to our education

programs through scholarships and tuition assistance.

We hope you will spread the word about the good work at Ruth Eckerd Hall and the not-for-profi t nature of our organization.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Robert A. FreedmanPresident & CEORuth Eckerd Hall, Inc.

Letter from the President & CEO ofRuth Eckerd Hall, Inc.

OVATION February/March 2011

both locally and throughout the eastern U.S., an Arts in Medicine program, and introductory and pre-professional instruction in group and private

lessons, offering excellent classes in theater, dance, and vocal and instrumental music (jazz and classical), impacting tens of thousands of children and adults with more than 175,000 hours of experiences annually. As a not-for-profi t, we hope to achieve positive revenues, but unlike a for-profi t corporation, positive earnings are used to enhance programming, build cash reserves, and allow broader access to our education

programs through scholarships and tuition assistance.

We hope you will spread the word about the good work at Ruth Eckerd Hall and the not-for-profi t nature of our organization.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Robert A. FreedmanPresident & CEORuth Eckerd Hall, Inc.

Sincerely,

8

At this point in our 28th season, I’d like to take the opportunity to say thank you to my fellow Ruth Eckerd Hall Board of Directors members, our corporate partners and the organizations that support the Hall’s activities through the funding of grant requests.

nearly 35 members of our community serve on Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Board of Directors. They lend their time and expertise for the betterment of our community through their tireless support. They help to guide Ruth Eckerd Hall in a number of ways -- from formulating future plans to setting fi nancial goals. Their insights help oversee activities that impact the operations and fundraising endeavors that the Hall conducts. It has been an honor and pleasure to work with each of them, and I hope each Board member knows that you have truly made a difference in our community through your involvement with Ruth Eckerd Hall.

Ruth Eckerd Hall is very fortunate to have many corporate partners and grantors that support our efforts to bring exceptional performing arts and arts education programs to our community each year. We would especially like to recognize Progress Energy Corporation, our 2010 - 2011 Season Sponsor, the St. Petersburg Times, our Broadway Series Sponsor and the Clearwater Threshers, our Summer Series Sponsor. We would also like to say a big thank you to Dimmitt Automotive Group for being the Offi cial Vehicle Sponsor of Ruth Eckerd Hall and Ceviche for being the place to go before and after a show. Thank you to each of you for all that you do to support our programming! (Please see page 76 and page seven for the complete listing of our generous Corporate Partners and Grantors for the 2010-2011 season.)

To express your personal thanks to these groups of supporters, I’d like to invite you to our upcoming Annual Dinner on Wednesday, March 23 at 6:30 pm in the Margarete Heye Great Room. To make reservations to attend Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Annual Dinner, please visit us at rutheckerdhall.com or contact us at (727) 712-2720. I hope to see you there!

Best Regards,

Rick BouchardChairman of the BoardRuth Eckerd Hall, Inc.

Letter from the Chairman of

Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc.

2010 - 2011 Season Sponsor, the St. Petersburg Times, our Clearwater Threshers, our Summer

Series Sponsor. We would also like to say a big thank you to for being the Offi cial Vehicle Sponsor of Ruth

for being the place to go before and after a show. Thank you to each of you for all that you do to support our programming! (Please see page 76 and page seven for the complete listing of our generous Corporate Partners and

To express your personal thanks to these groups of supporters, Annual Dinner

Margarete Heye Great Roomreservations to attend Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Annual Dinner, please visit us at rutheckerdhall.com or contact us

Clearwater Threshers, our Summer Series Sponsor. We would also like to say a big thank you to Dimmitt

for being the Offi cial Vehicle Sponsor of Ruth for being the place to go before and

after a show. Thank you to each of you for all that you do to support our programming! (Please see page 76 and page seven for the complete listing of our generous Corporate Partners and

To express your personal thanks to these groups of supporters, Annual Dinner on Wednesday,

Margarete Heye Great Room. To make reservations to attend Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Annual Dinner, please visit us at rutheckerdhall.com or contact us

OVATION February/March 2011 9

Board of Directors Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc. – Board of Directors

Chairman, Richard E. BouchardVice Chairman, Joshua Magidson

Secretary, Sandy StroyneTreasurer, Philip K. Beauchamp

Immediate Past Chairman, REH, Inc., George M. CantonisImmediate Past Chairman, REH Foundation, Inc., Mark Edmunds

Leading LadiesThe Leading Ladies of Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc.The Leading Ladies support Ruth Eckerd Hall through exciting fundraising projects such as Parties Potpourri, The Posh Sale and much more. They have raised more than $1.5 million to support arts education programs of Ruth Eckerd Hall. For membership information, please call (727) 712-2723.

Executive BoardPresident, Karen White Treasurer, Anne Lauder1st Vice President, Jan Harroun Assistant Treasurer, Jan Weaver2nd Vice President, Jenny Austin Parliamentarian, Pat JordanRecording Secretary, Val Rees Advisor, Gail AgnewCorresponding Secretary, Louise Collins

Committee ChairsInternal Communications, Stephanie Smith Newsletter, Barbara ChapmanHistorian, Katherine Jones Publicity, Barbara ChapmanHospitality, Sue Sibley Directory, Jan HarrounMembership, Beverly Lingle

Members at Large Barbara Engelhardt Betty LangMarie Gage Terry McHarg Gloria Hollingsworth Jill MelkonianKatherine Jones Alma Pasquale Lila Kumar Stephanie Smith

Barry Alpert Glenn Bergoffen Susan BlackburnJoyce Cotton Bryan Crino Dan Doyle, Sr.Marcus Greene Charlene Gordon Linda Griffin-Keliher

Ken Hamilton Jana L. Jones Joan KlineSteven Kramer Stan Levy Jill MelkonianStephen R. Mixson Gary Namm Anand Pallegar

Carlen Petersen Kenneth Roberts Charlie Robinson, Jr. Charlie Rutz Barbara SchmitzDavid Suellau, II John Thomas Karen White Mark V. Wimberly


Lovers and Other StrangersStarring Renee Taylor and Joe BolognaThursday, February 3, 2 pmhtttp://scottstander.com

Lovers and Other Strangers explores the foibles of love and human relationships. While Mike Vecchio and Susan Henderson prepare for marriage, it seems they are the only ones still in love. Mike’s parents are “content” but not happy, and brother Richie is getting a divorce, much to the dismay of his Catholic mother. Susan’s father is having an affair, and her sex-starved sister can’t lure her husband from the TV to the bedroom. Mike’s best friend Jerry is meanwhile trying to make time with Susan’s maid of honor. Excellent fodder for a comedy. This Broadway play, written by Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna, became an Academy Award®-nominated film and returns to the stage with the original stars performing multiple roles in a series of vignettes.

Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna are a winning team on and off stage and screen. This husband and wife duo has co-written and collaborated on the Emmy®-winning Acts of Love and Other Comedies, Lovers and Other Strangers, Made For Each Other, It Had To Be You, Love Is All There Is, The Bermuda Avenue Triangle, If You Ever Leave Me I’m Going With You, Paradise (CBS), Carlucci’s Department (CBS), and Writers Guild Award-winning Bedrooms (HBO). Renee is an accomplished actress, comedienne, director, and author of the spoof My Life On A Diet. She has written for and starred on Broadway, and has appeared off-Broadway, in national companies, and in numerous film and TV roles, including as Fran Drescher’s mom on The Nanny, and moms on HBO’s Dream On and FOX’ Daddy Dearest. On Broadway, she starred in The Rehearsal and Lovers and Other Strangers. Joe Bologna began acting at Brown University, served in the Marines, then directed documentaries and commercials and wrote comedy material. His professional acting debut came in Lovers and Other Strangers and his film debut in Made For Each Other. Film credits include: My Favorite Year, The Woman in Red, Blame It On Rio, Chapter Two, Honor Thy Father, Coupe de Ville, Cops and Robbers, Mixed Company, The Big Bus and Big Daddy. Joe has appeared in numerous films for TV. What lies ahead for Renee and Joe? Returning Mickey and likely a lot more.


Diana krallQuiet Nights TourFriday, February 4, 8 pm

www.dianakrall.com

It has been nine years since Diana Krall graced our stage, but at last, she is back! The pride of Nanaimo, Canada is fortunate to have a father who is a stride pianist and serious record collector, so as a child, Diana had exposure that helped guide her musical growth. She attended Berklee College of Music before moving to Los Angeles, where she studied with bassists Ray Brown and John Clayton, drummer Jeff Hamilton and pianist Jimmy Rowles. Rowles encouraged the budding pianist to sing.

In 1990, Krall moved to New York City and began performing with a trio. Her debut album was released in 1993. When I look in Your Eyes was awarded a GRAMMY® for Best Jazz Vocal and was the fi rst jazz record in twenty-fi ve years to be nominated for Album of the Year. The Look of Love shot to #1 in the U.S. and went platinum fi ve times in Canada. Adding songwriting to her arsenal, Krall’s fi rst album to feature her own songs was The Girl in the Other Room (including six tunes co-written with husband Elvis Costello). From This Moment On featured upbeat music refl ecting the joy in her life while awaiting the birth of twin sons as well as her personal attraction to the golden era of song when Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat “King” Cole were in their prime. Quiet Nights, her twelfth album and most recent effort, is an intimate love letter to her husband that expresses itself in the bossa nova style of Brazil.

Diana Krall has unquestionably grown as an artist. Known for her breathy vocals and the rhythmic lilt to her music, producer Tommy LiPuma notes, “She’s completely matured...She approaches her vocal phrasing much more like an instrumentalist than a straight singer [not surprising, since she began as a pianist]. It’s in the reading of the lyrics, and the timbre of her voice, much more misty like Peggy Lee in her mature period.” Krall’s strikingly sensitive piano playing and captivating vocals have enabled her to transcend barriers of genre and rise to the top of the jazz charts.


Sponsored by

Joshua Bell, violinSam Haywood, pianoSaturday, February 5, 8 pmwww.joshuabell.comwww.samhaywood.com

Classical music’s superstar, “the greatest American violinist active today” (Boston Herald) is back to share his breathtaking virtuosity. Joshua Bell began making music early. When he was four, his parents found him plucking rubber bands he had stretched around the handles of his dresser drawers, so they gave him a violin. At 12, he was already serious about the instrument, nurtured by his teacher and mentor Josef Gingold. His orchestral debut was at 14 with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra and he recorded his fi rst album at 18. He has enchanted audiences for more than two decades and has recorded more than 35 CD’s, featuring the music of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Goldmark, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, his GRAMMY®-winning Nicholas Maw Concerto and more. His recent CD At Home with Friends is evidence of his eclectic taste as he collaborates with Chris Botti, Sting, Josh Groban, Kristin Chenoweth, Regina Spektor, Anoushka Shankar, Marvin Hamlisch, Tiempo Libre and others. Film soundtracks include The Red Violin, Defi ance and Angels and Demons. Bell appeared as himself in Music of the Heart with Meryl Streep. He has made frequent TV appearances and is often profi led in newspapers and magazines.

Equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestra leader, Bell was Musical America’s 2010 Instrumentalist of the Year. Billboard named Romance of the Violin 2004 Classical CD of the Year and Bell Classical Artist of the Year. He is the 2008 recipient of the Academy of Achievement award for exceptional accomplishment in the arts and was honored in 2009 by Education Through Music for his dedication to sharing his love of classical music with disadvantaged youth. He is a recipient of the coveted Avery Fisher Prize. This “Indiana Living Legend” is also an avid computer game player and was Indiana State Junior Tennis Champion.

Bell is joined by British pianist/composer Sam Haywood, whose latest release, Chopin’s Own Piano, was performed on Chopin’s 1846 Pleyel piano.


We thank the members of the Stradivarius Society for their suppport of classical music performances.Stradivarius Society Gala, February 5, 5:30 pm.

Call (727) 712-2760 for details.�

The new Mel Brooks MusicalYoung Frankenstein

Tuesday, February 8, 8 pm | Wednesday, February 9, 8 pm Thursday, February 10, 8 pm | Friday, February 11, 8 pm

Saturday, February 12, 2 & 8 pm | Sunday, February 13, 2 & 7 pm

The classic Mel Brooks movie is ALIVE! Young Frankenstein offers monstrously good fun as this fabled story comes to life on stage with laughs and wit galore. Winner of the 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award and the Broadway.com Audience Award for Best Musical, this spectacular production includes your favorite moments from the classic fi lm, plus show-stopping numbers such as Transylvania Mania, He Vas My Boyfriend and the irresistible Puttin’ on the Ritz.

The Frankenstein legend has enjoyed enduring fascination. This reimagining follows young Dr. Frankenstein as he attempts to create a living monster – with scary and hilarious complications. The genius behind this production is that of three-time Tony® winner Mel Brooks, who wrote the music and lyrics and co-wrote the book, along with his team from The Producers: fi ve-time Tony®-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman, and three-time Tony®-winning writer Thomas Meehan.

John Heilpern of The New York Observer praises Brooks’ “infectious lunacy” and says Puttin’ on the Ritz is a “deliriously funny showstopper that lifts us all into comic euphoria!” Clive Barnes of the New York Post was also captivated by “the Broadway musical at its dizziest, glitziest and funniest!... The special effects are among the cleverest things I’ve ever seen on stage.” Louise Kennedy of The Boston Globe observes, “There’s enough electrcity here to power a dozen ordinary musicals!” And Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times fi nds Young Frankenstein “Delightfully nutty! Glittering, buoyant fun that tickles its audience into high spirits. Classic Brooks!” So join the fun and let yourself be tickled into high spirits. There’s nothing quite like a Mel Brooks production!

Circle of Stars Reception February 8 at 6:30 pm.1UP event on February 10. Call (727) 712-2723 for details.

Part of the

Sponsored by


10th ConcessionSaturday, February 12, 7:30 pmwww.10thconcession.com

Murray Studio Theater

Sometimes the best surprises are right under our noses. 10th Concession (the name derives from the street where their father grew up in Canada) originated in 2002 as an acoustic duo of the Koteles brothers, Ian and Evan. Evan was the original inspiration when he performed in an eighth grade talent show. Ian was so impressed with his brother’s achievment that he returned to college with a mission and a guitar, determined to teach himself just as his brother had done. Growing up in a household steeped in the arts (their mother an actress and their father a drummer), it’s not surprising that the brothers made rapid progress with their songwriting and music making. Good chemistry was there as well. The brothers began playing around their hometown Tampa with their dad on drums. They released two albums. At that time, they were known as E&i.

After high school, Evan went to Tallahassee and Ian to Nashville to pursue his music career. The exchange of song ideas continued despite the distance, both online and during visits. In Nashville, Ian met Fred Mollin (Dan Hill, B.B. King), who agreed to produce a few of their songs. Evan joined Ian in Nashville and began writing for their fi rst full-length album as 10th Concession. After a year and hundreds of songwriting sessions, Ian and Evan returned to Tampa with an album. Now they needed a band. Time, patience, and Craigslist fi nally paid off, and Matt Brady, a multi-instrumentalist who had been playing with bands in the Tampa area, became their bassist. David Daniels won the fi nal spot as drummer after auditioning on borrowed equipment. The chemistry was instant and 10th Concession was on its way!

10th Concession’s music is easy on the ear, with a familiar rock and roll beat. Songs are melodic and give voice to universal concerns of teenagers of generations present and past. Engaging personalities add to the band’s appeal. 10th Concession headlines for the Suncoast Chapter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and has contracts pending in Canada and Japan. Not a bad start for a couple of homegrown brothers!


Great Big SeaSaturday, February 12, 7:30 pm

www.greatbigsea.com

From the land of generous hearts and open arms that welcomed 39 transatlantic fl ights and 6,600 passengers on September 11, 2001 comes Great Big Sea, a band that has come to defi ne the energetic spirit of Newfoundland. Their roots are in the rowdy pubs of St. John’s, where co-founders Sean McCann and Bob Hallett met while playing Newfoundland folk songs for boisterous crowds of partying university students and off-duty fi shermen. When pub stalwart Alan Doyle joined them in 1993, Great Big Sea was born. Their goal was to create a new approach to Newfoundland folk music, combining their own original music with the traditional sounds and instruments of their youth. Drummer Kris MacFarlane joined them in 2002, and bass player Murray Foster came aboard a year later.

Safe Upon the Shore, their latest album, is a feast of creative impulses recorded in multiple locations over a period of six months. The band wanted to record somewhere with a vibe that would permeate their songs, so New Orleans was a natural choice for some of the tracks. Others were recorded in their St. John’s studio, and some were recorded onto Alan’s laptop while they were on the road, on tour buses and in dressing rooms. Looking for fresh new ideas, the band collaborated with other musicians and writers when they hosted a small songwriting retreat in Western Newfoundland in the fall of 2009. Many of the songs on the album refl ect the concerns of men trying to balance family life with time touring on the road. Long Life,the opening track, is about the passage of time and the constant push and pull between band and home.

Essentially immune to music fads and fashions, Great Big Sea continues to work hard and build audiences across the continent. Although they have side projects, Doyle with acting and soundtrack work, McCann with solo projects, and Hallett with writing, these band members feel they have a lot of creativity left to share, and for the foreseeable future, they plan to share it together.


Alvin Ailey® American Dance TheaterTuesday, February 15, 8 pmwww.alvinailey.org

“The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie.” - Agnes de Mille

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater holds a prominent place in the arts. The appeal of these ambassadors of American culture transcends age, race, genre and nationality and has uniquely enriched American modern dance. The company has performed for approximately 23 million people in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents, featuring classics and new works. Revelations, celebrating its 50th year and the troupe’s signature piece in a repertoire of more than 250 works, has been performed more than any other modern dance. Ailey is famous for using his compositions to tell a story and communicate human experience through the universal language of dance. Clearwater’s own Brianna Reed is a member of this illustrious company.

In March 1958, at the 92nd Street Young Men’s Hebrew Association in New York, Ailey led African American modern dancers in a performance that forever changed the perception of American dance. Born in Rogers, Texas, Ailey discovered dance through performances of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Formal training began with Lestor Horton. Although he created 79 ballets, Ailey believed his company should also feature the works of other choreographers. The troupe has performed more than 200 pieces by more than 70 choreographers. Judith Jamison has carried on Ailey’s work, strengthening the company and following his vision of promoting dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present and fearlessly reaching into the future. After more than 20 vibrant years of artistic direction, Jamison will pass the torch to Robert Battle in 2011. Anointed celebrates this transition to the choreographer of The Hunted.

Ailey dancers constantly seek bold new ways to communicate, infusing every piece with excitement and vital energy. Regardless of repertoire, an evening of Ailey dance is a breathtaking, glorious and exuberant explosion of artistry and emotion. Ailey’s legacy fl ourishes as the next generation forges ahead with vision, dedication and talent.


Photo: Andrew Eccles

CelebratingRevelations

at 50

-

In Memoriam: Mrs. Hans HeyeIn Memoriam: Mrs. John A. JenkinsIn Memoriam: Mrs. John RhoadesIn Memoriam: Mrs. Augustine J. Todd In Memoriam: Roger VanGorder

Corporate - AT&T ParadyneBonefish GrillCity of DunedinCity of Safety HarborClearwater Auto Dealers AssociationClearwater Cardiovascular & Interventional ConsultantsC & R BuildingDimmitt Automotive GroupEckerd Family FoundationGreater Largo Chamber of CommerceHooters Management CorporationJerome & Ilene Cole Foundation, Inc.MelittaSt. Petersburg/Clearwater Convention and Visitors BureauSunTrustSynovus Bank of Tampa Bay

Benefactor $75,000+

Individual -Mrs. Sidney G. AlbertDan & Nadine CarlisleMr. & Mrs. Daniel Doyle, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. George E. FeasterEd Halleran & Steve SikaHarriet & Joe Knight FamilyJudy & Ron PetriniMrs. Donna SittonDr. & Mrs. Jerald B. Turner Debbie WhiteIn Memoriam: Frederic W. HaysIn Memoriam: Mr. E. Eugene Sitton

Corporate - Anheuser BuschGeneral Dynamics - OTSGATX Technology Services

Fellow $50,000+

Individual - Paul & Bobbi Wileman AdairMr. & Mrs. Barry M. AlpertTony & Linda BaconMrs. Gloria BattsMr. & Mrs. Alan BomsteinRick & Karen BouchardMr. & Mrs. Stephen BraginKathy & Bob BrooksBarry A. Cohen & Dr. Barbara Casasa-CohenMr. & Mrs. John P. ConnellyVincent A. DotoloJulia EidenGeorge & Lisa EtheridgeDr. & Mrs. Phillip FarthingDr. & Mrs. Ben I. FriedmanDr. & Mrs. Paul GoldenfarbDr. Bill & Jeanne HellerMr. & Mrs. James HintonMr. & Mrs. James J. HowleyMr. & Mrs. Thomas JamesPeggy and Fred LangenbergMrs. Howard LawrenceMr. & Mrs. Walter LoebenbergMaude Warde Tate TrustJill & Dodge MelkonianMr. & Mrs. Phillip NathansonMrs. Douchka NorenMr. Ralph Pomrenke

Jane McFarland O’ConnellIn Memoriam: Charles C. Amos

Corporate - Pinellas County CommissionPublix Super Markets CharitiesRegions Bank

Trustee $150,000+

Individual - Doug & Sally BaileyMrs. Ivon E. Culver Yvonne L. GubnerAlfred Hoffman Joan & Michael KlineMrs. George E. Mariani, Sr.Mrs. James B. MooneyMr. & Mrs. William E. NodineE. Leslie PeterMr. & Mrs. Edward A. Proefke, Sr.Will & Donna PtakGeorge & Sandra RuppelCharlie RutzRay & Geri TrautleinThe Williams FamilyIn Memoriam: Dr. Ivon E. CulverIn Memoriam: Mr. & Mrs. Willard A. GortnerIn Memoriam: Dr. Richard S. Gubner In Memoriam: Marcia Payne HoffmanIn Memoriam: Mr. George E. Mariani, Sr.In Memoriam: Jan Chase Rutz In Memoriam: Gwendolyn M. SherrickIn Memoriam: Dorothy S. Wright

Corporate - Carrabba’s Italian GrillCharles A. Dana Foundation, Inc.Coca-Cola USAHoneywell, Inc. - Avionics DivisionTampa/Clearwater Lexus Dealer AssociationWachovia

Donors with a $150,000 level or more are recognized on the “Wall of Stars” located outside the West Entrance.

