This past Wednesday, Maytag Virgin began play at Florida Studio Theatre’s Keating Theatre, as a part of the company’s Summer Mainstage season. The play, written by Audrey Cefaly and directed by Kate Alexander, FST’s Associate Director at-large, is a southern love story that focuses on Lizzy Nash, a spunky high school English teacher and her new next-door neighbor Jack Key, a high school physics teacher. Both Lizzy and Jack have lost their spouses and although they seem to have nothing in common, their close proximity forces them to reconcile with their growing feelings for one another.

The stage is bookended by Lizzy and Jack’s houses and takes place in the character’s adjoined back yard - the character’s only real common ground. “The houses are very much meant to be a reflection of the characters. Lizzy’s house and backyard are a lot more livelier than Jack’s and much more lived-in versus Jack's is more subdued and closed off - a lot of the stuff with him resembles that of a man still moving in whereas Lizzy’s is someone who has made the space her own,” says scenic designer Pedro L. Guevara.

The challenge of creating a space embodied a modern, southern town, but also personified two distinct characters was no easy task. “The only stage direction was: ‘set in a fictional town in the South’. I wanted to emulate the architecture of these southern towns, which seemed to be a mix of Craftsman and old Gothic-Victorian - creating the sense that these houses have definitely been lived in,” says Guevara.

Guevara, who’s based in Louisiana, began the process by creating a model of what the set might look like to show Kate Alexander. “We as set designers have the tools and abilities to bring the director’s vision to life. For this production I used a combination of model-building and Photoshop - it was the easiest way to show Kate the two houses and then digitally overlay the strategic clutter that was going to live on stage overtop the model,” attests Guevara.

Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N Palm Ave, Sarasota, 941- 366-9000 

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The lazy crazy hazy days of summer seemed like the perfect time to read a classic, and being a 6 year Southern belle brought me to read Flannery O'Connor’s Wise Blood from 1952. O’Connor fashioned this novel based on four previously published short stories which takes a sardonic look at the inhumanity of war, hypocrisy of religion, and the inability of humans to connect.

O’Connor, tragically, only lived to the young age of 39 due to lupus, and while her name was familiar to me, due to the restrictive nature of my college concentration being British Literature and subsequent 30 year teaching career, where outside reading wasn't possible, I'd never read her. Wow, I've been missing out!

Wise Blood was provocative, profound and engrossing. Depressing as all get out, but the life truths doled out in southern gothic style were impactful. Try reading page 150 and not think about the broken lives of any suicide or mass murderer. Some lives have been broken beyond repair.

Not for the faint of heart, but worth the read. A true classic!

Wise Blood is currently available at BookStore1 Sarasota 117 S. Pineapple Ave. Sarasota, FL 34236 or at their online store at www.sarasotabooks.com. Originally Published 1952 ISBN: 9780374530631. 

Arts Advocates is pleased to announce a new art talk series that will take place in the Arts Advocates Gallery, The Crossings at Siesta Key mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. The first talk on July 21 features members of the Petticoat Painters, a group formed in 1953 to showcase the talents of female artists at a time when women had difficulty finding venues to exhibit their work. Mark Ormond, an independent curator, author, lecturer, and consultant, will present the second talk on August 18. Cost for each art talk is $10 for Arts Advocates members, $12 for non-members. Registration is required at ArtsAdvocates.org. “Art Talk with the Petticoat Painters” kicks off the series on July 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Artists Lucy Barber, Susan J. Klein, Judy Lyons Schneider, Jana Millstone, and Diane Schmidt are members of the Petticoat Painters, one of the oldest continuously exhibiting arts groups in the United States. These five women artists have their own distinct style and approach, which participants will see along with hearing about their processes and inspirations and what it has meant to be a member of this distinguished group. Cost is $10 for Arts Advocates members, $12 for non-members. Registration is required at ArtsAdvocates.org. “Art Talk - A Week in the Life of a Curator” on August 18 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. features curator Mark Ormond. With over 25 years of experience in the art world, Ormond has organized dozens of museum exhibitions, and authored, edited, and contributed to numerous brochures, catalogs, and publications on artists. During his 10-year association with the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, he was senior curator and deputy director for collections and programs. Ormond, who is the curator of the Arts Advocates’ collection, will explain the complexity of planning, fundraising, acquiring, and transporting art …everything involved in creating a successful show. He will also discuss how the role of a curator has changed in today’s art world with new forms of emerging art, such as videos, NFTs, and performance art. Cost is $10 for Arts Advocates members, $12 for non-members. Registration is required at ArtsAdvocates.org. To learn more about Arts Advocates, visit artsadvocates.org. 

