While the words “card game night” typically evoke images of poker chips and cigars and the kinds of people who think it’s ok to smoke cigars indoors, Sarasota artist Samantha Wuerfel and her partner, Michael Donahue, have something very different in mind with their newest creation: a not-quite-card-game-but-more-conversation-deck called Hio.

Hot off the press, a Hio deck comprises 54 cards, each with a single philosophical/introspective question printed on it. And… that’s it. Less a game and more an operation in curiosity, exploration and empathy, the goal is to spark the kind of conversation that doesn’t always crop up naturally while rehashing the day’s news or recalling the latest episode of whatever, but that almost always results in the sort of evening that everyone agrees “We should do more of.” So while the cards provide some targeted jumping off points for conversation—“Who were you before you were told who you should be?” “How do you think your reality differs from others around you?” “If you could relive any moment, what would it be?”—it really is up to the participants to bring the rest and engage with the questions in an open and honest way. The results, says Wuerfel, could be surprising.

She speaks from experience, having taken a similar “question deck” on a cross-country trip she and Donahue took in the summer of 2021, transporting a friend’s RV from California to Rhode Island. For six weeks, the pair were on a bona fide adventure, camping in national parks, making new friends by the fire and generally doing their best to experience the breadth of what this grand and bizarre nation had to offer. And along the way, in between landmarks and campsites, when the cell service was gone and the horizon stretched out forever, Wuerfel and Donahue went through the deck. “And even though we’d been dating for years,” she says, “we learned so much more about each other.”

In the two years since, the pair have been curating their own deck, asking the questions that they think need asking, pushing the buttons they think need pushing. The result is Hio. “And everywhere we’ve taken our prototype deck,” Wuerfel says, “the responses have been amazing.”

Currently available via the Hio website, the inaugural run will be limited to only 100 decks, as Wuerfel and Donahue already have plans to refine and re-release. They have more decks in the works, as well, including a deck for couples, one for young families, and another based on conspiracy theories. (“Choose who you want to use these decks with,” laughs Wuerfel.) And that’s just to start. Wuerfel and Donahue plan to see how far they can go and just how much a deck of cards can really do.

“So many of us are seeking connection and wanting to learn more about ourselves and the people we surround ourselves with,” says Wuerfel, “and it’s funny to think that a simple deck of questions can be so effective in discovering each other and ourselves.”

https://hiodecks.com/ 

When Bruce Jordan and Marilyn Abrams saw a production of Paul Portner's Scherenschnitt in Düsseldorf in the 1970s, they had no idea of just how much the play would change their lives. “The play was a very dark murder mystery, completely free of humor,” says Jordan. “What struck me was the production’s potential for comedy–the minute the audience was invited to be a part of the play, their observations and influence made a serious story very funny. In 1976, I was performing a very serious translation of Scherenschnitt in a dinner theater in Lake George, New York, and I wrote to Marilyn saying that we needed to turn the play into a comedic murder mystery localized to the setting that the production was airing in.”

In 1978, Shear Madness was born–an interactive comedic murder mystery in which the audience works with the cast to solve the murder of the lady living above the Shear Madness salon. Since then, Shear Madness has become the longest-running, nonmusical play in American Theater history, with 12,610 consecutive performances in Boston, 9,850 consecutive performances in Washington, D.C. and countless other productions around the world. This summer, Shear Madness comes to Sarasota with a slot in Florida Studio Theatre’s Summer Mainstage Series. The production, which airs from May 31 to June 25, is returning to FST for the first time since its two year run from 2010 to 2011. “Even though we last did this play at FST over a decade ago, to me it’s like it happened yesterday,” says Jordan, who will direct this summer’s production at FST. “Normally when you act in a play, you know exactly what your trajectory is going to be. But when you act in Shear Madness you don’t know whether you’re gonna be guilty that night or innocent, what questions people might ask you or what relationships they might bring up. It’s such a fun thing to perform because it’s constantly changing.”

Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 North Palm Avenue, Sarasota. 941-366-9000. 

Pictured: Shear Madness 6: (Pictured – Left to Right): Jordan Ahnquist (Tony Whitcomb), Lisa McMillan (Mrs. Shubert), Shaun Memmel (Mikey Thomas) . Photo by John Jones..