Founder $100,000+

Individual - Bob & Jennifer BanksCantonis Family Foundation Keith & Dottie ClarkMrs. Richard N. ColhounRalph Coxhead/Nichols FoundationMrs. Kay A. DavisonEdward DrosteMrs. Ralph DutcherDr. & Mrs. Harry J. FreeDr. & Mrs. James GillsMardy & Charlene GordonMr. & Mrs. Wayne GustafsonMr. & Mrs. C. Edgar HartMr. W. R. JacobsenWilliam N. KonradMr. Terry LoebelMrs. Carol MartinMrs. Terry McHargMr. & Mrs. Herbert SchwartzBob & Cathy SmithLes & Judy Smout FoundationMs. Bonnie SonnenfeldStewart & Linda TurleyIn Memoriam: Sarainne L. Andrews In Memoriam: Betty A. ColhounIn Memoriam: Mrs. Norine V.N. Corell

Mr. & Mrs. Bernard F. PowellMrs. James QuinlanMr. & Mrs. Marshall E. Rinker, Jr.Eric & Carla RoahrigMr. & Mrs. Arthur RutenbergMrs. Carlos B. SchoepplKathleen ShortMr. Everett L. SimpkinsColey & Susie TookeMr. & Mrs. Raphael TourinMr. & Mrs. James L. VillaMrs. Madge G. WagnerEdna L. WissingIn Memoriam: Mr. Larry BattsIn Memoriam: Carl EidenIn Memoriam: Mrs. Ben Gelbart

Corporate - AAEGONB B & T BankCeviche Tapas Bar & RestaurantCity of LargoClearwater Threshers Baseball ClubCreative Contractors Fifth Third BankHarper Van Scoik & CompanyHCA West Florida DivisionNorthern Trust BankNorthside Medical CenterPalm Pavilion of Clearwater, Inc. / Ken HamiltonThe Stailey Company, Inc.The Johnson Family/Sylvan AbbeyU.S. Home Corporation The Van Pelt Foundation

Donors at a cumulative giving of $50,000 or more are recognized on the “Panel of Honor” located in the West Lobby.

Ruth Eckerd Hall, a donor-supported 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, is tremendously grateful to the more than 5,500 members who support our commitment to presenting the finest in the performing arts and providing arts education opportunities to nearly 100,000 young people and adults each year.

The following list represents the cumulative giving totals (over $1,500) for our generous supporters from the inception of Ruth Eckerd Hall to the present. As of December 1, 2010.

Honor Roll of Donors

Trustee $2,000,000+

Individual - AnonymousMr. & Mrs. Raymond E. MurrayIn Memoriam: Mr. & Mrs. Jack Eckerd

Corporate - Bright House NetworksCity of Clearwater

Trustee $1,000,000+

Individual - Drs. Lofty & Laila BastaThe Baumgardner FamilyMr. & Mrs. Larry H. Dimmitt, Jr.Fred & Aleta FisherMargarete, Harold & Diane HeyeMrs. William A. Mitchell/English, Bonter, Mitchell FoundationMr. & Mrs. Dean RamusFred & Joy Thomas and FamilyIn Memoriam: Mrs. Courtney CampbellIn Memoriam: William A. Mitchell

Corporate - The Leading Ladies of Ruth Eckerd Hall Pinch A Penny, Inc.Progress EnergyThe State of Florida, Department of State

Trustee $750,000+

Individual - Anonymous

Corporate –St. Petersburg TimesVerizon

Trustee $500,000+

Individual - Mr. Robert B. ChallenerMr. & Mrs. Carroll CheekMr. & Mrs. Daniel M. DoyleGladys Douglas HackworthRenée and John HurleyMr. Nelson W. MorrowGus & Frances Stavros

Corporate - Bank of AmericaRaymond James & Associates, Inc/ Mr. Thomas A. James

Honorary Trustee -Alfred HoffmanIn Memoriam: Marcia Payne Hoffman

Trustee $250,000+

Individual - Mrs. Charles C. AmosAnonymousC. Douglas and Eleanor BakerMr. & Mrs. Daniel EngelhardtMr. & Mrs. James R. HarperBill & Mary Lou JohnsonMr. & Mrs. Richard A. MinckMr. & Mrs. Charles Rutenberg In Memoriam: Robert K. Richey & Macdonald “Mike” RicheyIn Memoriam:

Patron $25,000+

Individual - David & Jeanie AbelsonDrs. Michael & Pamela AdamsJim & Gail AgnewToni AlexanderDr. & Mrs. Michael J. AndriolaAnonymousDr. Rodney AnthonyMr. & Mrs. R.W. ArneggerMr. Stuart W. ArnoldMillicent B. AthanasonDr. & Mrs. Michael AustinMr. & Mrs. Martin AwerbachSeena & Bill BakerDr. & Mrs. John Barrett, Jr.Fran BartlettMr. & Mrs. Henry Becker Winifred & Lee BellMr. & Mrs. D.A. Bennett, IIMr. & Mrs. Gerald M. BenstockMr. & Mrs. Glenn BergoffenClay BiddingerDavid & Nancy BilheimerBunny & Bill BitnerMr. & Mrs. W. Gerald BlaneyMr. & Mrs. Joseph G. Blanton, Sr.John & Shirley BoelhowerMike & Bonnie BollenbackMr. & Mrs. John R. Bonner, Sr.CJ & Dana BotsolasMrs. Jill Nealy BoudreauMrs. Sally BowlerJoyce BrewerThe Derrick Brewster FamilyMrs. Loretto R. BurmesterMrs. Jack BurnisonDrs. Winton & Katherine Burns


Mr. & Mrs. Donald G. KaiserDavid & Angela KatzThe Karnes KidsJohn & Joanne KavanaghMrs. Marshall KentMr. & Mrs. Roger KenyonMark & Judy KleinMr. & Mrs. Ken KlespiesMr. & Mrs. Roger KumarMr. & Mrs. Ted LassiterMrs. Suzanne Logan LeathermanAl LeoStanley & Susan LevyJoni R. LongRick & Pamela LopezMr. & Mrs. Jack Machbitz Mrs. Jeannie Finn MacphersonMr. & Mrs. Joshua MagidsonElizabeth B. MannNancy & George MarianiJames A. Martin, Jr.Mike & Denise McCrackenBarbara McNeillMr. & Mrs. Edward J. McSheehyMrs. James P. McSorleyMrs. Daniel C. MeekMr. & Mrs. Paul MeissnerMs. Anne MeyerStan & Ida MichelsJoseph and Julia MiglinMr. John MilesMr. & Mrs. Aristides MiliotesDonna MillsJoseph & Antoinette MontoroMr. Larry MorganDr. & Mrs. George A. Morris IIIJack & Phoebe MossJames Donohue Murphy/ Elizabeth Felicetti MurphyMr. Chet NeedelmanRaymond & Trina OakesDon & Doris OlsonDr. Yi-Hwa Outerbridge & Mr. Felix Cannella, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Pawlowski Mr. & Mrs. Lowell PaxsonMr. & Mrs. James N. PaxtonMr. & Mrs. David G. Perkins, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Leslie PeterRonald Peterson FamilyThe Lew B. Phillips FamilyMargaret M. PitkethlyMr. & Mrs. F. Wallace Pope, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Peter J. Porcelli, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Walter PowellJoseph ProctorMr. Donald ProkesJ. Crayton & Johanna PruittMr. & Mrs. Bruce RabonMrs. William ReedMr. & Mrs. Robert ResnikDr. & Mrs. John J. RindeMr. & Mrs. Douglas D. RoachLouise & Charlie RobinsonMrs. Patricia RowanMr. & Mrs. Dennis RuppelHoward & Dina SachsMr. & Mrs. Harrison SchaffhauserDr. & Mrs. Alan C. ScheerMr. Kenneth B. SchickMrs. Lisl SchickMrs. Irving SchoenbergDr. & Mrs. Bruce A. SchorrEric & Barbara SchmitzMr. Wendell F. SchottRoyal E & Ethel V. SchroederDr. & Mrs. Joseph SchwartzMr. & Mrs. F. J. SharpeMr. Harold T. SingerHonorable Jim SmithMr. & Mrs. Norman SmithMrs. Rodney SmootCol. & Mrs. Donald W. SpearelMr. & Mrs. James L. SpencerMr. Stephen J. SpencerMr. Andrew SpetzDr. & Mrs. James SpicerEllen StavrosPaul B. StavrosMark StavrosMr. & Mrs. George M. SteinbrennerMr. & Mrs. Jim Stewart

Mr. & Mrs. Edwin BushMr. & Mrs. Nicholas CambasMr. & Mrs. Steve CarlisleMr. & Mrs. Angelo CataniGary & Amanda CatenacMr. & Mrs. Steven B. ChapmanMrs. Leon ChasanMr. & Mrs. Edward ChristianoRobert B. Churney & Ericka ReinckeMr. & Mrs. Joseph ClarkDr. & Mrs. Harold ColbassaniDr. & Mrs. Stephen ColemanMichael & Roxanne ConnorKeith & Debra CookMr. & Mrs. Earl CooperSandy CottermanAlice & Thomas J. CulhaneMr. James C. DavidMrs. Ruth DavisCharles J. and Karleen F. DeBlakerDr. Michael & Mrs. Diana DeVitoDr. & Mrs. David DieterichDr. & Mrs. Thomas E. DealTerry & Marilyn DeebMr. & Mrs. Kenneth DelarbreMr. & Mrs. Salu DevnaniDexter FamilyMr. & Mrs. Robert B. DicksonMr. & Mrs. Lawrence Dimmitt, IIIDoreen & Richard DimmittMr. & Mrs. David W. DunbarAnn & Ronnie DuncanHolly H. DuncanMr. & Mrs. Dunald F. DunnDr. & Mrs. Paul R. DuryeaWally & Bunny DuttonMrs. Thomas EastonKennedy M. EckerdRick & Bridget EckerdMr. & Mrs. William K. EckerdDr. & Mrs. Richard EicherSharon Ellis-ChampagneDr. & Mrs. Irwin EntelMr. & Mrs. Don K. EnzmannMr. & Mrs. Lloyd M. FerrentinoMr. & Mrs. Stanley FishmanRobert & Leslie FreedmanJohn D. FiteJerry & Elaine FlattDr. James C. FlemingMs. Nina FocardiMr. & Mrs. Charles K. FordMichael J. Franks FamilyJoyce FullerMr. & Mrs. John F. GerlachMr. Kingsley H. Gerlach IIIMr. Stephen R. GerlachMr. & Mrs. James C. GibsonMr. John GillisMs. Anne V. GoiranMr. & Mrs. Richard R. GomezMr.& Mrs. Gary P. GorminLinda Suzzanne Griffin-KeliherMr. David W. GriffithPriscilia Rudd GrossMr. & Mrs. Howard G. GrothMrs. Pat GrubbMrs. Ruth M. GrymesMrs. Cathy Gurba Mr. Stephen L. GurbaMyra Chandler HaasDr. & Mrs. Robert E. HackettMrs. Alfred HallDr. & Mrs. J. Robert Hamill, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Howard G. HamiltonLeon R. HammockMrs. Kent HardenDr. & Mrs. Norman R. HarrisMrs. Eugene HarrisonJohn & Geri HerbertMr. & Mrs. Rick HeyeSusan Morgenstein HeymanMary Gerlach HickokMr. & Mrs. Rayford Howard Hixon, Jr.Abby K and Joseph E Holt, Sr.Kenneth W. & Sheri HoyeBarbara & Cletus HummCarolyn C. HunterNancy E. JenkinsKathleen & Roger JohnsonMr. & Mrs. Timothy A. Johnson, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Michael Jordan

Honor Roll of DonorsMrs. William A. StinsonDavid P. Stone & Deborah G. StoneMrs. J.O. Stone & Mrs. Neil RodriguezMrs. W.E. StraceyMr. & Mrs. Richard SuretteDr. Diane SuttonMr. & Mrs. James T. Swann IIISteve & Maureen SwansonJeanne TalericoDave Thomas & Julie LochmanDr. Barbara Van WinkleFrank & Barbara WalkerJim Walters/ Smith & AssociatesDr. & Mrs. Steven WeissElden & Ruth WeissEric D. Weston & Barbara A. BaccariDr. Woodrow Wheetley, Capt. USN, Ret.Ron & Lonni WhitchurchMr. & Mrs. Ernest J. WhittlePaul A & Vivienne B WilcockWendy WilkersonDr. & Mrs. Frank M. WilliamsGreg & Sandra WillseyMrs. P.G. WinquistDouglas & Lisa WycoffWarren & Debbie YoungIn Memoriam: Helen Arfaras In Memoriam: Edward E. BrewerIn Memoriam: Mrs. William Burchenal, Sr.In Memoriam: Mrs. Anne M. DoyleIn Memoriam: Constance N. HallIn Memoriam: Ed & Phyllis LambertIn Memoriam: Mrs. Walter McGheeIn Memoriam: Mary S. WelchIn Memoriam: Ms. Martha Wychor

Corporate - Alliant TechsystemsAmerican Association of University WomenAm-Med, Inc.Belleair JewelryBelleair Opticians/Image EyewearCarlisle, Fields & Co.Castco ConstructionDr. Cesar Lara/ Center for Weight Loss ManagementCitibankCox Target MediaDanka Industries, Inc.Dillard’sExecujet Charter Service, Inc.Fleming’sFull Spectrum CommunicationsGreater Clearwater Chamber of CommerceHalliburton & Associates, Inc.Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & SpaKirkland, Russ, Murphy & Tapp, P.A.McFarlane, Ferguson & McMullenMain Street Medical - Drs. Schwartz & NeuwirthMajemac Enterprises, Inc.Mandalay Surf & Sport, Inc.Perenich, Carroll, Perenich, Avril, Caulfield & Noyes, P.A.Polypack, Inc.ProVise Management Group, Inc.Raymond James Trust Private Wealth ManagementRooms To GoRotary Club of ClearwaterSchmalz Insurance Agency John & Trudy SchmalzSquare D. CompanySuncoast Roofers Supply, Inc.Sun Toyota, Inc.Think Tank StudioThe Stuffed MushroomU.B.S. Financial ServicesWadsworth Golf Construction Co.

Director $15,000+

Individual -Mr. & Mrs. Bruce AkersonMrs. Charlotte Bailey

Dr. & Mrs. H. Russell BerndRichard Bialor & Byron MathisMr. & Mrs. Richard F. BinnigMr. & Mrs. Ray BouchardFred & Lori BrownMr. William BruggemanPenny BurnisonBryan & Mary CrinoRandy & Ellen CrisorioMr. & Mrs. Joseph CzuprawskiMrs. Ardelle F. DarlingDr. & Mrs. Miguel FanaScott & Leigh FeuerMr. & Mrs. Thomas F. FlynnDr. & Mrs. George GiannakopoulosDr. & Mrs. Pit GillsMs. Jan GordonChad & Sarah HarrodMr. & Mrs. Burton HartmanKevin & Angela HawkinsPhil & Janet HendersonDr. & Mrs. Harvey Kerstein Louise M. KirkDr. & Mrs. Robert S. KleinSelma KronDr. & Mrs. Paul KudelkoJason & Susie KuhnMr. & Mrs. Brian Ladell Mr. & Mrs. Clark LeaMr. Stuart LipmanRobert C. MasonMr. & Mrs. Jeffrey McDonaldMrs. John MulockRonald & Fagl OxmanMr. & Mrs. Michael PappasTannia PeeplesMrs. Pat PlumleeDr. & Mrs. Andrew RacksteinMr. & Mrs. J. Paul RaymondMr. & Mrs. Fred N. RobertsHelen L. RobinsonRobert & Annette RochlinVick & Sharmilla Seth Mr. & Mrs. William ShullMr. & Mrs. Malcolm StephensJeffry SternMr. John StrossTim & Sandy StroyneDr. & Mrs. Lee C. Watkins, Jr.Mrs. Grace WilliamsMr. & Mrs. Philip WilliamsMr. & Mrs. Mack WordenMr. & Mrs. Roy WorkmanDr. & Mrs. Lane ZieglerIn Memoriam: Mr. Joseph Wileman

Corporate -The Ackerman FoundationAlfano’s RestaurantAnesthesia Associates of DunedinAT&TAXA AdvisorsElite Travel GroupFerman Motor Car Co., Inc.Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine BarMMA Financial, LLCRosewater, Lerner & RudolphRoy’s RestaurantSea Wake Resorts, Inc.Smith BarneyTew, Barnes & AtkinsonThe Sidney & Beatrice Albert FoundationVSA Arts of Florida

Master $10,000+

Individual -Allison & Robby AdamsMr. Gregg M. AkinAnonymousMr. & Mrs. Jeff AllowayMike BaldridgeMr. Billy Beattie, Jr.Steve & Marie BeatyPhilip & Ann BeauchampMs. Linda BellewMr. & Mrs. Steven BenjaminMr. & Mrs. Al BillerMaurice & Selma Biller


Nathaniel W. Lea III & Kim RobertsBradley & Audrey LeachMrs. Pamela LeCompteMr. & Mrs. Walter J. Lehrer, Jr.Mr. Raymond LepplaMs. Lisa LevinePeter & Kitty LiebeltMr. & Mrs. Randolph LoosFrank LorenzoMr. Stephen LucasMr. & Mrs. Scott LyonDave & Mary MacdaidDr. & Mrs. Christopher MacLarenMr. & Mrs. Mark MaconiMr. John MakholmMr. Robert MartinDr. Andrew Maser & Dr. Debbie BrownMr. Marc MassaroKim & Todd MattoxBill & Kiki MazasMs. Donna B. McMullenMr. & Mrs. Paul McMullenMr. John MedaskaDr. & Mrs. Oscar MenendezCheryl MercurisBob MeringoMr. & Mrs. Ron MillerDarryl & Shannon MinardiMark & Leslie MonkarshDrs. Vincent & Natalie MonticcioloThomas MooserDr. Lynn MoscinskiMr. & Mrs. Robert MyersMr. Peter NascarellaJane NewtonDr. & Mrs. Jerry NiedzwieckiTimothy & Heather North Mr. & Mrs. Lyle H. OdlandMr. Frank Offer IIIMr. Hershall OliffMichael A. OrtollMei & Pam OraMr. Anand PallegarMr. Bruce PalmerMr. Roy PandeloglouMr. & Mrs. E.B. PasqualeSandip & Rita PatelSuzette PerazaMr. & Mrs. Joseph PerlmanMr. John PistilliJim & Sue PetruMr. Dave PettinatoDr. J. Wayne & Bridget PhillipsDr. & Mrs. Paul PhillipsAnneNeil & Christopher Piccone Mr. Michael A. PlummerSteven & Haven PoirierMr. & Mrs. Harvey PollakMr. & Mrs. Charles PossickMs. Donna PoulosDr. Cathryn PowersDr. Evelyn PresleyMichael Preston & Geri PearsallScott & Maureen ProssenMrs. Carolyn QuinnMr. & Mrs. James RaganDr. Lori RansohoffDr. & Mrs. Roger A. RayRichard RaymondPam & Dick RobertsMr. & Mrs. Charles Robinson, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Parker RobinsonMs. Tara RogachefskyMark & Carol-Lynn RomanDeirdre & Adam Rosen MDNermine & Les RubinMr. Henry RuschkeMarty & Melissa RyanMr. & Mrs. Marc SachsKelly & Robert SchmidtCarol-Lynn SchofieldRandy & Tara SchroederMrs. Donna SeeleyMr. Patrick SheppardScott & Mariela ShearAlan & Deborah ShermanBarry & Kathryn ShevlinSeth & Tammy SchimmelMr. William H. SimonCol. Paul SimsNeil & Deborah SmalbachRichard & Donna Smith

Mr. & Mrs. Ray BouchardMs. Lisa Parker BoudreauMr. & Mrs. Wayne BowlbyMr. & Mrs. Cleveland E. BranscumMr. Bjorn BrunvandMr. Sid BurtnickMr. & Mrs. Mark CarlsonJudge & Mrs. James R. CaseMs. Gloria CecchiMrs. Deborah ClementsMr. & Mrs. Louis CloseRobert & Tricia CollinsTom & Diane ColtonJoanne D’Urso ConreyMr. & Mrs. Ronald CopherMr. & Mrs. Brian DonushiMr. & Mrs. Hugh FavaMr. & Mrs. Chris V. GagnonMr. & Mrs. Melvin GavronMs. Debra GomesBarbara & Gordon GoodmanDr. Elinor GordonMs. Dana GuyBill & Betsy Adams HallMr. & Mrs. Lawrence W. Harkins, IIIDr. Jack M. HirshonMr. & Mrs. Todd HolderMr. George IaconoMike & Penny JacksonPaula Eleazar JohansenValerie J. JohnsonAnna and Joseph KokolakisRichard & Rosetta JordanWilma M. KrentzmanMr. & Mrs. James LanktonDr. Michael P. Lazor and Mrs. Rose LazorMr. & Mrs. Daniel T. MannLaura & Brian MaioccoMr. Gene MarshallVeronica MartinJeanne R. McGintyMr. & Mrs. Arthur McKenzieMr. & Mrs. Bruce MedlinMax W. & Andrea J. MitchellDr. & Mrs. Steven MirabelloDrs. Vincent & Natalie MonticcioloMr. & Mrs. James MoylesDr. & Mrs. Craig MungerMrs. Michael MustoMs. Donna NettestadSkip & Jan OlneyMr. Kenneth O’Neil Mr. & Mrs. Dennis O’SheaDr. David & Mrs. Cheryl ParkerJason & Bonnie PatchenJoy & Loren PollackHarvey Pollak & ChildrenWilma & James PriceMr. & Mrs. Richard RedmonJimmy & Amy RichmanTara & David RubergMs. Susan ScottTerry & Aleta SchmidtGail & Robin SelbyMr & Mrs. Roger F. SellewMr. & Mrs. Donald ShepardMr. William SilverMr. & Mrs. Garry SimpsonGary & Janet SicaMr. & Mrs. John Slaughter, Jr.Mrs. Vi SmithMr. Joseph K. SolomonMr. & Mrs. Jack SpragueMr. Ezack SptaruMr. & Mrs. Johnston StaplesMr. Warren StevensRoy & Cathy SweatmanMr. & Mrs. Gary TocklinMr. & Mrs. David WallGene & Brenda WhiteheadJames YarbroughMr. & Mrs. Al Zeppenfeld

