WHAT TO DO, WHERE TO GO

This week's theatre

Life x 3 - Gulfshore Playhouse presents "Life x 3" by Yasmina Reza, author of the Tony Award-winning hit comedy "Art," opens Thursday Oct. 4 and runs through Oct. 13 at the Alliance for the Arts as part of the first "Season of the Foulds." As witty and acerbic as "Art", the delightful "Life x 3" contrasts man's deft ability to analyze the far reaches of the universe, with his total inability to respond rationally to a trivial domestic mishap. For more information and to order tickets, go to www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org, or call toll free 866-811-4111. Buddy Holly - Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre presents the dynamic international hit "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story," opening on Thursday, Oct. 4 and running through Nov. 17. The award-winning celebration tells the brief, but spectacular musical career of the legendary Buddy Holly. Performances are Wednesday through Sunday evenings with selected matinees. Beginning Oct. 30, performances are Tuesday through Sunday with selected matinees. Ticket prices range from $25 to $52 with group discounts available for parties of 20 or more. Tickets are now on sale and can be reserved by calling 278-4422, by visiting www.BroadwayPalm. com, or by stopping by the box office at 1380 Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers.

Romeo and Juliet - The Classical Theatre of Harlem performs Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" at the Florida Repertory Theatre through Oct. 6. The abridged, 90-minute production, which features a multiracial, multi-cultural cast, runs through Oct. 6 at the Arcade Theatre. Set in New York's Harlem in the near future, the play incorporates hip-hop beats and modern dress. And instead of sword fights, there'll be guns and knives. Shows are at 8 p.m. Friday and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Arcade Theatre on Bay Street between Hendry and Jackson in downtown Fort Myers. Tickets are $34 -$38, $17 for selected seats. For information call 332-4488.

I Love You - Off Broadway's longest running musical - I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change! - opens at the Sugden Community Theater in Naples on Wednesday, Oct. 10. This hilarious musical comedy delves into dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives and in-laws. The four person cast will perform over twenty characters in the tricky tango known as the modern-day mating dance. The universal themes of the frustrations and pleasures of dating, marriage and love have gained the show lasting popularity and have made it a hit across the country. For information call the Sugden at (239) 263-7990.

The Vast Difference - "The Vast Difference" a new comedy by actor and playwright Jeff Daniels runs through Oct. 13 at the Stage 88 Theatre in Bonita Springs. It's the summer of 1993 in Detroit. George Noonan needs a vasectomy. As a flight attendant and the father of five girls, George turns a routine visit to his urologist into a psychotherapy session about life, the insignificance of the modern-day man and the vast difference between "stewards" and "stewardesses." The performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday Nights at 8 p.m. For tickets call (239)513- 8600 or send your reservation request to: Stage88@stage88.com.

Ongoing events

Artists call - As one of the top-rated outdoor fine art and fine craft shows in the country, the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is officially calling all artists to apply for its prestigious 2008 show being held March 1-2. To apply, visit the festival's Web site at www.gasparilla-arts. com; or for more information, email gasparillaarts@ yahoo.com.

Art - The 2D & 3D Fall Exhibition hosted by the Art League of Bonita Springs at the Center for the Arts in Bonita Springs runs through Oct. 25. Southwest Florida artists offer gallery visitors a variety of both 2D and 3D artworks. Paintings, photography, sculpture, clay, glass, and textiles. Center for the Arts is located at 26100 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs. For information call 495-8989 or on the Web at www.artcenterbonita. org.

Photo art - Visions of Florida: The Photographic Art of Clyde Butcher opens at the Center for the Arts in Bonita Springs and runs through Oct. 27. Butcher is often called the "Ansel Adams of Florida". His photography records the undisturbed paradise that is fast disappearing here in Southwest Florida. Center for the Arts is located at 26100 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs. For information call 495-8989 or on the Web at www.artcenterbonita.org.

Art- Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Harborside Event Center with a visit to "A Latin Art Affair", the Community Art Showcase fine art exhibition. This cutting edge show features five local Latino artists whose works are as diverse and electrifying as their countries of origin: Doris Ramos, Ernesto Masis, Juan Diaz, Amarillis Veliz and Lidia Dick. This unparalleled exhibition will showcase the rich and varied talents of our own Latino art community. The exhibit runs through Nov. 28 and is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information email info@ArtFestFortMyers. com or call 768-3602.

Art- The Watson Gallery in The von Leibig Art Center in Naples features Awarding Pictures: The Art of Children's Book Illustration through Oct. 28,. Focusing on award winning artists working in the field of children's literature, this exhibition will showcase historic and contemporary artwork in media ranging from painting to video. The exhibition will highlight the significant impact that children's illustrations have had on the art world and the field of children's literature both nationally and internationally. For information call (239) 262-6517 or on the Web at www.naplesart.org.

Art - The Art Gallery at Florida Gulf Coast University is hosting inAppropriations: Contemporary Artists that Copy, Sample, Beg, Borrow and Steal through Oct. 13. It features works by regional artist Vyd, Chicago-based video performance group Paul Harvey Oswald and internationally acclaimed artists, Negativland. The exhibition features video, audio and sculptural works by these thought-provoking artists. The artists represented in inAppropriations have the common bond of borrowing news clips, television, music and movie samples and reconfiguring the imagery and sound to achieve their own artistic vision. Many works in the exhibition have socio-political themes, commenting upon our information-bloated culture. Each work in the show has a very biting satire that will definitely grab the

attention of the viewer.

