SRQ DAILY Apr 15, 2022
Friday Weekend Edition
"I loved the play and its themes. It is not forcing you into anything, it is taking you into a joyous and celebratory world. There is an exploration too, of what it means to be male in the modern world."
The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez, began play at the Florida Studio Theatre last Wednesday, on April 6th. The production, which runs until May 22nd headlines FST’s winter mainstage program and is directed by FST’s Associate Director At-Large, Kate Alexander.
The Legend of Georgia McBride is a comedy set in the Florida Panhandle and chronicles the journey of Casey, a down and out Elvis impersonator working at a local dive bar who becomes swept up in the B-level drag show that the bar’s owner brings in to replace his act.
“I liken it to films like Tootsie or Mrs. Doubtfire - where someone takes a great exploration by accident and then comes away having learned a great deal about themselves and who they are,” says director Kate Alexander.
On directing the production, Alexander added that, “I loved the play and its themes. It’s not forcing you into anything, it’s taking you into a joyous and celebratory world. There is an exploration too, of what it means to be male in the modern world.”
The path to production, however, was not always smooth as the COVID-19 pandemic caused a nearly two year gap between initial and final rehearsals. “We had begun rehearsals in March of 2020 - we were one week in and we had to stop rehearsal and drag everybody home. Three of the cast members are the same - including Kraig Swartz (Miss Tracy Mills) who was an anchor for this play,” says Alexander.
Casting the lead role of Casey, also had its challenges. “Some of what Britt Michaels brought to the role was this guilelessness and the natural ability to play a Floridian. A lot of actors auditioning for the part came in playing their idea of a ‘southern man’ which was a turn off for not only the director or the audience. The audience needs to like him even though he feels a little ashamed of himself for participating in a drag show,” adds Alexander.
Florida Studio Theatre, 1265 First Street, Sarasota, Box Office: 941.366.9000 
Pictured: Britt Michael Gordon as Casey. Photo by John Jones.
Ringling College of Art and Design is pleased to announce that Illustration senior DeAnna Boyer has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award enhanced with a Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship for the 2022-2023 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. As a Fulbright participant, DeAnna will study and conduct research in Ireland for the 2022-2023 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected in an open, merit-based competition that considers leadership potential, academic and/or professional achievement, and record of service. As Fulbright alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed alumni, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Fulbright alumni include 61 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 40 who have served as a head of state or government.
DeAnna’s Fulbright year will take place at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland and the National University of Ireland Galway where she will matriculate into the joint MA program in Art and Ecology. Her Fulbright project will include the creation of an illustrated book that seeks to connect the current culture and environment of Ireland to the historical stories and legends preserved through Celtic history. The interdisciplinary study of both art and science offered through the Art and Ecology program creates a unique opportunity to explore both sociological and ecological research through the eyes of an artist. DeAnna has also been awarded a Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship, which provides an opportunity for selected Fulbright U.S. Student grantees to participate in an academic year of storytelling on a globally significant theme. DeAnna will utilize a variety of storytelling tools, including illustration, plein-air painting, sketching, and social media to tell the story of Ireland’s historical and present connection to the environment to a global audience through National Geographic’s online platforms.
Pictured: DeAnna Boyer. Photo courtesy of Ringling College of Art and Design.
Did you know that Cat Depot will rescue and care for over 800 kittens this year? With Kitten Season upon us, your support is needed now more than ever. It also makes our 2022 Giving Challenge theme - “BE THE ONE TO HELP THEM GROW” – even timelier.
The average cost to get a healthy kitten ready for adoption, is $150-$200. Each kitten receives a medical exam by shelter medical staff; spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, and even a microchip! Should a kitten require specialized care or time with one of our dedicated foster families, costs can go up.
The Giving Challenge is a 24-hour day of giving hosted by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation. Over 650 non-profit organizations come together to share their mission with the community. This year’s day of philanthropy will take place from noon to noon on Tuesday, April 26 – Wednesday, April 27.
Once again, The Patterson Foundation will be providing a 1:1 match up to $100 per unique donor, making your donation go even farther to support the sick, inured, and homeless kittens we care for each year!
To give directly as part of Cat Depot’s largest fundraiser of the year, please visit www.givingchallenge.org and select us as one your benefitting charities, at which time your one-time donation of $25 to $100, made via credit card, will be matched by The Patterson Foundation.