Corporate -Advance Placement TravelAPG Electric / Mr. John R. KavulaFoundation for Global UnderstandingHomes by Bill Young, Inc.Homestead Title of Pinellas, Inc.LaQuinta Inn & SuitesManheim St. Pete

Ms. Stephanie DobiesMr. & Mrs. Anthony Dominick Mr. Robert DonathMr. & Mrs. Al DrzewieckiMs. Mary EastonDouglas F. Edwards, CPA, PAMr. David EldridgeMr. Trey EngelkeMr. & Mrs. Bruce EngquistDavid & Tina EyersMr. Robert A. FajtLisa FallerMr. & Mrs. Norman FerenzBen & Dana FerticMr. & Mrs. Thomas FinneganMr. Roman FishLouise FlandreauCecilia FonteTom & Jennifer FrederickLawrence Friedman, M.D.Mr. & Mrs. Steven FriedmanMr. & Mrs. P. Douglas FreedleMrs. Betty Ann FoxworthyDr. Thomas E. Furlong, Jr.Giselle GayMr. John GeigleMr. & Mrs. Jeffrey J. GeorgeAnthony & Nicola GiallourakisL. Thomas & Chris GiblinDavid & Cris GildenMr. Todd Gould & Mrs. Jennifer BarbaroMiss Billie Jo GrassingerMr. Michael GrecoJohnny GreenMr. William GrobBobby & Linda GrossDr. & Mrs. Jeffrey S. GroveMs. Barbara HaagsmaSteve & Taunya HaireDrs. Brian & Connie HaleMr. & Mrs. Carl HallMs. Doreen HalliwellMr. Dale H. HamiltonMr. & Mrs. Hoyt P. HamiltonMr. & Mrs. Wade B. HamiltonMs. Kathryn HammondMr. Paul HannaMr. Robert HannumMr. & Mrs. Lawrence HarkinsMike & Janice HayesMike & Harriet HernandezPete & Kristy HernandezMrs. Elizabeth HoaglinKevin & Tammie HouriganStephen HoveMr. Jerry HowardDrs. Robert & Teresa HowardMs. Karen Sweeney HummerMr. & Mrs. Larry IngramMr. & Mrs. Tommy InzinaMary & Howard IversonMs. Kim JacksonPaul & Joanne JacksonMr. Marc JacobsonMr. Anthony H. JohannesmeyerMr. & Mrs. Guilherme JohannpeterMr. & Mrs. J. B. JohnsonMr. & Mrs. James JordanRichard D. & Rosetta JordanMr. Tedd JuanisJohn & Christina KaddisHarriet KaplanMr. & Mrs. William B. KeckMr. & Mrs. Henry KempfMr. Mike KenistonMs. Beverly L. KennedyKeith & Cathy KerriganMr. David KingMichael & Joanne KingPaul & Stacey KlimczakMr. Mel KlinghofferMr. Donald KocolowskiTheodore & Mary KramerSteve & Holly KramerDr. RF KuehneMarc & Lee Ann KudelkoChris & Angela LaFaceMr. & Mrs. Frederick LallyDr. & Mrs. David A. LandisMs. Betty L. LangMs. Anne Lauder

McFarland, Gould,Lyons, Sullivan & Hogan, P.A.Medfab CorporationMoffitt Cancer CenterNew York LifePeterson Metal Products, Inc.Phil Lopez, Elf Salad Music, BMIPrecision Architectural Products, Inc.Professional Leads NetworkR O Systems ConsultantsThe NELCO Companies

Principal $5,000+

Individual -Erik AbrahamsonMs. Diane AdamsMs. Lorral AllenDrs. Devendra & Dipti AminMr. James AshbaughMr. Nicholas M. Athanason, Esq.Mr. Don BaileyDan BaldaBette & John BarrMr. & Mrs. Jimmy BatesRobert & Erin BeanMr. & Mrs. Hilmer BeckersThilo BestMr. & Mrs. Frank BiancoDr. Geoffrey BildMr. & Mrs. James BircherJonathon & Kimberly BlakeMr. & Mrs. Daniel BloomMr. & Mrs. Patrick BogartAlison BohTom & Karen BolandMr. & Mrs. Robert BonannoRob & Kathy BoosMary Alice BraukmanMr. & Mrs. Ronald E. BrodeurMr. Marty BrookerDr. Charles A. BrooksMr. Harold E. BrownMark & Suzanne BrownMr. Bjorn BrunvandRonald BuckMs. Linda BurkeMyra BurkeDr. Kevin BurrillBurt and Gloria BusseyMr. & Mrs. Robert BusseyDavid & Jennifer CalverleyMs. Karen CameronMr. & Mrs. Timothy CanhamThe Carolan FamilyMr. & Mrs. John CartigliaBlake CasperMr. Don CayoMrs. Frank J. Cesario, Jr.Peter & Jenny ChicourisMs. Roberta Lutz ChristensonMr. & Mrs. Edward Anthony CingoranelliMr. & Mrs. Patrick J. ClarkeMr. & Mrs. Harry S. ClineMr. & Mrs. Donald CohenMs. Louise CollinsMrs. Jill Fisher CopeJimmy & Brenda ComptonCharlene & Kevin ConnellyGary & Amy ConnorsMr. & Mrs. Bryan CookMr. R. Cook & Mrs. J. FlahertyDerek & Tracey CooperCarole CoreMr. Jim CostonLeonard F. CoyleMr. & Mrs. Robert F. CullenMr. & Mrs. Charles CurtisMr. & Mrs. Joe DanielsEric & Amy DannDalton & Tammy DavisMr. & Mrs. Daniel DavisJimmie & Janet DeanCandy & Eddie DeBartolo and FamilyDr. David DecamellaDaniel & Terri DennehySteven DeGeorgeKathleen Despota PARob & Jaqui DiMarcoMr. & Mrs. Norm Dobiesz

Honor Roll of Donors


Mr. & Mrs. William SmithMr. & Mrs. James SnyderSylvetta SolaMr. & Mrs. Russell Stefany Barbara A. Stein, M.D. PADr. & Mrs. Jeffrey StoneTom & Sharon StrengMr. & Mrs. Scott StromerCharles & Kathy StrongMs. Jill StrumpfCarol StutrudMr. & Mrs. John S. Taylor, IIIMr. Mark C. TaylorRick & Lori ToenjesMr. Patrick TorchiaMs. Lida TorrenceMr. & Mrs. Steven TorresJohn & Susan TouchtonMr. & Mrs. Lou TraxlerTrey & Nina TraviesaTeresa & Joe TrepaniChristopher & Georgette TsavoussisMr. & Mrs. Kelly TutterowDr. & Mrs. Ty TvedtenMr. Gary UbaldiniMr. Douglas Van HoutenJoan Vecchioli & Andrew SalzmanMs. Karen ViettoMrs. Alan E. WalkerDr. & Mrs. Paul WallaceGlenn & Liz WatersMark & Beth WeaverDr. Randall WeiselMr. David WeissMr. & Mrs. Carl WhiteMr. & Mrs. Stephen WhiteMr. & Mrs. Paul WhitfordMr. & Mrs. Arthur L. Whitney Jr.Suzanne Piper WilderMrs. Linda WilkinMs. Patricia WillingMs. Susan WilsonMr. & Mrs. Albert WisemanDr. Ditmar WisselMs. Patricia WootenDr. & Mrs. Herbert WollowickDoug & Tina WuorinenFred Yonteck & Emilie LeBoeufMr. & Mrs. Hal ZiecheckDavid & Dana Zucker

Corporate -ActionCoach PinellasAlbritton Title, Inc.Amerisure InsuranceAmeri-Tech Community Management, Inc.AMPLEXApplied Health OutcomesBaxter, Strohauer, Mannion & Silbermann, P.A. Belloise RealtyBillingsly Associates, LLCBoos Development GroupBrandon Construction CompanyBurchard Galleries - Fine Art & Antiques AuctioneersCaroline & Lee, P.A.Creative Touch InteriorsD-MAR General Contracting & Development Embassy Mortgage Group I, LLCEmbassy Mortgage Group, Inc.Enterprise Rent-A-CarFantastic Five, Inc.First American TitleForrest Excavating Hale, Swope & Paulsen, PAHaynes Appraisal Group, Inc.Hoyt-Jolley FoundationLaw Office of Charles PhillipsLincks & Associates, Inc.Market Technologies, LLC Mr. Louis MendelsohnMedia Impact AdvertisingParadise Development GroupPinellas Community FoundationRadiology AssociatesRauh-Co Construction Services, Inc.Realtors Choice Financial

Richard Nader EntertainmentRothman Family FoundationStaack, Simms & Hernandez, P.A.Stahl & AssociatesSun Country CleanersThe List ExpertsThe Sembler Company

$1,500+

Individual -Bob & Cathy AboodDr. & Mrs. Curtis AdolphsonDebbie Angelus & Ralph HarrisDr. & Mrs. Guy BaratRoberta A. BaryMr. Ken BeasleyMr. & Mrs. Stephen BenjaminMr. Ron BensonJanie & Marty BorellMrs. Shana BoyarskyLaurie BreenApril & David BrownMr. Brian BrownKyle Burd & Ashanka KanandaPatricia Burke and Howard RitchieBrant & Alexandra ByrdDoug & Janice CaseMs. Terri CastroMr. & Mrs. Rick CarlsonMr. & Mrs. William F. ClarkMrs. Jacqueline Cole-GrazianoMiss Mary CollinsMr. Randy CookMr. & Mrs. Larry CottonMargaret CuthbertMrs. Margaret DarraughMs. Brenda DavisMr. Stewart L. DavisAnthony & Lynn DiAngelusKathryn & Pierre DrouinDr. Anthony & Audrey DuanyNick & Connie DukasStacie DunphyAndrew & Judy DuvallDrs. A.E. & Natalie DyerRichard Eckerd Foundation, Inc.Mark & Sue EdmundsTimothy & Amanda EimanMr. David EricksonDr. Robert EntelVicki FranklinMr. John FrancisMr. & Mrs. Alan GassmanMr. & Mrs. Arthur GiordanoMrs. Betty J. GirensMr. & Mrs. Paul GlogowerDr. & Mrs. Stephen GoldmanMr. Gary GrayMs. Catherine GreenDr. Robert HackneyEric & Annie HambschMr. Lawrence HamiltonJohn & Brenda HansonHoward & Linda HarrisBill & Jan HarrounBarbara O. HartHarold Hartigan & Michael BeckwithMr. Wayne HarveyMrs. C. HenryMr. & Mrs. Harlan HeshelowMr. John HobachMr. Craig HurlbertChris & Christa JewellJana JonesRobert & Sharon JorgensenMs. Janice JoslinMr. & Mrs. Donald KahnMr. Demetrios KaiafasMr. Gary KappelMr. & Mrs. John KasperKeith & Cathy KerriganMr. Rod KhleifMr. & Mrs. James Kimbrough, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Ralph KluesnerDamian KondrotasMr. James KossMr. Aaron KrauseEva & Michael KrutchikVincent & Karen LawrenceDr. Verlin Lee

Bud LevyDick and Beverly LingleThomas & Nancy LloydMr. Ralph MangioneMs. Jill MannoJennifer MargoliusMr. & Mrs. Kelly McClungMr. & Mrs. John S. McConnell IIIMr. Patrick MeehanLynn & Maria MeredithMrs. Catherine MinteerMr. William MitchellLeslie & Darlene MoffattMr. & Mrs. Robert MolerBill & Tanga MoyleMr. Gary NammRep. Peter & Anita NehrMr. & Mrs. Jim NelsonMr. Larry NelsonMr. Edmund OmanLouis S. OrloffTrisha & Chris PattersonDavid & Carmen PelletzJoyce PembertonRichard & Tina PerkinsMr. & Mrs. Walter PiperRobert PitcherMs. Lorraine PotockiJohn Psomas & Luke LovgrenHeather RadkeMs. Jean Anne ReedJackrice & Kelly Lee McFrederickMr. Joseph RifenburgMr. Coda C. Roberson, IIIJohn & Kimberly RobinsonMs. Gloria RodriquezMr. & Mrs. Robert RognstadMr. & Mrs. D. SchererWes ScheuflerMr. & Mrs. R. Matlock SchillemanLouise & George SchramMr. & Mrs. Andrew W. SchultzMr. & Mrs. Glenn ShaneMr. & Mrs. Howard SharfMr. & Mrs. Walter SmithDr. & Mrs. Gerald SmolenskyMs. Laurie SmootDrs. Jonathon and Lisa SquiresMr. & Mrs. Kyle StevensonMs. Shirley StrangeMr. David SuellauVera & Kenny SwadeMr. Roy SweatmanMr. Mark SwickMs. Heidi TandatnickRobert & Terri TankelJeffrey ThomasLaura A. TrapnellMr. Gary TrombleyMr. & Mrs. Joseph TrusinaMrs. Edwin Van PeltMr. Donald WaldenMr. & Mrs. Michael WalkerPeter & Susan WardAngel WelkerMr. & Mrs. John H. WhitcombMr. Mark WimberlyMr. & Mrs. Ron WindMr. & Mrs. William WitterJeff & Christine WolskyMr. Herb Zerden

Corporate -Arnold JewelersBella Southern Interiors, Inc.The Bernd Group, Inc.Big 3 Records – Bill EdwardsBrady’s Backyard BBQCheckpoint TechnologiesDayton-Andrews, Inc.Dick Norris Buick-Pontiac-GMCDimmitt Cadillac, Inc.Dimmitt Chevrolet, Inc.Distinctive Escape, Inc.FDM, PLCFirst American Title, Insurance CompanyFitzgerald Jeep-EagleFlorida Drives & Gearmotors, Inc.Gibson Grey Consulting

Honor Roll of DonorsGrillsmith RestaurantJerry Ulm Dodge Chrysler JeepJim Quinlan ChevroletLokey Motors, Inc.Lokey Oldsmobile, Inc.Lydian Bank & TrustMercantile BankOldsmar Chamber of CommerceOvermyer Charitable FoundationPepsi ColaRDK Truck Sales & Service Mr. & Mrs. Richard KemnerRock & Roll Heaven Memorabilia Inc./ David & Deanna WakefieldThe Macula CenterThe Rogers Foundation Mr. Michael WaxmanSouthern Arts FederationStonewall II, Inc.USAA FoundationVision Systems, Inc.

IN KIND GIFTSRuth Eckerd Hall gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the following individuals and companies for their in kind contributions.

Art at the Plaza/ Sharon DrennerCarrabba’s Italian GrillElite Travel GroupIM EventsLaurie FarthingKirkland, Russ, Murphy & Tapp,P.A.Maddux Business ReportRent-All CitySyd Entel/Susan Benjamin GlassThink Tank StudiosTiffany & Co.WEDU Channel 3 PBSWFTS ABC Action News



John Davidson in ConcertWednesday, February 16, 1 pm

www.johndavidson.com

John Davidson has done just about everything there is to do in show business. Following a New York City modeling career while still in high school in White Plains, John went on to Dennison University, where he got a B.A. in theater arts and appeared in 30 of Dennison’s summer theater shows. Then he was on to Broadway to play Burt Lahr’s son in Foxy. After being discovered by TV producer Bob Banner, John starred in The Hallmark Hall of Fame production of The Fantasticks, received a Theater Guild Award for his portrayal of Curly in the Broadway revival of Oklahoma!, and hosted The Kraft Summer Music Hall with George Carlin, Flip WIlson and Richard Pryor. John made 13 albums with Columbia Records and appeared at major Las Vegas venues. He also starred in many regional theater productions, including The Music Man (Harold Hill), 110 In The Shade (Starbuck), Camelot (Lancelot), Carousel (Billy), I Do, I Do, Will Rogers Follies (Will), Chicago (Billy Flynn), Shenandoah (Charlie Anderson), Man of La Mancha (Cervantes), and Bully (Teddy Roosevelt).

John’s television career includes hosting That’s Incredible, The New Hollywood Squares, One Hundred Thousand Dollar Pyramid, The Tonight Show (80 evenings, more than any other singer), The John Davidson Show, and assorted specials and beauty pageants. He played Sally Field’s husband in The Girl With Something Extra and appeared in Love American Style and The Streets of San Francisco.

Feature fi lms include Disney musicals The Happiest Millionaire and The One And Only Genuine Original Family Band. John also appeared in Airport 80, Edward Scissorhands and The Squeeze. He had his own theater in Branson before returning to star in State Fair on Broadway and in High Infi delity with Morgan Fairchild off-Broadway. As if all this were not enough, he has written a book (The Art of the Singing Entertainer) and a play (Father/Son & Holy Ghost). This consummate performer brings us an afternoon of popular music classics laced with a bit of comedy.


Willie nelsonSpecial Guest Lukas nelson and Promise of the RealWednesday, February 16, 8 pmwww.willienelson.comwww.promiseofthereal.com

The red headed stranger returns! With a six-decade career and 200 plus albums, this iconic Texan is the creative genius behind Crazy, Red Headed Stranger and Stardust. He has earned every conceivable award as a musician and amassed reputable credentials as an author, actor and activist. Recent releases include Naked Willie, Willie and the Wheel, American Classic and Country Music.

Willie began playing guitar at six and wrote his fi rst song at seven, but stardom wasn’t instant. He was a DJ, sang in nightclubs, and wrote songs for Patsy Cline (Crazy), Faron Young (Hello Walls) and Billy Walker (Funny How Time Slips Away). His nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing didn’t attract attention at fi rst, but he eventually began recording his songs and took on a redneck outlaw image, aligning himself with Waylon Jennings. Red Headed Stranger turned the tide (1975), becoming the best-selling country album ever and a success in pop circles. Always eclectic, Nelson had a crossover hit cover of Elvis Presley’s Always on My Mind. Success in fi lms followed (The Electric Horseman, Honeysuckle Rose, Thief, Barbarosa, Songwriter). Willie, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash toured together as The Highwaymen. Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame (1993) was followed by Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. Willie has borrowed from traditional pop, Western swing, jazz, traditional country, cowboy songs, honky tonk, rock ‘n’ roll, folk and the blues, creating a distinctive, elastic hybrid that has infl uenced new country, new traditionalist and alternative country music.

Joining Willie is his son Lukas, singer-songwriter/guitarist, offering an eclectic mix of rock, blues and reggae. His work exhibits lyrical maturity and depth of understanding, backed up by expertly balanced instrumentation. Despite having played with B.B. King and Bob Dylan, for Lukas, it’s all about the music, not the glory.

Sponsored by

Johnny WinterThursday, February 17, 7:30 pm

www.johnnywinter.net

A guitar hero without equal, Johnny Winter, guitar slinger and international ambassador of rocking Texas blues, makes his debut appearance at the Capitol Theatre. The Texas guitar tradition runs deep. It’s a gutsy school of blues playing, delivered with characteristic Lone Star State fl amboyance and swagger. Johnny grew up in Beaumont, a rough-and tumble town of oilfi eld wildcatters and shipyard workers, marred by racial tensions and riots. Despite the presence of National Guardsmen and Texas Rangers to maintain martial law, young Johnny didn’t hesitate to frequent black neighborhoods to hear and play the blues he loved. He was welcomed in black clubs and befriended Clarence Garlow, deejay at the local black radio station, who introduced him to rural blues and Cajun music.

Winter shifts between primal country blues in the style of Robert Johnson and all-out electric slide guitar blues-rock. He is respected by rockers and has been a link between British blues-rock and American Southern rock. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, he was the unoffi cial torch-bearer for the blues, championing the careers of his idols including Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. At 17, Johnny and his brother Edgar went to see B.B. King at a Beaumont club. The brothers were the only whites in attendance, and Johnny wanted to play with B.B. Although King hesitated at fi rst, he eventually invited Winter onstage and let him play his guitar. Johnny got a standing ovation. His big break, however, came when Rolling Stone featured him in a piece about Texas music. Record labels came calling and Winter signed with Columbia. His debut album featured covers and two original songs. In the late ‘70s, Johnny collaborated with Muddy Waters on four CD’s, including the GRAMMY®-winning Hard Again.

Johnny’s CD’s are critically acclaimed. He has appeared at blues festivals and has played to sold-out audiences worldwide. Despite commercial success, he has never compromised his commitment to his roots and the pure blues he loves, summed up in his latest release, I’m a Bluesman.


