The Sarasota Scene 5|18|18

Upcoming Events

WBTT Hosts Booker Middle School DIVAS for end-of-year celebration
The event took place in WBTT’s newly-renovated Outreach & Education Building and was facilitated by the Bradenton/Sarasota Chapter of The Links, Inc.
In May, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe hosted students in grades 6-8 from the Booker Middle School DIVAS (Determined Individuals Visualizing Academic Success) program, parents and school personnel — including the principal, Dr. LaShawn Frost – for the DIVAS end-of-year celebration. The event was facilitated by the Bradenton/Sarasota Chapter of The Links, Inc., an African-American women’s association whose members mentor and provide workshops for the girls from the DIVAS group. The 125 guests enjoyed a tour of the facility, a presentation by WBTT founder and artistic director Nate Jacobs, musical numbers by WBTT artists Ariel Blue and Sheldon Rhoden, and dinner together. The evening culminated with the presentation of certificates to the students, recognizing them for their participation in the program. The goal of the DIVAS is to aid members in becoming well-rounded young women through the development of positive social skills, etiquette, and academic excellence. 

Three Presentations Scheduled to Reveal Draft Master Plan for The Bay
The Bay and Sasaki will continue to gain feedback for the future of the site
Sarasota Bayfront Planning Organization and master design and planning firm Sasaki will host three large presentations for the community to reveal the first draft Master Plan for the future of The Bay. The draft is based on a careful synthesis of community feedback, various community meetings, and other input gathered via the in-person and online surveys during the mid-April Sasaki visit. The purpose of the presentations is to share the first draft, gather additional input, and answer community questions. Feedback will be gathered following the presentations with an online and in-person survey. The presentations are open to the community. Due to limited capacity, RSVPs are required for each presentation.

Monday, May 21, 2018
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Grand Foyer
RSVP

Monday, May 21, 2018
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Grand Foyer
RSVP

Tuesday, May 22, 2018
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The Sarasota Municipal Auditorium
RSVP

Doors will open a half hour prior to the start of the presentation. If you are unable to attend, Tuesday evening’s presentation will also be live streamed on The Bay Sarasota’s Facebook page.

Sarasota County Solar Co-op Opens
Offers Affordable Solar to Sarasota County Communities
Representatives from the League of Women Voters of Sarasota County, City of Sarasota, Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations, Mote Marine Laboratory, and more organizations, with Solar United Neighbors of Florida, will host a press conference announcing the opening of a new Sarasota County Solar Co-op.
Solar co-ops assist a group of homeowners who are interested in purchasing solar panels to leverage their bulk purchasing power while learning about the benefits of distributed solar energy. As part of a solar co-op, citizens benefit from the educational process and each participant signs his or her own contract with the installer, and everyone gets the high-quality, competitive bid. All homeowners who reside in Sarasota County are eligible to participate in the co-op.

Wednesday, May 23 at 10:00 a.m.
Mote Marine Laboratory, Marine Mammal Center
1703 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota

Representatives:
Jen Ahearn-Koch, City Commissioner, City of Sarasota 
Carol Hartz, President, Sarasota League of Women Voters
Robert Essner, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mote Marine Laboratory
Sean Sellers, Lynn Nilssen, Sarasota Climate Justice Coalition and Ready for 100 Sarasota
Julia Herbst, Solar United Neighbors of Florida

Sarasota Music Festival Announces Week One Highlights
The Sarasota Music Festival is a program of the Sarasota Orchestra
College-age student participants in the Sarasota Music Festival (SMF) attend master classes and coaching sessions, participate in the SMF orchestra, create outreach concerts for the local community and perform chamber music.

The first Sarasota Music Festival events open to the public are Master Classes beginning on June 4, 2018. Costing $5 per class to observe, Master Classes are taught by renowned faculty and offer students the opportunity to learn from experts in a small group setting.

Sarasota Music Festival Week One (June 4 – 10, 2018) Highlights:

Artist Showcase 1: Love Songs
Thursday, June 7, 4:30 pm – Holley Hall, Tickets from $28
The first concert of the Festival is composed of well-known moments and is performed by the Festival faculty featuring Music Director Jeffrey Kahane.

Festival Concert 1: Brilliantly Baroque Friday, June 8, 8:00 pm – Sarasota Opera House, Tickets from $27
The first mixed faculty/ student chamber concert of the Festival opens with a unique opportunity for a Festival student to perform a Baroque concert featuring music by Bach and Vivaldi in one evening, in what Kahane calls a “bucket list” experience for people who love classical music.

Saturday Symphony 1: Afternoon of a Faun
Saturday, June 9, 8:00 pm – Sarasota Opera House, Tickets from $35
Under the baton of conductor Larry Rachleff, Angelo Xiang Yu, winner of the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition in 2010, joins the Festival as soloist to perform Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1.

Additional program highlights include Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Mozart’s Symphony No. 39.

Rising Stars 1
Sunday, June 10, 3:00 pm – Holley Hall, Tickets from $10
Festival students perform Chamber works of their choice; repertoire and students to be announced.

Conservation Foundation hosts The Jungle in Your Backyard
This family-friendly program, designed for kids, is presented in collaboration with Sarasota Nature Printers.
The program, designed for kids ages 5 to 12, will be held Saturday, June 9, 2018, 9:00 am to 11:00 am at Bay Preserve, 400 Palmetto Avenue in Osprey.
Attendees should be prepared to hike through the woods and experience the sights and sounds of nature and discover leaves and flowers to use for your own nature print. Registration is required as capacity is limited. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For details and registration, visit http://www.conservationfoundation.com/jungle or call (941) 918-2100.
The Jungle in Your Backyard is offered in celebration of the family-friendly production, Jungle Book, presented by Asolo Rep, June 6 through June 24 in Sarasota.

Florida Studio Theatre Announces the 10th Anniversary Sarasota Improv Festival
Featuring 20 of the top comedy ensembles from across the country and as far away as France and Spain

July 12-14
Passes may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 941-366-9000 or visiting floridastudiotheatre.org

In honor of this milestone Festival, this year there are three headliners—one for each night of the Festival. Headliners include Impro Madrid, Baby Wants Candy, and Impro Theatre.

Kicking off the Festival at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 12, is Impro Theatre, a Los Angeles-based improv company that improvises full-length plays in the styles of the world’s greatest creative thinkers, such as Shakespeare, Sondheim, and Dickens. Returning to the Gulf Coast after three years, Impro Madrid will perform at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, July 13. Baby Wants Candy will improvise a never-before-seen musical as the third and final headliner at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 14. Last year’s 9th Annual Festival attracted over 3,600 attendees over the three-day event.

PRICING:
Three Day Pass – Thursday, Friday, and Saturday – $79
Two Day Pass – Friday and Saturday – $69
Single Day Pass – Saturday – $55
Single Day Pass – Friday – $55
Thursday Night Pass – $29
Single tickets for Headliner – $25