| Thursday, Apr 3, 2008 [ Sarasota Web Cam ] | [ Visit us online ] |
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Welcome to
AnythingArtsNewlsetter.com Sarasota Edition, an
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Featured Artist
Remembering Zan. Who would have thought that it was so contagious or that, once infected, it would change her whole life? Zan Aufderheide innocently signed up for a comedy class at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre and Humor Institute in the spring of 2007. Once exposed, her defenses were almost immediately compromised and the virus spread through her whole body, she was unable to fight against the raging infection. She had what some people simplistically call “the bug.” Whatever it was, it turned out to be incurable and now Zan simply has to live with the side effects for the rest of her life. Hers is not a unique story, as thousands are exposed yearly. Some die gruesome deaths, feeling alone in a crowd and surrounded by silence. But not Zan! She is a fighter and has learned not only how to survive, but to thrive and soar. She is an inspiration. Zan is a comedian. Zan moved to Sarasota four years ago after living in the Midwest, San Diego and elsewhere. With an M.F.A. on the wall and dreams of making it big and living a full life, Zan adopted the old adage “grow where you are planted” and she has thrived in Sarasota; acting with several local theatre companies, appearing in independent movies and commercials and even holding the record for appearing at the Ritz Carlton Sarasota with more naked people than any other pro in town (as a professional massage therapist, that is). Since taking to the McCurdy’s stage last year, Zan has embraced comedy with her entire being. She has appeared on comic stages from Miami to Indiana and has made the finals in competitions all over Florida. Recently, Zan auditioned for Last Comic Standing in Nashville and has opened for internationally touring comedians like ANT, Ty Barnett and Gina Yashere. You can now catch her hilarious antics every Thursday night at BC’s Recovery Room for “Zan’s Comedy Jam.” It’s a hot new venue for comics from all over the Sarasota/Tampa Bay region, including open-mic spots for those with the guts to give it a try. She’s also preparing for the Boston Comedy Festival in September and rehearsing now for a tour this summer of “Generations of Laughter: The Stand-Up Comedy Tour for the Decades.” The tour features Zan, Jodi White and Dottie Casper; three funny ladies from their twenties to their eighties. The tour kicks off May 29 in Tampa at Sidesplitters and tickets are on sale now by visiting their site. Ok, Zan might not be tired from her busy schedule, but I am exhausted from writing all this! Here’s to you Zan… congrats! We should all learn by her example and follow our dreams with passion. See you on Letterman! (click here to nominate our next artist) |
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April 2 – May 24 [ fst play ] Experience Miami in Sarasota this week at Florida Studio Theatre with “The Miamians.” As it says right on FST’s website, where we lifted this: “As a new skyline forms over the city of Miami, heritage and traditions are slowly being lost. Three families - one Cuban, one African American and one Jewish - collide, intermingle and eventually blend as Michael McKeever's provocative new play weaves a tapestry of the new American Dream, and perhaps a new American hope.” Call 941-366-9000 for tickets and information. |
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On-Line [ history & videos ] “Sarasota History Alive” is a new site that we just discovered and thought you should check it out. Click here to watch a short video about the old, and long gone, Lido Beach Casino. It will bring back memories for some and educate others about a forgotten era in Sarasota. Mucho kudos to Larry Kelleher and Lee Gaines for creating such a nice and informative site and preserving the history of Sarasota. |
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Down Yonder [ artists co-op gallery ] AnythingArtsNewsletter.com has two editions: one in Sarasota and one in Manatee county. Our reach is spreading and every week we get requests to share information about things from Tampa to Naples. We can’t cover all of that, but sometimes we are able to spread the word a little to “help an artist out.” The Sea Grape Gallery is a co-operative gallery by 23 artists in Punta Gorda. They tell me they get lots of Sarasota business, so we are sharing a link to their site so that you can go check it out. Here you go, click here. |
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Opening April 3 [ art exhibit ] A solo exhibition of new works by Daniel Bilodeau, called “Body English,” at the Dabbert Gallery on Palm Avenue through April 30. There is an artist’s reception April 3 from 5:30 – 8:00 pm. “According to our individuality,” says Bilodeau, “we are always actively painting ourselves and our world. I paint my people as a reminder that we are responsible for our lives and more.” |
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April 4 [ picasso & wine ] Foley's Fine Art, 1540A Main Street, Sarasota, will feature “Picasso Meets the Furute,” juxtaposing an impressive, recently acquired Picasso collection valued at over $100,000 with contemporary work by two award-winning Ringling College students, Tina Sweep and Jane Radstrom. An artist’s reception, Picasso by channeling, from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. (Hotel 17 by Tina Sweep, 30 x 36 in, Oil on canvas) |
