Opening Tonight - June 3
[ yummy, yummy, yummy ]

The Players Theatre will host an encore run of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Sweeney Todd.  The Manatee Players production recently won “Best Production” at the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Atlanta and will compete for its second consecutive national community theatre title later in June. Sweeney Todd is a chilling, suspenseful, heart-pounding masterpiece of murderous “barber”-ism and culinary crime which tells the infamous tale of the unjustly exiled barber who returns to 19th century London seeking revenge against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. Call the box office at 941-365-2494 and click here to go to home page.

Now Playing
[ burns court ]

Away From Her, starring Julie Christie, is playing now at Burns Court. This lyrical adaptation of celebrated author Alice Munro's short story The Bear Came Over The Mountain is a beautiful yet unconventional story of a couple coming to grips with the onset of memory loss. Beloved by critics and audiences alike when it premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, the film marks the arrival of an exciting new filmmaker in Canadian actress Sarah Polley, who makes her feature screenwriting and directorial debut.

June 1, 2 & 3
[ time ]

Sarasota Senior Theater presents the "Best of Times" directed by Jared Walkerand featuring performances by Martha Kessler & Jack Eddleman as "Grandma & Grandma", and also local performers Linda Ballou and Phillip "Filipe" Picciotti.  This fun and exciting show is being reprised at the beautiful Historic Asolo Theatre. For tickets call the Box Office at 941-360-7300. For more information call 941-351-5106.

June 1,2,3, 9 & 10
[ painting play ]

Painting Churches, a play by Tina Howe, opens this week at the Glenridge Performing Arts Center on Palmer Ranch. The play tells the story of Margaret, a painter whose star is on the rise in the NYC art scene, as she paints the portrait of her elderly parents. A touching family story is unraveled as the three share precious time. Call 941-552-5325 for times, tickets and directions.

June 2
[ metro music ]

Elysian Sex Drive super charges the Metro at 9:00 pm with live music that will get your blood moving or you are just dead! Video.

June 3
[ gay ol’ time ]

The Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus presents Time To Take Our Place; a high energy musical revue celebrating the diversity of music, cultures and each of us! (that’s the whole title). The 4:00 pm performance is at the Pine View School Auditorium and tickets and info are available by calling 941-366-5875. Sponsored by Suncoast Pride.

June 4
[ play reading ]

MacArthur genius grant playwright, Naomi Wallace is a Kentuckian living in London and her play, The Trestle At Pope Lick Creek will have a rehearsed reading at 7:30 pm at Backlot. The presentation is the final offering of this season's "Best Plays You've Never Seen" series of plays that are unlikely – for various reasons -- to have a Sarasota-area exposure. The increasingly popular sessions are free (contributions accepted) and feature post-play audience reaction. Call the Backlot for information at 941-363-9300.

June 4
[ aids theatre project ]

The Sarasota AIDS Theatre Project (SATP), in it’s commitment to producing staged play readings to procure funds for area HIV/AIDS support organizations, will produce  OUT AT THE GOLDEN APPLE #4- Terrence McNally’s hilarious comedy, “THE RITZ” at The Golden Apple Dinner Theatre,  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show will begin promptly at 7:30 pm. Dessert and coffee will be served and a cash bar available.  To order tickets call the Golden Apple at (941) 366-5454 and for further information call Artistic Director, Garry Allan Breul at  941-758-6399 or email garallan@msn.com. Proceeds from this staged play-reading will go to the Michael Boch Health Center in Manatee County and MCC-Church of the Trinity PWA Pet Program.

June 8 – 10
[ got milf? ]

Coming to McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre: Three Blonde Moms are actually lifelong friends and the show is unique comedic perspectives of their captivating journey from childhood to motherhood. "Moms is a slam dunk for a hit television show!" says Variety magazine. Mary Ellen Hooper (Comic Of The Year, The Tonight Show) as the "Strawberry Blonde I Love Lucy Mom". Joanie Fegan (The Drew Carey Show) as the "Very Blonde Enabler Mom". Helen Keaney (host of Style Network's "You're Invited") as the "Dirty Blonde Dysfunctional Mom.” (copy stolen from McCurdy’s site)

June 9 & 10
[ loveland ]

The Venice Little Theatre and Loveland Center partnership, now in its twelfth year, is a true example of what community organizations can accomplish through partnering. Developmentally challenged adults from Loveland come to the theatre once a week throughout the year. The result of their work culminates in this Main Stage performance.

Get tickets now
[ dolls house ]

The Banyan Theater Company will open its 2007 season with Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House (also know as A Doll’s House). The production will be at the Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. Call 941-358-5330 for tickets and information.

June
[ talk radio ]

Listen to Talk of the Sun Coast on June 4 with guest, actor, David Breitbarth; June 5 Robert Levin of the Sarasota Music Festival; June 6 Wayne Barcomb, author of Under Current; and June 14 (Rick’s 47th birthday Christine) Susan Danis, Executive Director of the Sarasota Opera. Listen to WSLR and Talk of the Sun Coast LIVE every weekday from 2:00 – 3:00 pm by clicking here.

June 19 opening
[ apple time ]

Don’t miss Johnny Guitar at The Golden Apple Dinner Theatre . “Honored as Off-Broadway’s Best Musical in 2004 by the Outer Critics Circle. This uneful, laugh-filled musical comedy embraces ‘50s-style movie acting, melodramatic romance and rough-and-tumble cowboy action.  Featuring a sensational score of doo-wop songs and steamy Southwestern ballads, “Johnny Guitar” is based on a classic 1954 western that starred Joan Crawford.” Call 941-366-5454 for info and tickets.

What is Tableau Vivant Nouveau? Click here to find out what you missed at the Paradigm Art Gallery because I put something in the deleted file by mistake; it happens.

[ your story here ]

Want news about your event to show up in the next issue of anythingarts.com? Great! We are getting a ton of submissions now and, frankly, some look more like 5,000 word essays. We get dozens every week and have to choose just a fraction. So, here’s what you can do to help us and help your chances of getting in. Write something that resembles the size, layout and information contained in the stories in this issue. Include a good quality jpeg photo attachment (that you have the rights to use) and supply us with links to your event website. We can’t get every submission in or this thing would be too big and you’d all stop reading before you got through it. But we will try to present as much as possible and continue to publish a diverse sampling of local events. Heck, make it really easy for us and we may just copy and paste your submission right in to the issue! Thanks for reading and please, please, please forward this issue to everyone you know and help us spread the word. (email your story here)

On June 2 you can audition for a couple of upcoming productions at The Players. Greetings, directed by Bob Trisolini, and Plenty Horses, directed by Roberta McDonald. Click here for information.

June
[ get real ]

The Longboat Key Center for the Arts is offering Summer Classical Realism Classes. This class will explore the painter’s resources:  color, value, edges, and paint quality. In addition, guidance in learning how to see what we are looking at and how to set up a composition will be provided.  Understanding will be stressed rather than following rigid rules. Call 941-383-2345 for details and pricing.