Your generosity and support of our lifesaving mission is most appreciated. Thank you for BEING THE ONE TO HELP THEM GROW!
Cat Depot 2542 17th Street Sarasota, FL 34234 Direct: 941.366.2404 x 302 www.catdepot.org
The Hernando De Soto Historical Society announced that the two-time Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization will serve as the Grand Marshall of the 83 rd annual De Soto Heritage Festival Grand Parade presented by Cox Chevrolet and MOR-TV. The parade, featuring over 150 entries, draws beautifully decorated floats and krewes from throughout the United States and Canada and is one of the largest parades in Florida. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are two-time National Football League champions, most recently following the 2020 season. They became the first team to win the Super Bowl on their home field when they captured the 55 th edition of the game in February 2021 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The Buccaneers, owned by the Glazer family, and led by General Manager Jason Licht and Head Coach Todd Bowles, are also very active in the community, through the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation and the Glazer Vision Foundation. The Buccaneers’ 36 combined regular season and postseason victories over the last three seasons are the fourth-most in the NFL. During that span, Tampa Bay proved to be one of the most exciting and prolific teams in the league by leading the NFL in points scored (29.8 per game), passing yards (300.0 per game), and passing touchdowns (118). This past season, the Buccaneers were NFC South division champions and advanced to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
The Hernando De Soto Historical Society, Inc. is a not-for-profit, community organization of 225 Conquistadors (volunteer members) who celebrate the historical significance of Spanish explorer
Hernando de Soto’s landing near the mouth of the Manatee River in May 1539. The Society produces Manatee County's largest entertainment events each year, attended by upwards of 280,000 guests, with proceeds supporting various local charities, providing college scholarships, funding a cultural museum in downtown Bradenton, and maintaining a Sister City relationship with Barcarrota, Spain. The parade will be held on Saturday, April 30, starting at 7:00pm and will march through the streets of downtown Bradenton.
This year marked the return of the Tennis Ball: A Grand Slam Event and the Joey Gratton Tennis Championship after a two-year hiatus. Fans and community members were eager to partake in the events from Friday, April 8 to Sunday, April 10 after being unable to hold the event in previous years due to the pandemic. 2022 is the first time these events kicked off the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open which started on Monday, April 11 and continues through Sunday, April 17. The itinerary started on Friday evening, with over 300 guests in attendance for the 2022 Tennis Ball: A Grand Slam Event, presented by The Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open. The sold-out event took place at Michael’s on East in Sarasota. Proceeds from The Tennis Ball: A Grand Slam Event, will support Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties Foundation. The Joey Gratton Tennis Championship took place from Saturday, April 9 to Sunday, April 10, at the Sarasota Sports Club. The Championship was created in 2011 to honor his legacy and spread his passion for competition by supporting youth programs through sports. The date 11-11-11 was displayed on each bag given to guests during the event as a way to remember this incredible athlete, husband and father. His family established the Joey Gratton Foundation in his honor to create opportunities for those that may not have the chance. The Joey Gratton Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and Desoto Counties both believe in helping local youth build a greater, brighter future. The festivities came to a close on Tuesday, April 12, as the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open held a check presentation for Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties Foundation as charity partners.
One Park Sarasota, a luxury condominium development overlooking The Bay Park, is pleased to announce its support of The Bay Park Conservancy (BPC), the non-profit organization responsible for overseeing the redevelopment of 53 acres of City-owned land along Sarasota Bay into an iconic public park. One Park Sarasota, a luxurious 149-unit property co-developed by national developer PMG and Sarasota-based JEBCO Ventures, has committed a $100,000 sponsorship toward The Bay’s Grand Opening Celebration and pledged $1 million towards capital improvements throughout Phase 1. The Bay is a community-led civic initiative to transform 53 acres of city-owned land into an iconic public park on Sarasota Bay. Phase 1 of the park will open in October 2022, which will include award-winning features such as the Common Ground lawns, the Mangrove Bayou Walkway and outdoor Reading Room, an ADA-accessible paddle launch, an artistic playspace and concession pavilion, restored and preserved mangroves and shorelines, and more. For more information about The Bay Park Conservancy, visit www.thebaysarasota.org.