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April 4 Betty Comora’s Good Time Jazz Band serves up excitement at the Sahib Shrine (600 N. Beneva Road) from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Betty is an artist’s artist, she is always upbeat and ready to help anybody with encouragement and a smile... and she plays a mean washboard too! Call 941-366-4449. |
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April 4 [ village of the arts ] The Village of the Arts has an arts walk every first Friday and Saturday of the month. This month is no exception and you should make a point of taking the time to stroll the streets. While there, pop in to the Manatee Arts Council’s Gallery and explore the work of artist, and Siesta Key resident, Drew Strouble. You should also note that the Kaos Gallery is holding the last few weeks of its final exhibit. |
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April 4 [ palm ave arts walk ] What started as mostly the galleries on Palm Avenue now includes much of Main Street, Burns Court and is spreading around downtown Sarasota. That’s great for arts patrons; it means you have even more to experience. So, take a little extra time and enjoy! The “official” First Friday, arts walk or gallery stroll or whatever you want to call it, is the first Friday of every month from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. But come early and stay late. |
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April 4 & 5 [ gender bender ] David Mitchell reprises his gender-bending one-man comedy “Lip-Schtick; Nine Personalities, One Small Problem” at the Venice Little Theatre at 8:00 pm each night. The performance is part of the Theatre Guild of VLT’s fundraising mission and has sold out all previous engagements. So get your tickets now by calling 941-488-1115 or on-line here. |
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April 4 & 5 [ art on siesta ] The Siesta Key Art & Craft Fair is this weekend from 10:00 – 5:00 pm each day along Ocean Blvd. and Beach Road. Nuff said? |
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April 4- 13 [ film festival ] It’s back! You can enjoy The Sarasota Film Festival this week in Sarasota and all the different events. There are way more things to do than we can put in this little paragraph, so check it all out on-line here. |
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April 5 [ dance dance dance ] The last “Saturday Community Dance Class” of the Season is this Saturday in Sarasota at the Berlin YMCA (1075 South Euclid Avenue) from 3:00 – 4:15. All are welcome and no experience is necessary. At least stop by and check it out and you’ll know what to expect when the classes resume in August. Free for Y member and $7 is the suggested donations otherwise. |
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April 6 [ drum major ] The Taran Day Concert starts at 3:00 pm at the Lakewood Ranch Cinemas with the Jacobites Pipe and Drum Band. Call 941-928-9312 for more information. Tickets available through SRQ Box Office. |
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April 6 [ lvov concert ] Eleonora Lvov has played piano as a soloist and with major orchestras throughout the US and Europe. Enjoy a local concert at 4:00 pm at the Unity Church of Sarasota (3023 Proctor Road, between Tuttle & Beneva). Call 941-358-0235 for more information. |
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April 8 [ documentary film ] “Special O’Laughics” has two screenings at the Sarasota Film Festival, and one is already sold out! There are still seats, as of this moment, for the 4:45 pm show on Tuesday, April 8th. Get your tickets at the SFF Box Office or on-line here. “Special O’Laughics” is the touching and hilarious story of a group of mentally challenged comedy students as they prepare for a sold-out evening of stand-up at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre. Director/Producer Ken Sons and some of the comics are expected to attend the screenings. FUN! Watch the trailer here. |
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April 8 [ artist’s reception ] Harmony Gallery, at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, presents an exhibition of Ellen Kaiden: “Sensual Symphony 2.” The reception is from 5:00 – 6:30 pm and you can RSVP, by April 4th please, at 941-953-4252. A portion of all sales benefit the Florida West Coast Symphony. The exhibition runs through April 29th. |
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April 9 [swingin’ time ] The Sarasota “Big Band” Jazz Ensemble is performing “It’s All About Swing” at 7:30 pm with the music of Les Brown, Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman at the Venice Community Center at 326 Nokomis Ave. Approximately 25 musicians and featured vocalist Mary Beth McLeod, directed by Tony Benade, will share great jazz music for just $10.00 per person. Tickets are sold at the door. |
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Every Thursday [ laughs ] “Zan’s Comedy Jam” is a regular Thursday feature at BC’s Recovery Room, 2119 Siesta Drive, 941-364-8653 (near 41 and Siesta Drive). Experience some of the area’s best comics or take the stage yourself, first time or not. For information on the how, what, where, when and how, email here and click here. |