Art - The photographs of Jane Calvin are on display through Oct. 20 at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery on the campus of Edison College in Fort Myers. The exhibit is called "Discontinuum:" Photographs by Jane Calvin. Since the early 1980s, Jane Calvin has been developing a personal artistic style that is undeniably her own. The photographs she creates are made by building large installations, often roomsized, where she combines slide projections and physical objects, text found in pulp romance and mystery novels or children's books, and words and letters written out in Calvin's own hand.

Art - The next exhibit rising at the Alliance for the Arts is exactly what the title implies. The "pots" on pedestals… the "prints and paintings" hung across the gallery walls. But it's the creators behind the pieces that will really grab the viewers' attention. "Pots, Prints, and Paintings" opens Friday Oct. 5 with a special opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Both featured artists, Tim Lienhardt and Barbara Yeomans, share a passion for printmaking, an art form similar in method to silkscreen printing, which with more people may be familiar. The Alliance is located at 10091 McGregor Boulevard just south of Colonial Boulevard. Visit www.artinlee. org for more details.

Upcoming events

Clint Black - Country music star Clint Black will perform at the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts on Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. Ever since his first single, A Better Man, went to No. 1 in 1989, Clint Black has been among the most dynamic singers and songwriters in the world of country music, with a unique ability to create music that is both artful and commercial. The Grammy and Country Music Association Award-winner has also earned a reputation as one of the most sought-after live performers. His No. 1 hits include Killin' Time, We Tell Ourselves, State of Mind, When My Ship Comes In and A Bad Goodbye (with Wynonna). Tickets are $69 and are on sale at the Box Office or call (239) 597- 1900 or (800) 597-1900.

Theater - The Shoolhouse Theater presents "Forever Plaid" beginning Oct. 18 The performance runs from Oct. 17 through Oct. 28. "Stop Kiss" was a New York Times Best of 1999 pick, described as a "sweet, sad and enchantingly sincere play." Tickets for the Obie Award-winning play go on sale Monday, Oct. 1 at the Theatre Lab Box Office: 590-7268. General Admission is $10, FGCU students, faculty and staff $5. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Theater - "Stones in his Pocket" opens at the Florida Repertory Theatre on Oct. 26 and runs through Nov. 18. A runaway London hit and Olivier Award Winner for Best Comedy, this hilarious acting tour-deforce is set in a small picturesque Irish village overrun by a big-budget Hollywood Film. Charlie and Jake, two of the many locally hired extras, uproariously bring to life the 15 characters from this celebrity-crazed hamlet including the self-centered American star of the movie, the quirky crew and some pretty eccentric townsfolk. But when a stone on the path to the American dream leaves one boy broken, they find themselves at a bittersweet turning point. Shows are at 8 p.m. Friday and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Arcade Theatre on Bay Street between Hendry and Jackson in downtown Fort Myers. Tickets are $34 -$38, $17 for selected seats. For information call 332-4488. Tori Amos - One of the most outspoken, creative singer/songwriters of our time, Tori Amos, will return to Fort Myers on Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. Amos' first appearance was in 1996. Tickets are on sale at the box office, by calling 481-4849 or online at www.bbmannpah. com. Groups of twenty or more, please call (239) 489-3033 extension 3122.

Natalie Cole - Appears at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on Oct. 19. Natalie Cole has interpreted material from almost every genre including contemporary pop, jazz, as well as R&B classics. A winner of eight Grammy Awards, her stunning new album Leavin' is simultaneously a bold point of departure and a moving return to form for one of music's most accomplished vocalists; and after a decade during which she enjoyed unprecedented global success as an interpreter of the standards. Tickets are on sale at the box office, by calling 481-4849 or online at www.bbmannpah.

Theater - "Funny, You Don't Look Like a Grandmother!" opens at the Off Broadway Palm Theater on Oct. 25 and runs through Dec. 22. A humorous, yet heartwarming musical comedy that celebrates modern-day grandmothers in a whole new light. Throw away the granny glasses, shapeless black dresses and Red Cross shoes, and replace them with tennis dresses, skis and a condo in Florida! Tickets are now on sale and can be reserved by calling 278-4422, by visiting www.BroadwayPalm.com, or by stopping by the box office at 1380 Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers.

Sam Donaldson - Appears at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on Oct. 18. As a 40-year ABC News veteran, Sam Donaldson has served two appointments as chief White House correspondent for ABC News. He also coanchored, with Diane Sawyer, PrimeTime Live until it merged with 20/20 in 1999. Mr. Donaldson is the recipient of many awards, among them four Emmy Awards and three George Foster Peabody Awards. Tickets are on sale at the box office, by calling 481- 4849 or online at www.bbmannpah.com. Groups of twenty or more, please call (239) 489-3033 extension 3122.

Art - The annual "Walk Through the Arts" (this year on Saturday Oct. 20, from 10 to 2 p.m.), will put the galleries, and other creative people and arts organizations on display. This free family event includes artist demonstrations throughout the campus of the Alliance for the Arts - plus theatrical, musical, and dance troupe mini-performances in the Margaret Morrow Frizzel amphitheatre. There will be a kid's tent for art activities, and food and beverages will be available for purchase. All arts and culture organizations in Lee County are invited to attend and distribute information, tickets, memberships, and more. The Alliance is located at 10091 McGregor Boulevard just south of Colonial Boulevard. Visit www.artinlee.org for more details.

Theater - Florida Gulf Coast University presents Diana Son's "Stop Kiss" in the Theatre Lab on campus. The performance runs from Oct. 17 through Oct. 28. "Stop Kiss" was a New York Times Best of 1999 pick, described as a "sweet, sad and enchantingly sincere play." Tickets for the Obie Awardwinning play go on sale Monday, Oct. 1 at the Theatre Lab Box Office: 590-7268. General Admission is $10, FGCU students, faculty and staff $5. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday.