An Usher of the Month program began to recognize a volunteer for working a variety of events, to responding when we need extra help with a show or handling a situation during an an event or going out of their way for a patron.

December- Debbie Smith

Debbie Smith and her twin sons, Steve and Jon, have been volunteer ushers here since March of 2012.  A military family, the Smiths have lived in many states, and in 2008 they moved back to Jacksonville. Debbie said she “is honored that we selected her as usher of the month, and volunteering here at the Theatre with her sons is a blessing”.

January- Margaret Sims

Margaret enjoys reading novels by James Patterson and John Grisham as well as working on word puzzles because they are challenging. She is on the board of TheatreWorks and school shows are one of her favorite because the kids are always excited.

February- Rosetta Webster

I am a mother of two and a MeMa to three.  I’ve lived in Camden County, Ga. for about 20 years. However, Jacksonville is my home. I am retired and I enjoy ushering, caring for people especially kids and the elderly.  Being retired takes away the obligation of a J-O-B!

March- Steven Rathel

When I was five we moved to Jacksonville but I was born in Miami. I work at the billing office at Nemours and I have been there for about 8 years. My two dogs are Tara (Beagle) and Katie (Maltese) they are the queens of the world and all that they survey. My vacations usually are to visit family and friends in Georgia, Texas and Tennessee.

The daytime rain subsided an hour before I hopped on a trolley to the Main Street Bridge.  From that trolley ride, I was transported to a crisp and clear April evening surrounded by 240 Florida Theatre enthusiasts with cocktails, opening remarks from Mayor Alvin Brown, entertainment and dinner.  The St. Johns River, with Florida Theatre in the skyline, provided a unique opportunity for all involved. The tent and guests caused a stir from all the One Spark and Carrie Underwood attendees as the event occurred on a BIG night for our city’s center with plenty of activity.  As a board member and huge fan of Florida Theatre, I was proud to be a part of such an amazing evening, the envy of onlookers.

While the Bridge was a tremendous treat, the true star of the evening was The Florida herself. Guests headed back to the historic theatre for a nostalgic evening with The O’Jays who performed classics like “Love Train,” “For the Love of Money” and “Back Stabbers” to animated crowds dancing in their seats and in the aisles.  Florida Theatre deserved a night (or more) like this one…when people came together to raise funds and appreciate the history and beauty of this majestic venue.

We truly “Rocked the Bridge” and Downtown Jacksonville that night.  Already marking the calendar for next year….

-Lyndsay Rossman, Florida Theatre Board Member

Paul Astleford is the President and CEO of Visit Jacksonville, the marketing organization contracted by the Duval County Tourist Development Council to champion the growth of business and leisure tourism in Northeast Florida. He arrived in Jacksonville in January of 2013 after serving as President and CEO of Experience Columbus, the sales and marketing arm of the City of Columbus, Ohio, since 2000. His more than 40 years of hospitality industry experience also includes executive positions with the Greater Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, Disney Resorts and Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

Renée Finley is the Vice President – Innovation and Market Research for Florida Blue, a position she was named to in March, 2013. In this role, she is responsible for promoting and enabling an enterprise-wide culture of innovation and imagination to successfully transition Florida Blue to a health solutions company. Finley provides leadership to Florida Blue’s Imagination Center, facilitates and advances the execution of ideation and innovation processes, and serves as the executive champion for key innovation partnerships including TedMed, the Lake Nona Institute, and Healthbox – an entrepreneurial accelerator for healthcare startups. Additionally, she has accountability for the Integrated Market Intelligence function which provides real-time market/competitive insights and primary and secondary research capabilities for Florida Blue.

Christine A. J. Granfield, MD, is the Director, Breast Imaging for MBB Radiology, with ten locations in Jacksonville. She has been with the practice since 1993, and currently their Strategic Planning and Business Development Committee. She is also a Founding Member of the Vidius Global Imaging Solutions Ltd. Board of Directors, and has previously chaired MBB’s Standards of Practice Committee, and served as Secretary/Treasurer. She has Staff Privileges at Baptist Medical Center, Memorial Hospital and Orange Park Medical Center. Her education and training included a Vascular/Interventional Fellowship and an Imaging Fellowship, both at the University of Texas’ M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; a Radiology Residency at Louisiana State University’s Charity Hospital in New Orleans; and a Pediatric Internship at Tulane Medical School, also in New Orleans. She received her M.D. from Tulane Medical School, and B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Radiology, and licensed in Florida, Georgia, Texas and Louisiana.

