Arts & Entertainment

The Venice Chorale is excited to announce that Mr. Brent Douglas will be returning as Artistic Director and Conductor. Alyssa Adamson returns as Youth Chorus Director and Natalia Van Genderen as Principal Choral Accompanist. Together this artistic team will bring three main concerts to Venice Performing Arts Center under the themes of Holidays, Pops and Masterworks. The season kicks off on Monday, December 16th with “Classic Carols, Modern Mirth: A Holiday”. On Sunday, February 23rd, the choir will bring you “Stars and Stripes: Celebrating Great American Songs”. “Black & Blue: A Journey Along the Danube” will be the season finale on Sunday, April 27th. Season tickets are on sale now at thevenicechorale.org or call the box office at 941•218•3779. Single tickets go on sale Thursday, August 1st. Pictured here is the Venice Chorale’s artistic team (l-r): Natalia Van Genderen, Brent Douglas and Alyssa Adamson.

The Hermitage Awarded Over $238,000 in Grants
The Hermitage Artist Retreat, 6300 Manasota Key Road, announced that the Hermitage has been awarded nearly a dozen grants totaling over $238,000 that will support a variety of programs and initiatives, including residencies for Hermitage Fellows, arts education support, and program accessibility. Grants were awarded by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Amphion Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Exchange, Koski Family Foundation, Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Program, National Endowment for the Arts, and Plantation Community Foundation. Learn more about the Hermitage and its programs at hermitageartistretreat.org.

Loveland Center Presents
Loveland Center is buzzing with excitement about their theatre production, “A Year with Frog and Toad”, that they will perform weekends, July 26-28 and August 2-4. Based on the classic book series by Arnold Lobel, this musical is about Frog and Toad, who have just awakened from hibernation in the spring. They plant gardens, swim, rake leaves, go sledding and learn life lessons along the way. The two best friends celebrate and rejoice in the differences that make them unique. Showtime is 6pm on Friday and 2pm on Saturday & Sunday. 

Tickets are $10-$20 at lovelandcenter.org.

Bluegrass Bash
The Heartland/Southwest Florida Bluegrass Association will be hosting another great show on Saturday, July 27th at Craig’s RV Resort, 7895 NE Cubitis Avenue, Arcadia. Featured bands will be “Flat Branch” and “Flatland Bluegrass”. The show starts at 1pm with open mic/jam band, followed by “Flat Branch” at 2pm and “Flatland Bluegrass” at 3pm. Show is free for members and non-association members are welcome for a $10 donation. Camping sites are available for the weekend and there are impromptu jam sessions and parking lot picking. For questions, call Mark at 941•219•2256. 

LBP Auditions
Lemon Bay Playhouse announces that auditions for their first play of the season, “Spreading It Around”, will be Sunday, July 28 and Monday, July 29 at 7pm at the playhouse, 96 W. Dearborn Street. The cast calls for three males and two females. The play will run Wednesday, September 4 through Sunday, September 22. The plot is about a wealthy widow in a retirement community who is tired of handing out money to her unappreciative children so she starts the “S.I.N. (Spending It Now) Foundation” to give to those in need. This terrifies her greedy son who tries to have her committed. Audition sides are available at lemonbayplayhouse.com.

LBP Box Office Closed
Lemon Bay Playhouse, 96 W. Dearborn Street, will reopen their box office on Thursday, August 1st. Single ticket sales for the 2024/25 season will be available for purchase at that time. View all that LBP has to offer this coming season at lemonbayplayhouse.com. Box office hours will be Monday through Friday, 10am to 2pm, and you can reach the box office during those hours at 941•475•6756.

Dancesport Championships
The Florida State Dancesport Championships will be held Wednesday, July 31 through Sunday, August 4, at the Ritz Carlton, 1111 Ritz Carlton Drive, Sarasota. There will be championship competitions for dance styles including rhythm, ballroom, smooth, Latin, carbaret, and American smooth. There will also be workshops offered. Tickets range from $35 for day admission to $200 per evening dinner and competition. See the complete schedule and ticket purchase link at flstatedance.com.

Summer Break for EAC
The Englewood Art Center (EAC), 350 S. McCall Road, will be closed for a summer break from Thursday, August 1 until Tuesday, September 3. In the meantime, you can visit EAC online at ringling.edu/eac.

Venice Theatre pressents "The Mousetrap"
The Mousetrap is coming to Venice Theatre from Friday, August 23 through Sunday, September 15. Fans of Agatha Christie won’t want to miss this masterful mystery thriller’s colorful characters and ingenious plot that has made it the longest-running show of any kind in the world and is still playing in London’s West End. Performances will be held in the Pinkerton Theatre at 140 Tampa Avenue West, Venice. Shows start at 7:30pm Tuesday through Saturday and at 2pm on Sunday. Ticket price is $35 adult and $15 youth and may be purchased online at venicetheatre.org or by calling the box office at 941•488•1115.

