A magical and musical weekend at The Mar
When Heather Hamar and her husband Dave opened their performance space The Mar in September, they were optimistic that the 2,300 square foot converted storefront would fill a void in the arts community – an affordably rentable facility, in the trendy Grand Central District, for rehearsals, and classes, and any conceivable sort of performance.
Two months into the Mar experience, Heather Hamar says expectations are being exceeded.
“Everything is picking up, which is great,” Hamar enthuses. “The space is getting used, and with passing week it gets more and more. People know that we’re here.
“This month, however, is on another level. We have so much going on, which is great.”
A big Mar weekend begins Saturday, with magician John Williams and mentalist Joshua Set joining forces for performances at 7 and 9 p.m. Check The MAR St. Pete (Facebook) for tickets and details.
Jazz guitarist LaRue Nickelson, who plays with the Florida Bjorkestra, among others, headlines a special event Sunday from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Hamar describes this event as a combination concert and TED-type talk, so she’s labelling it a MARTalk (the word Mar, a riff on the couple’s last name, finds its way into many of their projects). Tickets are here.
LaRue Nickelson
The live events are, of course, spaced for safety, with limited capacity and a mask requirement.
The Mar includes a 24×12 moveable stage and can fit 150 people – under normal circumstances. Groups have been utilizing the space for rehearsal on a regular basis, Hamar reports.
“The thing that’s been most beneficial to us has been word of mouth,” she says. “We can market all day on Facebook – it’s bringing us the interest, which is great, but it’s not really bringing people in the door. I think being here in Grand Central – and then friends, and friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends telling each other about us, is really just helping tremendously.”
The Hamars conduct a live meditation session on weekdays (“MARning Meditation”) over Facebook Live, and they wear their good nature – and their ongoing optimism – on their sleeves.
“October for me was tough because it wasn’t going where I was hoping it would,” Heather says, “but I think I was getting in my own way. But this month, I am maybe more focused on being grateful for what we do have, rather than searching for the things that we could have, if that makes any sense.”
