|
‘Lady’ Gail, the founder of the Brevard Theatrical
Ensemble, Inc., is a renowned educator, known throughout the state of
Florida for her innovative teaching style, charisma, and most of all,
the enduring positive influence she has had on all her students.
Attendees to a BTE production will not find it unusual to find some of
‘Lady’ Gail’s loyal students from 30 or 40 years ago among the cast.
‘Lady’ Gail retired from the Dade County, Florida public school system
after having taught music and drama for 36 years. Following her long
and illustrious career as a public school teacher, she taught for one
year at a prestigious private school in Miami and served for seven years
as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami, Barry University,
and Nova Southeastern University.
During the late 1950s, ‘Lady’ Gail lived in Rome, Italy, where she
studied and performed classical music and, in conjunction with the
Fulbright Program, coordinated all the musical entertainment at the US
Embassy. For seven years during the 1970s and 1980s, ‘Lady’ Gail hosted
her own educational program on the local NBC channel in Miami. For 10
years during the 1970s and 1980s, she was the coordinator for the
nationally-televised opening performance of the Junior Orange Bowl
Parade. In the early 1970s, she produced the opera Amahl and the Night
Visitors, which was performed to some 15,000 people throughout Dade
County.
In 1978, ‘Lady’ Gail co-founded the Florida Renaissance Guild, Inc. (a
non-profit educational corporation), which produced what became over the
years to be one of the largest Renaissance Fayres in the country.
Since retiring and moving to Brevard County, ‘Lady’ Gail has devoted
herself to bringing quality educational entertainment to the residents
of the Space Coast. In addition to founding and heading what is now the
BTE, she served for three years as an adjunct professor at Brevard
Community College, where she taught early childhood classes. She has
also taught workshops in storytelling at several Brevard County, Orange
County, and Dade County public schools. Finally, ‘Lady’ Gail worked
closely with Walt Disney World as a presenter and Assistant Creative
Coordinator for the EPCOT Center and Animal Kingdom theme parks.
‘Lady’ Gail was awarded this moniker by the City of Miami in 1980 in
recognition of her years of contribution to the arts in that city.
Performance is the great joy in Gail's life.
She has been a professional storyteller for the past 17 years. She
was a professional bassoonist with several symphonies between 1946 and
1959, including those in Miami Beach, the University of Miami, New
Hampshire, Ft. Lauderdale and Rome, Italy. She's also directed and
appeared on over 900 television shows and countless radio shows
including several NBC's Today Show segments.
After her retirement and subsequent move to Merritt
Island, she formed the Brevard Theatrical Ensemble, Inc. and coordinates
the efforts of approximately 57 ensemble members including storytellers,
singers, actors, dancers, instrumentalists, and junior members still in
school. Today, the ensemble is extremely successful, performing a new
production almost every month! She also introduced a new art form
- a theatrical presentation of storytelling with music, costume, and
theatrical staging with such productions as Canterbury Tales,
Isitsoornot, and We Are.
Gail has been honored by several groups. She was
included in the International Directory of Distinguished Leadership for
contributions to education; the Dictionary of International Biography;
Who's Who, South and Southwest edition; and the World's Who's Who of
Women. The Miami Herald recognized Gail with the "Spirit of
Excellence" in 1987, and the Dade County's Public School Centennial
Celebration selected her as "Pioneer" in 1985. |
