The summer doldrums are history.
Not just because the hurricane season is blowing them away, but because we're headed into the time of year when the Bay area and Suncoast cultural scenes shift into overdrive.
Or so they tell me. I'm still the New Guy. But as editor of the Planet, I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by a crackerjack team of highly knowledgeable, highly opinionated guides, all of whom assure me that I ain't seen nothing yet. What's more, they're able and willing to tell me — and the readers — where to look.
So that's what this Fall Arts Preview is intended to do: Cut through the heaps of hype already landing on our heads and pick out the events in art, music, theater, dance and film that should be worth your attention in the next four months. We're not listing everything — you can depend on our weekly listings to do that. We're telling you, in our What to Watch For lists, which events and trends you should definitely keep on your radar screen.
And along the way, we're also stopping to give some exposure to three individuals in the arts whom you may not know about, but should. There's cover girl Wendy Babcox, for instance — the USF professor/Internet provocateur/lady wrestler whose artwork sheds new light on the power of female icons (including a few uniquely Floridian ones). Or Jim Rayfield, a veteran stage director whose tenure as a high school acting teacher is likely to have a far-reaching effect on Tampa's theater community. And Nicolai Morschakov, whose dancing may be well-known to Sarasota Ballet audiences — but not so much the story of how he got to the U.S.
So enjoy our guide to the busy season. I'll see you out there.
What to Look Out For
Take Down Artist
Setting the Stage
Motion Defector
This article appears in Aug 19-25, 2004.