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August 2009
6
Test Drive Your Seats!
Every year the FCCJ Artist Series hosts their annual
Test Drive Your Seats event where Patrons and ticket
purchasers can come out to the Times Union Center to
either buy season tickets or renew their subscriptions
and then, quite literally, test out their seats. This
year’s 12th Annual Test Drive Your Seats is happening
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at the Times-Union
Center from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
For Season Ticket holders this fun event will feature
exciting giveaways and radio stations on site as ticket
holders get the opportunity to pick up their ticket
packets for all of the new Broadway Season shows,
or if they haven’t already, make their season tickets
purchase! Buyers can then walk into the theater, sit
down in their seats, and determine for themselves
if sticking with tradition works best, or if trying
something new for a change is what they are really
looking to do.
If the seats they have do suit their desires, they can
simply take their tickets and leave, or they also have
the opportunity to buy additional tickets for the
season’s shows, including Oprah Winfrey Presents The
Color Purple, A Chorus Line, The Wizard of Oz, and
Grease starring Taylor Hicks! Two season ticket holder
specials will also be available for additional ticket
purchases, Mamma Mia! and Chicago!
However, if the seats they have do not suit their needs,
or if they are new season ticket holders and want the
chance to simply try a few different spots out for wear,
they can take their tickets back to the box office and
turn them in for an exchange.
This offers season ticket holders the added benefit of
more control over where they will enjoy the wonderful
Broadway productions, and the first hand experience
of knowing exactly what they are buying. Whether
they like to sit high in the balcony and get a great
view from above, or sit front and center to see the
expressions on the actors’ faces clear as day, the choice
is theirs. Or if they don’t quite know just what they are
looking for, the Test Drive Your Seats event gives the
buyer the perfect chance to figure it out!
Being a Season Ticket holder is not just beneficial
for its great discounts it provides, with season ticket
packets starting as low as $86.50 for all four shows [a
steal!]. Season Ticket holders also have the opportunity
to get the best seats in the house, buy tickets for all
the shows before they go on sale, and always have the
same great seats for all the Broadway shows. On top of
that, they are offered easy ticket exchange for another
performance, ticket insurance, and priority seating.
With a season as great as the FCCJ Artist Series 2009-
2010 Broadway Season, packed full of favorites across
the board, there is no better time or reason to come out
and Test Drive your very own season tickets! Come get
in line for A Chorus Line, and go Over the Rainbow
with the awesome opportunity that Test Drive Your
Seats provides.
Test Drive Your Seats is one day only at the Times-
Union Center on Wednesday, September 16th
from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. To order Season
tickets by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American
Express or Discover call the FCCJ Artist Series
Box Office at (904) 632-3373 (toll-free outside
of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY) or online at
www.artistseries.fccj.org.
Providing the Voice Behind the
Symphony - By: Virginia Chamlee
Though the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra is often
recognized for its instrumental talents, it’s safe to say
that the voices often accompanying the music aren’t half
bad either. The Jacksonville Symphony Chorus has been
dazzling Jacksonville audiences with its vocal stylings
since 1985, when it launched with a performance of a pair
of Bach’s Cantatas. The Chorus has played a major role
in several of the JSO’s most recent concerts, including
performances of the music of Queen and Elton John on
the Plugged In Series, as well as 2009’s opera Turandot,
but this year marks another major accomplishment: its
25th anniversary.
You can make a lot of wonderful music in a quartercentury,
but most of the real work for the Chorus
happens off the stage. In the 2008-2009 season alone,
each singer in the Chorus dedicated well over 142 hours
of rehearsal time. The Chorus as a whole dedicated over
17,040 hours to the community via the Symphony,
not including the countless hours each member spent
learning the music on their own. In addition to their
faithful rehearsal schedule, many chorus members travel
great distances (some live as far as 1½ hours away) just to
attend each Tuesday’s rehearsal. When rehearsing for an
especially important upcoming concert, practice often
exceeds 25 hours a week.