Liony Garcia is a dancer and choreographer based in Miami, FL. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New World School of the Arts. As a performer, he has worked with BodyTraffic (LA) performing choreographic works by Guy Weizman and Roni Haver (NL) and Barack Marshall. Locally he's worked under the direction of Alexey Taran with Bistoury Physical Theater and is a founding member of Rosie Herrera Dance Theater. Liony is currently a dancer in Brigid Baker’s WholeProject. He’s worked director Celia Rowlson-Hall on her latest short film entitled Swamp Lake. He's recently worked with filmaker, Claudio Marco Tulli on his film installation, Blasting Pixels. As a solo performer, Liony has performed at Mana Contemporary , International Noise Music Conference and most recently at Bas Fisher Invitational, along with modular furniture designer Deon Rubi. This performance will show on April 14, 15 and 16 at 11am and 7:30pm.
The Queue: Beyond The Surface, A Solo Exhibit by Nneka Jones. In this exhibition, Nneka Jones comments on topics such as identity, stereotypes and the digital age. Jones embeds and camouflages portraiture, making some of her subjects almost unrecognizable. Contrasting technological symbols, such as barcodes and QR-codes, with the soft edges and skin tones of the figure, Jones creates a timely discussion on humanism vs. futurism. She brings to light a growing struggle to maintain true identity in the face of our highly influential social media sites. Jones believes social technologies create a digital mask ultimately causing issues with mental health and social segregation. She aims to magnify these issues in the hope of starting conversations surrounding identity and unity. Opening Night Reception is Friday, April 15th, 2022 from 6pm to 8pm. Open Exhibition Dates are April 16th through May 7th By Appointment Only.
"Bach Immersion III," A collaboration performance featuring Leymis Bolaños Wilmott and Anna Zwanzig (photographer). Natalie Helm explores J.S. Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello as they’ve never been experienced: through a multi-sensory interactive performance, which Helm titles Bach Immersion. Over the course of this three-part concert series, the audience will travel into each Suite’s unique world through a live musical performance alongside a myriad of other art disciplines, including dance, painting, photography, spoken word, fashion design, and food. With guest artists collaborating with Natalie and interpreting the music in conjunction with the audience, Bach Immersion will create a unique and one-of-a-kind experience. This performance will take place on Friday April 15th and Saturday April 16th 2022 at 7pm and its Virtual Stream will take place on Saturday, April 16th at 7pm.
The 1st Annual “Remember When” Vintage Car Show will be held Saturday, April 17, 2021 from 10am to 2pm at newly renovated Water’s Edge of Bradenton. This event is FREE to the public! Come join us for Classic Cars, Great Food, Cool Beverages, Door Prizes & Free Giveaways, Craft Vendors and Classic Music from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. We also welcome you to take a tour of the 37-acre campus and experience the over 19,000 square feet of amenities that Water’s Edge of Bradenton has to offer residents. If you have any general questions about the event, please contact Helena at 941-757-2311. To schedule a tour of the property in advance, please contact Theresa at 941-705-4584. Vehicle Registration: If you would like to pre-register your classic car for the event, please download the event flyer at the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dqe7wcrSJoPfnVwE_SMn-Hziusnhm1DF/view?usp=sharing. Complete and return the form on the second page of the flyer along with your $10 donation. You may also register your vehicle on the day of the event at the show with a $15 donation.
Join Guitar Sarasota for a six-concert series that showcases local and regional musicians who perform a 45-minute concert, followed by a question and answer session. Free and open to the public, thanks to a generous and ongoing grant from the Vera and Imre Hecht Foundation, these concerts entertain, educate, and raise awareness of the beauty of classical guitar music. Multi-Generational, Community and Youth Showcase, will take place at 7:30pm on Monday, April 18, 2022 at St. Paul Lutheran Church. Guitar Sarasota is thrilled to provide an opportunity for local youths, retirees, and classical guitar students of all ages to perform for an audience. The musicians have one thing in common – a passion for classical guitar – and it shows. This is a very popular event and gives the performers and audiences alike a memorable, musical experience. We invite music lovers to support this series. Your tax-deductible donation allows us to bring these free concerts to audiences allowing them to experience the beauty and repertoire of classical guitar.