To learn more, visit

Art Center Sarasota’s 2023 exhibition season continues with its annual regional exhibit, the largest juried exhibition of the year. “Identity: Exploring the Human Condition,” highlights the diverse talents of artists from across the southeast region of the United States and is on display in all four gallery spaces. On view from June 1-August 5, the opening reception is Thursday, June 1, 6-8 p.m. The juror is Christy Paris, an art professor and PhD candidate in the College of Education at the University of South Florida. A “Juror’s Critique,” with Paris, will take place on Tuesday, June 6. Art Center Sarasota is located at 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For information, visit www.artsarasota.org or call 941-365-2032. 

Pictured: Regional Exhibit, Roses on Grey by Eva Bejar, Merit Award. Photo courtesy of Art Center Sarasota.

Summer is right around the corner and wearing the proper fabrics and protective accessories is essential in beating the heat. Locally owned boutique, Casa Del Sol, has got you covered… literally.

Casa Del Sol is a new boutique in the Siesta Key Village, established in 2023. They specialize in timeless beachwear for both men and women. Fashion buyer and co-owner, Erika Schmidt, has done a beautiful job sourcing both trend-forward and classic styles with practical fabrication for a life in the sun. Casa Del Sol's summer collection features lightweight linens, breathable cotton’s and rayon blends with minimal prints and neutral color palettes.

Linen and cotton are both well known for their sustainability and wearability in the heat. Rayon, also known as viscose, might be lesser known. Rayon has recently become a popular fabric in the fashion industry as it’s more sustainable than polyester and can often be made to imitate silk. Rayon and viscose can give you that expensive look without the price tag and work well for Florida temperatures. At the boutique, you can find styles like wide leg pants, breezy tops, flowy dresses and seamless tanks. They also recently launched a new women’s loungewear collection made with a cooling, buttery soft bamboo fabric. In the men’s section, you’ll find a variety of cotton t-shirts with vintage inspired graphics, lightweight button-down tops along with shorts meant for both the beach and every day wear. Casa Del Sol believes in a life under the rays. They make your days under the sun more enjoyable with their made-for-Summer accessories. They offer UPF sun hats, sweat resistant jewelry, protective sunglasses and oversized beach bags for commuting. They also have a skin care collection designed to keep tanned summer skin healthy and glowing. The Cooling Lotion from Project Reef Sunscreen is a customer favorite. All of their skincare products are sustainable, all natural and reef friendly. Feel confident knowing that both you and our oceans are protected.

I’ll leave you with a note from Co-Owner Erika, “Wherever your Summer takes you, don’t forget to make your own rays!”

Kendall Stone is the Owner and Fashion Buyer of Motel Therapy Boutique, 532 S. Pineapple Ave Sarasota. @moteltherapy. 

Pictured: A Look Inside the Women’s Section at Casa Del Sol Boutique Photo Credit: Erika Schmidt

Temple Sinai welcomes the whole community to celebrate Pride Month with a special welcome reception, Shabbat service and dinner on Friday, June 16, 2023 beginning at 5:00 p.m. Temple Sinai is located at 4631 South Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota (enter only from Proctor Road). Reform Jews are committed to the full participation and affirmation of people identifying as LGBTQ+ in synagogue life as well as society at large, and Temple Sinai will celebrate their commitment to inclusion with a special Pride Shabbat featuring guest speaker, Jason Champion, an LGBTQ leader within Sarasota County who sits as Board Chair of Project Pride and President of the SRQ LGBTQ Kickball league. He will share his thoughts about issues facing the LGBTQ+ community and how their challenges in some ways mirror the challenges faced by many Jews. Chazzan Abramson believes that we are created b'tzelem Elohim (in the image of God) and said, “Almost eighteen years ago, as I was making my decision to become the chazzan at Temple Sinai, I was moved by the message on our synagogue’s website about the meaning of the prayer, “Shema Koleinu” (Hear All Our Voices), a supplication to God to hear our collective voice, to grant us all compassion and mercy. I never forgot those words and they remain a defining principle at Temple Sinai today.” A welcome reception with light refreshments and beverages will precede the service and a festive Shabbat dinner will follow. The evening is being generously sponsored by Chazzan Abramson, members of Temple Sinai and friends from the community. Please pre-register for the dinner by Wednesday, June 14 at: templesinai-sarasota.org.For more information, visit templesinai-sarasota.org or call 941-924-1802. 

A True Leading Lady| Who Can Turn the World on with Her Smile? Mary Tyler Moore! Being Mary Tyler Moore, a new HBO documentary directed by James Adolphus premiered on April 1st, May/June 2023. 

Read Here!