A manager struggling to keep his circus afloat during post-war hard times hires a famous aerialist to attract crowds, meanwhile displacing his starring lady love. “The Greatest Show on Earth” was filmed largely in Sarasota and had its world premiere at the Florida Theatre (now the Sarasota Opera House).
A 1920s silent-film star falls for a spunky chorus girl, much to the dismay of his diva-ish leading lady, in this lighthearted musical spoof of the early days of Hollywood.
The Marx Brothers spoof of the opera world, with a two-bit promoter wooing a wealthy dowager and promising to arrange her entrance into high society if she antes up $200,000 as a patron of the arts.
This Oscar winning Best Picture chronicles the epic tale of a 1940’s mobster family in New York City, where the father builds an organized-crime empire and his three sons, to varying degrees, follow in his footsteps.
In Casablanca in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate encounters a former lover, with unforeseen complications. Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay.
Now in its fourth year, this established Sarasota tradition will bring you onto the Sarasota Opera House main stage where your favorite downtown restaurants will be showcasing their tasty dishes paired with fine wines, assorted beers and specialty cocktails. Proceeds from this event benefit the Sarasota Youth Opera who will perform during the event. Come to mix & mingle, sample tasty bites, and have a drink with us to celebrate the end of summer in Sarasota!
Participating Restaurants include:
Bijou Cafe
Brick’s Smoked Meats
Cafe L’Europe
Clasico Sarasota
Currents at Hyatt Regency Sarasota
Duval’s Fresh. Local. Seafood
El Greco Mediterranean Cafe
H20 Bistro at Hotel Indigo Sarasota
Jack Dusty at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota
Kahwa Coffee Sarasota
Louies Modern
Mattison’s City Grille
The Melting Pot
Michael’s On East
Nancy’s Bar-B-Q
The Rosemary
Selva Grill
Sift Bakehouse and Five-O Donut Co
Tsunami Sushi
And more…
Thank you to our sponsors: Whole Foods Market, Cocktails By Spence Consulting, Gold Coast Eagle Distributing, Sarasota Magazine, The Observer, and Serbin Printing Inc
Executive Director Richard Russell will interview the singers and artistic staff responsible for bringing our revival of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” back to the Sarasota Opera stage.
From her little house on the hill overlooking the Nagasaki port, with a little boy at her side, Butterfly awaits the return of her beloved. Three years earlier, at the tender age of fifteen, she married Pinkerton, a Liutenant in the United States Navy, and now he’s returned to break her heart. Filled with Puccini’s most expansive melodies, “Madama Butterfly” is at the top of a very short list of the most performed and best loved operas of all times.
Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi will interview the singers and artistic staff responsible for bringing our new production of Rossini’s “The Italian Girl in Algiers” to the Sarasota Opera stage.
Lindoro’s attempts to escape Mustafa, the Bey of Algiers, have all been in vain. He is now faced with a hand-me-down bride instead of his beloved Isabella who has gone missing. A unique turn of events brings Isabella right where she needs to be to save her lost fiance and the day!
SOLD OUT! We hope you will join us next year!
Join the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County for the 16th Annual Principals Luncheon, “Raise Your Voice for the Arts!” Together we’ll celebrate our Sarasota County School Principals and their contributions to arts education in our schools!
Featuring student performances and Keynote Speaker Jayne Ellspermann – President, National Association of Seconday School Principals, and Principal of the Year, 2015.
Tickets are $50. RSVPs are due by Dec. 1.
For any questions, please contact Cindy Balistreri at the Alliance: 941-365-5118, Ext. 301.
We look forward to seeing you at the Opera House!
Courtship or conquest? The breakdown of a defiant spirit or a breakthrough that liberates a heart deprived of love? From the world-renowned Stratford Festival, this scintillating production of Shakespeare’s boisterous comedy The Taming of the Shrew will stir your emotions as you follow the love story of Katherina and Petruchio – the feisty lovers at the center of Shakespeare’s most pointed social commentary. Deborah Hay gives a “performance for the ages” as the Shrew, and Ben Carlson is the perfect counterpoint as her plotting suitor, creating a chemistry that sets the stage alight.
This is a production of the Stratford Festival
