FSCJ ARTIST SERIES, SPONSORED BY CHASE PRESENTS

THE STATE BALLET THEATRE OF RUSSIA – SWAN LAKE

Times-Union Center | January 9, 2015 | 8:00PM
TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 AT 10AM

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The State Ballet Theatre of Russia’s production of Swan Lake plays Jacksonville’s Times-Union Center’s Moran Theater for one performance only on Friday, January 9, 2015 at 8:00PM! Tickets go on sale Wednesday, September 10th at 10AM through the FSCJ Artist Series, sponsored by Chase, the official presenter of the Jacksonville show.

Founded by legendary dancer and former Prima Ballerina of The Bolshoi Theater Ballet, Maya Plissetskaya, The State Ballet Theatre of Russia, now under the direction of award-winning dancer and Moiseyev dance company soloist Nikolay Anokhin, presents one of the greatest classical ballets of all time. This full-scale production, set to the music of Tchaikovsky and based on Russian folklore and German legend, follows a heroic young prince as he works to free the beautiful swan maiden from an evil spell. The State Ballet Theatre of Russia presents 50 of Russia’s brightest ballet stars to bring this romantic tale of true love to glorious life!

Tickets for The State Ballet Theatre of Russia - Swan Lake in Jacksonville start at $42.50 (and at $21.00 for children 12 and under) and can be purchased at www.artistseriesjax.org, (904) 442-2929, and the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office between 10AM-5PM, Monday-Friday. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more at (904) 442-2947 or groupsales@fscj.edu.

Press Quotes for The State Ballet Theatre of Russia – Swan Lake:
“Effortless precision.” – Palm Beach Daily News
“Full of enchantment!” – The New York Times

Please contact Sarah Roy at saroy@fscj.edu or (904) 442-2933 for high-resolution photos and more information for The State Ballet Theatre of Russia – Swan Lake in Jacksonville.

To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover,
call the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office at:
(904) 442-2929
(toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY)
Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting
the FSCJ Artist Series Website at:
www.artistseriesjax.org

The FSCJ Artist Series has been recognized by the State of Florida as a Major Cultural Institution and receives funding from the State of Florida, through the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council.

FSCJ ARTIST SERIES, SPONSORED BY CHASE PRESENTS: ANNIE

Times-Union Center | October 21-26, 2014 | 8 Performances
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 AT 10AM

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The new U.S. National Tour of ANNIE will play at Jacksonville’s Times-Union Center’s Moran Theater from Tuesday, October 21st through Sunday, October 26th for eight performances only. Tickets for ANNIE go on sale Friday, September 12th at 10AM through the FSCJ Artist Series, sponsored by Chase, the official presenter of the Jacksonville show.

Directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin for the 19th time, this production of ANNIE will be a brand new physical incarnation of the iconic Tony Award®-winning original. ANNIE has a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. All three authors received 1977 Tony Awards® for their work.   Choreography is by Liza Gennaro, who will incorporate selections from her father Peter Gennaro’s 1977 Tony Award®-winning choreography.

Here’s a sneak peek of the casting of ANNIE, which aired on the inaugural episode of the Broadway Balances America mini-series during The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television:  http://bit.ly/AnnieBBA

Tickets for ANNIE in Jacksonville start at $37.50 and can be purchased at www.artistseriesjax.org, (904) 442-2929, and the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office between 10AM-5PM, Monday-Friday. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more at (904) 442-2947 or groupsales@fscj.edu.

The original production of ANNIE opened April 21, 1977 at the Alvin Theatre and went on to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, the Grammy for Best Cast Show Album and seven Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin).  The show remains one of the biggest Broadway musical hits ever.  It ran for 2,377 performances after it first opened, and has been performed in 28 languages and has been running somewhere around the world for 37 years.

The beloved score for ANNIE includes “Maybe,” “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” “Easy Street,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”

The celebrated design team includes scenic design by Tony Award® winner Beowulf Boritt (Act One, The Scottsboro Boys, Rock of Ages), costume design by Costume Designer’s Guild Award winner Suzy Benzinger (Blue Jasmine, Movin’ Out, Miss Saigon), lighting design by Tony Award® winner Ken Billington (Chicago, Annie, White Christmas) and sound design by Tony Award® nominee Peter Hylenksi (Rocky, Bullets Over Broadway, Motown). The lovable mutt “Sandy” will once again be trained by Tony Award® Honoree William Berloni (Annie, A Christmas Story, Legally Blonde).    Musical supervision and additional orchestrations are by Keith Levenson (Annie, She Loves Me, Dreamgirls). Casting is by Joy Dewing CSA and Holly Buczek CSA, Joy Dewing Casting (Soul Doctor, Wonderland, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). The tour is produced by Troika Entertainment, LLC.