A Symphonic Spooktacular
The Venice Symphony kicks off its season with “A Symphonic Spooktacular” on Friday and Saturday, October 11 & 12, at the Venice Performing Arts Center, One Indian Avenue, Venice. Gather witches, wizards, and ghosts for a ‘not-so-scary’ Spooktacular featuring a harmonious collaboration of symphonic sounds and storytelling. Become entranced by Bernard Herrmann’s “Psycho: A Short Suite for String Orchestra” and travel to otherworldly dimensions with music from “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and other mystical medleys. Concert times are 7:30pm Friday and 3:30pm & 7:30pm Saturday. Individual tickets go on sale Monday, August 5th at thevenicesymphony.org. Call 941•207•8822 for more information.

Frank Sinatra Tribute
Venice Theatre presents “My Way”, a musical tribute to Frank Sinatra from Friday, August 9 through Sunday, September 1,
in the Raymond Center, 140 Tampa Avenue West, Venice. With easy-going banter and 55 superbly arranged songs from the Great American Songbook, “My Way” celebrates one of music’s most iconic singers. Shows start at 7:30pm Tuesday through Saturday and at 2pm on Sunday. Ticket price is $37 adult and $15 youth and may be purchased online at venicetheatre.org or by calling the box office at 941•488•1115.

 “Translation-Traducción” presented by The Hermitage
Join Hermitage Fellows and Collaborators, Mónica Lavín and D.P. Snyder, for an exploration of the Spanish-English literary dynamic and the deeply human activity of understanding another person’s voice, on Friday, August 9 at 6:30pm. “Translation-Traducción” will give insight into the act of literary translation and will be presented on the beach at the Hermitage Artist Retreat, 6660 Manasota Key Road. Mónica Lavín, hailing from Mexico City, is the author of nine books of short stories and writes for the Universal newspaper and interviews for public television in Mexico. D.P. Snyder is a skilled translator, focusing primarily on literature from Mexico, Colombia, the Caribbean, and Spain. She specializes in short fiction, essays, interviews and literary criticism and is currently at work on a novel. Registration is required with a $5 fee per person at hermitageartistretreat.org. 

Friday Night Concert
The Friday Night Concert, at Centennial Park gazebo in Venice, features Steve Haines on Friday, August 9. Performing at the Friday, August 23 concert will be “Zach Regan and the 776”. The free concerts are held on the second and fourth Friday evenings from 7 to 9pm. Concert attendees should bring their own seating to Centennial Park, 200 W. Venice Avenue, Venice. No alcohol permitted.
For more information, go to visitvenicefl.org.

A Lifelong Collaboration: Lazour Brothers
Musical theater has a long history of storied collaborators: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Kander & Ebb, Ahrens & Flaherty, Pasek & Paul, and now Daniel & Patrick Lazour. Finalists for the 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize, the Lazour Brothers are already Jonathan Larson Grant and Richard Rodgers Award recipients, and their works have been recognized by such prestigious institutions as American Repertory Theater and Lincoln Center. On Friday, August 23, 6:30pm, they will be at the Hermitage Artist Retreat beach, 6660 Manasota Key Road. Join them to hear selections of past and upcoming works and learn what’s next for this energetic duo. Blending cultures and weaving stories as eloquently as they meld musical styles, the Lazour Brothers are two of the most innovative and evocative musical storytellers working in the American theater today. Registration is $5 at hermitageartistretreat.org.

Logo Design Contest
The City of Venice is launching a Centennial Logo Contest as part of the planning for Venice’s upcoming 100th year anniversary, which officially kicks off in November, 2025. The Centennial logo will be featured throughout the numerous Centennial events scheduled. For information about the design criteria, go to venicegov.com/events/Centennial Celebration. Designs are being accepted through Monday, September 2nd. The designs will be put up for public vote in late September with final adoption by the Venice City Council. For questions, call 941•468•2626.

Mr. Swindle’s PreSale
Salto Entertainment announced that Mr. Swindle’s Traveling Peculiarium will be back in Englewood with a new show in January at Pioneer Plaza, 325 W. Dearborn Street. If you are unfamiliar with the show, Mr. Swindle’s is an extravaganza of circus acts, full of outrageous humor and spectacular acrobatic feats. The show runs Wednesday, January 8 through Sunday, January 19, with both afternoon and evening shows available. Get your tickets now during the presale and save 15%. The presale prices are $34 to $59.50 (plus taxes & fees) and expires Tuesday, September 17th. Regular ticket prices will be $40 to $70 (plus taxes & fees). Go to mrswindles.com for more information and ticket purchase.