The best things to do around Sarasota for Sept. 15-21

Film screenings, live music, theater and art talks give Sarasota an eclectic combination of entertainment events this week.


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  • | 5:00 a.m. September 13, 2022
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Thursday

Chalk Festival founder Denise Kowal is all set for an art talk. (Courtesy photo)
Chalk Festival founder Denise Kowal is all set for an art talk. (Courtesy photo)

Chalk Talks with Denise Kowal
4 p.m. at Arts Advocates Gallery, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail
$10 members, $12 non-members
Visit ChalkFestival.org and ArtsAdvocates.org.

You may have questions like "How do you draw a shark the size of a football field?" And "How do you start a local festival that eventually becomes a local institution?" Denise Kowal, founder of the Chalk Festival, will have answers for you. Kowal started the Chalk Festival all the way back in 2007, and it's matured into a gigantic event that draws chalk artists from all over the world.

Spotlight Talk: Dr. Alix Pierre
6 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail
Free members, $20 nonmembers
Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

Join Dr. Pierre, the senior lecturer on African Diaspora and the World at Spelman College, as he dissects the roots and contexts of the Sarasota Art Museum's Katrina Coombs fiber art exhibit "I M(O)ther: Threads of the Maternal Figure."

‘Cliffhanger’
7:30 p.m. at The Island Players, 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria
$25
Visit TheIslandPlayers.com.

There's a murder in this play, but there's no mystery. The main character accidentally, Professor Henry Lowenthal, kills his boss early in this play, and then he and his wife must find a way to get rid of the evidence before they're caught by snooping students and suspicious police officers. Mike Lusk directs; 'Cliffhanger' will run at The Island Players through Sept. 25.

'God’s Country'
7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice
$29, $21 college student/educator, $15 high school student
Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

White supremacy and sedition may not seem like prime ingredients for dramatic theater, but this play written by Steve Dietz in 1988 has taken on new relevance in the decades since it was created. Dietz interweaves three poignant stories burnished with true-life dialogue from court transcripts and sermons.

 

Friday

Friday Fest: Jah Movement
5-9 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
Free
Visit VanWezel.org.

You could call it a block party, but it's more like a lawn party. The final Friday Fest of the year will take place at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, and Jah Movement will get the party started with their timeless mix of reggae and roots music. You'll have your choice of food trucks and drink stations to wet your whistle.

'The Revolutionists'
7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice
$29, $21 college student/educator, $15 high school student
Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

Let them eat cake. This Laura Gunderson play tells the irreverent tale of four "bodacious" women set in the French Revolution who eventually lose their heads. It's fast-paced and topical, and it will give you something to think about when you leave the theater. Candace Artim directs this production, which will run through Oct. 2.

 

Saturday

Big Band Concert
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in St. Armands Circle Park, 1 St. Armands Circle
Free
Visit StArmandsCircleAssoc.com.

The Sarasota Jazz Project celebrates the swing music of the 1930s.

The Sarasota Opera Food and Wine Festival, formerly known as A Taste of Downtown, benefits the Sarasota Youth Opera. (Courtesy Photo)
The Sarasota Opera Food and Wine Festival, formerly known as A Taste of Downtown, benefits the Sarasota Youth Opera. (Courtesy Photo)

Sarasota Opera Food & Wine Festival
1 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$85
Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

Let the Sarasota Opera wine and dine you. This event took a hiatus during the pandemic, but now it's back in full splendor. You'll be able to nosh on foods from several local restaurants and swish wine around your palate to your heart's content. Proceeds will benefit the Sarasota Youth Opera, and the talented young coterie of singers will perform selections from the upcoming production of "The Secret World of OG" as part of the festivities. 

Half Way To St. Patrick's Day
1-9 p.m. on Lakewood Main Street, Lakewood Ranch
Free
Visit LakewoodRanch.com.

Looking for an excuse to party? Enjoy live music, Irish food, drinks, games and kids' entertainment on Lakewood Main Street to celebrate the halfway point to St. Patrick's Day.

Canelo vs GGG III
8 p.m. at Hollywood Regal, 1993 Main St.
$13
Visit RegMovies.com.

It would cost $85 to see this fight at home. Or you could see it on a big screen for $14 instead. Middleweight champions Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin have faced each other twice before, with their first encounter being judged a draw in 2017 and the second a majority decision in Alvarez's favor the following year. Now they face off again with another championship on the line. Will past be prologue? Or will Golovkin get revenge? 

 

Sunday

'Side by Side' by Sondheim
2 p.m. at Studio 1130, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130
$30, $13 students
Visit ThePlayers.org.

It's the finale of Side by Side by Sondheim, which means it's your last chance to celebrate the canon of one of Broadway's greatest songsmiths. You'll hear songs from all over Stephen Sondheim's ouevre, including songs from musicals like "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Gypsy," "West Side Story," "Company" and more.

It's great music Jersey style at Florida Studio Theatre. (Courtesy photo)

'The Jersey Tenors Part II'
2 and 7:30 p.m. at FST's Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 Palm Ave.
$10 members, $20 non-members
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

These Jersey imports are still here and they're still singing their best tributes to the Garden State. They mash up rock and opera hits into their own imitable mixture, and they make sure to always sing a little something from Jersey natives Frankie Valli and Bon Jovi.

 

Monday

Monday Night Jazz at the Cabaret
7:30 p.m. at John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$25-$39
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Danny Sinoff, a jazz pianist and vocalist based in Fort Myers, will take center stage at the Monday Night Jazz program. Sinoff performs as part of a trio, and he plays jazz standards and selections from the Great American Songbook. Bassist Scott Smith and drummer James Varnado will support Sinoff. The show starts at 7:30, but the doors will open at 6:30 for food and beverage service.

 

Tuesday

'Refuge' Documentary Screening
7 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court
Free
Visit WSLR.org/Fogartyville.

This is a story sure to strike up a conversation. Refuge follows the story of a member of a white nationalist hate group forced to confront their own belief system and re-evaluate his life. Director Din Blankenship will discuss the provocative film with the audience after the screening. This film is being screened as part of the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers.

 

Wednesday

'Point of View'
6 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail
$10 members, $20 nonmembers
Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

Join Jon Thaxton of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation as he speaks about one piece at the Sarasota Art Museum that really speaks to him. Guests are invited to take in new perspectives and to ask questions and enhance their own understandings of art.

 

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