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Opening April 10 [ venice little theatre ] Marina Carr’s “By the Bog of the Cat” runs through April 27 at the Venice Little Theatre with performances Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 pm and Sunday at 2:00 pm. From the VLT press release, “Loosely based on Euripides’ tragedy ‘Medea,’ this is the story of Hester Swane, an Irish Traveler, who attempts to come to terms with a lifetime of abandonment. A bleak and ghostly landscape are the backdrop for her courageous attempt to lay claim to what is hers at the very time her own world is being torn in two. And as she does, we are shown a furious and uncompromising tale – of greed and betrayal, of love and of murder. And of a descent into madness.” Call 941-488-1115. |
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I have just finished reading
Richard Price’s
Lush Life. Although I had known about one of his
earlier books, Clockers, which became a major
movie, I had not read any of Price’s other seven novels. But when Lush Life
came out, and I began reading testimonials to it from other writers I
respect, like Dennis Lehane (”Price is the greatest writer of dialogue,
living or dead that this country has ever produced”) and Russell Banks
(“Price writes the language we hear and speak better than any novelist
today.”), I decided I had to read this book. If you like a book with a stunningly accurate sense of place – as do I – read Lush Life. It is, put simply, the story of a mugging that turns into murder, the victim shot dead outside a Lower East Side bar at 4:00 am. Thus begins a gripping, 455-page journey through the mores, speech patterns and ethnic differences of the denizens of today’s Lower East Side. Lush Life is an in your face and yes, lush novel, an achingly real portrait of a world beneath the radar, populated by real people, the likes of which few of us outside “the neighborhood” are likely to meet or know. As for the dialogue, you will never read better, more realistic, often several pages in a row, eschewing the need for any description. It’s all in the dialogue. Although I write mystery-thrillers, I read as much non-fiction as fiction. I’m currently reading Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins, which actually is a true life thriller involving every kind of evil, including murder. The book is the revealing and frightening story of a real life economic hit man (Perkins) whose job was to convince developing countries to accept enormous loans and then funnel that money back to U.S. corporations for building infrastructure. The U.S. and international aid agencies then exact their pound of flesh, including access to natural resources, military cooperation and political support. I hasten to add that the book is not another hysterical diatribe against the U.S. Rather, it is a fascinating insider’s view of how private multinational companies legally rob the poor of the Third World. As the Library Journal said, “This riveting true story of a world of intrigue reads like a spy novel. Highly recommended.” |
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April 10 [ new college art ] The New College of Florida Senior Art Exhibition runs April 7 through 12 at Mack b Projects (500 Tallevast Road, Suite 107). The exhibit by students finishing their studies at New College, includes sculpture, painting, photography, kinetics, robotics, performance art and more. An Opening Reception is April 10th from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. Call 941-359-0654. |
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April 11 [ laughs at van wezel ] The Southern Fried Chicks Comedy Tour, starring Etta May, comes to the Van Wezel for one 8:00 pm performance only. The other “chicks” are Trish Suhr, Beth Donahue and Sonya White. It’s a hoot! Call 941-953-3388. Visit their website and y’all sho’ will recognize ‘em. |
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April 11 – 19 [ timely play ] Set in a liberal arts college in Vermont, “Spinning Into Butter” by Rebecca Gilman hinges on a singular event that turns self-proclaimed liberals into finger-pointing fools. Director Dean Anthony says, “The play postulates that everyone is at least a little bit racist, and that not acknowledging this is the most dangerous cut of all. Above all, the play deals with the almost insurmountable hurdle that political correctness puts in the way of truly talking about race.” At Studio 84 at 8:00 pm April 11-12, 14 and 16-19, and at 2:00 pm April 13 in the Chamber Theatre, which is in room 123 of building 11, located to the right of the main entrance to Neel Performing Arts Center off 26th Street at 60th Avenue West, MCC Bradenton. Better yet, for more information, call 941-752-5252. |
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April 12 [ pottery exhibit & reception ] Join the EDFISH Gallery for David Hammel’s “Collection of Pottery and Carved Wood.” Hammel is a fifth generation Floridian and Ringling graduate whose work has been widely seen and praised. The reception is from 1:00 – 6:00 pm. Call 941-925-0308. |
