It’s three minutes to showtime as I pull into a parking spot at the far end of the lot outside the Asolo Repertory Theatre. The lots nearly full as the Ringling International Arts Festival hits full stride on its second day, with a total of nine performances from the gathered artists. I jog across the lot thinking that, depending on the situation I find at the doors, my timing is either perfect or lousy.

I’m here to see The Intergalactic Nemesis, a live-action graphic novel created in the style of an old-fashioned radio drama, with all the familiar campiness and pulp. Three actors voice all the characters and a foley artist will create all sound effects live on stage while over 1000 hand-drawn illustrations are projected across the backdrop.

I show my ticket and they steer me to my seat in Mertz Theatre. Looking to the stage, a great projection screen starkly contrasts the carven proscenium that contains it, flanked on the left by a glowing Apple laptop partially hidden behind three chairs facing the audience and a line of vintage-looking microphones. Center stage is dominated by an enclosure of tables with a perplexing assortment of odds and ends—shoes, chains, toys, cinder blocks, to name a few—with a lone microphone jutting into the middle. To the right a piano gleams blackly.

The woman seated next to me is a journalist from Fort Myers, where she writes for a newspaper. She came to RIAF last year and she’s returned today for a few shows. She saw The Table earlier, which she describes as “witty” and “intelligent,” saying the puppet really “comes alive.” I tell her I’m hoping to catch it Saturday.

Then the lights dim and we’re ready to begin. Our three actors, Rachel Landon, Brock England and Jeffery Mills, assemble at their microphones in full costume. Cami Alys, the foley artist, takes her place in the enclosure, surrounded by her makeshift tools. Harlan Hodges, a lone pianist, supplies the soundtrack, improvised each night.

The story follows Molly Sloan, intrepid Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, and her assistant Timmy Mendez as they uncover nefarious plots and sinister machinations, all in the name of a good story. It’s a classic globetrotting adventure with aliens and mad scientists and spaceships and explosions. Before long I’m laughing, whooping and hissing along with the rest of the crowd.

Landon, England and Mills shift voices and mannerisms with practiced ease, performing their hearts out to engage the audience. Alys, in her jaunty blue pillbox hat, deftly maneuvers from prop to prop, mimicking everything from trains to footsteps, from rivers of ooze to roaring fires and fistfights. She and Hodges perform along with the rest, pulling double-duty on stage. Hodges’ fingers never seem to rest and he never seems lost, making it up as he goes along.

If the actors are the meat, Alys is the punctuation and Hodges is the pathos. Watching it all come together in front of your eyes creates a magic almost entirely unlike anything else in a world obsessed with hiding the wires. It’s not about tricking the audience, it’s about showing us how much fun it is to just go along and imagine with them.

“It expands imagination by exposing them to that creativity,” said Alys. “As far as the foley and the sound effects, it is, especially for kids and maybe for adults too, inspirational and makes it accessible.”

“There’s a big risk that’s always being taken when you choose to not play fixed cues, but that’s the fun of it. This show, I feel, can only be done that way,” said Hodges. “It’s so much fun and the audience really does react to that element of kinda danger. Some nights the audience reacts really loudly but sometimes you get reactions you’re not expecting,” 

A confetti-filled moment marked the official opening of The Mall at University Town Center, the only newly built enclosed regional shopping center to open in the United States this year.

Before scissors sliced through fuchsia ribbon Thursday morning, a palpable energy filled the air with crowds eagerly awaiting the lively events to follow. Luminous morning sunlight filtered though the 1,100-foot long vaulted skylight, shining on hundreds of eager shoppers. Starbucks lines snaked in front of the stage as shoppers pounded shots of espresso before snapping pictures of the spotlighted stage.

“After all those years and all those endless hours of planning, I can’t believe the mall is finally opening,” said Randy Benderson, president of Benderson Development.

“This mall is an example of the evolution our county is going through,” noted Sarasota County Commissioner Charles Hines. A resounding “wow” reverberated throughout the 880,000-square-foot facility as he encouraged the crowd to test its acoustics.

The aroma of fresh baked cookies wafted from Kate Spade as shoppers perused past polka dots and pops of vibrant color. Shoppers at Saks Fifth Avenue were greeted by stilted models before encountering the sounds of a giant harp played by highly acclaimed ensemble String Theory. Macy’s offered a chance for morning beautification along with other refreshments and prizes with its “wake up and make up” tent.