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Building on a successful program that helped more than two dozen Sarasota County communities bolster (and beautify) their stormwater retention ponds, Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (START) has secured a $100,000 grant from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation to expand a regional “Healthy Pond Collaborative” (HPC) initiative into Manatee County. The Manatee version will be a partnership with START and the Manatee County Department of Parks and Natural Resources that will in combination with the Sarasota County effort now cover all ponds flowing into the Sarasota Bay Watershed. This is a major step forward in the attempt to reduce the flow of excess nutrients in stormwater into our waterways that lower water clarity needed to restore the health of our seagrass beds and feed harmful algal blooms like red tide. According to START, stormwater contributes 65% of the nitrogen into local waterways, which feeds red tide and causes other damage to water quality and wildlife. You may call them lakes, but the more than 6,000 bodies of water in Sarasota County are all manmade and only operate at 40% to 60% efficiency in removing the excess nutrients that contribute to water pollution. This new collaboration will help more neighborhoods upgrade their ponds and cost-share the improvements. It also will create and distribute a step-by-step pond enhancement guide, host educational focus groups, and do follow-up monitoring of pond enhancements. A very successful pilot pond program funded by a grant from philanthropists Ed Chiles and Elizabeth Moore helped enhance over a half-mile of pond shoreline in Manatee County communities last year. This unique effort and collaboration is helping to establish state-wide and national models that can be recreated in other communities. 

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Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s Board of Directors approved a $60,000 grant from the Venice Endowment Fund to support field renovations at Wellfield Park in Venice. This partnership between the City of Venice, Sarasota County Government, and Gulf Coast Community Foundation will allow for the restoration of both Soccer Field #2 and the Letson Stadium Football Field. At their June 28 regular meeting, Venice City Council members supported moving forward with this important project, approving a $142,200 budget amendment to appropriate funds for the City’s portion of the work. This amount includes Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s grant. In the partnership, the City will be responsible for turf replacement and pest control treatment. “The City of Venice is very grateful for the opportunity to partner with Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Sarasota County on the soccer and football field restoration project at Wellfield Park,” said Assistant City Manager James Clinch. “This partnership project will benefit two major youth sports organizations and hundreds of families in our community.” Sarasota County is responsible for sand, soil, laser grading, and all labor and onsite supervision and coordination of the projects. Total project cost is $162,200. “We are thrilled to partner with Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the City of Venice on this exciting project and continue enhancing athletic fields in south county. This important collaboration will support generations to come and benefit kids in our community,” said Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Director Nicole Rissler. 

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Naples Soap Company, known for its high-quality skin and hair care products made with natural and organic ingredients, is coming to Downtown Wellen. The publicly traded company, created by former nurse Deanna Wallin, joins a growing number of retail boutiques, restaurants, beauty services, and medical and professional offices in the developing downtown, the vibrant central hub and gathering place for Wellen Park and the region. With stores stretching from Naples to Destin, Naples Soap Company’s Downtown Wellen boutique is its 12th Florida location. It will feature a fun, inviting coastal design, tester products and a sink for customers to sample products.Naples Soap Company offers hundreds of products for body, face and hair free of parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol and other chemicals. Natural ingredients provide therapeutic and healing benefits, including CBD oil and hemp for pain relief. Its collection includes colorful soaps, bath and shower bombs, lotions, body butters, muscle balms, sea salt and sugar scrubs, and popular shampoo and conditioning bars that last longer than a bottle and reduce waste. Products feature hypoallergenic fragrances in Florida-inspired scents – juicy citruses, lime, coconut and ocean breezes. All Naples Soap Company skin and hair care products are made in the U.S., many of them handcrafted in Florida. Color is derived from natural sources like micas and clays or food-grade dyes. Loofahs are organic and sponges are sourced from Tarpon Springs. Packaging is kept to a minimum, with soaps, shower bombs, and shampoo bars displayed unwrapped. The company uses plastic-free or low-waste packaging that willdegrade whenever possible. To learn more about living at Wellen Park, call 941-960-7805, go to wellenpark.com or visit the Welcome Center at 12275 Mercado Drive in Venice, Fla. The Welcome Center is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Pictured: With stores stretching from Naples to Destin Naples Soap Companys Downtown Wellen boutique is its 12th Florida location.

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