Grab your cowboy boots and hat for a ride through the soundtracks of beloved TV and movie Westerns on Wednesday, April 20 at 5:30pm, Thursday, April 21 at 7:30pm, Friday, April 22 at 5:30pm, and Saturday, April 23 at 8pm at Holley Hall. Enrico Lopez-Yañez leads the musical caravan of selections from The Lone Ranger, Annie Get your Gun, Silverado, and more.
Sarasota High School Theatre's Footloose the Musical will show April 20-23, 2022. When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, he is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period at his new high school. But he’s not prepared for the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing instituted by the local preacher, who is determined to exercise control over the town’s youth. When the reverend’s rebellious daughter sets her sights on Ren, her roughneck boyfriend tries to sabotage Ren’s reputation, with many of the locals eager to believe the worst about the new kid. The heartfelt story that emerges pins a father longing for the son he lost against a young man aching for the father who walked out on him.
The Farmers’ Market at Lakewood Ranch is home to more than 90 curated vendors of the region’s best food and flavors, located at Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch. It takes place every Sunday from 10am to 2pm at Waterside Place. It’s your weekend destination for organic produce, meat, poultry, seafood, bread, pasta, juices and prepared foods. Stay up to date on vendors and events by visiting TheMarketLWR.com.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is pleased to announce the opening of As long as there is sun, as long as there is light. Selections from the Bring Gift and The Ringling Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art. The exhibition will run Nov. 21, 2021 – Aug. 13, 2023, in the museum’s Searing Wing. In 2020, The Ringling received a significant gift of art from Murray Bring and Kay Delaney Bring, in support of the modern and contemporary collection. Highlights from the gift include an important minimalist work by Anne Truitt and a monumental work on canvas by Gene Davis, both artists affiliated with the Washington Color School, an art movement during the 1950s to 1970s in Washington D.C., made up of abstract expressionist artists Additional works in the gift represent a generation of prominent artists who work, or have worked, in abstraction, including Clement Meadmore, Jules Olitski, Beverly Pepper, Rebecca Salter, Kenneth Snelson, and Yuriko Yamaguchi, among others. Also on view are sculptures and paintings by distinguished African American and Latin American artists from The Ringling collection, including William Edmondson, Eduardo Mac Entyre, Omar Rayo, Baruj Salinas, and Joyce de Guatemala.
A city tour led by one of Sarasota’s Founding Women: Rose Wilson, Mable Ringling, Marie Selby, and Bertha Palmer, as portrayed by actress and guide Kathryn Chesley. History comes to life on this Sarasota City Tour led by Rose Wilson, Mable Ringling, Marie Selby, or Bertha Palmer, as portrayed by actress and guide Kathryn Chesley. Each week’s 90-minute tour features a different leading founder and focuses on her contributions to Sarasota. Tour ticket includes FREE Parking.
The most ambitious and expansive exhibition to date of contemporary artworks created with augmented reality (AR) technology will premiere at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, opening on September 25, 2021 and ongoing through August 31 2022, as one of 12 participating gardens across six countries. Seeing the Invisible features works by more than a dozen international artists such as Ai Weiwei, Refik Anadol, El Anatsui, Isaac Julien CBE, Mohammed Kazem, Sigalit Landau, Sarah Meyohas, Pamela Rosenkranz, and Timur Si-Qin—including several artists’ first work in AR. Visitors will engage with Seeing the Invisible via an app designed for the exhibition downloadable to smartphones and tablets. Forging new links between botanical gardens located in diverse biomes around the globe, the exhibition fosters collaboration between institutions, artists, and audiences, highlighting the power of art to connect people around the world.
The Ringling is pleased to present an exhibition that celebrates the life and artwork of Eleanor Merritt from February 18, 2022 to August 21, 2022. Eleanor was a dedicated volunteer at The Ringling for many years as a docent and Board member. She also served as president of the Venice Art Center and was active in other arts organizations as well. Eleanor passed away in 2019 leaving a legacy of art and public service. This exhibition is dedicated to her spirit and creativity and represents a small sample of a significant body of work the artist created over her long career. Beginning with an early work from the 1950s Untitled (Seated Figure) and concluding with her last painting Blue Embrace of 2018, the exhibition highlights her creative use of materials, movement between figuration and abstraction, and her commitment to women’s rights. The works in the exhibition come from the artist’s estate and from a few prestigious private collections. The artist’s daughter, Lisa, and artist Mike Solomon were critical guides in the development of this exhibition.
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