American fashion designer Nicole Miller eloquently articulated the message of art and fashion, hosting Dillard’s afternoon runway show. Cashmere ponchos, silk feather tail tops and ombre feather skirts paraded down the catwalk, giving onlookers a taste of what’s to come on the fashion front in Sarasota.

“Sarasota is on its way to becoming more of a fashion destination,” said Stephanie Wilcox, store manager at Calypso St. Barth. “When you bring in big names like we now have at University Town Center, things change.”

Shoppers can look forward to a variety of additional fashion retailers to open in the coming months including Anthropolgie, H&M and Free People, among others. 

The Mall at University Town Center

Forget fangate. A Sarasota School Board race has turned even more fractious regarding ways in which candidates solicit support and on what outside groups are backing their messages. And while each candidate claims a desire for the race to focus on policy issues, the conversation turns toward politics as often as curriculum. 

School Board candidate Ken Marsh on Thursday called for a debate between himself and appointed incumbent School Board Member Bridget Ziegler. While doing so, he also decried Ziegler relying on a "complicated network of third-party political groups to attack him and his supporters."

"It looks like she is avoiding the real, substantive issues having to do with schools and students, and turning it into issues related to my supporters and having that campaign of hers essentially be funded and carried out by a series of outside groups," he said.

Ziegler said she is focused on her job as a School Board member and interfacing with parents about their own desires for the schools. "My focus is solely on the education of students," she said. She also said the candidate forums she has participated in with Marsh, while sometimes making challenges for candidates to speak at length, do allow for constituents to voice their own concerns on education.

Dr. Rich Swier, a supporter of Ziegler, on his blog said Marsh's supporters have violated district guidelines and possibly state law by sending out emails in support of Marsh from district accounts using district equipment. Conversely, Marsh said Ziegler has improperly been using district email since June for political communications to district employees, which he said violated state campaign finance laws. "Everybody I've talked to is shocked and surprised somebody would use their School Board position to solicit political donations from their own employees," he said.

Ziegler said she has not done any campaigning with her public email address, and campaign solicitations come only from her campaign. In fact, she said she has not been sending anything to district addresses, but noted anyone can sign up for campaign newsletters to go to a district email address. "No government emails should be used, period," she said. If any emails are being sent to district addresses, she said her communications team has been told to remove those addresses. 

Marsh said the attacks on his supporters have been inappropriate, and also said much of the effort was intended to intimidate sitting School Board members from expression. Of note, Marsh was endorsed by School Board Member Shirley Brown before Ziegler was appointed to serve on the School Board.

Another bombastic issue being discussed is the support Ziegler received from outside groups. Florida Federation for Children sent out a mailer promoting Ziegler. The electioneering communication organization's website promotes policies allowing greater school choice, including support of a 2001 state program, Step Up For Students Tax Credit Scholarship Program to give scholarships to send students to private schools. The Florida Education Association in August filed a lawsuit alleging the program in unconstitutional. "These groups are talking about the privatization of public schools," Marsh said. "I would contend there is nothing out there showing a private school education is superior to a public school education."

Ziegler said she did meet with supporters of the Step Up program before the lawsuit was filed, all in an attempt to understand the desires of parents. "I did talk with them about the cause and its impact for their children," she said. "I am in support of restricted vouchers."

The runoff for the Sarasota School Board is scheduled for Nov. 4. All voters in Sarasota County can vote in the contest. 

Technology has captured the imagination of many business leaders in Sarasota. Now the concentration of tech in the city has gardened the attention of Google, which on Thursday named Sarasota as Florida's 2014 eCity "Digital Capital of America."

The award recognizes the city in each state with the strongest online business community, based on how aggressively the local companies use online technology to find new customers, connect with old ones and fuel the local economy.

"This recognition affirms both the resolve of local businesses to be globally competitive and the strength of our local tech savvy workforce," said Mark Huey, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County.

Sarasota stands alongside other digital capitals such as: Little Rock, Arkansas; Emeryville, California; Greenville, South Carolina; and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Of course, Little Rock is bevvied by proximity to the Walmart headquarters and Ann Arbor by companies built around the University of Michigan.