This brand new production features a 25 member company: in the title role of Annie is Issie Swickle, a 9-year-old actress from Davie, FL, making her tour debut.  Gilgamesh Taggett will star as Oliver Warbucks.  In the role of Miss Hannigan is Lynn Andrews.  Also starring in the tour are Ashley Edler as Grace, Garrett Deagon as Rooster, Lucy Werner as Lily and Allan Ray Baker as FDR.  Sunny, a 4-year-old rescue terrier mix, stars as Sandy.

The Orphans are Angelina Carballo, Adia Dant, LillyBea Ireland, Sydney Shuck, Lilly Mae Stewart and Isabel Wallach.

ANNIE Performance Schedule at Jacksonville’s Times-Union Center:

Tuesday, October 21st at 7:30PM - 13th Annual Family Night on Broadway!
Wednesday, October 22nd at 7:30PM
Thursday, October 23rd at 7:30PM
Friday, October 24th at 8PM
Saturday, October 25th at 2PM & 8PM
Sunday, October 26th at 1:30PM & 7PM

To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover,
call the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office at:
(904) 442-2929
(toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY)
Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting
the FSCJ Artist Series Website at:
www.artistseriesjax.org

The FSCJ Artist Series has been recognized by the State of Florida as a Major Cultural Institution and receives funding from the State of Florida, through the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council.

US Judge Strikes Down Florida Gay Marriage Ban

MIAMI — Aug 21, 2014, 5:31 PM ET

By CURT ANDERSON AP Legal Affairs Writer

A federal judge on Thursday declared Florida's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, joining judges across the country who have sided with gay couples wishing to tie the knot.

U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle in Tallahassee ruled that the ban added to Florida's constitution by voters in 2008 violates the 14th Amendment's guarantees of equal protection and due process. Hinkle issued a stay delaying the effect of his order, meaning no marriage licenses will be immediately issued for gay couples. That also means gay couples legally married in other states will not immediately have their marriages recognized in Florida.

Hinkle, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, compared bans on gay marriage to the long-abandoned prohibitions on interracial marriage and predicted both would be viewed by history the same way.

"When observers look back 50 years from now, the arguments supporting Florida's ban on same-sex marriage, though just as sincerely held, will again seem an obvious pretext for discrimination," Hinkle wrote in his ruling. "To paraphrase a civil rights leader from the age when interracial marriage was struck down, the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice."

Gay rights have long been a contentious issue in Florida, a politically complex swing state where the northern counties tend to lean Republican like their Deep South neighbors and parts of South Florida are reliably Democratic. In the 1970s, singer and orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant lobbied to overturn a Dade County ordinance banning discrimination against gays, though the protections were later reinstated.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Republican, has appealed previous rulings striking down the ban, which were issued earlier this year in Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties. Hinkle's ruling allows time for appeals in the federal case. Bondi wants the Florida cases to remain on hold pending a definitive national ruling on gay marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"The U.S. Supreme Court, they need to decide this case, they are going to decide this case, hopefully sooner than later so we will have finality," Bondi said earlier this week. "There are good people on both sides of this issue and we need to have finality for everyone involved."

Gay marriage proponents have won more than 20 legal decisions against state same-sex marriage restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the federal Defense of Marriage Act last year.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court delayed an appeals court decision that would end Virginia's gay marriage ban and, in January, the justices did the same thing in a same-sex marriage case in Utah. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati recently heard arguments in six same-sex marriage cases from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

The latest Florida ruling came in a pair of lawsuits brought by gay couples seeking to marry in Florida and others who want to force Florida to recognize gay marriages performed legally in other states. Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia permit same-sex marriage.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, which represented some of the gay couples, said the tide of rulings makes legal same-sex marriage in Florida appear inevitable.

"We're very pleased to see the ban held unconstitutional in such unequivocal terms so that all Florida families will soon finally have the same protections," said ACLU staff attorney Daniel Tilley.

Hinkle did add one wrinkle in his decision: he said the delay on marriages should have no effect on a proposed change to the death certificate of Carol Goldwasser, who was legally married in New York in 2011 to Arlene Goldberg before Goldwasser died earlier this year.

Goldberg, according to the ruling, has been unable to obtain Social Security survivor benefits because of Florida's refusal to recognize their marriage, which could force her to sell her house. Hinkle said the amended death certificate showing the couple as spouses should be issued by Sept. 22, or 14 days after officials receive all the required information.

