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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 19, 2002
Reports that Pasco-Hernando Community College Senior Academy had canceled its upcoming opera seminar were, as Mark Twain might say, greatly exaggerated. The seminar will indeed happen, starting at 10 a.m. Monday and continuing Oct. 28, Nov. 4 and Nov. 18.
The rumors started when the scheduled instructor, Arthur W. Johnson, had to drop out because of a medical problem. Who could possibly step in? People with Johnson's opera expertise aren't hanging around on trees.
"I called Mario Laurenti to help us find someone," said Jan Anthony, who runs the Senior Academy at PHCC. Laurenti is artistic director of the Sunstate Opera Society, now based in the elegantly refurbished Royalty Theatre in Clearwater.
Laurenti guided Ms. Anthony to Julia Coulmas, a 23-year-old opera singer who has taught opera appreciation in schools throughout the area and has sung Mimi in La Boheme, Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly and Nedda in Pagliacci. After a series of interviews, Ms. Coulmas was hired to teach the course. She plans to follow Johnson's course outline as closely as possible.
"I'm excited," she said. "With the kids, I have to stick with lighter stuff. With adults, you can get into heavier things -- and you don't have to walk on eggshells."
She's right; opera does have some pretty, um, sexy stuff.
The opera seminar has signed up 28 people (class limit is 30), so PHCC did everything possible to keep from disappointing the group.
Meanwhile, Johnson says that the outlook for him is "very optimistic." He's looking forward to teaching an opera course or two in the near future.
More theater accolades were heaped upon New Port Richey resident Dick Poole this week at the annual banquet for the Lary Awards, Tampa Bay theater's version of Broadway's Tonys.
Poole was given the prestigious Editor's Award for his service to theater. The announcement came just moments after Poole was given a Lary for designing costumes for Teahouse of the August Moon at Francis Wilson Playhouse in Clearwater.
Poole has a shelf full of Larys from past years, and has long been a favorite director, actor and costume designer at Richey Suncoast Theatre, St. Petersburg Little Theatre and Francis Wilson.
He dedicated the plaque to his wife, Rose, who worked with him and their children in community theater for years in Hawaii and in this area. She has retired from theater.
"Rose taught me all I know about making costumes," Poole said.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Poole is already busy at work on the musical Gypsy, which he will direct and costume at Richey Suncoast in January.
Another winner with local ties was Tom Hansen, a resident of Spring Hill and the resident designer at the Show Palace Dinner Theatre. Hansen often designs for other area venues, and he won a Lary for his set for Harvey at the Eight O'Clock Theatre in Largo.
Gary L. Smith, who won Favorite Comedy Actor for that show, said Hansen's design was so real "You felt you could move into it and live."
Recently-departed Greater New Port Richey executive director Laura Turner didn't enjoy her "retirement" for long.
Last week, she opened her latest venture, the Potting Shed, a gift and decorating shop with a sweet little plant nursery attached. It's in a small Cracker-style cottage on Main Street in New Port Richey, just east of the city library.
Ms. Turner painted the house celadon green and trimmed it in passionate purple, the mailbox is held up by a brightly-painted shovel and pitchfork and the front yard is filled with flowers. It's hard to miss if you're driving by.
Inside are all kinds of unusual things -- giant flower pots turned upside down and painted with big flowers to make durable outdoor coffee tables, handmade Adirondack chairs (opening night guests took turns sitting in them), and tiny lacquered metal mailboxes that hold postage stamps.
The name of her store matches that of her cable television show on plant care that debuted on Channel 19 in west Pasco in April. It airs Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.