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This special presentation was produced in high definition by W. edu Tampa St. Petersburg Sarasota. Six of the five most unusual piece of theatre hardest morning from Old Masters. GAME OVER morning from finals to go girl. This WTU production is exclusively brought to you through a generous grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice. Building strong communities through a leadership partnership and endowed philanthropy. Hey. John. Dear Journal a while back we told you about a young actor named Gabe
Ortiz a fellow who had grown up in the barrios of Southern California a difficult life. His mother heroin addict his father in prison most of the time and the only way he could work through those troubles he said was to writing and theatre. Well today Gabe Ortiz is a schoolteacher here on the Gulf Coast teaching students who have their own troubled lives. And he is helping them in the same way writing in theater under his guidance they have created a theater piece about their difficult lives. And here is a part of that real reality show. Thank you Madeleine. That is news from school.
Thirty. Six of nine of the busy with something or someone or to those that didn't love. None of us have been just the profit like through us until someone about it. The production is called take and it was it's part of a series that I'm creating at our middle school. Basically it started as a character education program. I was working in a Shakespeare production with the children. Right. Oh yeah you know that they just weren't taking on the weight and so I backed up and punted a little bit and I said What can I do that is going to
allow them to express themselves to use their lives in theater and so I came up with the idea of the take series. I want to run away. Run away from my family. Why am. I going to get out of here. That's not going to happen. Then we can have basically they just came up with issues that are affecting their lives. What. Then. Yes we will have to break up. Not because I want to but because my parents will force me to. Why because why. I'm afraid. They wrote they directed they acted it was they listened to the speakers. So they had complete control of the world. So we did what do you have to do. Run away. Just writes one hit will make my mom and my grandmother looked at me with no love in their eyes. Step point I knew that was me.
It's just to give voice to their issues that they're facing in the first 10 years the millennium used to love the face of a police cruiser waiting for us. You don't leave me that's. A lie. But at that moment I thought look. The feeling. That. Many of them come from struggling environments both in home life and at school. As my uncle dragged me up to the teller of the Bank of America and demanded she put the money in the black bag. You get to know me hostage. I started to cry. The lady behind us said. Let the kid go. It takes someone else. As my uncle grabbed the money bag. She pressed a button on the desk and I went off in a building. That knew my uncle right now the bank. Left in the car and sped off. The cop pulled up behind us. Michael got up. Part. One of the cars came over. You doing down to the ground face bird. As the other cop came over but he goes on.
As he led the way from the curb you turned around and said I love you and those are the last words he said to me. Or her or. The way I start off my questions. Is. It was based off of something that I saw on the freedom writers and it's called the mind can. Play the game all right. It's a lot of fun and probably. This is called The Lying Game. I'm going to ask you a question. If that question applies to you you step on to the line. I asked him a series of questions and it starts from the very basics. How many of you. Live in the projects. You know no step to the line and then it gets increasingly difficult and complicated. Stan on the line if you've lost a friend to gang violence and I was telling if you're not if you don't want to answer the question don't go forward. And that's how I come up with statistics. Nine of us have been bullied.
Six of us have shot a gun. Three drop out before high school. Prov. been a disappointment to our parents. It's their breaking for you that that that shocks me because they're willing to talk about it they're willing to discuss it they're willing to debate these issues with each other. Missing. What are you missing. It's not that you're not looking for this. What are you doing Jason. Well you know back I was me. That's why I told you I had to see someone to ask you again what are you doing Jason. Nothing. What is that. Again acting is about stripping away what we term character. It's about stripping that away and getting to be essential core of who you are. What do you think it is a bomb. Did you make it work. We'll see.
The hardest part was trying to let my emotions out without like making having people make fun of me. And I mean I eventually got into it as we all became one big family. You ready. Yeah I think so. Well it's good to go back now. Brothers in life brothers and. These are your brothers on the phone. Immediately I felt like I was going to pass out. I thought to myself. What if I never see my brother again. What if I never attacked him. Hello. I said there's a picked up the phone. Hey. Her reply. I got you messages. I want to call you back before I left. For a moment there was complete silence. I could talk to the rad airport if your flight attendants saying
that they would board shortly for Iraq. Then the father something to saying. We're going to be back. He said. Lady broke. My heart was breaking. My mouth was dry. I told him I loved him. He screamed on the phone with tears streaming them and thinks. I. I believe that you can teach the mind to stop in at some point. So first I go towards. Affecting this affecting spirit. But we have also felt the need to be loved to be heard to be wanted to be seen to
be understood to be accepted. To be hot. And then I can. Do something to effect despite our mistakes cigar list of my choice. I hope you take that with them. In their lives. We are called the millennials. The first digital generation to generation X and Generation Y we are today. And this is our voice to the world. When you are you getting married not a loser. That is a class in which the teacher teaches Yes but the student teaches well. Themselves. And us.
