The Show Must Go On
By Jill Duff-Hoppes
Now You See Him
Kostya Kimlat’s in-person magic events disappeared during the lockdown faster than you can say, “abracadabra.”
However, it wasn’t long before the magician and motivational speaker was back in front of audiences, delighting them with sleight-of-hand card tricks, like he has done at venues around the world for 20 years. The difference is, now Kostya is performing virtually – doing magic shows via Zoom for folks watching from their laptops.
Even before social distancing and stay-at-home rules, Kostya knew he would one day perform his magic virtually. But he expected that shift to come 10 to 15 years down the line, not overnight.
“I thought I would be a hologram in somebody’s living room,” Kostya says with a laugh.
Yet when a client asked Kostya to put together a virtual magic show in March, he decided it was imperative to embrace the digital realm now. To test out the online format, he did several free shows for clients and friends, which led to a bunch of gigs from attendees who turned around and gifted Kostya’s joy of magic to their own customers and employees.
And in the spirit of giving back to his community, he also performed gratis for the Jewish Academy of Orlando’s graduation celebration. Even when Kostya is able to resume live shows, he plans to keep digital performances in his bag of tricks.
“I did not expect myself to pivot so quickly,” Kostya says. “But I was able to do it by filling a surprising niche – giving small businesses a tool to bring joy to their customers and teams during a difficult time.”
Art Is Everywhere
Artist Leah Unell has been collaborating with her three-year-old son, Noah, to bring color and cheer to their Lake Como neighborhood in recent weeks.
They created three series of paintings and installed them on trees around their community, challenging fellow residents to go on scavenger hunts to find all the artwork. Although many people have posted online art challenges and projects during this global crisis, Leah went old-school, instead.
“The point was to get people off their phones, outside in fresh air, exercising, and looking forward to having something to do,” she says.
Leah and Noah kicked things off with a series of fruit paintings, then created a collection of mischievous gnome artwork. Next, they painted a series of flowers, just in time for Mother’s Day. Each series was on display for a week or two before being replaced by the next batch of art.
The gnome series, which has its own Facebook page, was especially popular with parents and their kids, who enjoyed searching for every character.
In addition to teaming with Noah for the neighborhood art installations, Leah also led a virtual paint night workshop for the Congregation of Reform Judaism in Orlando.
“Art brings people together,” Leah says. “When the whole world shut down, what did we turn to for joy, for happiness, to recalibrate ourselves? We turned to art, and people really started to share their creativity.”
Play It Again, Carol!
Entertainer Carol Stein knows she is blessed. The beloved performer has a husband she adores, a strong support system of family and friends, and of course, her cherished piano.
“I’m fortunate in so many ways, but not everyone is as lucky,” says Carol, who has performed at Walt Disney World for 30 years.
Many of her friends and colleagues have been struggling, both financially and emotionally, during the pandemic. To lift their spirits, Carol performed virtual musical parlor soirées every week from mid-March through early May. Her free concerts were wildly popular – drawing thousands of online viewers per show.
“The only way I know how to help is through my music,” Carol says. “It’s just me and my piano; it’s nothing elaborate.”
Until March 15, Carol had a regular gig performing at the Rose & Crown Pub at Epcot. The next day, the theme parks were shuttered and have remained closed. Because she couldn’t perform at the pub on St. Patrick’s Day, Carol decided to play a few songs from home and stream the concert on Facebook Live. What was supposed to have been a short show turned into a two-hour affair because viewers sent in so many requests.
Immediately, Carol’s fans lobbied for more concerts, so she happily obliged. In addition to playing a slew of requests, she penned and performed a few songs of her own including the lighthearted “Scrub, Scrub, Scrub” – a ditty about the importance of washing your hands.
“The only reason I kept doing the concerts was people kept saying, ‘Oh my gosh, this was the highlight of my week,’” Carol says. “As an artist community, and as a Jewish community, we’re there for each other. When somebody needs help, we help.”