The Olivia Show - A Tribute to Olivia Newton-John comes to the Sandler Center

PressRelease

5pm,February10,2023

For the ultimate Love Bites Fundraiser experience, one luckybidderwillhavetheopportunitytowitness inperson, a Love Bites Fundraiser Komodo dragon feeding during an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience on Valentine’s Day.Thisuniqueexperiencewillberecorded,andthelucky bidder will receive a personalized, customized video highlighting the experience Bidding for this experience begins 9am,January23,2023andends5pm,February10,2023 feel-good, throwback. This show is 70s gold!

All proceeds raised through Love Bites Fundraiser will be used to help the Virginia Aquarium care for hundreds of animals provide educational offerings, offer outreach programs to schools conduct research and conservation activities and operate our nationally recognized Stranding ResponseProgram.

For details and specifics on the variety of options for the Love Bites Fundraiser, please visit https://one.bidpal.net/ lovebites2023/welcome.

TheOliviaShowalsofeaturesanexcitingGreasesing-alongwithon-screenlyrics,inviting all Pink Ladies and T-Birds to sing along to their favorite Grease hits Sing until you loseyourvoice,dancelikenooneiswatching,andreliveyourglorydays performerswithabigsoul.

ABOUT THE SANDLER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: The Sandler Center opened on November 3, 2007 and is managed by Oak View Group (OVG360). With1,308seatsandasoaringglassfaçade thebuildingislocatedintheheartofVirginia Beach’sTownCenter ahubforculturalentertainment Withlocalandinternationaltalent visiting the Sandler Center, performances are perfect for audiences of all ages Patrons will experience an intimate environment when visiting the Sandler Center, as no seat is furtherthan100ft.fromthestage.LearnmoreatSandlerCenter.organdFacebook,Twitter,andInstagram.

Y: How would you describe a Cirque Du Soleil show for those who have never been toonebefore?

GMF: Cirque Du Soleil is a circus with incredible, fantastic acrobats, no animals, beautiful costumes created originally for each Cirque show and we have live music createdspecificallyfortheshowsthatreally movesyou.Everyshowhasadifferentstory and theme that takes the audience into a fantastic,imaginativeworld

Y: As a performer, what is your favorite partofCorteo?

GMF:ItisthemomentIplaywithValentina played by my dear friend Lilly. She is very very small. She is not a dwarf She is a normalhumanbeing butreally,reallysmall. LillyisafantasticladywhoIrespectandlove her so much. She arrives on the stage with four balloons filled with helium, no wires, she walks onto my hands and I take her to the center of the stage We have a moment there,thenIlethergothroughtheaudience The audience is able to touch her feet and push her in different directions She laughs and smiles flying all over the arena. To me it is the most metaphorical moment of the showwhereyoureallyhavetolearnhowto saygoodbye,becauseyouwillhaveValentina inyourarmsmaybeforonesecondandthen sheisgone.Shegoestofly Forme,thisislife andweshouldbestrongenoughtoappreciateitthatwaybecausebeautifulthingscome and go Human beings come and go. That’s why for me it’s the most intense beautiful moment that speaks more for me. That momentissopoeticandsimplethatitisdifficulttodescribe.

Y: When you are not performing on the stage,whatactoractsdoyouenjoywatching fromtheback?

GMF: I enjoy watching Valentina (Lilly) andherhusbandGregorio.Theyaresonaturalandspontaneous Forme themovement ofthesoulisthemoreriskyoneandtheone that demands more strength and solidity in yourself TobeabletodoitisamazingandI cannottakemyeyesfromthem.

Y: With a live performance anything can happen.Canyousharesomefunnymoments oranecdotesthathavehappenedinCorteo?

GMF:Yesthishappenedtome,beingable to dominate the bicycle There is a scene where my character flys on a bicycle and at first, I could not learn how to control the bicycleanditwasmovingeverywhereandI lookedlikeapinatamovingallovertheplace All the performers were laughing so much and it was a joyful, shared moment with them.Andthenthenextdaytheygavemea wholelessonofhowtomanageandcontrol thatbicycle

Y: Where were you born and what made you fall in love with comedy and entertainingpeople?

GMF: I am a son of Chilean parents, and I was born in Cali, Columbia. When I was a little boy, my mother would carry me to the circus when it came to town. When I was eight years old, I saw a sad clown playing a musical saw on stage and that moment for mewasliketimehadstopped Itwasincredible and from then on it was a surge for me to find this circus world When I finished school and people asked me, what do you wanttodoinlife?Iwouldsayactingandthey would say, take it like a hobby. So I chose to beaveterinarianbecauseIloveanimals,but IrealizedonedaythatIwantedtofollowthe arts. My father supported my decision and said,“DowhateveryouwantGonzalo.”That wasagreat,greatmomentbecauseifhehad notsupportedme,Iwouldhavestayedwith beingaveterinarian.

Thanks to my father, I moved to Paris to continue my studies in theater, then I went toNewYorkforfourandahalfyears,where withotheractorswebuiltatheatercompany by ourselves called The Flying Machine We were very successful and received an excellence in theater award I then auditionedwithCirqueDuSoleil Iwasdyingto perform whatever I could do under a tent. It was an American clown, my friend John Gilkey,whotoldmethatCirqueneededtwo clownsfortheirDralionshow,andIgotthe part.Formeit’sallaboutacting.Andparallel toactingisthesearchforlife’smeaningand knowing myself I love being in the circus because you work with musicians, clowns andeveryoneinfrontandbehindthescenes, all of us working together preparing for the show. It is a shared experience that is very inspiring

Y: When did you first start working with Corteo?

GMF: I started with this show in 2011, then I left and returned in 2015, left again andnowIamback.Ihavebeeninfourshows with Cirque Du Soleil and this one is the one I enjoy the most because it really goes into your heart and soul. You have to be so tranquil, so yourself, to be able to deliver a performanceinthebestwayinthisshow

Y: How about a pinch me, wow, inspirational moment? Something that happened to you that you did not think would ever happentoyou?

GMF: This was very inspirational for me and has stayed in my mind forever It was whenweperformedonSeptember12th2011, thedayaftertheTwinTowerswereattacked. We were in Boston, the place where two of thefourplanesoriginatedfrom.Thepeople were so emotional, so emotional and we the performers were so emotional Cirque offered to anyone that wanted a refund. We decided to perform because we felt the people needed a distraction, to think of somethingelse Weperformedandthenwe had to take the metro back home with the audience Some of the people approached usandsaid,“Thankyousomuch Itwasthe only time today that we were not thinking about what happened on September 11th.”

Anditwasthesameforustheperformers