"There is no good reason to further deny Ms. Goldberg the simple human dignity of being listed on her spouse's death certificate." Hinkle said in his ruling. "Indeed, the state's refusal to let that happen is a poignant illustration of the controversy that brings us here."

JACKSONVILLE LGBT SCHOLARSHIPS

For nearly 20 years, the area chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays — also known as PFLAG of Jacksonville — has been providing scholarship funds that help talented local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students pursue their college ambitions.

Since it launched the educational initiative in 1996, PFLAG of Jacksonville has distributed more than $260,000 in scholarship funds.

And the local chapter awarded $28,0000 alone during its recent 2014 scholarship awards banquet.

This year’s scholarship recipients are:

■ Haileigh Baier.
■ Jillian Kalish.
■ M.J. Cranston.
■ James Flowers.
■ Charles J. Griggs.
■ Traveon Olden.
■ Deanna Iovino.
■ Steven Peano.
■ Jonathan Joseph.
■ Katelyn Rowland.
■ Mycheal Levine.
■ Jordan Rutter.
■ Ernie Lightfoot.
■ Tierra Shepherd.

Cheers to PFLAG of Jacksonville for continuing to support so many students through its scholarship program, and congratulations to the 2014 recipients.

BREAKING: Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson Killed Unarmed Teen Mike Brown

After close to a week of refusing to release the name of the police officer who killed unarmed, 18-year-old Michael Brown, the Ferguson Police Department reveals his killer.

The officer’s name is Darren Wilson.

Brown, who was scheduled to begin college in two days on the day that he was gunned down while walking with a friend, has sparked an uprising in Ferguson. The community refused to be silenced and have relentlessly demanded justice for the teen, affectionately known as “Mike Mike.”

According to reports, the officer is a 6-year veteran on the force and has no history of disciplinary action on his record. Attorney Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Brown’s family and who was also legal counsel for the family of Trayvon Martin, said that Brown’s body was the worst police shooting that he’d ever seen.

‘National Moment of Silence’ vigils, spearheaded by Feminista Jones, were held across the country for Brown yesterday.

Over the course of six days, the citizens of Ferguson were sprayed with rubber bullets, tear-gassed and arrested for legally assembling to protest Brown’s death.

Yesterday, the Missouri Highway Patrol seized control of Ferguson from the police department.

Watch live stream of the police press conference here.

Broward County Says No to Attorney General Using Counties Money to Fight Against Gay Marriage in Florida

Commissioners on Tuesday approved a resolution supporting same-sex marriage, and are asking the county attorney to research ways to withhold taxpayer funding from the state that would be used in the appeals process.

WSVN-TV reports that the commissioners voted unanimously to oppose Florida’s same-sex marriage ban, and hope to send a message to Attorney General Pam Bondi by withholding county funds while the state fights rulings from four Florida counties that have declared the ban unconstitutional.

“We want to show that opposition not just by submitting a resolution, but by withholding our donor county dollars that are quite frankly right now going to Tallahassee to fund this appeal process with which we are adamantly opposed,” said Commissioner Stacy Ritter.

While judges in four Florida counties – Palm Beach, Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward – have overturned the ban, no marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples because Bondi has appealed the rulings.

Bondi, a Republican, said the state should defer to the U.S. Supreme Court to consider and rule on the issue, but commissioners say there is no guarantee the high court will undertake the matter.

Meet the Only Openly Gay CEO of a Public Company

Buried in pages of technical jargon outlining C1 Financial Inc.’s plans to go public is one word that chief executive Trevor Burgess finds particularly gratifying: “spouse.”

Burgess will become the only openly gay CEO of a publicly traded company when his Florida bank debuts on the stock exchange Thursday, according to Out on the Street, an LGBT leadership organization. (PlanetOut Inc., a media and entertainment company, was public for a few years beginning in 2004 with an openly gay chief, said Todd Sears, founder of Out on the Street.)

In the S-1 form that C1 had to file in preparation for the IPO, Burgess disclosed that his

husband, Gary Hess, holds shares in the company – a line that wouldn’t have been necessary before last year’s Supreme Court decision extending federal benefits to same-sex couples, he said.

Burgess said he’s happy to mark the milestone but also “a little bit sad” to have no company.
There are no openly gay CEOs in the Fortune 1000, said Deena Fidas, director of the Human Rights Campaign’s workplace equality program.

“I’m excited that there will be at least one example for people,” Burgess said. “We’ve got good examples for basketball players, arts, football, but where’s Wall Street?”

Openly gay executives are still relatively rare in the corporate world. Even younger workers often hide their sexuality when embarking on their careers.

