In 1964, a young Bob Penola sat down in front of the TV and witnessed a little piece of history in the premiere of the animated TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. For near 30 years after that, he watched it almost every Christmas, and the triumphant tale of the bullied little bioluminescent caribou became engrained in his heart—so much so that he spent 20 years adapting and expanding the story for the stage. And for one night only this holiday season, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical comes to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on December 22.

At its core, Penola says, the TV special was already a musical. “It has great songs that move the plot along, it’s got great characters and it’s got a wonderful message,” he says, but the challenge remained in how to translate such a fantastic story to the stage. The TV special had elves and toys and animals of all sorts—how could Penola make that work without the benefit of claymation?

“We were inspired to make it a living, breathing show that people could experience,” says Penola, so projections and shadowplay was off the table. It took years to “crack the code,” but the answer presented itself in an unconventional form—puppets. Puppets can offer the versatility necessary for such a bizarre cast of characters, yet without losing any physical or emotive presence, says Penola, “so you don’t lose the magic you remember.” For the misfit toys, for example, the puppets can be much smaller than the actor, yet the actor’s face and voice lend all the emotion needed. And for the abominable snowman, which needs to tower over the stage, three puppeteers can collaborate to coordinate one 15-foot-tall monstrosity.

And when it came to adding musical numbers to fill out the story, Penola went right back to the original songwriter—Johnny Marks. “We felt it was the most authentic way to expand the score,” Penola says. “We didn’t even have to look beyond the special.” In fact, three Marks classics lie hidden in the original special, where only a few notes of instrumental versions are used for transitions. Penola simply dug them out in their entirety and repurposed them. Other songs are given reprises or reshuffled, but everything stays true to the adventure that hooked Penola all those years ago.

Today, the musical continues to evolve (Rudolph actually flies now), and gain renewed relevance as the campaign against bullying continues to gain attention. Penola admits he couldn’t have seen that coming when he started working on this two decades ago, but couldn’t agree more with the heart of the message. “The thing that makes you most different,” he says, “is the thing that makes you most special.”

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical comes to the Van Wezel on December 22. Tickets are on sale. 

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County provided Marie Selby Botanical Gardens with a flourishing $50,000 grant for its Family Togetherness programmed events throughout the year like Spooktacular, held in October, as well as the annual Lights in Bloom event, which runs select dates from December 20 through January 6. The CFSC partnership specifically ensures that underserved children from Title 1 schools are afforded the opportunity to attend these special holiday events complimentary. The lights tonight will welcome hundreds to a sneak preview of Lights in Bloom, to enjoy over one million lights illuminating the Gardens before the general public. Walkways will be transformed into sensory light tunnels as visitors stroll through glowing flowers, rainforest butterflies and dragonflies hanging from hundreds of illuminated banyan branches all throughout the magical botanical scene.

“We are thrilled to have the support of the Community Foundation to enable the Gardens to continue this program,” says Jennifer Rominiecki, President & CEO of Selby Gardens. “This is an incredible opportunity for children and their families, who may not otherwise have the chance to engage with nature and the gardens in a fun and memorable way.”

The Community Foundation worked with Selby Gardens to establish and pilot the Family Togetherness program in 2017, and CFSC has since tripled its investment in the program for 2018. Designed to introduce vulnerable youth to gardens and nature along with their parents and guardians, the students are identified by Title I school administrators and nonprofit, human service organizations.

The grant also supports other key programs, like the Gauguin Family Saturdays, held monthly beginning February 2019, which will include a series of nighttime viewings of Selby’s ‘Voyage to Paradise’ exhibition, along with inspired performances by some of Sarasota’s arts and cultural organizations. CFSC will also be sponsoring 2019 Orchid Ball: Gauguin’s Sunset in Paradise, taking place on Saturday, February 9 on the Gardens’ Great Lawn.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is proud to partner with SRQ Media Group to highlight stories about community impact powered by philanthropy in our region, thanks to the support of donors and our local nonprofit partners. The Community Foundation is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. 

Photo provided by Michael Klauber

Manatee County Commissioners yesterday elected District Three Commissioner Steve Jonsson as Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners for 2018.  Commissioner Betsy Benac will serve as first vice chairman of the Board next year. Commissioner Misty Servia will be second vice chair and CommissionerCarol Whitmore will be third vice chair. Commissioner Vanessa Baugh will again serve as Port Authority Chair and Commissioner Priscilla Trace will serve as first vice chair of the Port Authority. Commissioner Reggie Bellamy will be second vice chair of the Port Authority. Commissioner Carol Whitmore will again serve as the Tourist Development Council Chair. 

Manatee County Board of County Commissioners

Courtney J. Ruffner, a professor with State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF), has been selected to serve a three-year term as associate editor on the Italian American Studies Association (IASA) Annual’s editorial board. The IASA Annual is a nonprofit journal published by SUNY Press. Ruffner, who earned her doctorate in literature and criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, is a literature professor at SCF. Her first project in this position, a book of selected essays, Theorizing the Italian Diaspora, was released last month. The essays explore the aftereffects of migration. For more information about the Italian American Studies Association, visit the website below. 

Italian American Studies Association

The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) International announced Goodwill Manasota has been accredited for an additional period of three years for its Job Connection Program. Goodwill’s Job Connection—a free service—is designed to help individuals obtain long-term employment or transition to better-paying jobs. Through community partnerships, Goodwill matches jobless and underemployed workers with companies seeking well-trained, dependable employees. 

CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process. Goodwill has one Veterans Services Program office in Sarasota and five Job Connection sites throughout its service area of Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties; these six sites were all part of the survey. 

Goodwill Manasota