A celebration of laughter and nostalgia will be the order of the day at the next installment of the spring edition of the Academia Hernando community learning series, as theatrical veteran Jason Fortner presents “The Great 60s Sitcoms.” This lecture will take place at 10 am on Feb. 3, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 2301 Deltona Blvd., Spring Hill.
“A fun filled look at the wide range of sitcoms in the 60s; from ‘Gilligan’s Island’ to ‘Green Acres,’ from ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ to ‘The Addams Family,’ we will laugh, sing along and celebrate the best of that iconic decade of television,” stated an event notice.
Academia Hernando is a not-for-profit lifelong learning organization providing quality instruction and learning experiences for adult students throughout Hernando County, and beyond. Their goal is to inform, educate and inspire adult learners through a series of weekly lectures on a wide variety of topics.
The Presenter Jason Fortner serves as Artistic Director for the Francis Wilson Playhouse in Clearwater. As a lecturer, he has spoken at Eckerd College’s OLLI and Road Scholar programs for more than 25 years, focusing on Entertainment History. He looks forward to sharing his love for 60s sitcoms with Academia audiences. “It was a simpler time for television. With only three major networks and no VCRs we all could meet to discuss the antics of the comedies we saw the night before,” he said. “It was shared laughter for beloved characters.”
Fortner also will address the crossover appeal of these classic shows. He stated, “Another interesting concept of the 60s sitcoms is the connections between series, especially ones like ‘The Beverly Hillbillies, ‘Petticoat Junction,’ Green Acres sharing of actors and characters, or the Andy Griffith, Gomer Pyle, Mayberry connection as well.”
Fortner truly feels that these humorous and likable programs represent the epitome of top quality entertainment. “There will never be another era of comic television to match this golden age of sitcoms,” he said.
Sharon Printz, board member of Academia Hernando, looks forward to welcoming the return of this popular presenter to the Academia Hernando stage. “Jason always gives 110% to every presentation,” said Printz. “He is interesting, funny, and always gives a personal type of presentation. Jason is delightful.”
Academia Hernando presentations begin promptly at 10 am and last two hours with a 15-minute intermission. The spring series continues via presentations of “They Created What?” by Sheryl Long on Feb. 10, “The Crisis in Ukraine” will be presented by Damien Austin on Feb. 17, “Spies, Lies and Betrayal” will be presented on Feb. 24, by Col. Mike Pheneger, and “Simon & Garfunkel” will be presented by Bruce Gobioff on March 3.
To register for the entire lecture series in addition to an excursion that will take guests to Chinsegut Hill, print the registration form found at https://www.academiahernando.org/fall-series and mail with your check for $80 payable to Academia Hernando Inc. and mail to: Bev Nuzzi
15027 Middle Fairway Drive
Brooksville, FL 34609
Checks also can be brought to an Academia Hernando presentation; in addition, walkin admissions are available at $15 per presentation. Visit https://www.academiahernando.org/ for more information or call (352) 345-8345.