Frankie valli and the Four SeasonsThursday, February 17, 7:30 pmFriday, February 18, 7:30 pmwww.frankievallifourseasons.com

Frankie Valli, the original “Jersey Boy,” has entertained fans for more than half a century. He has even had his story told on Broadway. He and the Four Seasons charted 71 hits, 40 of them in the Top 40, 19 in the Top 10, and eight that went to #1 – an amazing accomplishment. Frankie has toured almost nonstop since 1962, when he and the Four Seasons burst on the scene singing Sherry on American Bandstand, followed by the hits Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man, and dozens more. Covers of Can’t Take My Eyes Off You have been done by 200 artists, from Nancy Wilson’s jazz version to Lauren Hill’s hip-hop take. Artists from Billy Joel to Brian Wilson have acknowledged Frankie Valli’s infl uence. Much of Valli’s music makes listeners want to get up and dance, especially December 1963 (Oh, What a Night), which rocketed to #1 in 1976. Valli’s songs are heard in fi lms including The Deer Hunter, Dirty Dancing, Mrs. Doubtfi re, Conspiracy Theory and The Wanderers. The Sopranos often featured Frankie’s music during the show or with the credits, and Frankie himself appeared in the series as mobster Rusty Millio, who died in a hail of bullets. Coming from a rough Newark, New Jersey neighborhood, Frankie could just as easily have ended up like Rusty rather than as a singer in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Luckily for Frankie, his mom took him to see Frank Sinatra when he was seven and he chose his career then and there.

Success wasn’t instant. Valli had been singing with the Four Lovers, made an album, and had even appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, but with insuffi cient success to quit his “day job” cutting hair. When the group (now the Four Seasons) met Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe, things began to change. Using Frankie’s falsetto in the lead instead of as backup created the distinct sound that fi nally brought lasting success after nine years in the business. Even after Valli pursued a solo career, he continued to sing with the Four Seasons, scoring hits in parallel careers. His solo perfomance in Grease went to #1 in 1978. Frankie Valli’s popularity continues unabated.

Sponsored by


Leon RedboneFriday, February 18, 7:30 pm

www.leonredbone.com

For more than 30 years, Leon Redbone has held steadfastly to the music of a bygone era, maintaining his love affair with turn-of-the-20th-century tunes, fl apper-era radio ditties, Depression-spawned ragtime and World War II folk-jazz. His career fi rst gained momentum in the early ‘70s when Bob Dylan sought him out at the Mariposa Folk Festival. Many people were introduced to him during his network debut on Saturday Night Live in 1976, when he showcased his version of Walkin’ Stick. At a time when amplifi ed arena rock was the norm, Redbone’s intimate, low-key delivery was a jolting contrast. Since then, opportunities for this unlikely fi gure to impose himself on pop culture have been plentiful. He appeared as a wise, animated snowman opposite Will Ferrell in the $173 million-grossing comedy Elf. His duet with Zooey Deschanel on the seasonal standard Baby, It’s Cold Outside was the fi lm’s theme song. Redbone has also provided TV title tunes to Mr. Belvedere and Harry and the Hendersons and had a guest role as a quixotic, guitar-wielding guardian to the character Corky on ABC’s critically acclaimed series Life Goes On. The ballets Mr. XYZ (featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov) and Paper Tiger, choreographed by Eliot Field, were woven around Redbone’s signature songs.

Redbone has more than 15 albums to his credit (his most recent one is Anytime, 2001), and over the years, he has remained remarkably true to his original style. Habitually sporting a panama hat, sunglasses and a moustache, his warm baritone, easy manner and sense of humor captivate fans. If there is one common element to Redbone’s diverse music, it is his mastery of his acoustic guitar. It is easy to get lost in his stage exploits (which often gravitate between vaudeville and performance art) and overlook what a truly fi ne player he is, fi ngerpicking with a ragtime bounce or jumping between chords with the grace of a hurdler (or perhaps more aptly with the grace of a card shark, because he makes it look so effortless that it can often be deceiving). Leon Redbone is an original.


Celtic WomanSongs from the HeartSaturday, February 19, 2 & 8 pmSunday, February 20, 1 pm www.celticwoman.com

Joined by a six-piece band and the Aontas Choir, Celtic Woman returns with an all-new show fi lmed live at Powerscourt House and Gardens in Ireland to create their latest PBS special. This spectacular production offers Irish classics, contemporary covers and original compositions, featuring renditions of Jimmy Webb’s The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress, Billy Joel’s Goodnight My Angel, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Pie Jesu, Amazing Grace, Irish classics My Lagan Love and Galway Bay, a new favorite, Níl Sé’n Lá, and Songs from the Heart, written for this tour. In just fi ve years, this all-female ensemble has come to enjoy remarkable success without help from radio and video airplay. Worldwide sales are in excess of six million, they have had two Top 10 album debuts on the Billboard Top 200, three gold and platinum albums, four Top 5 releases on the Billboard Top Video chart, and they have entertained more than 1.2 million with live performances. Crossing musical and cultural boundaries, Celtic Woman has performed at the National Christmas Tree Lighting in Washington, D.C., on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, and on multiple PBS specials.

Violinist Máiréad nesbitt has played both classical and traditional Irish music, has worked with Van Morrison, Sinéad O’Connor and Emmylou Harris, and performed on the original soundtracks of Riverdance, Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames. Chloë Agnew was winner of the First International Children’s Song Competition in Cairo, Egypt. She released her fi rst album at 12, and studies piano, guitar and recorder. Lisa kelly is classically trained in both voice and piano and toured with Riverdance for fi ve years. She has had major roles in Chicago, Chess, Oklahoma! and Grease and has sung in concerts. Lisa Lambe is a renowned Irish actress and vocalist who has starred in numerous title roles. Performances include dramas, musical theater, fi lm, television and radio. Musical Director, arranger and composer David Downes ties it all together in a celebration of Ireland you won’t soon forget!


Sponsored by

Henry GrossOne Hit Wanderer

Saturday, February 19, 8 pmhenrygross.com


This performance is part of our new B Sides Live series, which showcases some of pop music’s most prolifi c singer/songwriters and a fl ip side of their other talents.

Co-founder of Sha Na Na, the rock ‘n’ roll group that was launched to stardom at Woodstock, Brooklyn-born Henry Gross comes by his talent naturally. His mother loved music and enjoyed a brief stint with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus. Zelda encouraged her son to pursue a career in music. At eighteen, he helped found Sha Na Na, which played frequently in the Fillmore Auditoriums, East and West. The group sang just before Jimi Hendrix on the last day of Woodstock, and their appearance in the movie gave the group an additional boost.

In 1970, Henry went solo and forged ahead as a singer-songwriter. He performed on college campuses and in clubs around the country. Gradually, he gained national recognition as a rock ‘n’ roll guitarist in publications such as Rolling Stone and The New York Times. Henry’s biggest hit is Shannon, written about the passing of Beach Boy Carl Wilson’s Irish setter. While Henry was visiting Carl and they were talking about their dogs, Carl, who had two huskies at the time, heard that Henry had an Irish setter named Shannon. Carl told Henry he had recently lost an Irish setter named Shannon. His dog had been hit by a car. When Henry returned home and was working on his Release album, the sight of his beautiful dog reminded him of Carl’s setter and the incredible sense of loss Carl must have felt. The song Shannon fl owed easily for him and was written in about ten minutes. It went gold and became his biggest hit. Artists who have recorded Henry’s music include Judy Collins, Mary Travers, Cyndi Lauper, Sonny Burgess, Ronnie Milsap and All The Kings Men. Henry offers a hilarious and poignant 40-year rock ‘n’ roll retrospective featuring stories and songs that will bring you to your feet.


Cirque Mechanics – Boom TownTuesday, February 22, 1 & 7 pmwww.birdhousefactoryshow.com/BoomTown

Circuses and acrobatics offer special thrills as spectators are awed and mesmerized by death-defying feats and jaw-dropping stunts. Cirque Mechanics has taken modern day cirque-style entertainment to a new level and uses it to tell an adventure story at the same time. Boom Town transports us to the 1860s and the small frontier town of Rosebud, where two ambitious saloon owners have set up shop in hopes of cashing in on the town’s gold rush frenzy. The circus that ensues when they begin to feud and compete for the townsfolk’s patronage leads to a series of explosive events, exciting brawls, an unexpected romance and a lucrative discovery.

Once again, as with their previous production Birdhouse Factory, Cirque Mechanics

explores the relationship between man and machine. Inspired by early mining equipment and the spirit of adventure that enticed prospectors and entrepreneurs alike to head west searching for gold, Boom Town features innovative and one-of-a-kind mechanical apparatus that serve both as scenery and performance props. Acrobats climb up swaying telegraph poles, dance on a swinging chandelier, fl y high and fast on a revolving crane, fl ip and jump on moving ore carts, and balance on whiskey jugs. Boom Town takes you beyond the town, deep into the mine to join in the excitement of exploration and to experience the thrill of discovery.

Cirque Mechanics Boom Town is brought to life thanks to the vision and dedication of it’s creative team: Director Chris Lashua, Assistant Director/Choreographer Aloysia Gavre and Writer/Performer Steven Ragatz, veterans of the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil and the creative team behind Cirque Mechanics’ critically acclaimed Birdhouse Factory.

Boom Town is ready to take you on an exciting, rollicking adventure. So grab your picks and pans, hop in an ore cart and come along for the ride!


Daniel O’Donnell in ConcertSpecial Guest Mary Duff

Wednesday, February 23, 7 pmwww.danielodonnell.org

In a world that generated hard rock and hip-hop, Daniel O’Donnell went retro and gained a loyal following singing his own blend of country, ‘60s pop, inspirational ballads and traditional Irish standards. With sold-out concerts and ten popular PBS specials, Daniel has gained admirers across the country. He is known for spending time greeting fans after his concerts, which include a mix of country, gospel, and old time rock and roll. Raised in rural Kincasslagh in County Donegal, Ireland, where life was slow, food was cooked over an open fi re, and plumbing was absent, his childhood was happy, but not privileged. Unable to support his family locally, Daniel’s father worked on farms in Scotland until he died of a heart attack at 49. It fell to Mrs. O’Donnell to raise her fi ve children. Older sister Margo had made a name for herself as a singer and Daniel sometimes sang with her when he and his mother traveled to see her perform. He also sang in the church choir. He gave up studies at Galway Regional College to pursue a career as a singer.

Daniel got his start in Margo’s band, learning about the music business and enjoying opportunities to sing. In 1983, he decided to try to make a go of it on his own. His debut single (My Donegal Shore/Stand Beside Me) was a humble beginning. Every record that sold, he sold himself. His fi rst band was Country Fever (1983), followed by The Grassroots in 1984. After Daniel performed at the 1985 Irish Festival in London, Mick Clerkin offered to make a record with him and introduced him to Sean Reilly, who has managed his career ever since. Daniel has been named Donegal Person of the Year, Irish Entertainer of the Year, and British Country Music Awards Artist of the Year. His career has blossomed and brought him success on both sides of the Atlantic.

Mary Duff has been touring with Daniel and his band since his fi rst tour more than two decades ago. She fi rst sang with her father’s band at 12, then with the band Jukebox before joining Daniel.



Andy Cooney’s Forever IrishThursday, February 24, 1 pmwww.cmientertainment.com

Hailed as “Irish America’s Favorite Son” by The New York Times, Andy Cooney offers a high-energy production showcasing the fi nest in Irish music, comedy and dance.

“An American gift to Ireland’s heritage” (Jim Mahoney, The Daily News), Andy has been thrilling Irish and American audiences since he struck out on his own in 1994 after touring with Paddy Noonan for several years. One of nine children in an Irish American family from Long Island, N.Y., Andy got his start at family and church gatherings, then singing and playing piano in numerous Irish establishments in the New York area before being asked to tour with Noonan. Cooney’s excellent tenor voice, versatility, dynamic stage presence and boyish charm make him an audience favorite. Songs in his show range from Galway Bay and Danny Boy to his hits The Irish Wedding Song, Boston Rose and Daughter of Mine. Cooney has associated himself with the fi nest musicians on the Irish recording scene and made an album with Phil Coulter entitled Home Away From Home. His latest release (It’ll Be Me) was recorded in Ireland with the RTE Concert Orchestra and features a duet with Crystal Gayle. Larry Gatlin wrote the title track and sings it with Andy and Ronan Tynan. Since much of country music has its roots in Irish music, it has been a natural progression for Andy to make his mark on county music as well. Andy’s PBS special of Irish classics was fi lmed in Tennessee in 2004.

Cooney is joined by Irish comedian George Casey, who has kept audiences laughing for 30 years. He has toured with Rosemary Clooney, Bobby Vinton and other legends. kate Purcell, a leading folk artist from Ennis, County Clare, offers a fresh and engaging way with a song and has opened for and played with most of the major acts on the Irish touring circuit. She adds a blend of blues and American country to her music as well. Andy’s Irish band and the Celtic Angels Irish Dancers complete the entertainment.


Leon RussellThursday, February 24, 8 pm

www.leonrussellrecords.com

On March 14, Leon Russell will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and honored with a Musical Excellence Award. Over the past fi ve decades, he has contributed as a session musician, arranger, singer, songwriter, pianist, guitarist, record company owner, bandleader and producer, working with genres ranging from pop to rock, blues, country, bluegrass, standards, gospel and surf. He has collaborated with hundreds of artists, including Elton John, Glen Campbell, Joe Cocker, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Bruce Hornsby, B.B. King, Barbra Streisand, Herb Albert, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Ann-Margret, Dean Martin, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Righteous Brothers and many more. Russell has produced dozens of albums. His most recent effort, The Union, is a collaboration with Elton John that debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard chart. The single If It Wasn’t For Bad was nominated for a Grammy® Award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.

Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, Russell spent much of his youth in Tulsa. He took up piano at four and was playing in nightclubs at 14. He and his band The Starlighters toured briefl y with Jerry Lee Lewis before, at 17, Leon headed to L.A., where he became an excellent Hollywood session musician. He was also in the house band on ABC’s Shindig!. His fi rst solo album included Russell classics A Song For You, Hummingbird and Delta Lady. Many of Leon’s songs went on to be successfully covered by other artists. George Benson’s cover of This Masquerade won a Record of the Year GRAMMY® and became the fi rst song ever to hit #1 on jazz, pop and R&B charts. Leon led the band for Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. With success not just in rock, Leon has also released country albums under the moniker Hank Wilson. A major concert attraction, he continues to tour, his music resonating with old fans and new.

Puccini’s Madama Butterfl yPresented by Teatro Lirico D’EuropaWith Symphony OrchestraIn Italian with English supertitlesFriday, February 25, 8 pmwww.jennykellyproductions.com

America’s most popular opera returns. Torn between truth and lies, reality and fantasy, love and death, Cio-Cio-San is faced with an impossible situation and a devasting choice.

Madama Butterfl y is set in Nagasaki, Japan in the early 1940s. The selfi sh U.S. Navy offi cer Lt. Pinkerton has procurred a house and servants in preparation for his marriage to the geisha Cio-Cio-San (Butterfl y). Although the naive 15-year-old bride is in love with Pinkerton, the marriage contract contains a monthly renewal option. At his wedding to Butterfl y, Pinkerton callously asks the U.S. Consul Sharpless to join him in a toast to the American bride he plans to marry one day. It is not long before Pinkerton abandons his child bride, but despite a three-year absence, Butterfl y does not give up hope that he will one day return to her. She is torn between optimism and despair. Butterfl y, who has borne a son, struggles in poverty, but nonetheless resists an offer to marry a wealthy suitor, declaring she is already married. She tells Sharpless that Pinkerton would never abandon his beautiful child. Sharpless promises to tell Pinkerton he has a son.

Pinkerton’s ship returns to the harbor at last, and Butterfl y prepares for his return, decorating the house with fl owers. But when Pinkerton approaches, he is accompanied by his American wife Kate. At last recognizing Butterfl y’s love for him, the remorseful Pinkerton fl ees, leaving his wife and Sharpless to confront Butterfl y. Kate wants to take Pinkerton’s son back to America. Butterfl y’s worst fears have materialized. She agrees to give up her son if Pinkerton will come for him in half an hour. Alone, faced with a choice between a life of disgrace and death with honor, Butterfl y uses her father’s dagger to take her life as Pinkerton calls her name in the distance.


David Gonzalez:Run It Down

Friday, February 25, 7:30 pmwww.davidgonzalez.com


Run It Down weaves together music, stories, and poetry ranging from sonnets to rants, from the personal to the transcendent. Hickman Device recounts a friend’s musical bravery in the face of AIDS. Jazz Orpheus sets the classic Greek myth to a cappella scat, and Slash the Boats relates a father-son story of fascination, false promises and the CIA in Chile. Original music for piano and guitar round out this exceptional evening with the inspired phenomenon referred to as “a New York Puerto Rican version of Bill Cosby.”

With speech, sound, mime, dance and above all, inspired imagination, David Gonzalez keeps the ancient art of storytelling alive. A winner of the Helen Hayes Performing Artist of the Year Award, he is praised for his vocal, physical and narrative talents and gifts for mimicry, comic timing, and wordplay. Relying on the majesty and variety of language, the limitless landscape of imagination, the pulse of music and the beauty of art, he creates and performs multimedia productions that capture audiences of all ages and cultures. Gonzalez has been commissioned to create multimedia works with social justice themes. Wounded Splendor combines poetry and monologues inspired from interviews with activists and experts in the environmental movement. Oh Hudson, a suite of historical and colorfully descriptive poems and music, commemorates the Hudson River’s quadricentennial. Public speaker and poet, Gonzalez has been featured at Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors Festival, Bill Moyers’ documentary Fooling with Words on PBS, and All Things Considered on NPR. He performed at the 2008 National Storytelling Festival, Lincoln Center’s 2008 Imagination Conversation symposium, and the 2008 Alliance for a New Humanity conference alongside Deepak Chopra in Spain. Gonzalez received his doctorate in Music Therapy from NYU’s School of Education, where he taught for ten years. He was host of New York Kids on WNYC for eight seasons and is a contributor to NPR’s Studio 360.

Sponsored by


David Gonzalez presentsThe Frog BrideSaturday, February 26, noonwww.davidgonzalez.com

What makes a good story? According to David Gonzalez, storyteller extraordinaire, requirements are: a diffi cult situation inhabited by great characters, a bucketful of colorful details, and a brilliant resolution. When beautiful music and captivating art are added, it’s a winning combination. Gonzalez brings us a hip adaptation of a classic Russian fairy tale that traces the journey of a dreamy youth to manhood.

In this engaging tale, a king instructs his three teenage sons to cut down a tree in the forest, make a bow and arrow from the tree, shoot the arrow, and choose a wife based on where the arrow lands. One son marries a banker’s daughter, one a general’s daughter. The youngest son fi nds his arrow in the mouth af a frog, but decides to marry her anyway. When a frog speaks, listen. It’s a voice from the wet, murky swamp – half land, half water – where anything can happen. And so, the fantasy begins to unfold. Qualities of innocence, wonder, loss and discovery are clothed in the characters of frogs, witches, and one very enchanted young lady. Young Ivon marries the frog, but that is just the start of his adventure, his quest, and the unearthing of wisdom. Prokofi ev’s Five Melodies for Violin and Piano (played by Christian Howes on violin and Daniel Kelly on piano, supplemented with jazz and hip-hop) and Kandinsky’s paintings provide the perfect backdrop and musical accompaniment to enhance the adventure, lending emotional depth and passion, and stirring the imagination. Ivon marries his frog and, through his wife’s accomplishments, is chosen to be heir to the king. Then, through his selfi shness, he loses her. In the end, he fi nds both true love and a human bride.

Gonzalez has observed, “Theater happens when imagination takes wing and lands on the tree of possibility.” That is precisely what happens in this story. Great music, great art and masterful storytelling engage the imagination and open the heart. Enjoy the magic and the wonder!

Sponsored by


Family Theater supported by The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation.Family Membership Connection.Call (727) 712-2720 for details.

Michael AmanteItalian-American Festival

With Special Guests The Bronx WanderersSaturday, February 26, 8 pm

www.michaelamante.comwww.thebronxwanderers.com

A true crossover talent, Michael Amante, affectionately known as the “People’s Tenor” and “Prince of the High C’s” (to Pavarotti’s “King of the High C’s”), is vocally and emotionally powerful whether singing opera, pop, rock, gospel, jazz or Broadway. Although he got his start singing in biker bars along the interstate and did mean imitations of Lou Gramm of Foreigner and Steve Walsh of Kansas, after the choir director of an upstate New York church introduced him to a recording of Swedish tenor Jussi Björling singing a Donizetti aria, Michael decided Björling’s Una furtiva lagrima might be his ticket to success with girls, so he rapidly assembled a portfolio of Italian arias that made effective use of his killer high C. Training in Bel Canto followed.

Among Michael’s impressive qualities are his charisma and his ability to make an immediate, intimate connection with an audience. Seeing him perform live is an unforgettable experience. When Michael sings a song, he immerses himself in it and gives it a life of its own, brimming with emotion. Amante has a phenomenal four-octave range and sings in seven languages. But his impact goes beyond his vocal ability. When Luciano Pavarotti was asked to suggest someone to fill in for him before an international audience, he suggested just one name: Michael Amante. Michael has enjoyed considerable thespian success as well, from Danny Zuko in Grease to Tony in West Side Story, Jesus and Judas in Jesus Christ, Superstar, and Rodolfo in La Bohème, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana. Since he played the title role in Oliver in the Sisters of St. Anne’s school production at age six, Michael has been delighting audiences with the effortless, unabashed power and versatility of his vocal prowess.

Special guests The Bronx Wanderers bring the sounds of doo wop, Dion, the Four Seasons and more, with precision, sharp vocals, and musicianship that endures.

PHO

TO C

RED

IT So

fia M

onge


APRIL 1–2

“One of the most enduring musicals in American theater history.”

-Tampa Tribune

Tickets: 727.791.7400 • rutheckerdhall.comFor best seats, become a member!

