SRQ DAILY Feb 1, 2018
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"In the Sarasota and Bradenton region, we do too much marketing of philanthropy and too little time investing in the future to ensure the community we enjoy will be able to thrive decades from now."
A music, theater and television icon hits the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe stage this season, as actress and recording artist Melba Moore comes to town not only to star as Billie Holiday in the theater’s upcoming production of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill but participate in its award-winning WBTT Voices series this coming Monday, February 5, at 8pm.
Joined onstage by WBTT Founder and Artistic Director Nate Jacobs and theater critic Jay Handelman for “An Intimate Evening with Melba Moore,” Moore will talk about a career spanning decades of breaking barriers to great acclaim. With her Broadway debut in the original run of Hair, she quickly made history as the first African-American woman to replace a white actress in a lead role, before turning around and winning a Tony in 1970 for her performance as Lutiebelle in Purlie. Another first came in her casting as the lead, Fantine, in a Broadway production of Les Miserables. Following a foray into film, Moore began a music career that would net her three Grammy nominations and, in 2015, her induction into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. Along the way, she found time to become the first African-American woman with a major TV show on NBC. “Melba has historically been a trailblazer,” Jacobs sums up handily.
Moore has also historically been a friend of WBTT as well. No stranger to her work, Jacobs grew up listening to her records at home, and, spotting Moore at a red carpet event in New York City in the mid-90s, walked around the barriers, up the red carpet and introduced himself. Far from being tackled by overzealous security, Jacobs struck up a lasting friendship, with Moore recognizing his name from a mutual friend in Miami. “She has been a true friend and mentor since,” says Jacobs. “She is a true, bonafide celebrity who takes the time to help others.”
Following that meeting, Moore has made her way down to Sarasota on multiple occasions—to help WBTT with a fundraiser when it needed it most in the mid-2000s, and then again in 2015, as the featured performer in WBTT’s “Broadway Under the Stars” fundraising gala. This season, however, will see Moore’s WBTT debut proper, with her lead role in Lady Day, running February 28–April 8, as well as her first participation in the Voices program. “To have an artist of her stature working with us is an incredible honor,” says WBTT Executive Director Julie Leach. “We expect a capacity crowd hanging on her every word.”
“An Intimate Evening with Melba Moore” begins Monday, February 5 at 8pm in the WBTT Theatre. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. 
Pictured: Star of stage, screen and studio Melba Moore. Photo courtesy of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a five-part series on winners of SRQ magazine’s 2018 Localpreneurs of the Year.
The need for more science and engineering jobs isn’t just a topic of interest to Joy Randels, but a personal mission. The founder of Applied G2 and Invision Communications has brought sustainable and high-tech industry into the region and has no plans to stop. When Randels was named among the inaugural class of winners for SRQ Media Group’s Localpreneurs of the Year award, she said her win was a true surprise but was most rewarding because of the recognition of tech to the regional economy. “I’m particularly happy businesses in STEM fields were recognized,” she says.
Randels, who founded New Market Partners in 2004, has a long history of entrepreneurship, having worked with more than 800 startups to help build scalable businesses. An early stage investor and enthusiastic advisor, she has led public and private companies to raise over $360 million in capital and to generate more than $15 billion in total revenue.
At Applied G2, a boutique cybersecurity firm, she has overseen as the company introduces a solar-powered custom wireless security system. Meanwhile, Invision Communications has brought high-tech communication strategies alive and markets itself as the engagement solutions agency sought as a partner by “the strongest, most dynamic businesses in the world for design and delivery of business-critical initiatives."
Randels, who has previously been selected for SRQ’s Women in Business Leadership Circle, today serves as board chair for Technova Florida, a regional tech community dedicated to improving the infrastructure for new businesses, emerging technologies and product development.
What would help improve the ecosystem for entrepreneurship on the Gulf Coast? Randels says: “In the Sarasota and Bradenton region, we do too much marketing of philanthropy and too little time investing in the future to ensure the community we enjoy will be able to thrive decades from now.”