Sears said he hopes Burgess’ milestone might give other leaders “a little kick to be more visible if they can.” Both he and Burgess said they believe executives who are currently hiding their sexuality might go public in the next few years. But arguably more monumental, they said, will be when LGBT workers who have always been open ascend to the top post in their companies. Such a move would show that the leaders were judged on their results, not their sexuality, Sears and Burgess said.

Burgess said he’s been open about his sexuality for his entire career, which included 10 years at Morgan Stanley as an investment banker. He recalled a few instances in which clients made comments against homosexuality but said in general his personal life hasn’t been an issue at work.

“At the end of the day, I think that my clients and my colleagues really appreciated me for who I was and the fact that I was good and being good mattered more than anything else,” he said.

Still, he remembers the loneliness that came with pursuing a career in business as a gay man.

“Looking for mentors, looking for examples, looking for someone who was like me and coming up blank was pretty stark and a bit sad and scary,” he said.

At a recent awards ceremony for top entrepreneurs, he looked around and realized that out of the about 200 CEOs assembled, he was the only one attending with a same-sex partner.
“How could I be the only one?” he wondered. “It just sort of defied logic.”

Fourth Circuit Declines Stay in Virgina Gay Marriage

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A federal appeals court on a 2-1 vote Wednesday denied a request by a county clerk to delay implementation of its ruling striking down Virginia's ban on same-sex marriages. 

The action by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond could allow same-sex couples to wed in the state beginning next Wednesday, unless the Supreme Court opts to intervene. 

Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk Michèle McQuigg had asked the appeals court to stay its ruling while she sought a review of the case by the nation's high court.

Late last month, the 4th Circuit ruled that Virginia's prohibition of gay marriages, approved by voters in 2006, violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution.

Orlando Adds Transgender Protection to HRO Unanimously  

By David William Vandygriff 

The amendment to add Gender Identity and Expression to the City of Orlando's Human Rights Ordinance passed unanimously on its second reading; it will now become law.

The ordinance — Chapter 57 — was approved, was amended to include protections for Orlando’s transgender community and protect against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.  


The fight to add this protection for transgender citizens has been ongoing for years. In 2001, Orlando was one of the first cities to add sexual orientation protections to its human rights ordinance, but it did not approve the transgender revisions.

“By passing this protection you are truly saving lives,” said Gina Duncan, transgender inclusion director with Equality Florida. “Within the transgender community, there will be one more person who will not lose their livelihood; there will be one more person who will not lose their ability to provide for their families and who will not decide to take their own live.”

HISTORIC Atlantic Beach Passes the First HRO Protections for LGBT in North Florida

By David William Vandygriff

In a small portion of Jacksonville known as Atlantic Beach with a population of 12,000 history was made in North Florida this evening. A long awaited day with over a year for hard work from Judy Sheklin, Dan Merkan and many others the passage gave the first protections for LGBT in any North Florida city. A combined effort of HRC, We Are Straight Allies, Equality Florida, and Jacksonville Coalition for Equality.

The Atlantic Beach City Hall was left only with standing room and many communities lined

the walk ways around the outside the room. Opponents and supports crowded the small towns City Hall wanting to be heard and witness history. Even at 8:30 individuals were still lined up to speak for and against the HRO. Former Jacksonville Mayor, John Delaney spoke in favor of protections.

Laura Riggs, Co-Creator of We Are Straight Allies spoke

...because nothing is more important than our humanity.

"There is no hierarchy of oppression...I cannot afford to believe that freedom from intolerance is the right of only one particular group. And I cannot afford to choose between the fronts upon which I must battle these forces of discrimination, wherever they appear to destroy me. And when they appear to destroy me, it will not be long before they appear to destroy you." --Audre Lorde

Judy Sheklin, President of Jacksonville NOW, spoke and urged an unanimous vote in support of the HRO protections for LGBT.

President of PFLAG Jacksonville, Debbie Carter attended tonight's City Hall meeting and spoke on the importance of protections within our local communities for LGBT.

A motion to delay the final vote was brought forth this evening due to the absence of City Councilman Jimmy Hill but failed to pass. Councilman Daughetry attempted an amended that would limit the public accommodations portion of the HRO protections, but withdrew the motion after discussion. 

James Edddy Jacksonville City Council District 7 Candidate attended an spoke in support of HRO change to protect LGBT.  

"I'm very proud of my commissioners who voted for it with no strings attached. It's been a long haul, but I'm glad we stood united and I hope that we can continue to move forward," said City Commissioner Maria Mark.

"It is time to serve the community and that time is now." Mayor Carolyn Woods of Atlantic Beach just before she called the LGBT inclusive HRO for a vote. The final vote was 4-0 in favor of the HRO. A truly historic day in North Florida as equality wins.