That is par for the course in the life of a choral singer,
according to a recent story on CBS Sunday Morning, and
their good works go far beyond the beautiful music. Of
the 32 million adult choristers across the United States,
78% volunteer in their community, compared to 50% of
the general public. They also donate to charity at 2½ times
the rate of the populous as a whole. And don’t forget the 10
million children singers making joyful noises.
Those who are bitten by the singing bug can look
forward to Saturday, August 29th, when the Jacksonville
Symphony Chorus will hold auditions. There are about
135 chorus members dedicated to next season, and there
is still room for several others. “It is wonderful to have new
talent to join with the talented singers we have,” said Liz
McAlhany, manager of the Symphony Chorus. “With
the amount of voices we’ll need for Carmina Burana this
fall, we would love to build up our numbers.”
McAlhany says that a love for music isn’t the only
benefit of being a JSO Chorus member: “When
people come together and enjoy singing, there is such a
special camaraderie. As volunteers, they are dedicating
their time for the community and the Jacksonville
Symphony.” Dr. Jon Carlson, director of the Jacksonville
Symphony Chorus, agrees that the advantages of choral
singing are numerous. “Chorus members get to interact
with the greatest choral singers in Jacksonville. Not only
do they share the fellowship and excitement of singing
great choral music with a first-class symphony orchestra,
but they get to make new friends and enjoy the discipline
of becoming a first class symphony chorus.”
Auditions for the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus take
place on Saturday, August 29th, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
at Jacksonville University’s Phillips Fine Arts Building.
For an appointment, call the Jacksonville Symphony
at (904) 354-5479, ext. 221. Audition information
and membership application are available online at
www.jaxsymphonychorus.org.
Theater
Clay County
Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts
See Web site for dates & times. 283 College Dr. (904)
276-6750, www.thcenter.org
Duval County
Alhambra Dinner Theatre July 29-August 30
Forever Plaid. See website for times & pricing.
12000 Beach Blvd. (904) 641-1212,
www.alhambradinnertheatre.com
Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre
See Web site for dates & times.
716 Ocean Blvd. (904) 249-7177,
www.abettheatre.com
IMAX Theater World Golf Hall of Fame
2D Theater open daily, year around.
Fun for the whole family. (904) 940-4629,
www.wgv.com/imax/imax_schedule.php
MOCA Jacksonville Cinema Aug.13, 8 p.m.
Downtown 81, Aug. 20, 8 p.m. Louise Bourgeois
-The Spider, The Mistress & The Tangerine.
Admission: $5 MOCA members, $7 nonmembers.
$2 discount for dining in
Café Nola @ MOCA before the show.
333 North Laura St. (904) 366-6911,
www.mocajacksonville.org/events/film
Players-By-The-Sea Aug. 1, 6, 7, & 8, 8 p.m.,
Aug. 1 & 8, midnight. Hair: The American
Tribal Love Rock Musical. Admission: $25.
106 Sixth St. N. (904) 249-0289,
www.playersbythesea.org
Theatre Jacksonville See website for
dates & times. 2032 San Marco Blvd.
(904) 396-4425, www.theatrejax.com
Theatreworks See website for dates & times.
3304 Independent Sq. (904) 353-3500,
www.theatreworksjax.com/intheatre.htm
Times Union Center for the Performing Arts
See Web site for dates & times.
300 W. Water St. (904) 633-6110,
www.jaxevents.com/timesunion.php
Wilson Center for the Arts Aug. 4-5 Dora
the Explorer Live! Search for The City of
Lost Toys. See website for times & pricing.
11901 Beach Blvd. (904) 646-2222,
www.artistseries.fccj.org/peo
Nassau County
Amelia Community Theatre Aug. 7 - 8, 8pm &
2pm (Aug.8th only). The Complete Works of William
Shakespeare, Abridged. See website for times and
pricing. 209 Cedar St . (904) 261-6749,
www.ameliacommunitytheatre.org
Fernandina Little Theatre See website for dates &
times. 1014 Beech St. (904) 277-2202,
www.ameliaflt.org/home.htm
St. John County
Limelight Theatre See website for dates & times.
11 Old Mission Ave. (904) 825-1164,
www.limelight-theatre.org
Museums
Clay County
Black Heritage Museum Tours by reservation
and hours by appt. Housed in one-room 1800’s
schoolhouse. Admission: Free; Donations accepted.
