Artist in the Spotlight: Joseph Adler

AroundTown is honored to be spotlighting Joseph Adler… one of the iconic contributors of South Florida’s great theater. Adler is now in his 13th season at GableStage at the Biltmore. He has been active in South Florida’s Theater and Film community for many years, directing at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, New Theater, Area Stage, Hollywood Boulevard Theater, Players Theater and more.

When asked about his earliest memories regarding passion for theater and the arts, he recalls his first love was ‘the movies’ and his determination to be an actor and a director. He followed his passion as a student of drama at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and graduated from the New York University Film Department.

Adler strongly believes that in today’s world if one aspires for a career in performing arts, they must be relentless in their pursuit of their passion and that it must be their “plan A” and not an option.

In addition to his live theater accolades he has also directed hundreds of television commercials and industrial films. He was a recipient of the prestigious Clio Award. Other directorial credits include several independent feature films, a video version of the Broadway hit comedy “Doubles” and a cable TV series.

Since Adler became Producing Artistic Director of GableStage, his ‘home away from home’, his directorial talents have been recognized as the recipient of 43 Carbonell Awards and 159 Carbonell Nominations.

He has been nominated 22 times (15 at GableStage) and won the Carbonell Award for Best Director eight times: The Shadow Box (Coconut Grove Playhouse); The Killing of Sister George (Players Theatre); A Lesson Before Dying, Edward Albee’s The Goat, Frozen, The Pillowman, Lieutenant of Inishmore, and Speed-the-Plow, and twice for Best Director of a Musical: James Joyce’s The Dead and Adding Machine.

 Live theater is a vital part of the South Florida cultural community and Joseph Adler has been honored and recognized for his many contributions:

• As a recipient of the George Abbott Award for “significant contributions to the artistic life and cultural development of Greater Miami, Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches”

• The 2008 Arts and Entertainment Community Service Award presented by the South Florida International Press Club

• The Truth Award from the Human Services Coalition

Adler is woven into the fabric of theater and works closely with many theaters and local schools.  He has received many Best Director awards (CurtainUp, SunPost, NewTimes), a Remy Award from the Theatre League of South Florida, as well as The Heart of the Arts Award presented by the New World School of the Arts. Last year he received a Silver Palm Award for his “Outstanding Support of the South Florida Theatre Community, the Theatre League and the Theatre Festival, as well as his Consistent Outstanding Work at GableStage and his Commitment to an Educational Outreach Program in Miami-Dade County”.

Joseph Adler is DETERMINED to continue to bring provocative theater to South Florida. In our interview, he spoke of the need to have “works that make you think” and challenge the mind with depth into social issues. Entertainment for its own value in theatrical productions is important, but what is VITAL to the survival of ‘smaller’ theater productions is the thirst by audiences to be challenged mentally, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually by live theater.

ARS Flores Symphony Orchestra

OPENS ITS 12TH SEASON WITH

“A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES!”

 SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH AND 13TH AT 7:30PM

Ars Flores opening event features music from classic movies including Chicago, Indiana Jones, Dances with Wolves and Apollo 13 as well as music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, Bizet and Liszt. Audiences will be delighted and amazed to see and

hear classic pieces, in combination with a visual presentation from the movies, illustrating how important music is to film.

Enjoy this exciting performance at either the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, Fort Lauderdale, on Saturday, November 12th at 7:30pm, with a pre-concert lecture at 6:30pm, or at the Colony Theatre, Miami Beach on Sunday, November 13th 7:30pm. Tickets are $30, $20 and $10 (seniors/students).

Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra music series Music for Munchkins is geared to the young child and FREE to the public. Donuts, Children and Culture: what could be better? The series of 30-minute concerts are followed by a reception with juice and Munchkin donut holes. Conductor, Dr. Lynn Luce, affectionately known as “Dr. Mom,” interacts with the young audience during the performance and teaches basic principles of classical music in a light-hearted fashion. The friendly Maestro has some tricks up her sleeve to entertain this special audience. These child-friendly concerts are sure to endear and educate young listeners to orchestral music, cultivating the concert goers of tomorrow.

