Florida Blue renews sponsorship with Florida Theatre

Florida Blue, a Corporate Partner of the historic, nonprofit Florida Theatre since 2006, has announced its renewed support of the Theatre.

“Florida Blue and Florida Theatre share a mission to enhance our community’s quality of life,” said Darnell Smith, Florida Blue Market President. “We do it by helping people achieve better health, and Florida Theatre does it by bringing diverse and memorable arts and entertainment experiences to our community. We love supporting the Florida Theatre because it makes our community such a vibrant place to live. There is nothing quite like the unique, historic Jacksonville landmark that is Florida Theatre.”

"The historic Florida Theatre is pleased to play its part in providing Northeast Florida with the music, dance and theatre programs that are part of what gives Jacksonville the unique character that we have all come to appreciate, and expect, as residents of a great city,” said Florida Theatre President, Numa Saisselin. “The theatre earns 85% of its annual budget from its business activities, and support from the business community, like our returning Corporate Partner Florida Blue, helps to close that small budget gap every year and keep the Florida Theatre and its programs something special for our community.”

The historic, nonprofit Florida Theatre is sponsored by Community First Credit Union. For a complete list of upcoming events or to buy tickets visit the Theatre's official web site floridatheatre.com.

About Florida’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield: The company, has been providing health insurance to residents of Florida for more than 75 years. Driven by its mission of helping people and communities achieve better health, the company serves more than 5 million health care members across the state. In total, Florida Blue and its affiliated companies serve 45 million people in 45 states. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., it is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

About Florida Theatre: Located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, the historic Florida Theatre first opened its doors in 1926, and is famous for a series of six Elvis Presley performances in 1956 covered by Life magazine. Restored and reopened in 1983 as a nonprofit performing arts center, today the Florida Theatre is recognized as one of the Top 10 most attended theatres in the US under 2,000 seats according to Pollstar magazine, and the #1 most attended sports and entertainment venue in the State of Florida under 2,000 seats according to VenuesNow magazine. The theatre is managed by The Florida Theatre Performing Arts Center, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, and is an active promoter of its own programing. 175-200 music, dance, theatre, comedy and arts education performances take the Florida Theatre stage every year. In recent years the theatre has been seen on Showtime (Larry Wilmore), AXS TV (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and Netflix (Katt Williams), and heard on NPR (Whad’ya Know?).

‘Jimmie Vaughan’ will be playing in JAX soon

UPDATE (Sept. 24, 2021): According to the Florida Theater, the "Jimmie Vaughan" engagement has been postponed to April 10, 2022. For further information, please contact the Florida Theatre.
  

The Florida Theatre, in partnership with WJCT, is pleased to announce blues legend Jimmie Vaughan at the WJCT Soundstage. In true Texas fashion, four-time Grammy-winner “Jimmie Vaughan” has helped breathe new life into the music that has been his lifeline all these decades, becoming a hero to those who cherish America's real gift to musical history.

"When I talk about country and blues, they're the same thing," Jimmie Vaughan says. "Muddy Waters and Hank Williams, Webb Pierce and Jimmy Reed. When I was a kid, I didn't understand the difference. Everybody was always asking me, 'Why do you want to play blues? Why don't you play country?' But I would listen to the country guys and they would be doing a Jimmy Reed song. They're playing the same lick. And Ray Charles, Little Milton, Guitar Junior, Lonnie Brooks, B.B. King--they all did country songs. Is Bob Wills country blues or jazz? And the answer is, it's American music. I'm tired of trying to pigeonhole everything. I want to bring it together; it comes from the same place."

When he first heard songs like Phil Upchurch's "You Can't Sit Down," The Nightcaps' "Wine, Wine, Wine" and B.B. King's many hit songs in the early 1960s, he knew he had found his music. And ever since then, it's been a constant quest to play the blues, whether it was in early 1970s Austin bands like Storm and then the Fabulous Thunderbirds, or later with brother Stevie Ray Vaughan on their FAMILY STYLE album, and on his own releases throughout the 1990s and in 2001.

Then the solo albums stopped, until in 2010, Vaughan had an idea to start recording The Great American Blues Songbook. He assembled the kind of band most musicians can only dream about, and began recording his dream set list at Top Hat and Wire Studios in Austin. Never one to back down from a great idea, in 2011 Vaughan and band went back into the same studio and recorded a second collection of some of his favorite songs, zeroing in on that music's ability to light a fuse wherever it was heard. 

Last fall, to help celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the first of the Blues, Ballads And Favourites albums, The Pleasure’s All Mine compiled both albums as a collection, and was released alongside a Vinyl reissue of 2016's Jimmie Vaughan Trio featuring Mike Flanigin Live At C-Boy's release, which featured songs recorded at the venerable Austin nightspot that Vaughan and crew call home when they are in town

In 2019, his newest release, Baby, Please Come Home brought him back into the spotlight with yet another Grammy nomination, and a Blues Foundation Award for Best Male Artist.

This year, he celebrates his life in the blues and on the road with The Jimmie Vaughan Story, a special limited-edition box set and book including over 200 photos covering his life and the breadth of his remarkable career. And yet, Vaughan still feels like he is just getting started, devoted to making sure he is able to give back to the music that has given him so much. The blues is in Jimmie Vaughan's blood, has been there since the start, and will stay there forever.

The historic, nonprofit Florida Theatre is sponsored by Community First Credit Union. For a complete list of upcoming events or to buy tickets visit the Theatre’s official website.