Longmire Ave. at Hunter-Douglas Park.
(904) 282-4168
Clay County Historical & Railroad Museum
Sun. 2 p.m.-5 p.m.; closed holidays. Historical artifacts
and pictures. Suggested donations: $2 adults, $1 children
915 Walnut St. (904) 284-9644,
www.claycountyhistoricalsociety.org
Middleburg Historical Museum Sun.
2-4 p.m. Tours by appointment Admission: free.
Donations accepted 3912 Section St. (904) 282-5924
Duval County
Beaches Museum & History Center Tues.-Sat., 10
a.m.-4:30 p.m. Admission: $5 adults, $4 seniors, $3
children 6-17, free under 5 and members 380 Pablo
Beach Ave. (904) 241-5657, www.bm-hc.com
Cummer Museum of Art & Garden Tues.,
10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat., 10
a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., 12-5 p.m. Closed Mondays and
holidays $5 members & non-members. Check Web
site for events & ticket pricing. 829 Riverside Ave.
(904) 356-6857, www.cummer.org
Jacksonville Fire Museum Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.
-5 p.m. Housed in 1902 Fire Station, 700 artifacts
include 1902 hose-driven steam engine Admission:
free. 1460 Gator Bowl Blvd. (904) 630-0618,
www.jacksonvillefiremuseum.com
Jacksonville Maritime Museum Mon.-Fri., 10:30 a.m.-3
p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 1-5 p.m 1015 Museum Cir. # 2
(904) 398-9011, www.jacksonvillemaritimemuseum.org
Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art
Aug 1, Drawdown: The MOCA Drawing Marathon.
Eight hours. Paper. Graphite. Creativity. Stamina.
It’s a drawing throwdown for the last artist standing.
Tues., Wed., Fri., Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thurs.,10 a.m.
-4 p.m.; Sun.,12-4p.m. 333 N. Laura St.
(904) 366-6911, www.mocajacksonville.org
Jacksonville Historical Center Every Thurs. 1:30-
3:30 p.m. Merrill House Tours Mon.- Fri., 10 a.m-5
p.m. 1015 Museum Cir. (904) 398-4301,
www.jaxhistory.com
Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum Tues.-Sat.,
10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun., 12 p.m.-4 p.m. Closed Mon.
and holidays. 101 W. 1st St. (904) 356-2992,
www.rain.org/~karpeles/jaxfrm.html
Museum of Science and History Mon.-Fri., 10
a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun., 1-6 p.m.
Hands-on live and planetarium. Admission: $9
adults, $7.50 active military & seniors (55+), $7
children 3-12, free to child under 3, $1 planetarium
show and extreme science show. 1025 Museum Cir.
(904) 396-6674, www.themosh.org
The Mandarin Museum Tues. Thurs. & Fri,
1-4 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mandarin Store
& Post Officer, 1st & 3rd Sat., 1-3 p.m. Exhibits
of local history of Mandarin. Reservations required
11964 Mandarin Rd. (904) 268-0784,
www.mandarinmuseum.net
Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum Aug 1, 8 p.m. Ritz
Jazz’n Jam. Admission: $10. Aug. 6, 7 p.m. The Art of
Spoken Word. Admission: Free. Aug. 13, 5 p.m.-6:15
p.m. Amateur Night Auditions. 829 N. Davis St.
(904) 632-5555, www.ritzlavilla.org
Nassau County
Amelia Island Museum of History Mon.-Sat., 10
a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun., 1-4 p.m. closed on holidays Guided
8 Flags Tours: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Admission:
$7 adults, $4 students and military Spoken history
museum that caters to a variety of interests and age
levels. 233 S. 3rd St. (904) 261-7378,
www.ameliamuseum.org
St. Johns County
Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Mon.-Fri., 9
a.m.-5:30 p.m.; excluding special events. Visual and
performing arts center with a focus on educational
opportunities. 50 Executive Way (904) 280-0614,
www.ccpvb.org
The Mona Lisa remained missing for two years before being obtained by Italian police…