Music for Munchkins Concert season opens on Saturday, November 12th at 11:00am in Broward County at the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center, NSU and Sunday, November 13th at 4:00pm in Dade County at the Colony Theater, Miami Beach.

Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra is a unique South Florida orchestra of professional musicians who mentor, rehearse and perform side-by-side with gifted secondary and conservatory-level students. The orchestra is in residence at Nova Southeastern University. This season, they will perform a variety of challenging repertoire, offer public master classes, hold an Annual Concerto Competition for young artists, offer online music lessons in Broward public schools through Beacon, and collaborate with musical and non-musical entities.

For more information about these concerts or the upcoming

season, go to: www.arsflores.com

Miami Beach Botanical Garden

Wth the completion of a $1.2 Million landscape renovation by acclaimed South Florida landscape architect Raymond Jungles, the Miami Beach Botanical Garden reopened this month with a dynamic season schedule of arts, culture and special events. Large live oak and silk floss trees frame a welcoming new entrance plaza on Convention Center Drive at 19th Street and creates a sense of progression into the 2.6 acre urban greenspace. Pathways gracefully curve around islands of trees and planting beds that showcase the Garden’s extensive collection of native species, flowering trees, palms, orchids and bromeliads. Executive Director Laura Jamieson says that among the most prominent aspects of the redesigned landscape are water features that include a wetland with red mangroves, a large water garden with floating lily pads and a cascading waterfall.

“Water is a vital element of my gardens, particularly in a botanical garden, where water plants aid in increased botanical diversity while creating open space,” says architect Raymond Jungles. “The new water garden at Miami Beach Botanical Garden brings the sky into the garden, animates the space, reflects the landscape, and cools the areas directly around the buildings. Water magnifies the Garden’s sense of scale.” The venue has been designed specifically for weddings, social and corporate events with expanded lawn areas, terraces and event plazas. Jungles says that what he values most in a public garden is space -- gathering space, space for contemplation, intimate space, public space, durability, and timelessness. “One of our primary goals was to activate and use every available part of the 2.6 acre Botanical Garden site,” he says, “to make it easy and enticing to circulate around the entire space.” The Garden remains free and open to the public daily from 9AM to 5PM. Originally opened as a park by the City of Miami Beach in 1962, the Miami Beach Botanical Garden has been operated by the Miami Beach Garden Conservancy since

1997. The recent renovation was funded by the City of Miami Beach General Obligation Bonds program and administered by the City’s Capital Improvements Project. The construction contract was awarded to Harbour Construction of Miami with Raymond Jungles, Inc. as landscape architect.

Contributing to the excitement of reopening the Miami Beach Botanical Garden is an active season program that includes the citywide Sleepless Night on November 5, the Great Table on the Great Lawn al fresco moonlight dinner on November 10 and Art Basel’s Garden Café from December 1 to 4. In 2012 Miami Beach Botanical Garden will present Taste of the Garden on January 26, the South Florida Wine and Food Festival’s Farm to Table Brunch on February 25 and the 11th annual Tour of Miami Beach Residential Gardens on March 17.  

Along with environmental education programs, lectures and workshops, the Garden presents year-round programming of music, dance, theatre and art classes for children. To learn about volunteer opportunities, garden event rentals and program updates, visit www.mbgarden.org

2011- 2012 Season Line-Up

For the complete 2011- 2012 Season Line-Up for the above venues, please see the October/November issue of AroundTown.  

Meet the Artist: Julian Acosta

What careers besides Art have you had?

Most of my professional career has been in marketing and product management. I am sure that attending photo shoots and my involvement with advertising and promotions, is what lead me to pursue an art education.

Some of your paintings are expressive representation of the human condition. Why this topic in particular? 

I can’t think of many things more fascinating than human beings! With all our complexities and sophistication, we really have not changed much in how we deal with our lives and each other. I really love to watch people be, no matter who, no matter where.   

Within this theme, you focus on spirituality….what inspires you?

