The black box theater currently at the disposal of The Players sits backstage at the company theater in Sarasota, but when a new $28-million facility opens in Lakewood Ranch, a 125-seat state-of-the-art space will available for those small comedies and tragedies best suited for that stage. “The new building is not only going to meet our needs now,” says Michelle Bianchi-Pingel, managing director and CEO at The Players. “We are building for our needs well into the future.”

The black box is just one feature that will be available when The Players Centre for Performing Arts opens. A 480-seat main stage with balcony seating will be the central performing space in the 70,000-square-foot multi-use venue, but there will also be a 100-seat cabaret and outdoor events plaza. New renderings released by architecture firm SchenkelShultz show how the venue can redefine entertainment space in the Lakewood Ranch community. “The arts center is more than just a venue to house the program elements,” reads a statement from Dan Laggan, managing partner at SchenkelShultz, and Tom Gallagher, principal and director of the New York Studio of Westlake Reed Leskosky, a New York City studio working in conjunction with the local firm. “It is being designed to allow activity to seamlessly flow from the inside to the outside where something exciting and new is always happening.” 

Relocating into the new facility will allow a growth in the dramatic offerings for the area too. Program expansion will include smaller musicals that will be performed in the cabaret space, an area that can also host jazz artists and other acts. Youth outreach efforts will also grow, Pingel says, with an expanded Education component at the center and the location of all education operations in the same building as company management. A scene shop will open on-site. Pingel says the many changes to the business model will change The Players experience for those in the company and those coming to be entertained. 

Editor’s Note: This is part nine of an ongoing series documenting the flights of active-duty US Navy Pilot Ryan Rankin on his journey to fly 52 planes in 52 weeks through the year 2017.

Flying another piece of aviation history, Rankin took to the skies this past week in a Grumman G-44 Widgeon. A multi-propeller amphibious aircraft, the G-44 first saw action in World War II as a coastal surveillance platform, before being modified for civilian use after hostilities concluded.

Largely used today for transport, coastal patrols or joyriding—anything that calls for flying low and slow—Rankin took the G-44 for a one-hour flight with the owner, multi-engine seaplane instructor Chester Lawson. Though not designed for aerobatics, Rankin found the aircraft surprisingly light on the controls and responsive to the touch, with none of the “mushy” response found in some other planes. He likens it to the difference between the handling in a bus versus a sports car, with one requiring extensive action and the other reacting to the slightest touch. But it’s not that one is better than the other, Rankin says, and highly responsive planes can be prone to over-controlling or overcorrecting by inexperienced pilots. “It’s all preference,” he says.

But perhaps more exciting than the flight itself was what Rankin found on the ground. With Lawson inviting Rankin to his house that morning, he assumed the pair would then drive to the airport. Instead, Rankin found himself in Spruce Creek, where more often than not the neighbor’s house comes complete with an attached airplane hangar. “Like an oversized garage,” says Rankin, the people step out of their house, into their planes and down the driveway. “Look out for cars and dogs and stuff,” he continues, “then taxi to the runway and just fly.” Like a kid in a candy store and with his head on a swivel, Rankin spots tri-planes and B-51 Mustangs and more. “And everywhere you look,” he says, “people together or walking their dogs together.” It had the community aspect and devotion to aviation he appreciates, but perhaps not the acreage. He’ll visit with his wife, but for now keep flying.

For more about the flight in Rankin's own words and a video of the flight, follow the link below. 

Pictured: Chester Lawson's Grumman G-44 Widgeon. Photo courtesy of Ryan Rankin.

Ryan Flies

Running late and need to put on your makeup en route to work or freshen up post-yoga for a happy hour drink? Grab one of these super cute, humourous canvas bags from Treat, an accessories boutique located in Burns Court. These punny, totally relatable sayings printed on each canvas pouch created by Marcia Made It will put a smile on your face even in the darkest of days (aka every Monday). Use these witty and pretty pouches for housing your makeup or jewelry, cute pick-me-up gifts and everything in between. Finally—a product that says everything you don’t want to say out loud. #StaySassySRQ.  

Photo courtesy of Treat An Accessories Boutique.

Treat An Accessories Boutique, 530 South Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, 941-366-6369.

Schedule your weekly dinner appointment at JPan—we’re prescribing the showstopping lobster roll. Filled with snow crab, cucumber, avocado, lychee honey and a fresh-caught lobster tail to top it all off, you’ll be making “appointments” all week long. The delicate, subtle rose flavor of lychee honey balances the abundance of fresh seafood and the creamy, crunchy textures of the avocado and cucumber in this fabulous roll. Who needs surf ‘n’ turf when you have JPan and Chef Daniel Dokko whipping up this dynamic dish to cure all of your wildest sushi cravings?

Jpan is a member of Nosh, the SRQ Magazine content marketing program for local restaurants.

JPan Restaurant, 3 Paradise Plaza, Sarasota; 229 N. Cattlemen Rd., Sarasota, 941-954-5726.

Listed by Michael Saunders & Company, a Venetian-inspired classic estate priced at $26.5 million is the highest-priced single-family listing ever for Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties combined. The property is located inside the gates of the exclusive Longboat Key Club on the coveted south end of Longboat Key. According to Trendgraphix, sales of luxury properties in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties rose by 17 percent in the month of January. There are currently 20 active listings of properties priced at $8 million or higher in the three-county area. Michael Saunders & Company recently represented the seller and buyer of a condominium with a selling price of $5.25 million, the highest priced condominium on Longboat Key since 2013. 

Michael Saunders & Co.

Gateway Bank of Southwest Florida announced that employees of the Sarasota-based bank volunteered a combined 2,202 hours to community organizations in Sarasota and Manatee counties in 2016. In addition, the employees of the bank generously contributed $25,066 to local charities in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Gateway Bank strongly encourages every bank employee to take an active volunteer role in the communities in which they work and live. Among the many organizations benefitting from Gateway bankers’ involvement and contributions are: The United Way, Southeastern Guide Dogs, The American Heart Association, local food banks, schools and many other human service organizations. In addition, the bank sponsors a number of community events, including: The YMCA Ringling Bridge Run, the Van Wezel Gala, Forks & Corks and the Cat Depot Golf Classic. Gateway Bank does not count community service hours for business development events. 

Gateway Bank of Southwest Florida

After serving as president of the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation for nine years, Sarah H. Pappas has announced that she will be leaving effective June 1, 2017. A search committee, chaired by Selby Foundation board members Cathy Layton and Renee Armbruster and comprised of community leaders, will accept applications for the position of executive director on the Selby Foundation website beginning February 22, 2017, through March 10, 2017. Since 1955, the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation has awarded more than $120 million in grants to assist nonprofits in carrying out their missions in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. Selby Foundation also has provided college scholarships to help more than 5,000 undergraduate students achieve their educational aspirations.
 

The Selby Foundation