Show Bizness - 11/03/11

Garden Theatre, located on Plant Street in downtown Winter Garden, will host Orlando Ballet’s performances of Sleeping Beauty from Nov. 12 through Nov. 13 and Best of Battle from Jan. 27, 2012, through Jan. 29, 2012, as part of its 2011-12 season.

Abbreviated to one hour, Sleeping Beauty will be preceded by a royal celebration, which will include face painting, arts and crafts, and a meet-and-greet with costumed dancers and performers one hour before the show.

Best of Battle is an adult-geared compilation choreographed by world-renowned artistic director Robert Hill, a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre.

For more information, call 407-877-4736 or visit www.gardentheatre.org on the Web.

Universal Orlando Resort ’s newest attraction will be based on Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s 3-D computer-generated imagery feature film Despicable Me. The Despicable Me experience will become the first-ever Universal animated film to be transformed into a theme-park experience. It will replace the Jimmy Neutron attraction at Universal Studios Florida.

Officials also announced that The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man will be reanimated in 4K resolution digital high-definition.

Both attractions will open next year and are being developed by the same award-winning Universal creative team that brought all the park’s themed attractions to life.

For more informat ion, visit www.universalorlando.com on the Web.

Central Florida Ballet will bring a European touch to its annual Nutcracker production by partnering with Ballet Sibiu of Romania. Dancers from both companies will be featured in performances locally and abroad.

The idea for the partnership came through CFB Executive Director Vasile Petrutiu’s familial ties to his homeland. Born in Transylvania, Petrutiu began his career with the Romanian Classical and Contemporary Ballet Company and made the decision to defect in 1982 while on tour in the U.S. and Canada. He is now entering the 11th season with CFB, the company he founded in 2000.

For the past four years, Ovidiu Dragoman, CEO of Arts and Cultural Affairs in Sibiu, followed Petrutiu’s accomplishments via the Internet and media.

After several invitations for Petrutiu to take part in various Romanian cultural events, he finally accepted, and the deal took place.

This year will mark the first-ever joint venture between the two companies. The premiere performances will be held in Orlando from Dec. 9 through Dec. 11.

For more information, call 407-849-9948 or visit www.centralfloridaballet.com on the Web.

Disney executives Bob Iger and Tom Staggs announced a long-term creative partnership with James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring the fantasy world of Avatar to life at Disney parks, beginning with Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. Construction is expected to begin in 2013, and, when completed, guests will be able to interact with real and mythical animals and elements of nature. Future locations for additional Avatar-themed lands will be determined at a later date.

The 10th anniversary season of the Celebration Classical Concert Series will include a performance by the Vienna Boys’ Choir on March 18, 2012.

Other performances include Orlando Philharmonic Florida on Dec. 10; Brass Band of Central Florida on Jan. 29, 2012; and Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra on Feb. 19, 2012.

Season tickets are $80 and can be purchased at The Celebration Foundation office, located in Suite 110 at 610 Sycamore St. in Celebration, or at Imagination Realty in downtown Celebration. Individual tickets also are available. All concerts will be performed at Community Presbyterian Church, located at 511 Celebration Ave. in Celebration.

For more information, call 407-566-1234 or visit www.thecelebrationfoundation.org on the Web.

Southwest Orlando studio Animatics & Storyboards Inc. provided the storyboards — a comic-strip version of the script for production — for Alcon’s feature film Dolphin Tale. The movie’s production team selected Animatics & Storyboards’ artist R.C. Aradio because of his concept illustration experience and background in drawing comics for Heavy Metal magazine. Aradio worked with studio owner and Dr. Phillips resident Mark Simon, who has more than 3,000 production credits, to review his storyboards and make sure they were ready for production.

United Arts is accepting applications for its Artist Development and Arts Administrator grants for projects in 2012. Grants of up to $1,000 for emerging artists, $2,500 for established artists, and $500 for arts administrators will be awarded for projects that advance artistic excellence and administrative expertise.

The application includes a two-page narrative, one-page budget, résumé and relevant work samples. The grants will be evaluated in January. The application deadline is Nov. 10.

Last year’s grant program gave a total of $33,579 to 39 artists and arts administrators.

For more information, call 407-628-0333, ext. 32.

While participating in Scout Days, Girl Scout Troop No. 700 members visited Orlando Repertory Theatre to watch Sideways Stories from Wayside School. All the Scouts reside in Dr. Phillips and attend Sand Lake Elementary School.

MTV recently shot its new scripted show The Inbetweeners in Southwest Orlando. Based on the hit British TV series, the show follows a group of teenagers as they prepare to enter adulthood.

The show’s pilot was filmed in January at Dr. Phillips High School, with many local students making appearances as extras. Cast and crew members returned to Orlando and DPHS in August to shoot the remainder of the series.

Leading cast members include Zack Pearlman, Mark L. Young, Joey Pollari, Bubba Lewis, Alex Frnka, Bret Gelman and Christine Scott Bennett. Executive producers are Brad Copeland, an Orlando native, and Aaron Kaplan.