Call 727.712.2720Group Discounts: 727.712.2717

1111 McMullen Booth Rd., Clearwater


TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Peter Yarrow & noel Paul Stookeyof Peter, Paul and MarySunday, February 27, 2 pm

www.peterpaulandmary.com

As two-thirds of Peter, Paul and Mary, Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey were an integral part of the activism of the ‘60s and the resurgence of folk music as a genre with a message of hope, humanity and social consciousness. Music was the vehicle for their mission of change and human rights. No American folk group lasted longer or amassed a more loyal following. During a career spanning nearly fi ve decades, they have won fi ve GRAMMY®s, produced 13 Top 40 hits (6 in the Top 10), and had eight gold and fi ve platinum albums. All of this was done without compromise, raising their voices for freedom. For their efforts, they have been honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame with the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. Blowin’ in the Wind, If I Had a Hammer, Cruel War, Leaving on a Jet Plane, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, 500 Miles, Lemon Tree, In the Early Morning Rain, All My Trials and Puff(The Magic Dragon) have become classics that still resonate today. Peter and Paul have consistently supported civil and human rights.

In These Times, a recent release, features emerging writers and offers exposure to fresh talent, a longtime tradition of these artists. Just as they helped inspire and awaken our nation to stand up and be a country with liberty and justice for all in the ‘60s, their compassion and commitment to social activism continue. In the early days, which began in Greenwich Village in New York, they took their music to Selma, Alabama and to the 1963 March on Washington. Peter co-organized the 1969 March on Washington, where the trio sang before half a million people. Their music belongs to and offers hope to everyone. From Peter Yarrow’s Operation Respect, which has reached more than 20,000 schools to combat school violence, to Paul’s support of human rights and the sheltering of refugees of political oppression in Central America, their work continues unabated.


Paul AnkaMonday, February 28, 8 pmwww.paulanka.com

The ever-popular Paul Anka returns to Ruth Eckerd Hall for a tenth visit. Once a ‘50s teen idol who frequently appeared on American Bandstand, Anka has matured into a superb vocal musician and one of the most prolifi c and successful pop songwriters ever. He has recorded 125 albums, including more than 10 in foreign languages. Album sales are close to 15 million. Three of his hits (Diana, Lonely Boy, You’re Having My Baby) went to #1, and he had 22 Top 20 hits. Of Anka’s staggering 900 songs, 130 have been recorded by other artists including Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Buddy Holly (It Doesn’t Matter Anymore), Tom Jones, Donny Osmond (Puppy Love) and Frank Sinatra. He was co-writer of Michael Jackson’s This Is It. Paul has had a song on Billboard’s charts in every decade since 1957 and has discovered talents including John Prine and Michael Bublé.

Following early success with songs for teenagers, Anka changed his style to appeal to nightclub audiences and became the youngest performer to headline at the Copacabana in New York. He also appeared in several fi lms (including The Longest Day) and wrote the theme song for Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show. Writing signature songs for Tom Jones (She’s a Lady) and Frank Sinatra (My Way) revitalized Anka’s career. Rock Swings, a recent release, features songs originally recorded by some of rock’s raunchiest bad boys, but Anka is wise enough to realize that a good song can be sung in multiple styles. From Bon Jovi to Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Oasis, Van Halen, Nirvana, Billy Idol and more, he makes these songs his own, approaching them as a songwriter, with discipline and meticulous attention, evaluating each one on its own terms. Anka has come a long way from the tightly-knit Lebanese community in Ottawa, Canada, where he fell in love with music and decided to be a singer/songwriter. A total professional, fans know that no one delivers a show quite like his.


Sponsored by

new Orleans’ OwnDukes of Dixieland

Thursday, March 3, 1 pmwww.dukesofdixieland.com

The oldest continuous Dixieland jazz band, these globe-trotting jazz ambassadors from the heart of the Big Easy blow traditional Dixieland into the 21st century, blending pop, gospel and country with authentic New Orleans sounds. The Dukes of Dixieland embody 37 years of tradition, offering jazz the way is is meant to be: both durable and fl exible. Steeped in tradition, their sound is strong as they continue to break new ground.

On New Year’s Eve 1974, when John Shoup opened “Dukes’ Place” in the rooftop nightclub of the Monteleone Hotel in New Orleans’ French Quarter, a new ensemble called The Dukes of Dixieland was the featured entertainment, led by Connie Jones. In the summer of 1975, they performed outside with the Grant Park Pops Orchestra in Chicago. Henry Brandon (composer of the famous Oscar Mayer wiener commercial) conducted the orchestra and wrote several symphony charts for the Dukes. Thus began a history of performing with symphony orchestras around the country.

The Dukes have taken their music to France for the U.S. Bicentennial Celebrations, to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Ecuador, Peru and Japan. They have played on college campuses in the U.S. and at music and jazz festivals around the world. In 1984, they moved to 309 Bourbon Street (Lulu White’s Mahogany Hall), where they hosted parties and concerts and shot several TV shows. In 1991, they found their current home aboard the Steamboat Natchez, where they perform for dinner cruises. As Katrina approached New Orleans, the Natchez sought refuge in Baton Rouge and the Dukes scattered from Seattle to Florida. Only Shoup weathered the storm in New Orleans. Shortly after Katrina, the Dukes embarked on a four-week fundraising tour on the Natchez to benefi t the Bush-Clinton Katrina Foundation. They continue to assist in rebuilding by attracting tourists to New Orleans. Bright and brassy or smooth as dark cane syrup, the Dukes bring time-honored authenticity to the hits of Dixie’s yesteryear.


John MellencampFriday, March 4, 7 pm www.mellencamp.com

Time to celebrate! John Mellencamp comes to Ruth Eckerd Hall for the fi rst time ever. The last time he was in the Tampa Bay area was 20 years ago. This Seymour, Indi-ana son brings his heartland rock to us for a special evening that includes a fi lm about the making of his recent CD No Better Than This, a stripped down acoustic set with his band, and a solo acoustic set. It’s all capped off with a fully electrifi ed rock set.

Mellencamp was fronting a soul band by the time he was fourteen and released his fi rst album in 1976 under the moniker Johnny Cougar. His MCA Records manager didn’t think a name like Mellencamp would sell. In 1982, his fi fth album (American Fool), best-selling album of the year, spawned two monster hits, Hurts So Good and the #1 Jack & Diane, giving him enough clout to introduce his real name. Subsequent albums in the ‘80s were released under the name John Cougar Mellencamp as he hit the road with a band considered by many to be the best in the business. Small Town is from this period. In 1985, Mellencamp, Willie Nelson and Neil Young co-founded Farm Aid, which became an annual event and has raised millions to help save American family farms. By the 1990s, “Cougar” was dropped entirely, and John reverted to his real name for a string of successful albums. 1991 saw his fi lm debut in Falling From Grace, a career he decided to forego in favor of his music.

Mellencamp has been honored with the 2001 Billboard Century Award, the 2004 Woody Guthrie Award, a GRAMMY®, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Billy Joel in 2008. His most recent album No Better Than This was recorded at several historic facilities and taped with antique recording equipment to create the sound of vintage blues recordings. On The Rural Route 7609 is a recent four-CD release. When not making music, John expresses himself as a painter and has com-pleted close to 100 works. John Mellencamp is here at last. Defi nitely an evening to remember!


Richard nader’s Doo Wop Reunion XIStarring Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Special Guests

Little Anthony and the Imperials,kenny vance & The Planotones,

Jay Siegel & The Tokens and Tommy MaraSaturday, March 5, 7:30 pm

www.richardnader.com/events

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Little Anthony and the Imperials brought us Tears on My Pillow, Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop, Goin’ Out of My Head and so many more. Anthony Gourdine, Clarence Collins and Ernest Wright were friends as youngsters. Robert Deblanc joined the group later. The Imperials are one of only a few R&B groups retaining all of the original members. kenny vance and The Planotones gave us the unforgettable Looking for an Echo, Come A Little Bit Closer, Cara Mia and Only in America. The cool and sultry approach of The Planotones brings sophistication and freshness to the oldies of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Formed for the movie American Hot Wax, Kenny and The Planotones have long been Ruth Eckerd Hall favorites and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002. Jay Siegel and The Tokens took audiences by storm with Tonight I Fell in Love, The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Portrait of My Love. They have achieved the second longest chart span in the history of rock and roll and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004. Jay Traynor, original lead singer for Jay and the Americans, now sings with The Tokens. Local favorite Tommy Mara treated audiences to 16 Candles, Step by Step, Summertime and The Angels Listened In. This “Pavarotti of Doo Wop” and “Meatloaf of Doo Wop” can also be heard in the Tampa Bay area with Tommy and the Saints.

These incredible artists bring us the best of their hits and the doo wop era. The fresh new sound of Amanda nikka will also be introduced. This is music many of us grew up with and fell in love to, the soundtrack of our lives. Enjoy this irresistible evening of fun and nostalgia.



Ballroom with a TwistHosted by Cloris Leachman & Gilles Marini from ABC’s Brothers and SistersChoreographed by Dancing with the Stars’ Louis van Amstel Featuring American Idol fi nalists David Hernandez and Paris BennettSunday, March 6, 2 pmwww.scottstander.com

Dancing With the Stars fans, this afternoon belongs to you! Ballroom with a Twist offers extravagant entertainment highlighted by stunning costumes, great music, and sexy, breathtaking performances. This national tour spinoff of Dancing With the Stars is directed and choreographed by Emmy®-nominated Louis van Amstel, four-time DWTS pro who has partnered with Priscilla Presley, Lisa Rinna, Monique Coleman and Kelly Osbourne. Costumes are colorful and fl ashy. Dances vary from Broadway-style numbers to classical and pop. Then dancers crank it up a notch with hip-hop moves as well.

Ballroom with a Twist has a rotating cast of celebrity hosts and young stars from So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With the Stars and High School Musical. Academy Award® winner Cloris Leachman and Sex and the City star Gilles Marini are our hosts, and American Idol fi nalists David Hernandez (a top ten contestant from season seven with David Cook, David Archuleta and Jason Castro) and Paris Bennett (top ten from season fi ve with Taylor Hicks, Kellie Pickler and Chris Daughtry) are featured. This production pushes the boundaries of ballroom dance, infusing it with the energy and intensity of the latest hip-hop styles.

Louis Van Amstel is an international dance champion who trained in a theater school learning ballet, tap and jazz, then attended the University of the Arts in Amsterdam. He was seven times Dutch National Amateur Champion, European Amateur Latin Champion, World Amateur Latin Champion (twice), Grand Slam Professional Latin Champion, World Professional Showdance Champion, Professional World Latin Finalist and U.S. National Latin Champion (in 2000, after immigrating to America). Van Amstel created Latin Fusion, which appeared at City Center in New York City, and Latin Revolution. Now he has turned his attention to Ballroom with a Twist. Get ready for an afternoon of live ballroom dancing with a surprise twist!

‘S WonderfulThe new Gershwin Musical

Monday, March 7, 1 pmwww.swonderfulthemusical.com

‘S Wonderful is a singing, dancing musical celebration of the brilliant and breathtaking music and lyrics of George and Ira Gershwin, the most successful songwriting team in the history of popular music. This production features fi ve mini-musicals inspired by real events occurring in and around the lives of the Gershwin brothers and illustrates their impact on the world both then and now.

‘S Wonderful fi rst takes us to New York City in 1924, with a slapstick and vaudeville-style homage to the comedic silent movie stars of the 1920s. A desire for love allows newspaper typesetter Harold to shatter his black and white existence and fi nd a world of color. As the journey continues, in a nod to Gershwin’s An American in Paris, we arrive in that fair city in 1938, where Leslie, a Parisian café waitress, and an American sailor discover that their love can conquer the trials of World War II. Then it’s on to Hollywood of 1948, where Jane, whose profession is to make others beautiful, discovers her creative gifts and fi nds beauty in herself for the fi rst time. Ella, a singer who has traveled the world, fi nally fi nds her true love...The City of New Orleans of 1959. Finally, we fi nd ourselves somewhere in the world today. Separated by 3,000 miles, young Gene uses modern technology and the songs of George and Ira Gershwin to say to his girlfriend what he can’t manage to say for himself, proving the enduring and timeless power of the Gershwin Songbook, which can affect a whole new generation today. Throughout these vignettes, we are treated to Gershwin classics including Swanee, Rhapsody in Blue, Fascinating Rhythm, Strike Up The Band, Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Summertime, I’ve Got Rhythm, Someone to Watch Over Me, and many more.

‘S Wonderful brings love stories to life, from the comic to the bittersweet, using complex choreography, scenic backdrops, effective lighting, and the incomparable, wonderful music of the Gershwin brothers.


kenny GMonday, March 7, 8 pmwww.kennyg.com

GRAMMY®-winning saxophonist Kenny G returns to Ruth Eckerd Hall for his eighth visit. Using jazz as his musical foundation, Kenny adds elements of R&B, pop and Latin infl uences. Over a period of nearly three decades, he has created 23 albums with sales in excess of 75 million worldwide and has become one of the most successful artists on the contemporary jazz scene. He has topped the Billboard jazz chart more than a dozen times.

Kenny Gorelick grew up in Seattle, Wahington, where he was exposed to a culturally diverse student body at an inner-city high school. Inspired by Earth, Wind and Fire and Grover Washington, Jr., Kenny was fortunate to land a gig with Barry White and his Love Unlimited Orchestra at the Paramount Northwest Theater in 1973 when he was just 17. After high school, gigs with R&B and contemporary artists like Barry White and Jeff Lorber continued, and in 1982, Kenny landed his fi rst record deal with Arista, launching his solo career with Kenny G, G-Force and Gravity. By the 1990s, Kenny was a multi-platinum seller and collaborating with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole and Frank Sinatra. His studio album Breathless sold more than 12 million copies in the U.S. and spawned the GRAMMY®-winning single Forever in Love. Miracles, his 1994 holiday album, shot to the top of the Billboard chart (his fi rst to go all the way to the top) and became the best-selling holiday album of all time. Subsequent holiday albums include Faith and Wishes. On At Last...The Duets Album, Kenny was joined by Barbra Streisand, Burt Bacharach and LeAnn Rimes. The album also features a remake of Outkast’s The Way you Move with Earth, Wind and Fire. In 2008, Kenny went Latin with Rhythm and Romance, then returned to his classic R&B roots with Heart and Soul, released in June 2010. This album captures the spirit and vibe of the music that infl uenced Kenny as a teenager. Making full use of the creative freedom allowed in the making of Heart and Soul and true to the integrity of his art, Kenny’s most recent work is among his best.


Lucid DruidFriday, March 11, 7:30 pm

www.luciddruid.com


Bagpipes and much more, this trailblazing sound appeals to all ages and is unlike anything you’ve ever heard. Since 2003, Lucid Druid has been offering Celtic Fusion instrumental music with an innovative twist.

Adam Quinn’s powerful, melodic compositions form the foundation for this group. He has played bagpipes for more than 25 years and composed music since he was 13. In Dunedin schools, he pursued his interest in bagpipes, clarinet and piano, then performed at Tokyo Disneyland and EPCOT Center. While a member of the world renowned Simon Fraser University Pipe Band in Vancouver, he earned two World Championship titles. Adam’s music has been performed around the world and featured on numerous recordings. A musical non-conformist, his innovative style pushes the boundaries of traditional piping. Doug White began his career with a pipe band in upstate New York when he was eleven. He has been playing Scottish snare and kit drums for more than 20 years. He is a former member of the City of Dunedin Pipe Band and the City of Washington Pipe Band in the District of Columbia. Doug integrates classic Scottish drumming techniques with his own unique touch on a variety of percussive instruments. Joe Porter earned a degree in jazz performance at the University of South Florida, studying bass under Mark Neuenschwander and Dee Moses. Following graduation, he toured with legendary trumpeter Maynard Ferguson for two years. He joined Lucid Druid after returning home to Clearwater and meeting Adam Quinn. Sebastian Deledda’s innovative guitar adds ethereal elements to Lucid Druid’s music. From a musical family and eclectic in his musical tastes, he has been involved in recording and producing a wide array of projects, including Lucid Druid’s Anecdota album. Finally, Steve Turner of Giving Tree Music provides enticing rhythms to this music. Steve has been making and playing drums for more than 20 years. Comfortable with jazz, rock and traditional African music, Steve blends these styles to create his own distinct sound.


The Rat Pack is Back!Sunday, March 13, 2 pmwww.ratpackisback.com

When The Rat Pack hit the iconic Copa Room at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, the entertainment world was forever changed. What happens in Vegas...all started with The Rat Pack. Our spirited tribute show recreates one of the famous “Summit at the Sands” nights. “Summit” was a nod to a meeting of Eisenhower, de Gaulle and Khrushchev back when The Rat Pack fi rst brought its act to the Sands. This swingin’, ring-a-ding group (ostensibly fi rst given the Rat Pack moniker by Lauren Bacall) was creating hipster legend with a free-wheeling, no-holds-barred nightclub act starring Las Vegas’ four favorite sons: Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin and Joey Bishop. Irreverent, funny, laid back, and openly demonstrating a fondness for alcohol, this ragtag group consisting of two Italians, a black and a Jew redefi ned the image of the successful entertainer in America. Audiences fl ocked to the less straight-laced, less formal style of these newcomers. These stars had grown up in ethnic neighborhoods and made it big, attaining the American dream. In this show, the audience is transported back to a balmy night circa 1960 when these four show business legends converged at the Sands Hotel for the fi rst time. They delivered style with substance, swing with swagger, and a non-stop party to which everyone wanted access.

Providing the atmosphere and fun are four accomplished singer/actors: Mickey Joseph as Joey Bishop, Drew Anthony as Dean Martin, Kenny Jones as Sammy Davis, Jr. and Brian Duprey as Frank Sinatra. They re-create one of The Rat Pack’s raucous, antic-fi lled performances featuring Joey Bishop’s hilarious comedy and performances of standards including Sinatra’s You Make Me Feel So Young, A Foggy Day, Martin’s That’s Amoré, and Davis’ Mr. Bojangles. A swinging twelve-piece live orchestra provides period perfect orchestrations and an opening montage of video clips effectively sets the stage for the show.


Sponsored by

Roslyn kind in ConcertMonday, March 14, 1 pm

www.roslynkind.com

Equally at home on stage, screen and disc, Roslyn Kind may be Barbra Streisand’s sister, but as an artist, she has won acclaim on her own merits. She has forged a successful career as a recording artist on Broadway, off-Broadway, in nightclubs and at top concert venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, where she performed with her friend and frequent musical collaborator Michael Feinstein.

Dynamic, warm, funny and sincere, this versatile, vibrant artist began her career in her teens with the release of the album Give Me You. She made multiple appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. “Rozzie” is comfortable with a variety of musical genres. Her latest CD release, Come What May, showcases her impeccable phrasing, richness and clarity of tone, and an undeniable emotional connection to her always fi rst-rate material. On Broadway, she has demonstrated her theatrical talent starring in the musical revue 3 From Brooklyn, and off-Broadway in Show Me Where the Good Times Are, Leader of the Pack and Ferguson the Tailor. In Los Angeles, she stopped the show in William Finn’s Elegies. Television credits include the fi lm Switched at Birth, multiple episodes of NBC’s Gimme a Break, Throb and starring as herself on The Nanny. The latter featured her songwriting talent in a performance of her composition Light of Love. She also performed the title song for the made-for-TV movie Not Just Another Affair. Starring movie roles include The Underachievers, I’m Going to Be Famous, and Ladies of the House, a Hallmark movie for TV. Roslyn’s voice can be heard singing Hold On While You Can in the 2008 movie Truloved. Ms. Kind supports various animal welfare organizations including the Humane Society (HSUS), and Alzheimer’s and AIDS-related charities such as APLA and Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. The New York Post raved, “This elegant, beautiful, petite, dynamo delight rules the stage with a royal command that demands adoration from every seat in the house.”


Boston Pops Esplanade OrchestraYou’ll Get A Kick Out of Colekeith Lockhart, conductor; kelli O’Hara and Jason Danieley, soloistsWednesday, March 16, 8 pmwww.bso.org

“America’s Orchestra” honors Cole Porter, one of the greatest of the Great American Songbook writers. Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops celebrate the 120th anniversary of Porter’s birth with highlights from his dynamite shows Anything Goes, Can-Can, Silk Stockings and Kiss Me Kate. Porter was a supreme tunesmith and sublime wordsmith. His saucy style and witty wordplay come to life sung by Broadway stars Kelli O’Hara and Jason Danieley. From his ultra-sophisticated love songs Night and Day, I Get A Kick Out of You and What Is This Thing Called Love? to his matchless melodies Begin the Beguine, It’s De-Lovely and his hilarious humor in Can-Can, Brush Up Your Shakespeare and Too Darn Hot, the Boston Pops showcases some of the best from this quintessential American composer and lyricist.

The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra’s beloved annual 4th of July concert, which began with the U.S. Bicentennial celebration in 1976, attracts more than 300,000 people to the Hatch Shell in Boston and is viewed by more than 20 million. Boston Pops concerts were the brainchild of Henry Lee Higginson, founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Originally called “Promenade Concerts,” beginning in July 1885, he offered concerts of light classical music, current musical theater hits, and an occasional novelty number. Arthur Fiedler’s dream was realized in 1929 by offering a series of free outdoor concerts (the fi rst Esplanade Concerts) along the banks of the Charles River. In 1995, keith Lockhart became the twentieth conductor of the Boston Pops, which celebrated its 125th season last year. Among his many accomplishments, he has promoted programs for young musicians and introduced the innovative JazzFest and EdgeFest series, featuring jazz and indie artists. kelli O’Hara recently played Nellie Forbush in the Tony Award®-winning revival of South Pacifi c at Lincoln Center and Jason Danieley played Lt. Joe Cable in the Emmy®-nominated PBS airing of South Pacifi c at Carnegie Hall. Whatever the music, the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra is always a special treat.