Tonisha Landry-Gaines is the Director of Special Events for the City of Jacksonville. The Office of Special Events produces the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, the World of Nations Celebration, the Sea and Sky Spectacular, and a host of other events and activities annually. Prior to her appointment in April of 2012, she served as a Special Assistant to Mayor Alvin Brown. An experienced independent marketing consultant, her other professional experiences include Marketing and Development for War on Poverty-Florida, a nonprofit organization; Digital Media Specialist for Broad Based Communications, Inc.; and E-Communications and Event Coordinator for Conservancy of Southwest Florida, a nonprofit environmental organization. She has also served on the Board of Directors of Girls Incorporated Jacksonville.

Numa Saisselin here, President of the Florida Theatre. Maybe you were there, or maybe you saw the news coverage, but Saturday night, the Florida Theatre’s first-ever fundraising Gala was a huge success, and again, I want to publicly thank everyone who made it a success.

Thanks to our Platinum Inaugural Sponsor, Haskell. Back when having dinner on a bridge was just a crazy idea, blessed only by the United States Coast Guard (probably because they didn’t think we were actually going to pull it off) Haskell came on board purely because it was a “big idea.”

Thanks to our Gold Inaugural Sponsors: BB&T Corporation, Irene and Gasper Lazzara, and J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver.

Thanks to Brumos Motor Cars and Mercedes Benz of Orange Park, for their sponsorship, and the complimentary valet.

Thanks to everyone at the City of Jacksonville who worked closely with us to make the event possible, including the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Fire and Rescue, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, the Office of Special Events, and the Mayor’s Office. Also thanks the U.S. Coast Guard, the Florida Department of Transportation and everyone who works at the Main Street Bridge.

Thanks to the Rock the Bridge Gala Committee for their leadership and vision; Anne Urban and Urban Events and Rentals for their expertise in producing this event; our staff member Melissa White, and especially Angela Gieras, our Development Director.

Thanks to On Ideas for the Rock the Bridge graphics and design, and to Bailey Publishing for printing the invitations.

Thanks to Coppola Diamond Collection, Heineken, Main Street Winery, Yuengling, and right here in Jacksonville, Southern Wine and Spirits and Champion Brands.

Thanks especially to Mayor Alvin Brown for opening the dinner, and to Al Letson for closing the dinner, each in their own inspiring way!

Thanks to The O’Jays for a dynamic concert, and Jacksonville musician John Reshard and his band for opening the show!

Last but not least, thanks everyone who attended the dinner, and everyone who attended the concert. The nonprofit Florida Theatre Performing Arts Center, Inc. is dedicated to preserving the historic Florida Theatre, and putting great performances on its stage for Jacksonville audiences to enjoy. YOU are an integral part of that equation!

As Mayor Brown said, we are all working for, “A future that says opportunity for everyone. That’s what this is all about, providing money for programs and performers at the theater that improves the quality of life of Jacksonville. Now we all can celebrate that.”

This is a very special concert event with the artists and the audience seated on-stage!

Amber Ruth is a singer and songwriter, and the Grand Prize winner of NPR’s prestigious Mountain Stage New Song Contest. Her writing is courageous, vulnerable and personal. Her recent CD, produced by Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Kings of Leon), debuted at No. 13 on iTunes’ songwriter chart, and features duets with Jason Reeves and Jason Mraz. Acoustic Guitar Magazine says she, “…has developed a unique gift of knocking down walls with songs so strong they sound like classics from another era.”

 Dave Eggar, the acclaimed and versatile cellist, joins Amber. Seen at last fall’s Atypical Arts event at the MOSH Planetarium, he studied under Yo-Yo Ma, but has become known as a virtuoso of rock, pop, folk and world music, as well as classical. He has performed and recorded with Coldplay, Evanescence, David Bowie and American Idol winner Phillip Phillips. The New York Times says, “Eggar’s work is breathtaking.”

 In a late-breaking development, they will be joined for a number or two by dancer Tiffany Fish, who earned her MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University, and has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, and for such well choreographers as Sean Curran, Doug Varone and Julie Taymor.

The Florida Theatre is pleased to welcome Atypical Arts for this event. Under the direction of Jimmy Saal, whose long music business resume includes Vibe and Spin Magazines, Central Park SummerStage and the Lincoln Center Festival, Atypical Arts is dedicated to presenting great artists in unique environments that allow artist and audience interaction.

Tickets are $30.00 each and available only from Atypical Arts at http://amberjax-efbevent.eventbrite.com/#

 The ticket price includes a post-concert private reception with the artists, supported by Intuition Ale.

