Scene & Heard

+ ‘Column’ as you see them
Ringing College of Art and Design’s fine-art department had an exciting day Friday, March 15, with the inaugural opening of “Two Columns Gallery.” The opening exhibit, “Following Ovid’s Metamorphoses: From Cosmogony to Chaos and back to the Rhizome,” features 13 fine-art students’ work. Located at 1947 Ringling Blvd., in downtown Sarasota, this exhibition space will showcase student exhibitions and act as a stimulus for the development of art, through the processes of creating, curating and installing their work. The exhibit is open from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

+ Aubrey Plaza is no laughing matter
Sarasota Observer Community Editor Nick Friedman sat down with Aubrey Plaza, Saturday, March 23, as part of the college’s Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab, which brings actors to the area via collaboration with Ringling College and Future of Films LLC. Plaza is most recognized for her dry humor in her role as April Ludgate on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” but came to the college to screen the comedic film, “Safety Not Guaranteed.”

What’s the strangest encounter you’ve had with a fan?
One time, I was recognized by an 11 year-old girl at the airport, and she burst into tears and asked if I was going to be mean to her. I made a child cry, and it’s not my child, so I had a lot of weird feelings about that. I don’t think anything really tops that. She really had a meltdown in front of me.

Do you feel like you’re being typecast?
Yes, but I do feel that some of the work I’ve done over the last year, with “Safety Not Guaranteed” and a movie I have coming out over summer called “The To Do List,” I’m kind of slowly getting out of that deadpan zone, at least that’s my hope. People are going to see me do some things they wouldn’t have expected, like have emotion and smile.

Friedman’s entire Q&A can be found here.

+ What’s red, green and white all over?
In anticipation of the four Italian visitors (and their three wives) to the Opera House Sunday, March 24, the colored lights at Five Points Park were changed to red, green and white. These four Italian men are part of a Verdi Club, CLUB Dei 27, an exclusive club stemming from Giuseppe Verdi’s hometown of Parma, Italy. The club has 27 members, each nicknamed after one of Verdi’s operas. Since the club founded in 1958, members either die or retire for a new member to be initiated.

During their stay, they saw “Pearl Fishers,” “Turandot,” “King for a Day,” and Verdi’s 200th birthday celebration concert. On Sunday, March 24, all of the members attended a VIP reception at the Opera House, where Verdi enthusiasts, Italian and American, attempted to communicate.

For clarification: In the article, “Sarasota Opera Hosts a Verdi Exciting Concert,” published March 21, the Verdi cycle ends 2016, not 2017.

+ Patron Saints
Each week, The Observer releases a new video as part of our webisode series, “Patron Saints.” It’s a series that showcases a patron of the arts and the venue to which they donate.

This week’s episode features patrons Ed Town and Steve Rubin. Rubin is a retired professional theater, scene and costume designer who worked for New York City theater groups, Pennsylvania Ballet, Broadway and Off-Broadway productions as well as regional theater groups. Rubin began donating set-design work before Director Iain Webb began at Sarasota Ballet, and once he saw what Webb was doing for the ballet, he and his partner, Town, became financial donors.

Visit http://www.yourobserver.com/content/Patron-Saints-378.html for the full scoop. Be sure to stay tuned to Scene and Heard weekly to discover the latest episodes.

Hot Ticket
‘Harvey’: See this lighthearted comedy about a man and his mischievious invisible friend, a rabbit named Harvey. It opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28, at The Players Theatre, 838 N. Tamiami Trail, and runs through April 7. Tickets are $25. Call 365-2494 for more information.

‘Embracing Our Differences’: This free, outdoor juried exhibit features local, national and international artists exhibiting billboard-sized work that promotes diversity education. The exhibit opens March 31, in Sarasota’s Island Park, and runs through June 2. Visit embracingourdifferences.org for more information.