Sponsored by

Phot

o: S

tu R

osne

r

natalie Cole In ConcertThursday, March 17, 8 pm

www.nataliecole.com

With a voice both warm and supple, Natalie Cole has a way with song that inevitably works its magic. A versatile artist, this eleven-time GRAMMY® winner, singer, songwriter, performer and actress has shown her ability to get to the heart of music in multiple genres including R&B, pop and jazz. Cole rocketed to stardom in 1975 with her debut album Inseparable, which won GRAMMY® Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and yielded the #1 single This Will Be (An Everlasting Love). A string of hits followed and in 1987, her album Dangerous included Jump Start, I Live For Your Love and Bruce Springsteen’s Pink Cadillac.

Despite impressive success as an R&B artist, Natalie took a gutsy leap by turning to the Great American Songbook and releasing Unforgettable...With Love in 1991. The title track featured a duet with her father and the album earned fi ve GRAMMY®s including Song, Record and Album of the Year. Five weeks at #1, sales exceeded 14 million. Switching genres again, Take A Look won a GRAMMY® for Best Jazz Vocal Performance in 1993 and 1996 brought a GRAMMY® for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for Stardust. Ask A Woman Who Knows (2002) won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Artist. Cole’s acting credits include Lily in Winter and Always Outnumered. She played herself in Livin’ For Love: The Natalie Cole Story, which aired on NBC. Natalie has appeared on more than 300 TV shows from Law & Order and Touched by an Angel to major talk shows. Still Unforgettable (2008) won GRAMMY®s for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and Best Instrumental Accompanying Vocalist and the NAACP Award for Best Jazz Artist. Cole has written two books: the autobiography Angel On My Shoulder (2000) and Love Brought Me Back, written following her diagnosis with Hepatitis C and her subsequent kidney transplant in 2009. Whether singing R&B, jazz or pop, Cole’s vocal dexterity, intimate understanding of her music and immersion in it yield outstanding results.


Sponsored by

Elayne BooslerFriday, March 18, 8 pmwww.elayneboosler.com

Born in Brooklyn, New York around the time of the Dodgers’ exit, Elayne’s fi rst memories are of grown men crying. Not understanding, she felt responsible, and chose to go into comedy. Following a lighter-hearted path than that of her tool-and-die-maker dad and her escaped Russian ballerina mom, after public school in Brooklyn, Elayne spent a year or so at the University of South Florida in Tampa in mostly other than academic pursuits, managing to escape unburdened by a single college credit. Having reached the age of eighteen, with school no longer a legal requirement, Elayne moved to Manhattan to fulfi ll her dream of becoming a waitress, which she did in countless New York establishments.

One night, a waitress called in sick at a music and comedy club where wait staff performed between comedians, and Elayne was asked to pinch hit. During her eleven-minute rendition of Van Morrison’s Moondance, she emptied the club suffi ciently for the owner to close early, allowing him to go home, save his marriage, have a second child, and offer her a job as club doorman, a position she held for three years. Noticing how naturally funny she was, comedian Andy Kaufman, a regular, convinced her to do stand-up comedy – well, actually, he implored her never to sing publicly again. Friend Kaufman and peers Freddy Prinze, Jay Leno, RIchard Lewis, Richard Belzer, Jimmie Walker and others guided Elayne through her comedy education. Elayne was an instant success. Audiences welcomed her slice of life approach to comedy just as they embraced the new breed of male comics like Richard Pryor. She did talk shows, music shows, variety specials, and went on tour as an opener for countless groups. She has written for TV and print media, currently writes for The Huffi ngton Post, and is working on two books. Boosler was the fi rst woman to do her own cable comedy special (self-produced in 1986), opening the door for female comics on cable. She is proactive in politics and current issues.

Laughs abound as Elayne makes her fi rst appearance at the Capitol Theatre.


Spring AwakeningFriday, March 18, 8 pm

Saturday, March 19, 2 & 8 pmwww.springawakening.com

Mature Content

Bold, provocative, groundbreaking, Spring Awakening is a powerful coming of age story that deals with issues of adolescence including sexuality, abuse, teen suicide and more, issues as relevant today as they were more than 100 years ago when Frank Wedekind’s play of the same name was banned in Germany in 1891. Proclaimed “the most explosive new musical since Rent,” this daring production cleverly intertwines life in a repressive and provincial 19th century German town with 21st century music that speaks directly to today’s youth. Winner of eight Tony Awards® including Best Musical, Spring Awakening follows 19th century German students on their passage as they navigate teenage self-discovery and coming of age anxiety in a powerful celebration of youth and rebellion, an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock and roll.

The cast of characters includes people we have all likely encountered among teenagers. Smart, scholarly, free-thinking, atheistic and handsome Melchior catches the girls’ eyes, seeks accurate information on sex, and recognizes the hypocrisy around him. Misfi t Moritz has a muddled brain and sexually-charged dreams as crazy as his hair, to the point that he’s in danger of failing school. Innocent Wendla, whose mother has been less than candid and forthcoming in her explanation of sex, questions her own ignorance. In addition, we meet the free-spirited, bohemian Ilse, arrogant Hanschen and unhappy Martha. Each of them attempts to navigate the treacherous path from childhood to adulthood, with all the heartbreak and teenage angst encountered along the way. This is a clash between raging hormones and adult repression. Teenagers teeter on the edge of catastrophe, rebelling against adults who are at best misguided and at worst cruel. Spring Awakening explores this journey with a poignancy and passion you won’t forget, and reminds us that ignorance often ends in tragedy.

Sponsored by


1UP event on Fri., Mar. 18 following the performance. Call (727) 712-2723 for information.

Mitzi GaynorRazzle Dazzle: My Life Behind the SequinsSunday, March 20, 1 pmmissmitzigaynor.com

Mitzi Gaynor brings a glittering multimedia one-woman tour-de-force of music and memories from her show-stopping career. Fashion icon Bob Mackie has designed eight breathtaking new costumes for her, and a seven-piece orchestra will accompany her as she shares songs from her fi lm, television and nightclub catalog along with new material from recent hits. Mitzi shares recollections of friends and costars including Frank SInatra, Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe, Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hammerstein and Marlene Dietrich. Television and fi lm footage and personal photos are interspersed with anecdotes and song.

Mitzi has what it takes to excel. One of the top song and dance fi lm stars ever, she comes by her talent naturally. Mitzi’s dancer mother and virtuoso musician father nurtured her budding talent. The result: 17 fi lms, nine television spectaculars, and countless nightclub and concert stage appearances. The family moved from Chicago to California to facilitate Mitzi’s career. At twelve, she was chosen for the corps de ballet of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera. Soon, she was signed by 20th Century Fox and made her fi lm debut in My Blue Heaven, followed by Golden Girl, Bloodhounds of Broadway, We’re Not Married and The I Don’t Care Girl. As her career soared, she appeared in There’s No Business Like Show Business, The Birds and the Bees, Anything Goes, the Joker is Wild, Les Girls, and in the coveted role of Nellie Forbush in South Pacifi c. Mitzi appeared with such legends as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, David Niven, Yul Brynner and Kirk Douglas. She smashed attendance records when she debuted at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in 1961 and enjoyed similar success on television, getting top billing over The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing on Academy Awards® broadcasts and more, making headlines with her sizzling song and dance numbers. Of her nine TV specials, six received Emmy® Awards. The epitome of razzle dazzle, Mitzi lights up the Ruth Eckerd Hall stage.


Chris BottiSunday, March 20, 8 pm

www.chrisbotti.com

Chris Botti returns with his inimitable velvet tone and sublime trumpet phrasings, offering contemporary jazz, classic romantic jazz, and pop standards. Since the release of his 2004 critically acclaimed CD When I Fall in Love, he has become the largest-selling American jazz instrumental artist. His success has crossed over to audiences usually reserved for pop music and his ongoing association with PBS has led to four #1 jazz albums, multiple gold and platinum albums and GRAMMY® Awards.

Over the past three decades, Chris has recorded and performed with the best in the business, including Frank Sinatra, Sting, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Joshua Bell, and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler. On the road more than 250 days a year, Chris and his incredible band have performed with many of the fi nest symphonies and at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including performances at Carnegie Hall, the World Series and the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. People magazine voted Chris one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in 2004.

Born in Portland and raised in Corvallis, Oregon (with the exception of two years spent in Italy), Chris’ mother, a classically-trained pianist and part-time piano teacher, was his fi rst musical infl uence. Miles Davis was also an inspiration. Playing trumpet since he was nine, when Chris heard Davis play My Funny Valentine, he understood the potential of his instrument of choice. He has worked as a sideman on many compilations and soundtracks, and before going solo, Chris spent two years as a featured soloist touring with Sting’s “Brand New Day” tour. Chris Botti in Boston, recorded in 2008 with Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops, offers an eclectic mix of outstanding music with stars ranging from Sting and Steven Tyler to Yo-Yo Ma and Josh Groban. A composer as well as a gifted instrumentalist, this charismatic perfomer blends classical, jazz and pop infl uences into his own signature sound that has transformed the contemporary jazz scene.


Jury’s Irish Cabaret Starring Tony kennyMonday, March 21, 1 pmwww.tonykenny.com/JuRYSIRISHCABARET.html

You don’t have to be Irish to enjoy all the Emerald Isle has to offer. Our celebration of traditional Irish music, dance and good fun continues with Tony Kenny, three times Ireland’s Entertainer of the Year, and Jury’s Irish Cabaret, Ireland’s National Entertainment Awards’ Show of the Year. Ireland brings to mind glorious green vistas and rolling hills, craggy shores, ancient castles, thatched cottages, pubs resounding with lighthearted entertainment, spirited parties, friendly smiles and laughter, wit, wisdom, stories, jokes and legends. All that is wonderful about Ireland and its people comes to us in this entertainment extravaganza.

Tony Kenny began his musical career starring in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Jesus Christ, Superstar. He has received dozens of awards for his stage and television performances. Tony was invited to perform for President Bill Clinton at the White House on St. Patrick’s Day in 1995 and was honored at a special reception by Irish President Mary MacAlesse in 2001. He is a recipient of the Performing Artists Trust Society Annual Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Performing Arts. Tony sang the American national anthem at the 2001 Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins game. His 25 albums have enjoyed success on both sides of the Atlantic. The Very Best of Tony Kenny went platinum, one of two platinum and seven gold discs he has garnered. Known for his powerfully expressive delivery, dynamic stage presence and ability to draw an audience into a song, it’s no wonder he is one of Ireland’s most beloved entertainers.

Joining Tony is Richie Hayes, Ireland’s Leprechaun of Laughter. Dancing singer Victoria Kenny and Edna Dunne and the celebrated Dublin City Dancers provide world-class Irish dancing. These performers are former cast members in Ireland’s most prestigious shows, including Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. Traditional Irish musicians round out the cast to offer irresistible, toe-tapping, spirit-lifting entertainment.


The Avett BrothersFriday, March 25, 8 pm

www.theavettbrothers.com

The long wait is over. The Avett Brothers are fi nally here! With naked honesty, rousing intensity, and a rootsy amalgam of folk, country, bluegrass, rock, pop, and even a jab of punk-style dynamics, The Avett Brothers, a grassroots phenomenon built from the ground up, have captured the imagination of fans across the country. The songs of this sibling duo have a depth that speaks to universal human emotions. Signed by producer Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Tom Petty and The Dixie Chicks) in 2008, for Scott and Seth Avett, songwriting is their fi rst passion, but they clearly enjoy sharing their music with fans. Bassist Bob Crawford completes the band. As Rick Rubin commented, “The Avetts’ songs have such a sincere emotional resonance. The purity of the messages stops you in your tracks. It’s unusual to hear such open-hearted personal sentiment from young artists today.”

The Avetts began as Nemo, a neo-punk band, soon abandoning electric for acoustic, creating Nemo Back Porch Project, from which The Avett Brothers evolved. Before working with Rubin, the Avetts issued fi ve albums and two EPs. Country Was (2002), their fi rst full-length album, was followed by Mignonette, Four Thieves Gone and Emotionalism. Stage shows are rowdy and infectious. In concert, this high-fl ying ensemble tears through tunes with unbridled energy, popping banjo and guitar strings right and left while inciting stomping sing-alongs among audiences that appear to know every word. The band aims for clarity. As Seth declares, “...I love music you can grasp hold of because there’s no mistaking what the person is saying and presenting...” Recurring themes of these North Carolina natives include commitment, maturity, and moving forward through life with a positive outlook, transitioning from youth to adulthood. Talented artists, the Avetts’ sketches and paintings adorn their albums. Scott and Seth are in it for the long haul, creating music of substance that is also a lot of fun.


1UP event. Call (727) 712-2723 for information.

Eckerd Theater Company presentsI Never Saw Another Butterfl y

By Celeste RaspantiSaturday, March 26, 7:30 pm


A triumph of the human spirit, I Never Saw Another Butterfl y shares the hopes, the fears, and the beauty of the children of Terezin. More than 15,000 children passed through Terezin Concentration Camp during World War II; fewer than 100 survived. Their true story, told through the artwork and poetry they left behind, creates a compelling picture of defi ance and of vibrant life.

The village of Terezin (Theresienstadt) in what was then Czechoslovakia, was a walled fortress built by Emperor Joseph II of Austria, named for his mother Maria Theresa. It became Hitler’s model concentration camp to “prove” to the Red Cross that Jews were being treated well. Ostensibly used to offer musicians, artists, writers and the elderly protection from the war, Terezin was a holding camp, not an extermination camp. Before the Red Cross inspection, it was spruced up to mask deplorable conditions. The Red Cross didn’t know residents would later be slaughtered. Although forbidden, clandestine schooling took place. Children immortalized the horrors they witnessed in pictures and poetry. Some contained beautiful visions of home, family and escape. However, many children feared they would die. This realization is evidenced in their drawings and writings. Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, a successful Bauhaus artist, taught art classes in the girls’ and boys’ homes. Under threat of punishment, she secured paper of any type she could fi nd. In her lessons, she tried to help children see past their surroundings to fi nd beauty and self-esteem. She encouraged them to express their feelings through art and poetry. Before being transported to Auschwitz, Friedl hid two suitcases in Terezin that contained 4,500 children’s drawings. Discovered after the war, this art serves as a memorial to her courage. The book I Never Saw Another Butterfl y is a compilation of some of these poems and drawings. Eckerd Theater Company’s production is an adaptation of the book.

Produced by special arrangement with DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, Woodstock, Illinois.


Family Theater supported by The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation.

Engelbert HumperdinckSaturday, March 26, 8 pm

www.engelbert.com

The quintessential romantic balladeer is back for an astounding 20th visit and offers his record-setting 33rd Ruth Eckerd Hall performance! Engelbert has established a bond with fans from multiple generations. For more than four decades, he has brought his music to admirers throughout the world. Clearwater audiences have been treated to his music since 1987. Engelbert’s musical legacy includes 64 gold and 24 platinum records and sales of more than 150 albums. Recent releases include Legacy of Love and Released (an import), featuring music by some of the world’s greatest songwriters. Another recent release, The Winding Road, features music from some of Britain’s best, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting, Eric Clapton, Christine McVie and James Blunt. Engelbert was the only artist who was able to keep The Beatles from the top of the charts at the peak of their fame. He can be heard on the soundtracks of Showtime’s Weeds, the indie hit Romance and Cigarettes, and Beavis and Butt-Head Do America.

“Enge” was born Arnold George Dorsey in Madras, India, the youngest of ten children born to British army offi cer Mervyn Dorsey and his wife Olive. The family returned to England when he was 10. He saved the money he earned on his paper route for saxophone lessons and dreamed of being a band leader. When he sang publicly for the fi rst time at 17, his ambitions changed, along with his name. He became Gerry Dorsey and enjoyed some success in the U.K. A stint in the military and a bout with tuberculosis set him back a bit, but when his manager suggested he take yet another name, this time Engelbert Humperdinck (a German classical opera composer), he began to get noticed and his career took off. Release Me went to #1 in 11 countries and The Times of London declared him “the premier voice of the 20th century.” After the Lovin’, The Last Waltz, There Goes My Everything and many others followed as Engelbert took on pop, disco, rock and gospel. With music that transcends time, Engelbert remains a consummate entertainer.


Sponsored by

Blue Suede ShoesThe ultimate Elvis BashStarring Scot Bruce and Mike Albert with the Big “E” BandSunday, March 27, 1 pmwww.scotbruce.com | www.mikealbertsings.com

Elvis is an international phenomenon without equal. “The King’s” popularity remains undiminished as generations of new fans come to appreciate his music. Do you prefer the young Elvis of the ‘50s, with groundbreaking swiveling hips and bedroom eyes, or the polished Las Vegas professional of later years, oozing charisma and glitz? Blue Suede Shoes brings us the best of both. Scot Bruce looks and sounds uncannily like the young Elvis, and Mike Albert uses his powerful voice and style to re-create the later rock and roll and love songs.

Scot Bruce was a radio personality and drummer in the Pacifi c Northwest before moving to L.A. to pursue an acting and music career. His impersonation of the ‘50s Elvis began as a way to make ends meet. Much to his surprise, this temporary “gig” blossomed into a full-time career. With an uncanny resemblance to Elvis, and the voice, guitar and moves to match, Scot has taken his tribute show to audiences worldwide. As “Elvis,” he has appeared in music videos with Faith Hill and Sheryl Crow and he is the “Resident Elvis” on a Los Angeles morning radio show. Other credits include Days of Our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful, commercials, performances at Disneyland and multiple productions of Shakespeare’s Idols of the King. Scot tours with Legends of Rock & Roll – Buddy, Roy & Elvis.

Mike Albert has won several major world “Elvis” contests. To emulate the sound of the band Elvis used in Las Vegas and on tour, he put together the seven-piece Big “E” Band. He has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and was featured in six music videos on A Current Affair with Maury Povich. Elvis’ original backup groups the Jordinaires and J.D. Sumner and the Stamps quartet have appeared with Mike in many of his shows around the world. His charisma and style get audiences involved and his powerful voice makes the most of rock and roll, gospel and love songs. Mike has twice been asked to do the Miss Tennessee beauty pageant. Get ready to rock and roll. Elvis is back!


Steve Solomon’sMy Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish

and I’m Still in TherapyTuesday, March 29, 8 pm | Wednesday, March 30, 2 & 8 pm

Thursday, March 31, 2 pm | Friday, April 1, 2 & 8 pm | Saturday, April 2, 3 & 8 pmwww.stevesolomoncomedy.com


After ten sellouts in 2010, Steve Solomon is back with a hilarious new show – and he’s still in therapy! With a family like his, it’s no wonder. There’s Uncle Willie, Stuttering Cousin Bob, Demented Cousin Kenny, Cousin Sal (and Sal’s parole offi cer), and (of course) Steve’s new therapist is on hand, along with a host of wacky characters that seem remarkably familiar: those we know, love and tolerate from our own families. Steve traces his life from infancy with his twin sister right up to the present. He uses his gift for creating dialects, voices and zany sound effects to add to the hilarity of his stories. Variety says, “Steve Solomon is Alan King, Billy Crystal, a smidgen of Don Rickles and George Carlin all thrown in.”

A Brooklyn native, Steve grew up in the multi-ethnic neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay, the perfect training ground for a dialectician. As the class clown and a very authentic-sounding Chinese restaurant delivery boy, he learned at an early age to use his gift for imitating accents to advantage. He earned a doctorate in education and taught high school physics, using humor, dialects and sound effects as teaching tools. He went on to become Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools on Long Island, New York and then discovered he had a knack for business as well. At last leaving both academics and business behind, Steve turned his attention to making people laugh. He has appeared at more locations in a shorter period of time than any other comic – much to the delight of his audiences. An evening with Steve is like an evening with dozens of zany characters. He has honed the art of impersonation to a science, weaving assorted characters into stories of memorable moments in his past.

Prepare yourself for an interlude of laughter. Steve is still defending himself against those whose sole purpose in life is to add chaos to his. Not an easy task!


Laughter and Refl ection with Carol Burnett:A Conversation with Carol where the Audience Asks the QuestionsThursday, March 31, 8 pm

One of America’s funniest, most beloved and respected performers, Carol Burnett, award-winning actress and best-selling author (GRAMMY®-nominated This Time Together: Laughter and Refl ection and One More Time), returns for a conversation at Ruth Eckerd Hall in the tradition of question-and-answer sessions with her studio audiences for episodes of The Carol Burnett Show.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Carol and her sister were raised by their grandmother in a less-than-glamorous section of Hollywood. While studying journalism, Carol took an acting class – and found a new direction for her life. Her start in New York City was rough, but she was eventually booked on The Jack Paar Show and The Ed Sullivan Show. A permanent position on The Garry Moore Show followed. Carol landed the leading role as Princess Winifred in the original Broadway cast of Once Upon A Mattress, and after an Emmy®-winning special with Julie Andrews, CBS offered Carol her own show and a ten-year contract.

Named by Time magazine one of the “100 Best Television Shows of All Time,” The Carol Burnett Show ran for 11 years, averaged 30 million viewers per week, and received 25 Emmy® Awards, one of the most honored shows in television history. Carol’s portrayal of Starlet O’Hara in Went With The Wind, a parody of Gone With The Wind, is counted among the Top 10 greatest moments in television. The “curtain-rod dress” now resides at The Smithsonian. For her comedic and dramatic roles on television, fi lm and Broadway, Carol has been honored with a record 12 People’s Choice Awards, eight Golden Globes®, six Emmy® Awards, the Horatio Alger Award, the Peabody Award and the Ace Award. She has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is a Kennedy Center honoree, and has been inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. But it is Carol’s artistic brilliance, her respect and appreciation of her fans, and her graciousness, integrity, warmth, and humor on and off screen that have made her one of the most beloved and admired women in America.


Sponsored by

For Your InformationMAnAGED BY RuTH ECkERD HALL, InC., Ruth Eckerd Hall and The Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute (the organization’s education arm) are located at the Richard B. Baumgardner Center for the Performing Arts at 1111 McMullen Booth Rd., Clearwater, FL 33759. Ruth Eckerd Hall Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.

TICkET OFFICE: Located outside the West Entrance of Ruth Eckerd Hall. Hours are Monday through Saturday, noon to 6:00 pm and one hour prior to performances.