If your idea of a perfectly romantic Valentine’s Day dinner starts with complimentary glasses of champagne and ends with picturesque views of Sarasota Bay, your destination awaits at The Grille Room at the IMG Academy Golf Club. The Grille Room offers a special pre-set, four course Valentine’s Dinner with a winning combination of surf and turf dishes.
Tee time kicks off with seared sea scallops in a garlic puree, escorted with crispy onions and whitefish caviar. You’ll have your choice of soup or salad with the option of a rich beef and egg noodle Pho, or an “aphrodisiac” salad (yes, you read that right). Four possible entrees will test your decision-making skills: choose from a Tuscan pork tenderloin pan seared with fresh herbs and white wine, a grilled lobster tail marinated in lemon butter, a double-cut lamb chops black pepper-crusted in a brandy cream reduction or the crab-stuffed flounder. All entrees are accompanied by a roasted vegetable medley and a choice of fingerling potatoes confit or saffron paella. It’s a cardinal sin to fill up before dessert, so putt-out with the petite gateau au chocolate, à la mode in raspberry sauce and topped with whipped cream.
Reservations are limited and required to attend. Available times listed on the link below.
The Grille at IMG Academy Golf Club is a member of Nosh, the SRQ Magazine content marketing program for local restaurants.
Ahoy matey– a European-style vintage market has found its home in Sarasota the third weekend of every month. Gasparilla may have come and gone, but you can continue the pirate facade on a treasure hunt for some timeless gems at this shopping destination. You’ll discover a wonderful wealth of items from vintage-inspired furniture to rustic living essentials inside an unassuming warehouse, hosted by Vintiquity Lane. Vintiquity Lane was started by two creative business women with a stylistic approach to pursue refurbished vintage products while helping small businesses gain exposure and grow. Now they’re connecting Sarasota in a fun way by sharing their passion for local artistry and goods, inspiring a quest for unique discoveries that have newfound purpose as heartfelt decor. “Much like the antique community, our hearts are set on sprucing up worn forgotten items to give them new life!”
The vignettes will evolve each month so that both vendors and visitors find themselves eagerly anticipating the monthly events to see what exciting inspiration awaits. And you don’t even need a beaded necklace to find your buried booty at the next upcoming market– February 17th & 18th. Saturday, 9:00AM – 5:00PM & Sunday, 10:00AM – 4:00PM. Your treasure map (aka Google Maps) will lead you to the heart of Sarasota’s Design District.
Image provided by Vintiquity Lane
Vintiquity Lane, 1540 North Lime Ave., Sarasota, 34237, 941-777-5178.
The Atlanta Braves have announced that they will extend their Spring Training agreement with ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World Resort through April 2019. The move was made to ensure there is enough time to complete the new facility in West Villages in the City of North Port, Sarasota County. The Braves will play their final 2019 Spring Training home game in the new ballpark. The complex will officially open in April 2019 with the team’s Florida operations moving in at that time. When completed, the new ballpark in North Port will feature 6,500 fixed seats and 2,500 additional general admission, including berm and concourse. The overall facility will include six and a half practice fields, 55,000 square feet of clubhouse and fitness center for the Braves along with multi-purpose fields and public space that can be used for special events by the City and County.
Kerkering, Barberio & Co., Certified Public Accountants, has announced that participating employees donated over $15,000 to the United Way Suncoast in 2017. Kerkering Barberio and its members are strong supporters of the United Way and conduct annual campaigns to raise funds for the organization. In 2017, the firm exceeded its fundraising goal. Kerkering, Barberio & Co. is one of the largest independent certified public accounting firms in Southwest Florida. The firm has been serving clients since 1972.
An illustrator, graphic designer and former student of the great Paul Rand, John Pirman unites influences from modern architecture and Swiss design to pop culture and old posters of the WPA for his own distinct, minimalist and symbolic style. See vibrant illustrations of Florida life, as well as Pirman’s own renderings of various pieces of modern architecture.
