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City People

Art that's smokin'

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published February 23, 2007

For decades, dating back to the 19th century, little changed at the Oliva Cigar Factory.

The workers' faces, sure, some manufacturing technology, definitely. But when you walked in the door, you knew what to expect: people rolling cigars.

These days, you can walk in one day and find a crew filming a horror movie about a killer clown. On another, find some guys building dragons out of cardboard boxes, ripe to be slain by knights wearing cardboard armor.

The building at Palm Avenue and N 18th Street still looks pretty much like a cigar factory from the outside. But inside, this now is the Cigar Theatre.

Working day and night with family and friends, Plant City native Blake Emory has crafted an arts and music showcase out of a dusty, long-boarded-up factory.

Tonight's a big night for Emory, who also lives at the factory with his brother James, 27, and their cousin Adam Courtney, 23. They've put on a few events, but the Cigar Theatre principals are kicking off a grand opening event this evening.

It's called Inicio - yes, that's Spanish for "start" - and it's four Fridays of music, art, theater, poetry and dance, Emory said.

To pay the bills, Emory, who's single, and his brother also run a commercial art company called Jab Ink. They also play in a rock band, called Espionage, with Courtney.

The 117-year-old building has electricity and plumbing but no working water heater. So the guys take cold showers in a makeshift contraption outside.

They began cleaning up and renovating the factory last fall, after Angelo "Trey" Oliva III agreed to let them take a crack at getting some use from the 90,000-square-foot building. The first project was turning it into Guavaween's official haunted house for 2006.

The haunted house - which liberally mixed kink and fetish touches with shocks and scares - was successful artistically, but turnout wasn't that great.

That's tough when you're working on a shoestring budget of, well, pretty much whatever a shoestring costs these days.

Emory is hoping to get some money from sponsors and supporters in time, but for now he depends on sweat equity. It comes from numerous friends, artists all.

The rest of Emory's family also pitches in, from his dad and sisters to cousins Courtney and Giovanni Zapata.

Zapata will portray a dragon in tonight's Flight of the Beast musical dragon-slaying performance. Courtney came in handy last week, when the guys finally had a chance to capture a female opossum that had been running loose through the factory for weeks.

Emory explained that artist friend Lisa Lepak was using the factory's bathroom in the early-morning hours when she noticed "a big, hairy hand coming out of the wall."

That was no hand. That was Polly the Possum.

Shrieking commenced. From Lepak. And Polly.

Courtney, who recently served in Iraq, rushed to Lepak's aid with the possum-catching pole the guys had put together.

They tussled. Courtney cornered Polly. He recalled: "She wasn't very happy."

But after a few minutes they had the possum trapped and caged, and a few days later they turned her over to wildlife rangers to release her.

The lifestyle is challenging, to be sure, but to create a killer arts venue in Ybor City, it's worth it, Emory said.

"With our crew," he said, "we will starve in the streets rather than take a regular job."

Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 226-3431.

Fast Facts:

. if you go

'Inicio' at the Cigar Theatre

The music, art, theater and dance event begins about 7 tonight at the Cigar Theatre, Palm Avenue and 18th Street in Ybor City. It runs every Friday through March 16. Admission: $5. Call 340-9056.

Blake Emory

Age: 24

Gigs: Artist, musician, promoter, businessman, creator of dragons and blood-covered bodies

Works: In an old Ybor City cigar factory

Lives: In an old Ybor City cigar factory

Recently evicted pet: Polly the Possum

Hairstyle: Weird Al Yankovic-ish, but better. Really.

[Last modified February 22, 2007, 07:41:59]