FOR TICkETS: (727) 791-7400 or rutheckerdhall.com.

GROuP DISCOunTS AnD ADvERTISInG InFORMATIOn: Sharon Halligan, (727) 712-2717.

MEMBERSHIP: Contact us at (727) 712-2720 or www.rutheckerdhall.com.

LATE SEATInG POLICY: To be considerate of the artists and other patrons, anyone arriving after the performance has begun will be seated only at times designated by the artists and their management. Patrons arriving late will be directed to remain in the lobby until they can be seated. No price adjustments, refunds or exchanges can be made for late arrivals.

SMOkInG: Ruth Eckerd Hall is a smoke-free facility. Smoking is permitted at the East Side Cafe located outside the East Lobby.

ILLEGALLY PARkED CARS may be towed at the owner’s expense or ticketed.

“BEHInD THE SCEnES” TOuRS: Group tours of Ruth Eckerd Hall are offered free of charge to the public. Call Patron Services at (727) 712-2707 to schedule a tour.

FIRE nOTICE: IN THE EVENT OF FIRE OR OTHER EMERGENCY, PLEASE WALK TO THE PORTAL DOORS NEAREST YOUR SEAT, PROCEED TO THE NEAREST UPPER OR LOWER LOBBY EXIT DOORS, AND FOLLOW THE USHER’S INSTRUCTIONS.

LOST AnD FOunD: Please contact our Security Office at (727) 712-2731.

SERvICES FOR PATROnS WITH SPECIAL nEEDS: Ruth Eckerd Hall is committed to providing services for people with disabilities, assuring a more accessible building and pleasurable performance for every member of the audience. These services include theater wheelchair locations and audio aids, as well as parking spaces, restroom facilities and elevators for patrons with special needs. For assistance, call Patron Services at (727) 712-2707 three weeks in advance of the performance you plan to attend.

ELEvATORS: Located in both East and West Lobbies.

RESTROOMS: Located in both East and West Lobbies and Gallery levels.

COuRTESY PHOnES: Available in both East and West Lobbies upon request.

PERSOnAL PROPERTY: Management is not responsible for patrons’ personal apparel or property.

ATM: For your convenience, an ATM is located in the Grand Concourse.

ALL PATROnS MuST HAvE A TICkET, regardless of age. For Family Theater Series performances, a complimentary lap pass will be issued for children under one year of age based on availability (limit: one per paying adult).


Ruth Eckerd Hall StaffRuth Eckerd Hall, Inc.

Robert A. Freedman, President & CEONorma Romey, Assistant to the President & CEO

DevelopmentLara Shane, Chief Development OfficerJennifer Gonzalez-Bohnert, Director of MembershipMaggie Ciadella, Social Memberships ManagerJoyce Pemberton, Director, Corporate PartnershipsNancy Dietrich, Special Events ManagerSuzanne Ruley, Grants ManagerHeather Wilson, Development Research AnalystTami Alderman, Development Associate

EducationJoyce M. Bonomini, Director of EducationSharon Reid-Kane, Assistant Director of EducationBarry Hamilton, Instruction ManagerJulia Flood, Artistic Director, Eckerd Theater CompanySusan Zelenka, Booking & Sales ManagerKatrina Watters, Data Assessment CoordinatorMelody Craven, ETC Artistic CoordinatorIan Beck, Production/Facility CoordinatorJared O’Roark, Resident Teaching ArtistMelissa Nolan, RegistrarCynthia Hook, Registrar

EntertainmentBobby Rossi, Director of EntertainmentKevin Stone, Entertainment Manager

FinanceKaren Jubrail, Chief Financial OfficerDoris Alchin, ControllerLinda Gardner, Accounting SpecialistMaria Carcich, Business Manager

Food & BeverageMike Jeckel, F & B ManagerCarol Bodin, F & B Lobby & Backstage Supervisor Marty Timoney, F & B Event CoordinatorJack Brown, ChefRene Eichelberger, Office Assistant

Human ResourcesDebra Vermeer, Director of Human Resources Cheryl Calderone, HR Coordinator

Marketing & CommunicationsHolly Brown, Director of Marketing & CommunicationsMegan Funk, Marketing ManagerKatie Pedretty, Public Relations Manager

Mary Sharrard Johnson, Publications ManagerEllen Barr, Publications CoordinatorRandy Gilmore, Graphic DesignerCathy Nold, Graphic Design SpecialistSharon Halligan, Group & Advertising Sales ManagerPavlo Synadinos, Digital Media & Web Content EditorKatie Mae Maloney, Marketing and Promotions CoordinatorKristen Battle, Marketing Assistant

OperationsJeffrey Hartzog, Director of OperationsLisa Taylor Votaw, Assistant Director of OperationsTyson Smith, Technical DirectorWes Eubanks, Production ManagerRay McCoy, Facilities TechnicianPat Larsen, Building Mechanic

Patron ServicesSandy Villasuso, Senior House ManagerDidi Marinake, House ManagerKerry Moore, House ManagerDenise Watkins, House ManagerKaren Clare, House ManagerLouise Schram, Community Relations Coordinator

SecurityJohn Goldsboro, Safety & Security Manager Brandon Groc, Safety & Security Coordinator

Ticketing & Information TechnologySusan Crockett, Chief Information OfficerSheila Crossman, Database AnalystAtid Tayourane, Systems AdministratorBob Snyder, IT Support SpecialistMelissa DeMonbreun, Ticketing Services ManagerRachel Ahern, SupervisorJanet Macomber, SupervisorBethany Ellis, Assistant SupervisorJan Burger, Receptionist

vIP & Donor ServicesPatty Arias, VIP Team LeaderAnna McGuireKelly SimoneBelen Rubin

Our stage employees are represented by Local 321, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada.

Ruth Eckerd Hall is a donor-supported 501(c)3 not-for-profit arts organization.


Have you experienced our wonderful new venue at the historic Capitol Theatre in Downtown Clearwater, within sight of the Gulf of Mexico and beautiful Coachman Park? Response to the Theatre and shows there has been excellent. With Clearwater’s City Council unanimously approving underwriting for the Capitol, the number of shows will increase from 36 to 100 annually, including both live events and fi lms. This expansion is designed to bring new life and activity to downtown Clearwater.

Beginning with an outdoor concert by Todd Rundgren on March 27, 2009, we had offered a total of 43 shows at the Capitol by the end of January 2011. Artists have ranged from Allstar Weekend to our inaugural performance by William Joseph on April 4, 2009. We have featured rock, pop, blues, classical, comedy, New Age and more. For fi lm buffs, we offered JAWS, Ghostbusters, and a series of theater productions fi lmed live at the National Theatre in London, England. We have presented live concerts by some of today’s hot new stars like Nikki Yanofsky and David Garrett, and familiar favorites like Arlo Guthrie, Ottmar Liebert, Marc Cohn and Judy Collins. “The Cap” is at the center of the excitement in downtown Clearwater, convenient to shopping and dining, and offers something for everyone. Plan a night on the town. We’re offering more variety, more shows, more fun!

To be sure not to miss any of the great events at the Capitol, sign up for our e-newsletter or check out our new website: www.atthecap.com.

Ottmar Liebert

TRAIn


Clearwater, convenient to shopping and dining, and offers something for everyone. Plan a night on the town. We’re

To be sure not to miss any of the great events at the Capitol, sign up for our e-newsletter or check

Janis Ian

Elayne Boosler

LOOK WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE

A NEW MUSICALA NEW MUSICALA NEW MUSICALA NEW MUSICAL

Ruth Eckerd Hall proudly presents MEMPHIS!

The 4-Time Tony Award® Winner Hits the Stage in February 2012

This 2010 Tony Award® winner for Best Musical is a story of racial tension, forbidden love, personal sacrifi ce, and a passion to change the world. From the smoky halls and underground dance clubs of the segregated South in 1950s Memphis, this hot new Broadway musical bursts on the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and prohibited love. Much more than a song and dance spectacular about the birth of rock ‘n’ roll, inspired by actual events, MEMPHIS is the compelling story of a white radio DJ who falls for everything he shouldn’t: fi rst rock ‘n’ roll, and then an electrifying black singer. Huey Calhoun is willing to lay it all on the line to get airplay for the music he loves. He is determined to change the world, regardless of consequences. Along the way and amid seething racial tensions, he falls in love with a black club singer ready for her big break. This show teems with soaring emotion, laughter, and roof-raising rock ‘n’ roll.

Why is MEMPHIS coming to us? Ruth Eckerd Hall supports the arts in a myriad of ways. We bring the fi nest artists and entertainers to Clearwater for your enjoyment, we teach classes, produce and present children’s theater throughout the eastern u.S., support and encourage the development of aspiring actors, dancers and musicians, help integrate the arts into the curriculum of our local schools, and much more. One way we encourage the arts is by offering fi nancial support to select aspiring Broadway shows, assisting them in obtaining the resources they need to help make their dreams a reality, and providing

audiences with a variety of outstanding entertainment. As a backer of MEMPHIS, we are fortunate to be able

to be the fi rst in our market to bring the show to you.

So look for MEMPHIS in 2012. Help us celebrate the remarkable success of the most award-winning musical of the 2009-2010 season. Witness the cultural revolution that erupted when Huey’s vision met Felicia’s voice – and the music changed forever.

For information on show dates and how to be among the fi rst to buy tickets, call (727) 791-7400.

To view a video clip from MEMPHIS and see what everyone is talking about,

visit memphisthemusical.com.


Get up-to-the-minute show announcements, special

offers and discounts, contests, video sneak peeks, reviews, photos

and fan postings.

Log on to www.rutheckerdhall.comto sign up for our weekly

e-newsletter!

CONNECT WITH RUTH ECKERD HALL!


90 minutes before show time, weather permitting (prior to most shows)

East Side

Cafeat Ruth Eckerd Hall

Hot Food!Live Music!

Full Service Bar!

FEATURING THE

BEER GARDEN


Tim and Sandy StroyneDave Thomas & Julie LachmanThe Thomas Family / Pinch A Penny, Inc.Warren & Debbie Young

Corporate-Bonefi sh GrillCity of ClearwaterClearwater Cardiovascular & Interventional ConsultantsClearwater Jazz Holiday, Inc.Clearwater Threshers Baseball ClubElite Travel Group - Tammy LeventExecujet Charter Services, Inc - Peter & Rhonda CunzoloFleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine BarFull Spectrum CommunicationsHCA West Florida DivisionLa Quinta Inn Clearwater CentralMelitta USAPublix Super Markets CharitiesRegions BankSynovus Bank of Tampa BayThe Jane Blalock CompanyVSA Arts of Florida

$5,000 - $9,999Individual-Erik G. AbrahamsonMr. and Mrs. Robby AdamsMichael J. Adams, DDS and Pamela G. Adams, DDS, MS, PAMr. and Mrs. Barry M. AlpertDr. Rodney AnthonyDoug and Sally BaileyDan BaldaMr. & Mrs. Steven BenjaminThilo D. BestTom and Karen BolandRob and Kathy BoosMr. and Mrs. Ray BouchardLisa Parker BoudreauCharles A. Brooks, MDMr. Bjorn E. BrunvandMr. & Mrs. Nick CambasThe Carolan FamilyMr. Blake J. CasperMr. Robert Challener and Mr. Nelson MorrowMr. and Mrs. Carroll CheekPeter and Jenny ChicourisMr. and Mrs. Edward CingoranelliGary and Amy ConnorsKeith & Debra CookRandy and Ellen CrisorioAlice & Thomas J. CulhaneEric & Amy DannRob and Jacqui DiMarcoSharon Ellis-ChampagneLisa M. FallerBen and Dara FerticTom and Jennifer FrederickDavid and Cris GildenMr. William GrobDr. and Mrs. Jeffrey S. GroveDr. and Mrs. Stephen HaireDr. Bill & Jeanne HellerPete and Kristy Hernandez

Kevin and Tammie HouriganMr. and Mrs. Thomas JamesMr. and Mrs. Guilherme JohannpeterMr. & Mrs. Robert KlingelAnna and Joseph KokolakisSteven and Holly KramerMarc and Lee Ann KudelkoDr. and Mrs. Paul KudelkoChris and Angela LaFaceLaura and Brian MaioccoDr. Andrew Maser and Dr. Debbie BrownCheryl MercurisDarryl and Shannon MinardiMark and Leslie MonkarshMrs. Jean MunroKenneth and Elizabeth O’NeilMr. Hershel OliffMel and Pam OraMr. Michael A. OrtollMr. Anand PallegarMr. and Mrs. Jason PatchenSandip and Rita PatelMr. & Mrs. Kevin PawlowskiMs. Suzette PerazaDr. and Mrs. Paul PhillipsSteven and Haven PoirierMichael Preston and Geri PearsallMark and Carol-Lynn RomanDeirdre and Adam Rosen MDKelly and Robert SchmidtMr. Wendell F. SchottGail & Robin SelbyScott and Mariela ShearMr. and Mrs. Barry ShevlinMr. William H. SimonDr. and Mrs. R. Bob Smith IIIDr. and Mrs. Jeffrey StoneTom and Sharon StrengMr. and Mrs. John TouchtonNina and Trey TraviesaTeresa and Joe TrepaniDr. Steven & Mrs. Irene WeissGene and Brenda WhiteheadGreg & Sandra Willsey

Corporate-Ameri-Tech Community Mgmt, Inc. / Mr. Michael PerezAT&TBB&T - Branch, Banking and TrustBelleair JewelryBina Kumar Irrevocable TrustC & R Building - Ms. Claudia SokolowskiCoca-Cola USADillard’sDimmitt Automotive GroupEngelke Insurance & FinancialMacFarlane Ferguson & McMullenNichols Foundation, Inc. - Mr. Ralph CoxheadNorthern Trust BankPalm Pavilion of Clearwater - Ken HamiltonPinellas Community FoundationRaymond James Trust Private Wealth ManagementSullivan AssociatesSunTrust Bank of Tampa BayThe Wachovia Foundation

$50,000 +Individual-Larry & Marge DimmittMr. and Mrs. Raymond E. Murray

Corporate-Eckerd Family FoundationFlorida Department of StateMichael G. Cantonis FoundationProgress EnergySt. Petersburg TimesTampa/Clearwater Lexus Dealer Association

$25,000 - $49,999Individual-Mrs. Sidney G. AlbertMichael and Roxanne ConnorMr. and Mrs. Daniel M. DoyleFred and Aleta FisherDavid and Angela Katz

Corporate-AEG Live LLC FloridaBank of AmericaBright House NetworksCarrabba’s Italian GrillKirkland, Russ, Murphy & Tapp, P.A.The Leading Ladies of Ruth Eckerd HallRaymond James FinancialVerizon Communications

$10,000 - $24,999Individual-Tony and Linda BaconC. Douglas and Eleanor BakerLeah and Glenn BergoffenMr. and Ms. Clay BiddingerCJ BotsolasRick & Karen BouchardMs. Lillian BroganBryan and Mary CrinoMr. & Mrs. Daniel Doyle JrMrs. Ralph DutcherMrs. Barbara EngelhardtGeorge & Lisa EtheridgeDr. and Mrs. Miguel FanaScott and Leigh FeuerDr. and Mrs. Pit GillsMr. and Mrs. Mardy GordonKevin and Angela HawkinsKathleen & Roger JohnsonMr. and Mrs. Donald K. KarnesMichael & Joan KlineJason and Susie KuhnMr. & Mrs. Roger KumarDr. Cesar Lara / Center for Weight Loss ManagementNancy & George MarianiMr. & Mrs. Jeffrey McDonaldMr. and Mrs. Richard A. MinckDrs. Vincent and Natalie MonticcioloMr. and Mrs. Charlie RutzEric and Barbara SchmitzMr. and Mrs. Vivek SethMr. Jeffry Stern

Ruth Eckerd Hall is tremendously grateful to the more than 5,500 members who support our commitment to presenting the fi nest in the performing arts and providing arts education opportunities to nearly 100,000 young people and adults each year.

The following list represents the annual contributions (over $750) made to Ruth Eckerd Hall, november 1, 2009 – november 30, 2010.

Annual Contributors

Whitney Bank

$2,500 - $4,999Individual-Jeanie and David AbelsonMs. Diane AdamsMr. and Mrs. Martin AwerbachDr. & Mrs. John P. BarrettFran BartlettMrs. Gloria BattsSteve and Marie BeatyPhilip & Carol BeauchampDavid and Nancy BilheimerBunny and Bill BitnerJonathon and Kimberly BlakeW. Gerald and Carolyn E. BlaneyM. Alison BohMs. Mary Alice BraukmanHarold BrownWilliam L. & Ruth J. BruggemanMrs. Loretto R. BurmesterDavid and Jennifer CalverleyTerri L. CastroRobert B. Churney DMD & Ericka ReinckeMr. John R. CookEarle and Dawn CooperCarole CoreArdelle F. DarlingCharles J. and Karleen F. DeBlakerDr. and Mrs. David DecamellaTerry & Marilyn DeebMr. Steven DeGeorgeDr. Anthony and Audrey DuanyMr. and Mrs. Mark EdmundsMr. and Mrs. Hugh FavaMr. & Mrs. Lloyd FerrentinoMr. Forrester and Ms. MorrisMr. & Mrs. Robert FreedmanMrs. Anne V. GoiranLinda Suzzanne Griffi n-KeliherMrs. Gladys Douglas HackworthDrs. Brian and Connie HaleMs. Doreen HalliwellMr. and Mrs. Eric HambschMrs. Kent HardenMr. & Mrs. Lawrence W. Harkins IIIBill and Jan HarrounMr. and Mrs. Harold F. HeyeSusan Morgenstein HeymanMr. and Mrs. Matthew HoffmanAbby and Joe Holt, Sr.Kenneth W. & Sheri HoyeMr. Donald KocolowskiMrs. Selma KronMr. & Mrs. Brian LadellDr. Michael P Lazor & Mrs. Rose LazorBradley and Audrey LeachJoni R. LongRick & Pamela LopezJill and Dodge MelkonianMr. & Mrs. EB PasqualeMr. & Mrs. Lowell PaxsonMr. and Mrs. David PelletzJudy and Ron PetriniMr. Dave PettinatoMr. & Mrs. F. Wallace Pope, JrJoseph ProctorJimmy and Amy RichmanMs. Tara RogachefskyTara and David RubergMr. & Mrs. D. Scherer


Dr. & Mrs. David DieterichMrs. Irving SchoenbergKathryn and Pierre DrouinMr. & Mrs. David W. DunbarHolly DuncanMs. Stacie A. DunphyDr. & Mrs. Paul DuryeaMerrill Lynch & Company, Inc. / W. Wallace Dutton IIIDr. & Mrs. Richard EicherMr. and Mrs. Timothy EimanDr. Robert EntelDr. & Mrs. Irwin EntelDr. and Mrs. Phillip FarthingMr. & Mrs. Stanley FishmanMrs. Louise FlandreauMr. John FrancisMs. Vicki FranklinMr. and Mrs. P. Douglas FreedleDr. Lawrence FriedmanMr. and Mrs. Alan GassmanMr. John GillisMrs. Betty J. GirensDr. and Mrs. Stephen GoldmanMs. Debra GomesMr. & Mrs. Richard R. GomezMr. Gary GrayMs. Catherine M. GreenJohnny GreenPriscilla R. GrossMr. Robert GrossMrs. Pat GrubbMrs. Yvonne GubnerMs. Dana GuyMs. Barbara HaagsmaDr. and Mrs. Allen HaimesLawrence W. HamiltonMr. Paul HannaMr. and Mrs. John HansonHoward & Linda HarrisMs. Barbara O. HartHarold Hartigan and Michael BeckwithMr. Wayne HarveyMr. Thomas HasselPhil & Janet HendersonMr. and Mrs. Harlan HeshelowMr. W. R. JacobsenAnthony JohannesmeyerMr. Leland D. JohansenMr. William JonsonMr. & Mrs. James JordanRobert & Sharon JorgensenMr. and Mrs. John KasperMr. Michael E. KenistonMr. & Mrs. Roger KenyonKeith & Cathy KerriganMr. & Mrs. Ken KlespiesMr. Mel KlinghofferRalph and Nancy KluesnerSandy CottermanMr. James KossMr. & Mrs. Frederick LallyPeggy & Fred LangenbergMrs. Pamela LeCompteMr. and Mrs. John LehmannStanley and Susan LevyDick and Beverly LingleAnonymousDave & Mary MacdaidDr. & Mrs Christopher MacLarenMr. Ralph MangioneRobert C. MasonKim and Todd MattoxMr. & Mrs. Kelly McClungMr. & Mrs. John McConnell IIIMr. and Mrs. Arthur McKenzieMr. & Mrs. Paul McMullenBarbara McNeill and Tim RushMr. & Mrs. Edward J. McSheehyMr. John MedaskaDr. & Mrs. Steve MirabelloMax and Andrea MitchellBill & Tanga Moyle

Mr. Kenneth SchickTerry and Aleta SchmidtDr. and Mrs. Joseph SchwartzMr. & Mrs. F.J. SharpeHon. J. Harrison SmithJoe NemoMr. & Mrs. Jack SpragueMr. & Mrs. Johnston StaplesDavid P. Stone & Deborah G. StoneJeanne TalericoMrs. Ray W. TrautleinChristopher & Georgette TsavoussisElden & Ruth WeissDebbie WhiteMr. & Mrs. Albert WisemanMr. & Mrs. WorkmanDouglas & Lisa Wycoff

Corporate-Belleair Country ClubBest Buy StoresClearwater Gas SystemMr. Andrew SpetzCreative Contractors, Inc.Ferman Motor Car Co., Inc.Foundation for Global UnderstandingGeneral Dynamics - OTSIsland Way Grill, Inc.Jim & Jill St. LouisMaddux ReportPalma Ceia Storage, Inc.Pinellas County Board of County CommissionersProvise Management Group, LLCRed Diamond WineRichard Nader EntertainmentSouthern Arts FederationThe Docobo CorporationUSAmeriBankWells Fargo Insurance ServicesWells Fargo

