by Dot Cannon
(Photo courtesy of Joseph Mascheratti and Freund Studio.)
Double boo, and a big, huge hiss.
Remember how I told you, in an earlier post, it wouldn’t dare to rain this Saturday, for Long Beach Carnevale 2015?
The weather has made a liar out of me.
Rain is now forecast for much of this weekend. Some weather sites even pinpoint the wet stuff as starting around 11 am (the scheduled start of Carnevale’s opening act!). Long Beach Carnevale organizer Joseph Mascheratti emails, “I’m not doing this again…Carnevale 2015, March 7th, is on instead.”
Who can blame him? You can hear his great story about dealing with the rain during Long Beach Carnevale 2014 here.
(Photograph courtesy of Don Rogers, and used with permission.)
So, we have another week to prepare for Long Beach Carnevale 2015, themed “Theater in the Sunshine”, (and there will be some!) happening at its new date, Saturday, March 7th, outside the Aquarium of the Pacific.
This is your opportunity, if you haven’t already, to get your costume put together and spend a rainy Saturday crafting a Carnevale mask. Long Beach Carnevale model and costume professional Clio McClure offers some last-minute “how-to” tips in her earlier interview on Carnevale.
When the clouds finally decide to go elsewhere, Long Beach Carnevale 2015 will prove to be well worth waiting for. Joseph, who first brought a version of the Venetian celebration to Long Beach in 2012, has designed a number of the elaborate costumes guests will see at this free, family celebration. And wait’ll you see what inspired one of them.
(Photograph courtesy of Joseph Mascheratti, and used with permission.)
Joseph e-mails us that during his travels in Italy, he visited Murano, an island fifteen minutes away from Venice.
(Photograph courtesy of Joseph Mascheratti, and used with permission.)
“They have been making world-renowned glass for centuries,” he explains. “(The pieces are) dramatic, unlike anything else, and delicate.”
With the influence of these creations in mind, Joseph created…
(Photo by Emily Kwon, 2015, and used with permission.)
…this costume, soon to be worn by Carnevale model Clio McClure. Joseph has named this particular character “Olga dal Murano”, and he explains that “Olga” is the name of a particularly flamboyant (and beautiful) mask worn for Venice Carnevale. “Dal Murano”, of course, is in tribute to the talented glassmakers whose work inspired this creation.
Joseph says there’s one other costume, among his designs, that was inspired by glassware. “(It’s) called Cavalchina Muranesse, or Damsel of Murano,” he says. “She will have this silver train hanging with crystals on the skirt and…will be wearing actual Venetian glass for rings.”
Long Beach Carnevale 2015 will feature all-day live performances, food and a “flash mob” scheduled for 3 pm. Festivities continue throughout the day, with a DJ and dance party starting at 6 that evening. There will be professional makeup artists and beauticians on hand to create makeup and hairstyles for this free event, and lots of photo opportunities. And yes, once again, this is a family-friendly event, with children welcome.
Silly rain–but it’s not going to dampen anybody’s Carnevale spirit! See you on March 7th as we celebrate “Theater in the Sunshine”.