ArtCenter Sarasota, 707 North Tamiami Trl., Sarasota
This exhibit features the art of Robert Baxter, Jeff Cornell, Bill Farnsworth and James Griffin. With unquestionable mastery of their medium, each artist demonstrates their vision of artistic self expression.
Dabbert Gallery, 46 South Palm Ave., Sarasota.
View eight ten-minute plays selected for full production from the many submitted each year to this annual contest. Adjudicated by theater professionals, cash prizes will be awarded for the first place winner and runner-up.
Cook Theater, 5555 N Tamiami Tr., Sarasota
The 2018 Bradenton Area River Regatta has it all, including speed, stars, and showmanship, in a free family spectacle that will have you holding your breath through every heart pounding moment. As Manatee County’s largest spectator event, the action is riveting and the thrills nonstop as world-class performers on and off the river showcase their awe-gasping athleticism and see-it-to-believe-it championship skills.
You are invited to come experience the beautiful exhibits while you enjoy live piano music, cocktails and a stunning waterfront view. The next upcoming show is the Jill Krasner exhibit. Krasner is a Sarasota based painter who creates a wide variety of works such as whimisical portraits of women of a certain age and collage reminiscent of old ruins or secret passages.
Bird Key Yacht Club, 301 Bird Key Dr., Sarasota.
Join the Sarasota World Affairs Council for a series of high–profile foreign affairs lectures covering current international issues ranging from foreign intelligence to peace negotiations to immigration and trade. This month, President and CEO of the Rachel Carson Foundation, Doctor Robert Musil will discuss the social responsibility of sustaining the planet for future generations and global climate change. Each lecture is followed by a wine and cheese reception for members.
Mildred Sainer Pavillion, 5313 Bay Shore Rd Sarasota, FL 34243
A biting absurdist satire from Eugene Ionesco, a seemingly normal man wakes up, goes to work, drinks too much and flirts with his coworker, when normalcy is shattered by the thundering arrival of a full-grown rhinoceros. As the townsfolk transform into horned beasts around him, this man must contemplate the temptation and tragedy of following the herd. Directed by the Tony Award-winning Frank Galati.
Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 North Tamiami Trl., Sarasota
"Brush Up Your Shakespeare" with the best of the Bard. This tongue-in-cheek musical revue is a collection of songs inspired by the world's greatest playwright. From relevant to irreverent, from soulful to sinful, from "Get Thee To A Nunnery" and "Othello's Rap" to "What A Pieve of Work is Man" and "Tonight."
Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota
Shirley Valentine is a one-character play by Willy Russell. Taking the form of a monologue by a middle-aged, working-class Liverpool housewife, it focuses on her life before and after a transforming holiday abroad.
The Players Centre of Performing Arts, 838 North Tamiami Tr., Sarasota.
Expanse is an in-depth look into the newest oil paintings of Richichi's. The exhibition will feature her plein air paintings of Sarasota's most awe inspiring spaces. Richichi's works draw from the energy, color and spirit of the landscape. While remaining representative, these works are abstracted and the focuses shifts to her brilliant eye for color, playful brushstrokes and texture from the palette knife.
530 Burns Gallery, 530 Burns Ct., Sarasota.
Get your SHIVOO on and come enjoy a boisterous celebration at the Shivoo Havana Fashion Show hosted by the Sarasota Garden Club at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom. This energetic occasion features a raffle silent auction, live Cuban music and a photo flower wall. The raffle prize includes a gardening tour for two in sunny Cuba.
Hyatt Regency Sarasota , 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota, FL 34236
PROJECTHINK is the ultimate exploration into the world of innovation and creativity in learning. Designed for educators, professionals and anyone interested in thinking outside of the box, PROJECTHINK will challenge perceptions and jumpstart creative sparks, from early education to lifetime learning. How is learning adaptive? What are the new perspectives on engaging minds creatively at every age? How can organizations cultivate innovation and creativity to solve challenges? These questions and more will be explored along with cutting edge concepts and research at this year's PROJECTHINK Conference.
