Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 54

GUIDE LIVE SHOWS A Tampa performer aims for the drag equivalent of Miss America. The Evolution of Drag The show, benefitting Daphne Ferraro's bid for Entertainer of the Year, is Sunday at the Honey Pot, 1507 Seventh Ave. in Ybor City. Show starts at 4 p.m.; cocktail hour with the cast is at 3 p.m. Tickets are $12 at the door, daphneferraro.com ill ttos lady be a champ? The many faces of MichaelDaphne 7 J' v' By Susan Thurston sthurstonatampabay.com It's like the Miss America pageant, but for female impersonators.

Contestants are judged on their evening gown, stage presence, speaking skills and talent (sorry, no lip syncing). The winner gets to travel the country for a year, representing the competition and meeting all sorts of foaoabulous people. Michael Dixon of Tampa, a.k.a. Daphne Ferraro, is among drag queens nationwide vying for the crown as Entertainer of the Year. He won a regional competition this spring and heads to the national pageant July 31 to Aug.

2 in Louisville, Ky. "I've always told myself that before I retire, I want to win a competition," he said. "Any time you're a national title winner, it means you've mastered the art form." To raise money for the trip, he created Evolution of Drag, a theatrical production starring Stephanie Ship-pae, Melanie Minyon and about two dozen other names in local drag. It premiers Sunday at the Honey Pot in Ybor City. Art, comedy, stage T'dtSw I Dixon says.

"I remember from when I was Dixon, 30, started writing the script years ago but recently recruited his friends to bring it to life on stage. If well-received, he hopes to take it to other venues. When Dixon isn't Daphne, he works full-time in marketing for Kforce, a large staffing firm in Tampa. He has degree in fashion design and marketing and interned for Vera Wang in New York City. He grew up fascinated by clowns and theater makeup and first did drag art shows of fall, winter and spring have come and gone.

About 80 artists in most mediums will be there (go to coolart.com for a complete list). 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Coliseum, 535 Fourth Ave. St.

Petersburg. Admission and parking are free. (727) 892-5202. Harry Potter Book Cover Show Book covers plus bonus artwork by Mary GrandPre, the artist chosen by J.K. Rowling for her Harry Potter book covers.

Through Aug. 8. Nuance Galleries, 804 Dale Mabry Highway. (813) 875-0511. nuancegalleries.com.

Stop Traffick Russian immigrant Anna Balkan's handcrafted jewelry, popular with celebrities, is sold at Craftsman House, 2955 Central St Petersburg. She'll be there from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday for a trunk show of new work. On Saturday she'll participate in Stop Traffick, a benefit for "I've always been a performer," Michael Dixon co-wrote the multimedia show with Addison Taylor. The show mixes live acting with audio and video.

A Las Vegas scene, of course, includes impersonations of Cher, Liza Minnelli and Christina Aguilera. The Broadway portion an over-the-top take on the Little Shop of Horrors doubles as Dixon's talent show number in the national competition. For the Big Ole Gay Finale, he sashays out in his evening gown. Comedy Club, 12938 Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. advance, $2 additional day of show.

(813) 960-1197 sidesplitterscomedy.com. Jay Hewlett 9:30 p.m. today-Sat. Coconuts Comedy Club Tradewinds Sandpiper Resort, 6000 Gulf St. Pete Beach.

$15. (727) 360-5653. coconutscomedyclubs.com. ART Fresh art blows in Cool is not a word in common usage right now. We're hot.

We usually head to the mall to beat the icky-sticky humidity, but Saturday and Sunday offers a less conventional alternative: the Cool Art Show. Now in its 21st year, the show evolved as a way for area artists to exhibit work and hopefully make some sales during the summer slump after the bountiful a young child, I put towels on my hair for a high school talent show. He's hard to miss in a crowd, standing 6 feet 5 or 7 feet in drag. "Once I did drag," he said, "I could be whoever I wanted." Michael, the marketing guy, and Daphne, the drag queen, are oppo-sites, he said. Daphne is chatty and outgoing.

Michael is quiet and shy. People who know him as Daphne may not recognize him as Michael. Nina West, the reigning 2008 En- STOP International, which combats human trafficking, at NOVA 535, 535 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St.

St. Petersburg. It's $20, with live music, cash bar and roller derby (skates are optional), craftsmanhousegallery.com or nova535.com. STAGE A Trio with brio The classical group Trio Solisti violinist Maria Bachmann, pianist Jon Klibonoff and cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach chose their name "partially because it means a trio of soloists, and all three of us do solo work," Bachmann said. They were part of the first recording of Paul Moravec's Shakespeare-inspired Tempest Fantasy, which won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2004.

The piano trio plays at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Peters- and pretended they were wigs." tertainer of the Year, said Dixon has all the qualities of a national winner. "He's talented, he's creative and he's incredibly fun and organized," said West, who lives in Columbus, Ohio. Winning the crown would transform his life, as it has her's.

"It's very prestigious," she said. "Instead of being a local entertainer, it's boosted my career on a national scene." Contributing: Helen Anne Travis burg. $22, $10 for students 22 and under. (727) 896-2667 The Little Dog Laughed A fast-paced send-up of Hollywood that looks at fame, deception, lies, intolerance and the world of celebrity. Adult material, brief frontal nudity.

8 p.m. 4 p.m. Sun. Through July 26. Shimberg Theater at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 Maclnnes Place, Tampa.

$24.50. (813) 229-7827 Doubt Pulitzer- and "Ibny-winning play about a Catholic school in the Bronx in 1964; a strong-minded nun suspects that one of the priests is having an inappropriate relationship with the school's first black student. Opens 7:30 p.m. Wed. Through Aug.

16. American Stage, 163 Third St. St. Petersburg. $10 student rush tickets available 10 minutes before curtain.

(727) 823-7529. COMEDY Calling all 'Booty Call' fans From his early days on MTV Jams to his recent stint as host of NBC's Last Comic Standing, Bill Bellamy has always known How To Be a Player. But his storytelling style of standup is Bill Bellamy actually a lot more like early Bill Cosby. Catch him at 8 and 10:30 p.m. 7:30 and 10 p.m.

Sat at the Improv, 1600 Eighth Ybor City. $23. (8B) 864-4000. improvtampacom. Rich Guzzi Psycho Hypnosis Show 8 and 10 p.m.

6, 8 and 10 p.m. Sat. Through Aug. 1. Side Splitters 11 ji" 26 tbt www.tampabay.com Friday, July 17, 2009.