Spirituality is one of the aspects of the human condition that I am interested in, along with Physicality, Intellectuality and Emotionality. For me, spirituality is fundamental to who and how you be; it means living in alignment with what matters to you, not just talking about it or acting like you are somehow closer to god than the rest of us.   

You have a unique and vivid color scheme and a certain depth. How do you create your style?

Color is a wonderful tool, but no more important than line or shape or tone, etc. My earlier work was not as colorful – perhaps there is some hidden reason for that. Although I am on the high scale for being analytical, but I don’t start out trying to execute a particular art style. Whatever the creative source, I’m comfortable having the piece evolve stylistically.

In your own words…share with AT readers something unique about you personally?

“I am blessed. I also have had a life full of rich experiences, international travel, etc – As a boy, I spent many long days at an airport, where my dad worked, reading all kinds of magazines and seeing thousands of people from all over. I met movie stars, athletes, politicians – I’ve been within reach of two U.S. Presidents and actually met one. But my favorite is a photo I have with my boyhood hero: Walt Disney.”

Unique Exhibits at the Coral Gables Museum

On Saturday, October 22nd, The Coral Gables Museum will be unveiling several new exhibits to the public. The launch will take place during the Museum’s inaugural weekend, which kicks off on October 20 with the “Real Castles in Spain” dinner at the Biltmore Hotel, a rare gastronomical event featuring the renowned chefs of the prestigious Paradores hotels in Spain. The Museum building, which once served as a police and fire station to the city of Coral Gables, will house five unique exhibits, including a display of antique Spanish maps and a tribute to Anthony Abraham, a longtime Coral Gables resident and one of South Florida’s most prolifi c philanthropists. 

The largest exhibit to be featured this fall will be “Creating the Dream: George Merrick and his Vision for Coral Gables,” which also serves at the theme for the inaugural weekend festivities. Curated by Ms. Parks, renowned historian and author, the multi-room exhibit highlights the genius of George Merrick, his family and other visionaries who inspired him and helped him turn his dream into reality. 

The Museum will also present “Bringing Beauty into Our lives: Art and Architecture in Coral Gables During the New Deal, 1933-1941,” curated by John A. Stuart, Professor of Architecture and Chair of the Department of Architecture and Florida International University. The exhibit honors a time when Coral Gables boasted a vibrant community of local artists and architects. 

Another featured exhibit, “Coral Gables’ Sister Cities: Partners in Peace,” will be displayed as a dedication to the City of Coral Gables’ beloved sister cities, part of an international movement launched by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956. Images and text will tell the story of our nation in a Cold War environment and how Eisenhower, with his extensive wartime experience and leadership abilities, rallied the public to reach out to citizens of other nations in an effort to promote cultural understanding and world peace.

The Coral Gables Museum celebrates the civic arts of architecture, city planning, landscape architecture, historic and environmental preservation and history—the elements that defi ne Coral Gables. For more information, please visit us at www.coralgablesmuseum.org or call 305.603.8067.

Taste, Tango & Toast the Andes

Each year under the glow of the harvest moon, guests gather at the historic Deering Estate at Cutler to celebrate the fine wine, fine food and fine art of a specific region of the world. South America’s rich culture is the focus of “Taste, Tango & Toast to the Andes,” at the 10th annual Wine on Harvest Moon, presented by BMW South.  On Saturday, October 15th attendees experience the ambience of Chile and Argentina through wine tastings, a celebrity chef cooking demo featuring Sugarcane’s Timon Balloo, and top area restaurants preparing variety of scrumptious Latin-inspired dishes. Dancers dressed in traditional native costumes perform an Argentine tango, and Chilean folk dances, and the work of Andean painters and sculptors are highlighted in the exhibit, ”Just North of the South Pole.” A high-end auction ends the evening with items that include travel to exotic destinations in South America.

The Deering Estate at Cutler is located  at 16701 SW 72 Avenue in Palmetto Bay (Miami). Proceeds from WOHM benefit the Deering Estate Foundation whose mission is to support education, research, natural conservation and historical restoration and preservation. Tickets for Wine on Harvest Moon: $125, and $100 for Foundation members. Call 305.235.1668 x263 or log on to: www.deeringestate.org