Ringling College's Alfred R. Goldstein Library, 2700 Bradenton Rd, Sarasota, FL 34234
Launched as the brainchild of SRQ MEDIA President and CEO Lisl Liang as an experiential mosh-up of learning pathways, SRQ KidsFest deconstructs the whole mind ecosystem of creativity by curating an afternoon where curiosity, open-ended play, arts and design reign supreme. SRQ KidsFest is an experience designed to connect parents and kids with hands-on learning experiences, local engagement resources and opportunities in our region with a day teeming with exploration designed to deliver fun “a-ha” moments for the whole family.
In one afternoon program, SRQKidsFest will capture the power of imagination with interactive experiences with workshop such as letterpress, musical instruments, glass blowing, storytelling, architecture, arts and crafts and a variety of magical experiences designed to stir creativity.
Parents will be able to peruse booths showcasing the thoughtful programming, education and family services available in our area from educational organizations to parenting resources, camps to sports and creative theatre to engineering.
Alfred R. Goldstein Library at Ringling College of Art and Design, 2700 Bradenton Rd, Sarasota, FL 34234
Audrey Lander’s accolades are numerous enough to fill an anthology, with prominent roles in “Dallas,” “Love Boat,” “Fantasy Island,” “The Dukes of Hazard,” “MacGyver,” “Hollywood Squares,” “$100,000 Pyramid” and “Password.” Lander will be joining The Pops Orchestra to perform her favorite songs from the Great American Songbook. Witness a bonafide star and Lifetime Achievement Award winner in her element.
Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way, Sarasota
Eight Over 80 brings another highly anticipated and sold-out audience to Michael’s On East. Guests will enjoy a delightful brunch (not to mention mimosas), while hearing inspiring stories from this year’s eight worthy nominees. Join the Jewish Housing Council Foundation for a positive and emotionally charged event to begin the New Year with a fresh perspective.
The Westin Sarasota, 1175 N Gulfstream Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236.
The 10th annual “Best of SRQ Local” Readers’ Competition is officially open! It is time to sound the alarm, rally the troops, take to social media and VOTE for your favorite Sarasota establishments and causes to be recognized in one of our most popular editions of the year.
Readers can vote on local eats, shopping, arts, luminaries and hotspots culminating in the compendium published in the April 2018 edition of SRQ Magazine. We hope you’ll share your favorite local experiences—from stellar sushi, most memorable on-stage productions to best happy hour.
SRQ Magazine
The American Watercolor Society celebrates 150 years of fine art with a traveling exhibit making a stop right in Bradenton. Featuring the work of near 150 artists, including Sarasota’s own Judy Saltzman, the show hangs in the Kellogg Gallery. In the Searle and Reid Hodges Galleries, the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society Exhibit brings even more watercolor to a day at ArtCenter Manatee.
ArtCenter Manatee, 209 9th St. W., Bradenton
Movies and their musical scores go hand in hand. Gone with the Wind, The King and I, and Raiders of the Lost Ark all are as memorable for their music as their lasting lines and compelling stories. We won't need a movie screen in this orchestral concert.
Holley Hall, 709 North Tamiami Trl., Sarasota
The Annual Thunder By the Bay Motorcycle Festival continues to rev up a great time raising money for Suncoast Charities for Children. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, this year’s festival includes a Born To Be Wild Kickoff Party, Cruise for Cash Charity Motorcycle Ride, Bikes On Main Block Party, and a two day festival held at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds with a special musical performance by Vegas McGraw.
From the Academy Award-winning team comes a lushly scored retelling of Victor Hugo’s epic story of love, acceptance and what it means to be a hero.
Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 3rd Ave West., Bradenton.
SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email |
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