Brayzen Heads to kick off Haggis Celtic Concert Series

DUNEDIN — As part of the Dunedin Haggis Celtic Concert Series, the Brayzen Heads will perform Saturday, Sept. 26, at 3 p.m., at the Scottish Cultural Center, 917 Louden Ave., Dunedin.

Tickets are $20. Visit www.eventbrite.com/e/haggis-celtic-concert-featuring-the-brayzen-heads-tickets-119835718861.

The Brayzen Heads features Dave Gilmore on guitar and vocals; and Shane Farrell on fiddle, banjo, and mandolin. Since first hitting the stage in 2000, the Brayzen Heads have performed over 4,000 shows throughout Europe and the United States. They are currently traveling around the United States and Canada sharing their style of Irish music along the way.

This show will be the first Haggis Concert of the 2020-21 season.

The Dunedin Haggis Celtic Concert Series was created to bring the best of Scottish and Irish traditional music to Dunedin. Presented by the Scottish American Society of Dunedin, the safety of concertgoers is the organization’s first concern.

Tickets for this event will be limited. Event organizers will spread the audience out so social distancing can be achieved. The cultural center has been completely sterilized and all precautions will be taken to ensure the safety and comfort of all guests. Masks will be required and concertgoers are asked to bring their own.

Allman Betts Band reschedules concert

CLEARWATER — Ruth Eckerd Hall recently announced the Allman Betts Band concert scheduled on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. has been rescheduled.

Tickets will be honored on the new date, Friday, June 4, 2021, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $29.50 are on sale now.

The new ABB includes Devon Allman, Duane Betts, and Berry Oakley Jr., all sons of original Allman Brothers Band founders, along with Johnny Stachela on slide guitar and percussionists R. Scott Bryan and John Lum.

Ruth Eckerd Hall announces new safety protocols

CLEARWATER — Susan Crockett, Ruth Eckerd Hall president and chief executive, recently announced protocols that have been put in place to increase health safety at all facilities, including Ruth Eckerd Hall, the Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, the Murray Theatre, the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts and the Margarete Heye Great Room at Ruth Eckerd Hall.

“We continue to review our operating protocols and emerging technology to align with public health recommendations and adopt effective sanitization methods. The best practices utilized by health care facilities has helped to educate us,” said Crockett. “Safety for our customers, artists and staff will always remain our No. 1 priority.”

Ruth Eckerd Hall is the international test site for state-of-the-art non-contact safety and security screening. Largo-based Xonar Technology uses ultra-wideband radar to transmit radio waves, which are interpreted through artificial intelligence to detect weapons on a figure passing through the gate. This technology is proving to increase the speed of entry and vastly reduces the need for secondary contact screening such as bag checks and security wanding. Its thermal imaging sensors detect elevated body temperatures and circumvent methods used for avoiding standard metal detection.

This month Ruth Eckerd Hall will install a commercial grade HVAC-PHI Air Purification System by RGF that will help eliminate viruses, mold, bacteria, smoke, and air pollutants, reducing risk of airborne illness. The units will be installed in the 79 air handlers serving all interior spaces, including performance chambers, restrooms, lounges, backstage areas, banquet facilities, classrooms, and administrative offices at Ruth Eckerd Hall and the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre sites.

When the HVAC system operates, the PHI-Cell creates an advanced oxidation process using friendly oxidizers (hydro-peroxides, super oxide ions and hydroxide ions) that safely revert back to oxygen and hydrogen. These oxidizers and ultra-violet energy kill microbes in both the ventilation system and throughout the room at the source of contamination.

The protocols that have been implemented or enhanced include:

• All hard and porous surfaces are sanitized using hospital-grade methods.

• Additional disinfectant stations are readily available throughout the facility.

• Custodial staff frequently disinfect high-contact surfaces during events.

• Staff are trained and present to address contamination risk and/or to isolate and assist patrons requiring emergency medical attention.

• To reduce contact, ticketing, donation, membership and renewal transactions can be completed on mobile-friendly website. Inquiries and requests for other services may be submitted through the “Contact Us” page or by emailing Ticketing@RuthEckerdHall.net.

• Contactless scanning of tickets occurs at entry.

• Fixed service stations utilize sneeze guards and service staff will continue to adhere to current mask and distancing recommendations.

As a nonprofit, Ruth Eckerd Hall needs contributions to help with its recovery fund and to continue to support improvements that will ensure the safety of guests visiting its facilities.

For more information and to make a donation, visit www.RuthEckerdHall.com.

LAB Theater Project, Innovocative Theatre
to stage ‘Underneath the Lintel’

TAMPA — LAB Theater Project and Innovocative Theatre have joined forces to once again bring live theater to the Tampa stage by presenting Glen Berger’s “Underneath the Lintel,” running Sept. 24-27, at 812 E Henderson Ave. in Ybor City.

The production will offer both in-house and live streaming options.

Underneath the Lintel, directed by Staci Sabarsky, stars Owen Robertson as the Librarian. It is an enigmatic journey of discovery and a compulsive pursuit of truth. After discovering a returned book 113 years overdue, the Librarian goes on an obsessive quest that takes him around the world and over 2,000 years into the past. The Librarian takes his audience for a mysterious and unforgettable 80-minute odyssey.

“I think all of us at one time or another try to find our own truth,” said Sabarsky, “and the Librarian cannot move on until he solves the mystery. I truly love how this play will leave the audience questioning the truth or what they perceive to be the truth, well after its conclusion.”

Robertson is executive director of LAB Theater Project. “As an actor I love the challenge of a one-man show, to hold the stage for 80 minutes by yourself, is a tremendous challenge,” he said. “As I investigated the play, it speaks to obsession, of searching for answers, of what is important in life, and all of that speaks to me greatly.”

Robertson and Sabarsky, producing artistic director of Innovocative Theatre, have been talking about working together for a while. “Both companies are small and just getting started. When the pandemic hit it sent all of us in the theatre community reeling. Both companies produced the first live theater in Tampa Bay at the same time,” said Robertson.

Sabarsky added, “This script presented a great opportunity for us to collaborate artistically, allowing us to unite forces to present ‘Underneath the Lintel’ both live and in-person at LAB Theatre’s new location and virtually through Innovocative’s YouTube channel.”

The production dates are Sept. 24-17. Performance times are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 3 p.m. Shows are available both by livestream and limited in-house seating. For the livestream online option, audience members will be emailed a link for home viewing the day of the performance. For the in-house option, only 10 seats will be made available per performance, and house opens 30 minutes before curtain. LAB Theater Project has prepared the theater space firmly adhering to social distancing guidelines for actor, crew, and audience safety. Both companies want patrons to feel safe coming to the theater. For full health and safety procedures, visit www.labtheaterproject.com/covid-19.

Both in-person and livestream tickets are $20, and available only by advance purchase. To purchase tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/underneath-the-lintel-by-glen-berger-tickets-118380109093. For information, call 813-586-4272 or email information@labtheaterproject.com or innovocativetheatre@gmail.com.