By Mary Damiano

	Artist Ed King and Meredith Lasher, president of the Theatre League South Florida, celebrate the 2nd annual South Florida Theatre Festival Photo: Mary Damiano

The spotlight will be on the many theatres that fill the South Florida arts landscape, as the curtain rises on the 2^nd annual South Florida Theatre Festival.

The beginning of the South Florida Theatre Festival was celebrated at a reception Monday, March 5, at China White in downtown Fort Lauderdale.  Presented by the Theatre League South Florida, the reception featured the unveiling of the official poster for the festival.  Neo-pop artist Ed King won the contest the Theatre League held to find the right image to represent the festival and was awarded a check for $500 as well as theatre tickets.  His whimsical poster, Cast & Crew, will be displayed in theatres through Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe County theatres over the course of the festival.

	Erinn Dearth, Ed King and Meredith Lasher with King’s winning poster for the 2007 South Florida Theatre Festival  Photo: Mary Damiano

Another highlight of the reception was awarding the Theatre League’s first lifetime achievement award to Rem Cabrera, senior cultural administrator for the Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs Department.  Cabrera was also instrumental is the formation of the Theatre League in the early 1990s.

The many productions available to audiences during the theatre festival include the current productions at the Coral Gables trifecta of theatres:  Fat Pig at the GableStage, La Cage Aux Folles at Actor’s Playhouse, and I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from Rwanda at New Theatre.  Upcoming openings include A Number at The Promethean Theatre on March 16, Backwards in High Heels at the Florida Stage Theatre in Manalapan, Melt at New Theatre on April 5, and Burn This at the Alliance Theatre Company on April 5 in Miami Springs.

	Theatre League South Florida board members and officers Joseph Adler, Laura Turnbull, Danielle Karliner and Richard Jay Simon watch the presentations at the opening reception for the South Florida Theatre Festival Photo: Mary Damiano

Another event that will be held during the theatre festival is the “Business of Show Business,
Putting It Together: How The Magic Of Theatre Becomes A Reality”, a free forum offering a behind the scenes look at the work that makes a production come to life.  The forum will be held at three different locations to accommodate audiences in three counties: Monday, March 19, 7:30 p.m., Actors’ Playhouse at The Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables; Monday, at a date to be announced, at the Inside Out Theatre Company at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale; and Monday, April 16, 7:30 p.m. at the Caldwell Theatre in Boca Raton.

The festival also coincides with the Carbonell Awards, which honor excellence in South Florida theatre, on Monday, April 9, at Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.

As a benefit to prospective audience members, the theatre festival is offering a 10 percent discount on selected shows.  The coupon is good through May 20 and does not apply to pre-sold tickets or other discounted tickets, and is based upon availability.  Patrons must call the theatre 24 hours ahead of time to see if discounted tickets are available.  The discount coupon is available at southfloridatheatre.com.

	Rem Cabrera, senior cultural administrator for the Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs Department and co-founder of the Theatre League South Florida, who received a lifetime achievement award from Meredith Lasher Photo: Mary Damiano

South Florida Theatre Festival
Play Readings

A Bad Year for Tomatoes by John Patrick
Fantasy Theatre Factory, Monday, April 2
Fed up with the pressures and demands of her acting career, the famous Myra Marlowe leases a house in the tiny New England hamlet of Beaver Haven and settles down to write her autobiography.  In an attempt to shoo fans away, Myra invents a mad, homicidal sister.  Complications result when the local handyman develops an affection for "Sister Sadie", and some of the more officious ladies decide it is their Christian duty to save the poor demented Sadie’s soul. 

Lover’s Leap by Frank Higgins
Caldwell Theatre Company, Monday, April 23, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
A silent film star, whose career has been wiped out by the advent of the talkies, returns to her home town to find her ex-flame on the verge of great accomplishments, if only she can get him to acquire the vision of America that she alone can give him. A nightclub singer called The Cinnamon Chanteuse serves as a Greek chorus and sings period hits including “Ain’t We Got Fun?” “If You Want the Rainbow, You Must Have the Rain,” “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and “You’re the Cream in My Coffee”.

Dog Sees God, Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, By Bert V. Royal
Mad Cat Theatre Company, Monday, April 16, 7 p.m.
The Peanuts gang is in high school, and all is not well.

	Cast and Crew, Ed King’s award-winning poster for the 2007 South Florida Theatre Festival

1000 Gates, By Michele Rosenfarb
New Vista Theatre Company, Sunday, May 14
The story of a young Hasidic girl who lives in the Ultra Orthodox quarters of Mea Shearim,  Israel, and her desperate attempts to seek refuge in a forbidden  relationship, after her loving yet controlling father has arranged  her marriage to a Talmudic scholar.  The story depicts the tragedy of conflicting values and the sacrifices people make for self-fulfillment.  This poignant tale not only reflects life’s painful truths, but also the humorous connections that lie in between.