The awarding of the eCity Awards was done after an analysis by Google in partnership with Ipsos. Every city in each state was scored based on online advertising penetration using Google AdWords data, then by comparing the number of small businesses in each city that boasted high e-commerce profiles, based on the use of web tools like blogs, social media and eCommerce capability.

"Each answer was given a score and the scores from each business were aggregated to provide the city with a total score," Ipsos explains. "The city with the highest score in each region was then awarded eCity status."

Mayor Willie Shaw and City Manager Tom Barwin will host a ceremony this morning at The HuB building downtown in honor of the Digital Capital designation. "Being recognized by Google as Florida's 2014 eCity means we have the most robust e-business community in the State as determined by Google and research," said Barwin. "What a great foundation to build upon. With three universities, a vibrant downtown business center and digital business incubators, a San Francisco-like spirit of innovation and creativity is clearly in this community's business, academic and social DNA. Google algorithms have proven what many of us have suspected. Sarasota is open for digital, high tech oriented folks who enjoy cultural amenities and the world's greatest sunsets." 

Vom Fass takes your dishes from cliché to gourmet, drizzling, dripping and dressing them to the teeth. Traditional oils and vinegars slide to the backburner as Black Cumin Oil and Waldburg Balsam Mango match up in a gustatory tango, a flavor fandango. As you move the soiree in your sample spoon to the party on your palate, feel like your cradling the thick, buttery flesh of a ripe mango. A floral almost green tea taste curiously ensues, followed by a gentle spicy warmth.

Share the warmth this holiday season, spoiling your favorite hostess with this piquant pairing. Vom Fass’ Main Street shop individually customizes gift sets built around flavors specific to a region or country. Each set is accompanied by deliciously detailed recipes native to the area, providing inspirations for their culinary creations. 

1469 Main St., Sarasota, 941-365-2137

Vom Fass

Michael J. Wilson, a shareholder and management committee member of the law firm of Williams Parker, was appointed to the Center for Architecture Sarasota’s Board of Directors.  The Center for Architecture Sarasota aspires to advance education and promote public engagement with architecture through a program of tours, exhibitions, lectures, films and other special events. Wilson is board-certified in taxation by the Florida Bar and practices tax, corporate and business law. He handles sophisticated tax planning and tax controversy matters in addition to advising clients on their most significant business transactions. 

Center for Architecture Sarasota

The Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday honored Graci McGillicuddy as the second Lightning Community Hero of the year during the first period of a hockey game against the Ottawa Senators. McGillicuddy, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program, will donate the money to the Children Protection Center. McGillicuddy has been a powerful force for change in the lives of abused children in Sarasota for nearly 30 years. 

Child Protection Center

Jumping on people is one of the most annoying habits a dog can have. Typically this behavior starts as a puppy, but left unchecked, develops to the professional level by the time an animal is a year old. Often, if you anticipate the jump, you can quickly take a step back and make him miss, as you say "No!" Do this as many times as you need to until he gives up. Teach your dog that when he chills, then he'll be petted and praised (basically for not jumping). If you're not fast enough to execute this move and your dog is a little guy, use the top of your foot, or your shin to block and fend him off. Be resolute and do this as many times as he jumps—until he gives up. You must be more persistent than him. As soon as he gives up, praise and pet him. 

For bigger dogs, you can quickly bring your knee up to meet him in the chest when he jumps. You have to be quick with this move to be effective. Another pretty good way to thwart a jumper is to actually catch those front paws when they're coming at you. Then gently pull him toward you as you hold fast to his tootsies for a few seconds. He will not like either of these methods, as a knee in the chest is very uncomfortable, and his paws are relatively sensitive.  

The lesson and conditioning for Max is that a negative consequence will naturally occur every time he jumps, and affection will only be given when all four are on the ground. Once he understands this paradigm in the home, you must be the one to protect others until he understands this also applies to all humans, which he will, if you stay the course. 

A native of Louisiana, SRQ Daily Columnist Gregg Flowers owns Dog's Best Friend Dog Training Services here in Sarasota, where he "teaches dogs and trains people." Gregg became fascinated by our relationship with dogs as a boy in the '60s, and by 1985 had developed his own unique style of working with dogs and their humans 

Dog's Best Friend