And another learning experience now. This time artists are learning from teachers long since gone. Visual truth reality. This is our language in the dappled sunlight of an inspired garden near the Ringling mansion something new is unfolding. Be bold. And something very old. A group of artists have gathered to draw to paint to see as the old masters did. We have to keep that initial gesture OK because that's really where the feeling of the piece comes in. This is the southern A tell you they tell you. Being French for a workshop. And that is precisely what these artists are doing they are working at their craft. You know if it takes 100000 drawings to get where we're going then that's what it takes to better get started.
Charlie Miano founded the school he's an accomplished artist with a distinct point of view. And I believe that nature is truly the only legitimate vocabulary for an artist. There's a truth. That I that nature teaches us. And you can't hide that. And you know when you see it and you certainly can see it in a in a painting. China believes the classic principles of realist art. The philosophy embraced by the greats like Michelangelo and da Vinci have much to teach the artists of today. The training in those days craft was important to people. True traditional craftsmanship and today you know people want to just be good quickly. And that said but this is something that takes years of study and and but it's so well worth it.
Look. It's a beautiful lavender I see it there. Charlie has always been drawn to the beauty in the great works of the realist painters they inspire his own work today to be able to express so much you know through and through such a primitive tool a brush you know or some wood with some you know hair in it and you can express you know great themes and emotion and just say you know poetry on this visit his poetry adorns the wall of the gallery in downtown Sarasota this concept as yf and I just always thought it would be great to capture that moment decision. When she's biting and changing the world whether it's a provocative drawing in red chalk or a dramatical oil painting the portrait of this artist reflects the lessons of centuries past lessons she is determined to share.
But there's only been a few people who have held on to some of this knowledge throughout the years and I wanted Ted to establish a program something more specific and something more helpful because I knew I had. I really needed direction little when I was a little younger as to where to go how do I do this can I learn this. The answer according to Charlie is yes anyone can. This tradition is less about theory and more about skills development practiced over time. And here you see a progression period you notice the difference. Student artist of all levels become believers. When I walked into a class they were so well put some paints are just arts and paint. I walked into Charlie's class is like you stand exactly this far away you hold the brush that this way you make the lines this way everything's precise and you can see it develop. So that's what I noticed that was were really exceptional. Make a mark step back make a mark step back you have to know where the stocks are going.
Other people will say it's just they saw me in the beginning. They said it's unbelievable how you have progressed. You look at things differently. Everything you see around you the lights and shadows and shapes and everything becomes more interesting and light. This is not a course of study for the impatient students may spend months drawing in charcoal before they move on to the monochromatic painting known as reside. And finally the color. Charlie likens this method to learning a musical instrument. You must first learn the language of the keys on a piano for example before you can begin composing that foundation then frees the artist to innovate. I think I think the world would be a little bit brighter place if people created works of substance and of depth and purpose. But in a modern world filled with modern art real ism as taking a back seat over the last century certainly realist art has been given about a bad name. OK by the art establishment you have to admit it's you
know it's not something that has been in fashion you know for a long time that is beginning to change slowly like the brushstrokes on a grand canvas. I tell you is much as this one are beginning to make their mark around the country and the world. But the journey hasn't been a completely smooth one. A fire recently destroyed this new school's beloved studio. Turning supplies and cherished artwork into ash. And it was you know devastation as you can see it was very heartbreaking. Not all was lost. The ghost of the old masters must have been watching over the wonderful cache of ancient statuary as many of them were spared along with some of the remarkable student's drawings. And it's a bump on the road you know. The fire did not claim the spirit of the artists. You know after the initial shock we realized what do we really need. We needed a
lot of things or do we need just a stick of charcoal and some paper really to. That's really what the movement is about what really matters is the community and the community is here. And so the Southern Mattel yea will persevered they'll find a new home and certainly they'll keep practicing practicing their craft. That after all is part of the fine tradition. Another example of a learning experience this time people learning a new game might be that that's really not right. This game is not new at all. With tiles rack in front of players it may look a bit like Scrabble. To be nice I would say it plays more like Rummy.
