Janis Joplin’s a no-show at Van Wezel and other local arts and entertainment news

On Tuesday, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is hosting a show titled “Tapestry: A Tribute to Carole King.” It’s virtually sold out. Some people who work at Van Wezrl are concerned that one reason for the shows’ popularity may be that some ticket-buyers think the Carole King herself is performing. (She’s not. That what makes it a “tribute.”)

They have reason to be concerned. On Jan. 8, Van Wezel brought in another tribute act, titled “An Evening With Janis Joplin.” According to a Van Wezel official, quite a few people who called the box office or actually came to the hall thought that Joplin herself was performing. Some asked if Joplin was going to have a meet-and-greet after the performance. These were apparently Janis Joplin fans who were wiling to pay to see her in concert, and even pay more to meet her afterward.

They were fans, but they had forgotten that Janis Joplin died in 1970. Forty-eight years ago. When she was 27.

Foundation head resigns abruptly

Speaking of Van Wezel, the head of the Van Wezel Foundation announced last week that she is stepping down after six years as CEO, and a total of 10 with the foundation.

Monica Slater Van Buskirk resigned fairly abruptly.

Her resignation wasn’t entirely unexpected, though. She had originally planned to resign in November, but was persuaded to stay on for a while. Foundation officials expected that she’d stay on for longer than two months, but there was a disagreement over the terms of her continued tenure.

The Van Wezel Foundation is a non-profit that raises money for educational programs at the hall.

The news of Van Buskirk’s resignation caused news of a $10 million gift to the foundation to get out before Van Wezel officials wanted to. It is the largest gift the Foundation has ever received, and Van Buskirk was instrumental in securing it. Officials said they wanted to make a big deal out of the announcement of the gift, but Van Buskirk talked about it when she announced her resignation.

The Foundation is separate entity from Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall itself. Van Wezel marketing official Chuck Stephens said that at least one local media outlet mistakenly reported that it was the Van Wezel’s CEO who resigned. The erroneous report led to Mary Bensel, who’s quite content in her position as the hall’s CEO, receiving calls of concern and even a few job offers.

Theater’s expensive, but there are ways to make it less so. One way to get the most bang for your theater buck is by attending readings. They’re almost always very inexpensive, they’re often give you a chance to see new plays that you’re not likely to get a chance to experience otherwise outside of a major theater city, and they engage your imagination even more than more traditional theater presentations.

Sarasota’s Urbanite Theatre has a series called Spring Reading which, oddly, takes place mostly in winter.

The three plays in the series are “Need to Know” by Jonathan Caren (Feb. 4-5), about a couple who say nasty things about their new neighbor, and then realize that he might have heard them, “Poison” by Lot Vekemans (Feb. 25-26), about a couple who find themselves alone together in room years after a harrowing break-up, and “Boy” by Anna Ziegler (April 15-16), based on a true story about a doctor in the 1960s who persuaded parents to raise their male infant as a girl.

Readings are done without sets, usually without costumes, and with minimal movement but they’re directed and rehearsed. The actors read from scripts. Urbanite’s readings are performed by professional actors.

Tickets are only $15 and they’re on sale now. Call 941-321-1397 or go to urbanitetheatre.com.

This story was originally published January 19, 2018 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Janis Joplin’s a no-show at Van Wezel and other local arts and entertainment news."