“Jimmie Vaughan”
DATE: Fri., Sept. 24, 2021
TIME: 8 p.m.
TICKETS: $69.50 – $79.50

LOCATION: WJCT Soundstage
      100 Festival Park Avenue
      Jacksonville, FL 32202
      (904) 355- ARTS (2787)

MOSH presents ‘Da Vinci: Machines and Robotics’

The Museum of Science & History (MOSH) has announced its next traveling exhibition, "Da Vinci: Machines & Robotics". The exhibition, produced by Artisans of Florence – International Pty. Ltd. & Niccolai Teknoart S.N.C. (Firenze), opens to the public September 18, 2021 and runs through January 16, 2022.

The exhibition will feature over 60 famous Leonardo Da Vinci creations, including machines and artwork. The interactive experience immerses guests into the 15th century and brings to life the most important and impressive designs of the original Renaissance Man, including his amazing flying machines; nautical, hydraulic and architectural innovations; groundbreaking applications of civil engineering; and incredible war machines. The exhibition also features children’s activities, computer animations, a cinema and reproductions of da Vinci’s greatest paintings. Created by Artisans of Florence, this exhibition celebrates an iconic artist and innovator, and is on loan from the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Florence, Italy.

The Museum is celebrating 80 years on the First Coast, and this new exhibition kicks off its anniversary season. MOSH will host several events, including Museum by Moonlight on September 17 to kick off the da Vinci exhibition, a celebratory GALAxy event on April 30, 2022 and many other commemorations throughout the year. Tickets for Museum by Moonlight are available at themosh.org/museumbymoonlightjax/.

“Curiosity and innovation are integral to the MOSH experience,” said Bruce Fafard, President & CEO of MOSH. “We are looking forward to celebrating and sharing the genius of da Vinci here at the Museum. This exhibition will bring our patrons back to a time when curiosity fueled a culture. Aligning perfectly with our mission to inspire the joy of lifelong learning, the exhibition will help us celebrate 80 years of innovation right here in the River City.”

The Museum of Science & History is following CDC guidelines and recommendations to ensure the safety of its staff and guests. Guests 2+ are encouraged to wear face coverings in the Museum. Single-use masks are available for purchase at the Guest Relations desk for $1.

About The Museum of Science & History (MOSH): The Museum of Science & History (MOSH) is located at 1025 Museum Circle near Friendship Park. MOSH, first chartered in 1941, inspires the joy of lifelong learning by bringing to life the sciences and regional history. Admission is $15.95 for adults; $12.95 for youth, students, active and retired military and seniors. There is no admission fee for children 2 and under or Museum members. Learn more at themosh.org.

 The Museum of Science and History (MOSH)
 1025 Museum Circle
 Jacksonville, FL 32207
 (904) 396-MOSH (6674)

'HAMILTON Lottery' announced in JAX

Producer Jeffery Seller and FSCJ Artist Series Broadway In Jacksonville announce a digital lottery for HAMILTON tickets will begin in conjunction with the show’s first performance (Sept. 29) in Jacksonville at the Times-Union Center as a special to the FSCJ Artist Series 55th anniversary season. A limited number of tickets will be available for every performance for $10 each. The lottery will first open at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 17 and will close at 12 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23 for tickets to performances Sept. 29 – Oct. 6 (HAMILTON performances begin on a Wednesday). Subsequent digital lotteries will begin on each Friday and close the following Thursday for the upcoming week’s performances.

HOW TO ENTER:
1) Use the official app for HAMILTON, now available for all iOS and Android devices in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store (http://hamiltonmusical.com/app).
2) You can also visit http://hamiltonmusical.com/lottery to register.
3) The lottery will open at 12:01 a.m. every Friday and will close for entry at 1p.m. the next Thursday prior to the following week’s performances.
4) Winner and non-winner notifications will be sent between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. every Thursday for the upcoming week’s performances via email and mobile push notification. Winners will have two hours to claim and pay for their ticket(s).
5) No purchase or payment necessary to enter or participate.
6) Each winning entrant may purchase up to two (2) tickets.
7) Only one entry per person. Repeat entries and disposable email addresses will be discarded.
8) Lottery tickets may be picked up at will call beginning 90 minutes prior to the performance with a valid photo ID.
9) Lottery tickets void if resold.
10) All times listed are in the local time zone.

ADDITIONAL RULES: Patrons must be 18 years or older and have a valid, non-expired photo ID that matches the name used to enter. Tickets are non-transferable. Ticket limits and prices displayed are at the sole discretion of the show and are subject to change without notice.

Lottery prices are not valid on prior purchases. Lottery ticket offer cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions. All sales final – no refunds or exchanges. Lottery may be revoked or modified at any time without notice. A purchase will not improve the chances of winning.

Tickets for HAMILTON are currently on sale. Patrons are advised to check the official HAMILTON channels and fscjartistseries.org for late release seats which may become available at short notice.

HAMILTON is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, HAMILTON has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education.

With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, HAMILTON is based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography. It has won Tony®, Grammy®, and Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.

The HAMILTON creative team previously collaborated on the Tony Award ® Winning Best Musical IN THE HEIGHTS. HAMILTON features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, casting by Telsey + Company, Bethany Knox, CSA, and General Management by Baseline Theatrical.

The musical is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman and The Public Theater. The HAMILTON Original Broadway Cast Recording is available everywhere nationwide. The HAMILTON recording received a 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.

For information on HAMILTON, visit their website, their Facebook page, on Instagram, and on Twitter.

“HAMILTON”
DATES: Wed. September 29 — Sunday October 17, 2021
TIMES: VARY

TICKETS: can be purchased online 24/7 at Fscjartistseries.org

LOCATION: Times Union Center Performing Arts
      Moran Theater
      300 West Water St.
      Jacksonville, FL 32202
      (904) 632-5000