Amber Rubarth: http://www.amberrubarth.com/

Dave Eggar: http://www.daveeggarmusic.com/

Over the weekend the Florida Theatre  website was awarded a Gold ADDY in the Elements of Advertising – Responsive Design category. The ADDY competition is a three tiered competition within the American Advertising Federation. Our site will now advance to the District Competition and hopefully on to the National Competition!

Also, all of your votes paid off! We were awarded the 2013 Pixel Award: People’s Champ, Music! The Pixel Awards take a fresh look at the best on the web. They are the cutting-edge website award, annually honoring compelling sites that have shown excellence in web design and development.

A huge thank you to the SBS Studios team for helping us achieve such great recognition for our theatre!

Check out SBS’s blogs about the awards!

http://www.sbsstudios.com/latest/2013/02/25/sbs-studios-goes-mad-at-addy-awards-nabs-9-awards-including-best-of-show-santiago-recognized-for-silver-medal-award/

http://www.sbsstudios.com/latest/2013/02/25/the-people-have-spoken-florida-theatre-website-wins-2013-pixel-award-for-peoples-choice-in-music/

$10 tickets are only available Monday, February 18 from 9-5pm at the ticket office or phone (355.2787).

February 20- Alan Parsons Live Project
February 23- Celtic Crossroads
February 24- The REAL “Jersey Boys”! THE HIT MEN…featuring Original Stars of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
March 13- Get The Lead Out
March 15- Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories – No Fairy Tale Tour
March 20- Jake Shimabukuro
March 21- America*
March 22- One Night of Queen performed by Gary Mullen & The Works
April 16- “Weird Al” Yankovic The Alpocalypse Tour*
August 10- Blue Suede Shoes – The Ultimate Elvis Bash*

*Four tickets per person for asterisked shows. No restrictions on the other shows listed.

• One day only, Monday, February 18, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Tickets to select shows will be available for $10 per ticket.
• A list of shows included in the $10 ticket sale will be published on the theatre’s web site and email list on the Friday just prior to President’s Day.
• $10 tickets are only available by phone or in person from the ticket office.
• $10 tickets will not be available on the internet.
• Seating location for $10 tickets is “best available” at the discretion of management.
• In general, seating location for $10 tickets will be in the side and rear sections.
• Customers wishing to select their seating location may still purchase full-price tickets.
• Full-price tickets to all upcoming Florida Theatre performances will also be on sale.
• $10 tickets are not refundable or exchangeable.
• $10 ticket prices are not available before or after President’s Day.
• Full price tickets purchased before, during or after President’s Day may not be returned or exchanged for President’s Day sale prices.
• Ticket service and handling fees still apply.
• The number of $10 tickets available to each show in the sale may or may not be limited.
• The number of $10 tickets that any one customer can purchase to a show in the sale may or may not be limited.
• Any restrictions on the number of $10 tickets that can be purchased will be published.

The Florida Theatre announces its First Annual President’s Day Sale, offering $10 tickets to select upcoming performances. The President’s Day Sale helps make the Florida Theatre attractive to new customers, and encourages existing patrons to try a new show or two that they might not have attended otherwise. Customers do need to spend a little effort to take advantage of the President’s Day Sale. Customers may need to wait on line at the ticket office, use their redial key, and take a seat in the side or rear of the theatre. However, if Jacksonville residents are looking for an entertainment deal, this is a terrific opportunity.

Here are the details:

• One day only, Monday, February 18, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Tickets to select shows will be available for $10 per ticket.
• A list of shows included in the $10 ticket sale will be published on the theatre’s web site and email list on the Friday just prior to President’s Day.
• $10 tickets are only available by phone or in person from the ticket office.
• $10 tickets will not be available on the internet.
• Seating location for $10 tickets is “best available” at the discretion of management.
• In general, seating location for $10 tickets will be in the side and rear sections.
• Customers wishing to select their seating location may still purchase full-price tickets.
• Full-price tickets to all upcoming Florida Theatre performances will also be on sale.
• $10 tickets are not refundable or exchangeable.
• $10 ticket prices are not available before or after President’s Day.
• Full price tickets purchased before, during or after President’s Day may not be returned or exchanged for President’s Day sale prices.
• Ticket service and handling fees still apply.
• The number of $10 tickets available to each show in the sale may or may not be limited.
• The number of $10 tickets that any one customer can purchase to a show in the sale may or may not be limited.
• Any restrictions on the number of $10 tickets that can be purchased will be published.

Check back on Friday, February 15 for the complete list of shows that will be on sale for $10 on Monday, February 18!

The IMPORTANT thing is to visit this link: http://www.pixelawards.com/nom_win_2012.php everyday from now until January 25th to vote for the Florida Theatre for the People’s Choice Award in the Music Category.