5.. That's what I said I think it's like yeah I guess all right but this is the ancient parlor game from trying out called mah jong. It's some kind of addiction. And I don't really know how to put it right. It's a challenging game but it's not that challenging. Oh my. Oh yes my mother was wrong is becoming popular on the Gulf Coast rivaling cards and board games in the spirit of friendly play when an aunt. That I dearly love my mother's only living sister said to me would you like my ma Jacques said. I said I'd absolutely love it because I've always wanted to play I've been a game player I finished one the period where I was wrong requires strategy calculation and a bit of luck and skills. Not all season players are willing to share their macho and women that I have encountered have not been as embracing about teaching
me how to play to include me. So I thought well here in here I have an opportunity to offer that to other people while sort of sneaking in myself and learning each Wednesday at Sheryl shows Asian Archon decor store owner Hannah Gibbons holds Mahjong classes for interested newbies. Oh friend of mine told me about A's and I and they were giving a lot. I wanted to be world. But somehow perky and I've become very good. Addictive to people from all walks of life like librarian Gail Donovan. A friend of mine recruited me. From my youngest daughter's first grade class we were mothers who met in the classroom and she was desperate to put a game together so she said I'm going to teach people to have a game. And that's how it began.
I was wrong has different forms in China it is a betting game I'm a loud raucous game with a poker room feel in this country more stately version of the game and a kind of renaissance in the 1920s with New York as huge epicenter. Generations of Jewish and Asian mothers played the game. Some passed it on to their children or others were too busy competing. My mother who was part Japanese. Was living in New York City and this was a big part of her social why. I think what she perceived to be sort of a political necessity. So she would disappear for evening after evening hour upon hour and never. Would teach me all of us that love. Do. You. Tell him that you have. To make trouble. Like this. You're right. That. Pleasantries aside mug's wrong is no pushover
parlor game. Hold your seconds. Just when I get home from my sign my husband always says what's new in the neighborhood. I don't know when the boy Dylan. I played my time. Down south. I don't know. I played my song. And it's not a bunch of women sitting around gossiping like a punk band. Three. No small talk no small task. Game over. As we close this month's volume of the Gulf Coast Journal thanking you for being with us we note that there are a lot of great musicians living on the Gulf Coast young and old who every now and then like to pay tribute to some of the greatest of the heroes of jazz such as this young people's tribute to the late Duke Ellington. Do. You know. You can order this or any other volume of a Gulf Coast journal with Jack Perkins on the high
quality DVD format. Call 1 800 3 5 4 9 3 3 8. Or visit our website at W edu dot org. This w edu production is exclusively brought to you through a generous grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice. Building strong communities through a leadership partnership and endowed philanthropy. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.
Me. Me. Me. That you and me can foundation through its generous and dumb and funded w edu has provided funding for this program.
Series
Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins
Episode Number
612s
Episode
Take 2!, Souther Atelier, Mah Jongg, Jazz Juvenocracy
Producing Organization
WEDU
Contributing Organization
WEDU (Tampa, Florida)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/322-93gxdbs6
NOLA
GCJ000612S
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/322-93gxdbs6).
Description
Episode Description
The first segment is about a theatrical production called Take 2! written and performed by students at Oasis Middle School in Bradenton, Florida and directed by teacher Gabriel Ortiz. The second segment is about Souther Atelier, painting classes given by artist Charlie Miano at the Ringling Mansion. The third segment features weekly classes in the game of Mah Jongg held at the Asian Art and Decor Store in Sarasota, Florida. The fourth segment is a performance of a Duke Ellington song by the youth jazz band, Jazz Juvenocracy.
Series Description
"Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins is an Emmy award-winning monthly magazine, which highlights the communities of Florida's west central coast. "
Broadcast Date
2009-12-31
Genres
Magazine
Topics
Music
Local Communities
Fine Arts
Theater
Rights
Copyright 2009 WEDU-TV
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:28:01
Embed Code
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Credits
Executive Producer: Conely, Jack
Host: Perkins, Jack
Interviewee: Ortiz, Gabriel
Interviewee: Miano, Charlie
Producer: Noble, Jen
Producing Organization: WEDU
AAPB Contributor Holdings
WEDU Florida Public Media
Identifier: GCJ000612S (unknown)
Format: Digital Betacam
Generation: Master
Duration: 00:26:30
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
Citations
Chicago: “Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins; 612s; Take 2!, Souther Atelier, Mah Jongg, Jazz Juvenocracy,” 2009-12-31, WEDU, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed March 29, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-322-93gxdbs6.
MLA: “Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins; 612s; Take 2!, Souther Atelier, Mah Jongg, Jazz Juvenocracy.” 2009-12-31. WEDU, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. March 29, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-322-93gxdbs6>.
APA: Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins; 612s; Take 2!, Souther Atelier, Mah Jongg, Jazz Juvenocracy. Boston, MA: WEDU, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-322-93gxdbs6