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April 12 - 13 [ smell the flowers ] The Sarasota Garden Club presents its 71st Annual Flower Show from 12:00 – 5:00 pm at 1131 Blvd. of the Arts. Call 941-955-0875 for more information. |
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April 13 & 15
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April 14 [ the bard and shylock ] The acting students of the FSU Asolo Conservatory present a special 40-minute version of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” on the loggia of the Ca D’Zan (John Ringling’s crib) on the Ringling Museum grounds. |
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April 18 [ source play ] The SOURCE Theatre will perform “Joel’s Story” on Friday at 7:00 pm at the Manatee Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 322 15th Street West in downtown Bradenton. Joel's Story is a play that examines teen relationships, high-risk behavior, HIV/AIDS, and drug abuse. This hard-hitting play tells the story of two teens in love - Alison and Joel. Their love story is forever altered when Joel tests positive for HIV. This play is appropriate for high school students and adults. There will be a potluck dinner prior to the play at 6:00 pm. The SOURCE Theatre is an exciting, national touring company for young adults, ages 14-25, that has been based in Sarasota for over 20 years. The SOURCE is directed by Equity actress and award-winning playwright KT Curran. |
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April 25, 26, 27 [ ballet performances ] Iain Webb and the Sarasota Ballet continue a season of firsts with a program including Tony Award winning choreographer Matthew Bourne’s The Infernal Galop from 1989, a world premiere of Wolfgang for Webb by Dominic Walsh and a reprise performance of George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante. The performance is at the FSU Center for Performing Arts (5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota). To purchase tickets, call the box office at 941-351-8000 or toll free at 1-800-361-8388. Tickets can also be purchased online at the Sarasota Ballet website by clicking here. Tickets start at $15 and tickets for children under 12 are 50% off. |
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April 25 – 27 [ round the world ] Because I am tired, you get this copied and pasted: “The Sarasota Senior Theater presents ‘Around The World in 80 Minutes,’ an incredible, fantasy journey that takes the audience around the world in song and dance. Directed and choreographed by young professionals, Jared Walker and Eric Berkel, this energetic, totally entertaining production, with a cast of 31 talented seniors, will be presented at The Players Theatre, April 25, 26, 27, 2008.” Tickets are available at the Players Box Office, in person, by phone 941-365-2494, or on-line here/a>. |
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Actors Workshop The business side of acting is addressed in the intensive “Actors Jump Start Workshop” on April 12th. Lead by Sharon Moist, President of the LA-based Actors Resource Center. Participants will learn the ins and outs of interview techniques, headshot do’s and don’ts, agents versus managers and more. For all of the details click here. |
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Manatee Players Camp The Manatee Players Summer Youth Theatre Training program begins on June 9 with a Clown Camp, and classes continue through the end of July with special programs for different, specific age groups. Clown Camp will be offered the week of June 9 – 13 in association with Circus Sarasota. This camp is designed for ages 8 – 17 and will run from 1 – 4:30 pm. A performance will be presented to parents at the end of the week under the direction of professional clown Karen Bell. The Junior Camp, running June 23 – 27, is designed for campers aged 5 – 7. The youngsters participate in theatre games, improvisational activities, and learn performance etiquette in addition to acting basics. The program runs from 9:00 am to noon each day. Broadway Boot Camp will begin on July 7 and run for 3 weeks through July 27. During this intensive training, actors aged 8 - 17 will produce the school version of Grease. For information about the educational programs at Manatee Players, phone Leona Braun, education coordinator, at 941-748-0111. To purchase tickets to a Youth Theatre performance or to register for one of the camps, phone the box office at 941-748-5875. |
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April 7 & 14 [ audition ] Auditions for The Banyan Theater Company will hold auditions for its summer 2008 season on April 7 & 14 at the FSU Performing Arts Center. This season’s plays are “A Moon for the Misbegotten,” “True West,” and “The Clean House.” Equity and non-Equity roles are open. Call 941-351-1277 for an appointment. |
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Auditions [ pick me, no me ] Be sure to check the audition pages of local
theaters to make sure you don’t miss anything (click the theater name):
Venice Little Theatre •
Florida Studio Theatre
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Information about show times, places and dates is assumed accurate but not guaranteed. Please contact the presenting organization directly, by the link or phone number provided, to confirm information.
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