$1,500 - $2,499Individual-Paul & Bobbi Wileman AdairJim & Gail AgnewDr. & Mrs. Michael AndriolaMs. Debbie Angelus & Mr. Ralph HarrisMr. and Mrs. Vance ArnettMrs. Linda BellewMr. Ron BensonMr. & Mrs. Gerald M. BenstockMr. & Mrs. Richard F. BinnigMr. and Mrs. Joseph Blanton SrMr. and Mrs. Daniel T. BloomJohn and Shirley BoelhowerMichael & Bonnie BollenbackMs. Laurie BreenFred and Lori BrownPatricia Burke and Howard RitchieMrs. Penny BurnisonMr. Sid BurtnickMr. and Mrs. Edwin BushMrs. Greta CesarioDrs. William and Elaine ClarkDr. & Mrs. Harold ColbassaniMrs. Jacqueline Cole-GrazianoMr. Thomas Spencer ColtonMr. Randy CookMr. and Mrs. Larry CottonMrs. Margaret DarraughStewart DavisBrenda DavisDr. and Mrs. Thomas E. DealDexter FamilyAnthony and Lynn DiAngelus

Dr. Yi-Hwa Outerbridge & Mr. Felix Cannella Jr.Overmyer Charitable FoundationMr. Roy PandeloglouMrs. Maria PappasMr. & Mrs. James N. PaxtonMs. Tannia PeeplesMs. Joyce A. PembertonGrant and Carlen PetersenMr. & Mrs. Walter PiperMrs. Pat PlumleeMr. and Mrs. Loren PollackMr. Donald ProkesMrs. Lillian Pulver-GiordanoDr. & Mrs. Andrew RacksteinMs. Heather RadkeDr. Lori RansohoffMr. & Mrs. J. Paul RaymondMr. and Mrs. Robert ResnikDr. & Mrs. John J. RindeMr. Charles Robinson JrMr. and Mrs. John T. RobinsonLouise & Charlie RobinsonMr. and Mrs. Matthew RuleyHoward & Dina SachsMr. & Mrs. Matlock SchillemanMr. and Mrs. Glenn ShaneBill and Missy SmithMr. & Mrs. James SnyderThe James L. Spencer FamilyDrs. Jonathan & Lisa SquiresMr. and Mrs. Gus StavrosJ.O. Stone and Nell RodriguezMs. Shirley StrangeMs. Jill StrumpfMr. and Mrs. Richard SuretteKenny and Vera SwadeSteve & Maureen SwansonRoy and Catherine SweatmanMs. Karen SweeneyMr. and Mrs. Robert TankelMr. Jeffrey D. ThomasGary and Adrian TocklinMr. and Mrs. Raphael TourinMr. Gary R. TrombleyMr. & Mrs. Joseph TrusinaJoan Vecchioli & Andrew SalzmanMs. Karen ViettoDr. and Mrs. Lee Watkins JrAngel WelkerRon & Lonni WhitchurchMr. & Mrs. Carl WhiteSuzanne Piper WilderDr. & Mrs. Frank M. WilliamsMr. Mark WimberlyMrs. P.G. WinquistDiane Bennett and Chet YoakumMr. Fred Yonteck & Emilie LeBoeufDr. & Mrs. Lane Ziegler

Corporate-AEGONAlbritton Title, Inc.Alfano’s RestaurantAll Star Transportation, Inc.Alliant TechsystemsAm-Med, Inc.American Association of University WomenAmplexAnesthesia Associates of DunedinAPG Electric, Inc. / Mr. John R. KavulaArcieri & AssociatesBank of America Matching PrgmBaxter, Strohauer, Mannion & Silbermann, P.A.Burchard GalleriesClearwater Center For

Cosmetic SurgeryCox Target MediaDayton-Andrews Inc.Gulfcoast Programs - Mr. & Mrs. Phil NathansonMr. Edward DrosteHyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & SpaLand Care Solutions LLCLincks & Associates, Inc.Majemac Enterprises, Inc.Mandalay Surf & Sport Inc.Manheim St. PeteMarket Technologies, LLC - Louis MendelsohnMcFarland, Gould, Lyons, Sullivan & Hogan P.A.NELCO Realty HoldingsNurses Choice, Inc. - Ed Halleran and Steve SikaPerenich,Caulfield, Avril & Noyes P.A.Polypack, Inc.Radiology Associates of West PascoMr. Richard CookRock N Roll Heaven MemorabiliaSun Country CleanersThe Bernd Group, Inc.The Stuffed MushroomU.B.S. Financial ServicesUSAA FoundationVISION SYSTEMS, INC.WGUL-AM/FM

$750 - $1,499Individual-Toni AlexanderLori AllenMs. Betty Jo AndrewsMr. James AshbaughMr. Nicholas AthanasonMr. Don BaileyCharlotte BaileyMr. and Mrs. Jimmy F. BatesMr. Billy Beattie Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Hilmer BeckersMr. and Mrs. D.A. Bennett, IIRichard Bialor & Byron MathisMr. and Mrs. Frank BiancoMs. Ellen BilgoreMr. & Mrs. Al BillerMaurice and Selma BillerWalter W. BlennerMr. and Mrs. Alan C. BomsteinMr. and Mrs. Mark BrownMyra BurkeMr. and Mrs. George CantonisJudge and Mrs. James R. CaseMs. Roberta Lutz ChristensonMr. and Mrs. Robert CollinsKevin and Charlene ConnellyDerek and Tracey CooperMr. & Mrs. Ronald CopherMr. and Mrs. Daniel DavisDr. Michael and Mrs. Diana DeVitoMr. & Mrs. Anthony R. DominickMr. and Mrs. Brian J. DonushiMr. and Mrs. Stephen DunnRichard and Bridget EckerdMr. & Mrs. Bruce EngquistMr. Robert A. FajtMr. & Mrs. Norman FerenzDr. Enesto FernandezMr. & Mrs. Thomas FinneganJerry & Elaine FlattMrs. Betty Ann FoxworthyDr. and Mrs. H. James FreeMr. and Mrs. Chris V. GagnonMr. and Mrs. Melvin GavronMr. John GeigleAnthony & Nicola Giallourakis

Annual Contributors


Thank you to the Legacy Society members listed below for including Ruth Eckerd Hall in their estate plans. If you are interested in finding out how you can provide Ruth Eckerd Hall with a planned gift, please contact Lara Shane, Chief Development Officer at [email protected] or at (727) 712-2718.

Legacy Society

AnonymousDrs. Lofty & Laila BastaMrs. Greta Casario, Jr.Mr. Robert Challener & Mr. Nelson MorrowMr. & Mrs. Carroll CheekMrs. Ivon CulverMr. & Mrs. George & Doris Dalack

Mrs. Ralph DutcherMs. Julie EidenSharon Ellis ChampagneMr. & Mrs. Frederick FisherMr. & Mrs. Mardy GordonMs. Linda Griffin-KeliherMs. Patricia GrubbMrs. Ruth GrymesDr. & Mrs. Robert Hackett

Ms. Gladys Douglas HackworthMr. Ed Halleran & Mr. Steve SikaMs. Doreen HalliwellMr. James HarperMs. Renée HurleyMr. & Mrs. Bill JohnsonMs. Tammy LeverentMr. Richard W. MurphyMr. & Mrs. Dean & Liz Ramus

Mr. & Mrs. Richard RedmonMichael & Carla RoyMrs. Carlos Schoeppl Mr. & Mrs. Herbert SchwartzMrs. Lara ShaneMr. Everett SimpkinsDr. & Mrs. R. Bob SmithMr. & Mrs. David StoneMrs. Ray Trautlein

Mr. and Mrs. L. Thomas GiblinDr. and Mrs. James P. Gills JrDr. and Mrs. Gordon GoodmanDr. Elinor Z. GordonTodd Gould & Jennifer BarbaroMs. Billie Jo GrassingerRobert and Rachel HackneyDr. Robert HannumMr. & Mrs. Burton HartmanMike & Janice HayesMr. and Mrs. Mike HernandezDr. Jack HirshonDrs. Robert & Teresa HowardAlvin and Shirley HowesMr. George IaconoMr. & Mrs. Larry IngramPaul & Kim Jackson IIMike & Penny JacksonPaul & Joanne JacksonMrs. Karen P. JohnstonMs. Jana JonesRichard D. & Rosetta JordanPat and Mike JordanDr. Demetrios KaiafasHarriet KaplanDr. & Mrs. Harvey KersteinMichael & Joanne KingMark & Judy KleinTheodore & Mary KramerDr. R F KuehneDr. & Mrs. David A. LandisMr. and Mrs. James LanktonMr. Raymond LepplaMr. Stuart LipmanMr. Walter LoebenbergRandy and Jolene LoosFrank LorenzoMr. and Mrs. Stephen Lucas

Mr. John MakholmMr. & Mrs. Timothy MarianiJim & Charlane MartinRobert and Susan MauchBruce and Terri MedlinMr. and Mrs. Ronald W. MillerMrs. John MulockDr. & Mrs. Craig MungerMr. and Mrs. John MurrayMr. and Mrs. Gary NammMr. Larry NelsonDr. and Mrs. Jerry NiedzwieckiMr. and Mrs. William NodineMr. William F. NorenTimothy & Heather NorthRaymond and Trina OakesMr. & Mrs. Gregory “Skip” OlneyMr. Donald OlsonFagl OxmanMr. and Mrs. Richard PerkinsMr. & Mrs. Joseph PerlmanJim & Sue PetruMr. and Mrs. Chris PicconeMr. & Mrs. Peter PiroMr. and Mrs. James R. PriceJ. Crayton & Johanna PruittMr. & Mrs. James RaganMr. and Mrs. Richard RedmonMr. and Mrs. Parker RobinsonRobert & Annette RochlinNermine & Les RubinMr. and Mrs. George RuppelMarty and Melissa RyanSeth and Tammy SchimmelMr. James SeletosAlan and Deborah ShermanMr. and Mrs. Garry SimpsonCol. Paul Sims

Become a member of Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Legacy Society and make a personal investment in the community and ensure years of world-class entertainment and cultural enrichment for yourself and your children. You can enjoy the quality of life we have here in our community and at Ruth Eckerd Hall. And, you can do your part to make it even greater.

The array of gift-giving options and the ways you can incorporate

them into a legacy gift are as varied as the circumstances they serve. We are always available to provide you with further information and suggestions on gifts that fit with your lifestyle and philanthropic goals. For more details, please contact Lara Shane, Chief Development Officer at (727) 712-2718 or [email protected]. Your legacy gift will help Ruth Eckerd Hall keep the dream of the arts and arts education in our community alive for generations to come!

Start Your Own Legacy with Us

Ms. Violet SmithSylvette SolaMr. and Mrs. Ezack SptaruMr. and Mrs. Jay B. Starkey JrMr. John E. StrossDr. Diane SuttonMark C. TaylorMrs. Jerald B. TurnerDr. & Mrs. Ty TvedtenDr. Barbara Van WinkleGlenn and Liz WatersMark & Beth WeaverDr. Randall WeiselMrs. Mary Elizabeth WelptonEric D. Weston & Barbara A. BaccariMr. and Mrs. Thomas E. WhiddonMr. & Mrs. Alexander WilliamsMr. Horst D. WinterDr. Ditmar WisselPatricia WootenThe Peggy and Robert Word Family

Corporate-ActionCoach Pinellas Firm - Mrs. Barbara KyesAdvance Placement TravelAirTran AirwaysAutomotive Fleet Enterprises / Louis SpiroBelloise RealtyBrady’s Backyard BBQBrandon Construction Company

Carillon Floor CenterCaroline and Lee, P.A.Counter ProductionsD-MAR General Contracting & DevelopmentDean GuitarsEd’s Fine WinesElf Salad Music, BMI / Phil LopezHaynes Appraisal Group, Inc.Homestead Title of PinellasHoyt-Jolley FoundationHumanaIBM Corporation Matching Grant ProgramKathy and Bob BrooksLaw Office of Charles PhilipsLifestyle Family FitnessMedia Impact Advertising, Inc.Michael Clayton Generation NexNeurosurgical Spine Center - Dr. & Mrs. George D. GiannakopoulosOcean Reef ClubRadiance Medspa Belleair BluffRauh-Co Construction Services, Inc.RBC Dain RauscherRosewater, Lerner & RudolphRotary Club-East Lake SunriseSouthwest Airlines Co.Spencer & Associates Architecture, Inc. - Mr. Stephen J. SpencerTaylor GuitarsThe List ExpertsThirsty MarlinTruefire.comVerizon Foundation

Annual Contributors


FIn

DIn

G Y

OuR

WA

Y A

ROun

D Ru

TH E

CkE

RD H

ALL


10% off for Ruth Eckerd Hall members


RUTH ECKERD HALL HA S A MEMBERSHIP LEVEL TO FIT EVERY STA GE OF YOUR LIFE...

1UP is a dynamic group at Ruth Eckerd Hall taking an active role in enhancing Tampa Bay’s cultural scene. Become a member of this exclusive, new social concert club for Tampa Bay’s young professionals (ages 21-35) who are seeking a new venue to “co-create” modern, musical experiences.

One up [wuhn-uhp] – verb, succeed in being a step ahead of (someone).Source: Dictionary.com

FAMILY MEMBERSHIP is Ruth Eckerd Hall’s new level of membership. For as little as $250, you can build memories with your loved ones while supporting the arts! Some of the benefits you and your family will experience include:

• Ticket purchasing before the general public• Meet and Greet opportunities at Family Shows based on artist

availability*• Access to the Hoffman Dress Circle Lounge during Family Attraction

Shows featuring child-friendly amenities including comfortable seating, private restrooms, coloring activities, milk and cookies and other fun activities.

1UP Events coming soon:Thursday, February 10, 2011, 8 pm The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein

Friday, March 18, 2011, 8 pm Spring Awakening

Check club1up.com frequently to find out about new 1UP events.For more information or to join the club, visit:

CLUB1UP.COM

Upcoming WorkshopsSat., February 25 The Frog BrideSat., May 21 Darwin the Dinosaur: A Glow-in-the-Dark Adventure

*Some restrictions may apply


Save the Date!Enjoy an outstanding theatrical experience, including an evening of superb live performances, excellent food and beverages, exciting live auction items and fabulous dancing to benefit the arts education programs of The Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute at Ruth Eckerd Hall at the

6th Annual Spring GalaFriday, April 29, 20116:30 pm – Cocktail Reception 7:30 pm – Gala Dinner and DancingRuth Eckerd Hall Main Stage1111 McMullen Booth RoadClearwater, Florida

Individual tickets are available for $350 and $250. Sponsorship levels are available for $15,000, $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500 with benefits including a table for ten guests and recognition the night of the event. For more information, please contact Nancy Dietrich, Special Events Manager at (727) 712-2760 or [email protected] COPY OF THE REGISTRATIOn AnD FInAnCIAL InFORMATIOn MAY BE OBTAInED FROM THE DIvISIOn OF COnSuMER SERvICES BY CALLInG 1-800-435-7352 WITHIn THE STATE. REGISTRATIOn DOES nOT IMPLY EnDORSEMEnT, APPROvAL OR RECOMMEnDATIOn BY THE STATE. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Registration #CH-1562. 100% of each contribution goes to Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc.

RUTH ECKERD HALL HA S A MEMBERSHIP LEVEL TO FIT EVERY STA GE OF YOUR LIFE...

Become part of Ruth Eckerd Hall’s “in-crowd,” and get advance notice and first chance at the best seats! Don’t miss out on attending such sold out shows as:

• Lady Antebellum• Ringo Starr • Neil Young • Crosby, Stills & Nash• Earth, Wind & Fire• Robert Plant• Peter Frampton

For more information on how Ruth Eckerd Hall’s membership levels can benefi t you in your current stage of life, contact us at (727) 712-2720 or www.rutheckerdhall.com.A COPY OF THE REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Registration #CH-1562. 100% of each contribution goes to Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc.

"As a corporate partner operating in 35 counties in Florida and headquartered in St. Petersburg, Progress Energy is committed to supporting the arts. We believe there is nothing more powerful than strong communities. After all, our success is wholly intertwined with that of the communities we serve. That’s why we take an active role in supporting community partners like Ruth Eckerd Hall that positively impact our customers and employees."

~ Vincent Dolan, President & CEO, Progress Energy Florida

CEO HALL OF FAMEThank you to the CEOs that understand the importance of the arts in our community

and the impact the arts have on our lives. If you would like to learn how you can support the arts at Ruth Eckerd Hall, please contact Joyce Pemberton, Director of Corporate Partnerships at (727) 712-2716 or [email protected].

"The Verizon Foundation is committed to helping improve student achievement, so we are pleased to support the outstanding educational programs of Ruth Eckerd Hall. Through programs such as PASSport, experiential learning through the arts will increase the likelihood of academic success for at-risk students, and increased educational success will help produce self-sustaining, creative, and contributing adults."

~ Michelle Robinson, Southeast Region President, Verizon

“Both the St. Petersburg Times and Ruth Eckerd Hall are among our region’s leading cultural and intellectual assets, so the partnership between our organizations is a natural.”

~ Paul Tash, Chairman & CEO, St. Petersburg Times

“As a keen supporter of the arts, our partnership with the Hoffman Institute and Ruth Eckerd Hall gives me tremendous pride that we are furthering such an important part of these students’ lives. As a community, we came together to enjoy the exceptionally talented women of the Legends Tour with the knowledge we are supporting such a worthy cause. This is a winning relationship on many levels.”

~ Sheila Johnson, owner of Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club former music teacher, classically trained violinist

and avid arts supporter


“Bright House Networks hosts The Bright Stars Senior Idol Show here every year. The staff is always professional and reliable. We always have a great experience using Ruth Eckerd Hall, and it is great to know that by bringing business to the Hall, we are also supporting culture and arts in our community.”

~ Mike Robertson, Division President, Bright House Networks

CEO HALL OF FAME

“A partnership with Ruth Eckerd Hall feels right on many different levels. It is great to provide our automotive dealership clients with special privileges and amenities at this outstanding venue, while continuing to show support for the arts and our local community. We are very excited.”

~ Richard Dimmitt, President and CEO, Dimmitt Automotive Group


“The Ameri-Tech group of companies has always been a strong supporter of the arts and Ruth Eckerd Hall. For years, Ruth Eckerd Hall has been an intricate part of the Tampa Bay community providing big performances without the atmosphere of a huge auditorium. It is this kind of experience that leaves you with a lasting impression regarding the performing arts. That’s why we are proud to sponsor The Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute and Ruth Eckerd Hall.”

-Mike Perez, CEO, Ameri-Tech Community Management

“Raymond James is as passionate about supporting our community as we are about providing quality fi nancial services for our clients. One manifestation of this is our continuing support of the arts in the Tampa Bay area. We not only believe that artistic expression and arts education contribute tangibly to the health and vitality of our community – it also enhances our economic climate. Raymond James is proud to be associated with Ruth Eckerd Hall, one of Tampa Bay’s outstanding institutions.”

-Thomas A. James, Chairman, Raymond James Financial, Inc.

A BIG THANK YOU TO RUTH ECKERD HALL’S CORPORATE PARTNERS!

CLEARWATER CENTRAL


2010 - 2011 Season Sponsor

5 The Westin Tampa Bay7627 Courtney Campbell CausewayTampa, FL 33607(813) 281-0000

Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant2930 Gulf to Bay Blvd.Clearwater, FL 33759(729) 799-3082www.ceviche.com

nature’s Food PatchMarket & Café1225 Cleveland St.Clearwater, FL 33755(727) 443-6703

Perkins Restaurant(Open 24 Hours)U.S. Hwy.19 & Gulf to Bay2626 Gulf to Bay Blvd.Clearwater, FL 33759(727) 799-2019


Dining & Lodging Around Ruth Eckerd Hall

La Quinta Inn Clearwater Central21338 U.S. Hwy. 19 N.Clearwater, FL 33765(727) 799-1565

Carrabba’s Italian Grill33983 U.S. Hwy.19 N.Palm Harbor, FL 34684(727) 787-891019919 U.S. Hwy 19 N.Clearwater, FL 33764(727) 712-0844

Bonefi sh Grill2519 McMullen Booth Rd.Clearwater, FL 33761(727) 726-1315

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar1322 W. Boy Scout Blvd.Tampa, FL 33607(813) 874-WINE(9463)

1

2

3

48

7

Courtney Campbell Causeway

Bays

ide

Brid

ge

91 YWH SU

East Bay Dr.

Ulmerton Rd.

Gulf to Bay Blvd.

Drew St.

SR 590

Sunset Point Rd.

SR 580

Enterprise Rd.

McM

ulle

n Bo

oth

Rd.

W. HIllsborough Ave.

Old Tampa

Bay

Howard Franklin Bridge

1

8

2

2

45

7

3

Ruth Eckerd Hall

9

9

Holiday Inn St. Pete/Clearwater Airport3535 Ulmerton Rd.Clearwater, FL 33762(727) 577-9100www.holidayinn.com/clw-stpete

Innisbrook – A Salamander® Golf & Spa Resort36750 U.S. Highway 19 NorthInnisbrook, FL 34684(727) 942-2000; (800) 492-6899www.innisbrookgolfresort.com

Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa301 South Gulfview BoulevardClearwater Beach, FL 33767(727) 373-1234; (800) 233-1234www.clearwaterbeach.hyatt.com

10

11

6

We recommend...

6

10

11

Call today! (727) 712-2706or visit us online at hoffmanperformingarts.org

INSTITUTEPerformingArts

The Marcia P.

HOFFMAN

summer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artssummer artsJust around the corner ... classes & camps enrolling soon!

Documents

Ovation - February/March