Actors, artists, directors, filmmakers and events in the news August 22-31, 2022

Grouped under headings that include art openings, film, outdoor art fairs and festivals and theater are advances, announcements and articles about the actors, artists, filmmakers and events making news in Southwest Florida this week:

1     ACTORS

Gerrie Benzing is Florence Ungar in ‘Odd Couple: Female Version’ at Belle Theatre

Gerrie Benzing appears in the role of Florence Ungar in Belle Theatre’s production of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple: Female Version. Gerrie has graced numerous stages throughout Southwest Florida. She last appeared in the role of Madame de Volanges for Lab Theater in Dangerous Liaisons (2022). Benzing’s other recent stage credits include Lee in Charles Busch’s The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife for New Phoenix Theatre (2022), Jinx in The Naples Players’ production of The Savannah Sipping Society and Ruth in TNP’s production of Calendar Girls (2021). You will find Benzing’s full profile here.

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Danielle Channell plays Sandra/Florence Collymoore in ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’

Naples-based actor Danielle Channell resumes her reign as comedic royalty in the roles of Sandra and Florence Collymoore in Lab Theater’s production of The Play That Goes Wrong. The Queen of Farce’s previous stage credits include vodka-guzzling middle sister Melanie in Lewis Black’s One Slight Hitch, Mae Flynn Pollitt in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for The Studio Players and trophy wife Kaitlyn Gordon, brainiac neurosurgeon Angela Saperstein-Koplan and caustic Bohemian author Brianna in Let Nothing You Dismay. You will find Danielle’s theatrical profile here.

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Miguel Cintron plays dual roles in ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ for Lab Theater

Miguel Cintron plays the dual roles of Robert and Thomas Colleymoore in Lewis, Sayer and Shields’ farce The Play That Goes Wrong at Lab Theater. Miguel’s theater career is denoted by many highlights, but perhaps none as lofty as playing a sarcastically irascible Almighty in Lab Theater’s An Act of God. Other stage credits include Usman in The Chechens for the Alliance for the Arts, Palomo in Anna in the Tropics and Yvan in Yasmina Reza’s Art. Please go here to view Miguel’s other theatrical credits.

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Steven Coe is gumshoe Happy in ‘Clown Bar’

Steven Coe portrays gumshoe detective Happy Mahoney in the Alliance for the Arts’ production of Clown Bar. Coe’s evolving body of work includes Mitch Brenner in Lab Theater’s summer parody of The Birds,  the impudent, bitingly witty rake Vicomte de Valmont in Lab Theater’s production of Dangerous Liaisons, Chris in Killer Joe, Jim Fingal in Lifespan of a Fact for Players Circle Theatre, Joe Gillis in Lab Theater’s summer spoof Sunset Schmoulevard, Sandro Botticelli in the regional premiere of Jordan Tannahill’s Botticelli in the Fire, John Proctor in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Thomas Novachek in David Ives’ Venus in Fur for The Studio Players and Andri in Andorra. You can view Steven’s full profile here.

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Grant Cothren is Shotgun in Alliance’s ‘Clown Bar’

Grant Cothren is Shotgun in the Alliance for the Arts’ production of Clown Bar. Grant’s previous community theater credits include Hujar/Zack in the Alliance for the Arts’ production of Charles Busch’s Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, Joe in The Shadow Box for New Phoenix Theatre, Little John in Marian: The True Tale of Robin Hood for Theatre Conspiracy, George in Don’t Dress for Dinner at Cultural Park Theatre and the husband in a SoCo play produced by Theatre Conspiracy.

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Lauren Drexler is Tweetsie in Alliance’s ‘Clown Bar’

Lauren Drexler plays the unscripted part of Tweetsie in the Alliance for the Arts’ production of Clown Bar. A gifted Fort Myers actor, Drexler is known for stellar performances as Mrs. Chumley in Harvey, melancholy teacher Heather Clark in Johnna Adams’ Gidion’s Knot, terminally-ill Dr. Katherine Brandt in Moises Kaufman’s 33 Variations and Annie Iversen in Jordan Hall’s Kayak. You can see Lauren’s full theatrical profile here.

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Matt Flynn appears in ‘Beer Before Breakfast for Studio Players

Matt Flynn appears in Beer Before Breakfast for The Studio Players September 23 through October 9. Matt’s stage credits include The Bare Truth for The Marco Players, The Waverly Gallery for The Studio Players, America’s Sexiest Couple, Born Yesterday and The Farce Before Christmas for The Marco Players and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Gooper), Saved by the Bell, Where Is Man? and The Zoo Story (all part of An Evening of One Act Plays) for The Studio Players. Many years ago Matt did several shows at The Naples Players including Humble Boy, Neil Simon’s Rumors, and Regrets Only.

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Mitch Frank in Studio Players’ cast of ‘Beer for Breakfast’

Mitch Frank appears for The Studio Players in Sean Grennan’s Beer for Breakfast. A recent transplant from New Jersey, Mitch performed in community theater there for more than 30 years. He made his Florida debut and first appearance with The Studio Players in the role of Art Kirk in Nuts. He last appeared in the role of Peter in Slow Food. Go here to see what else Mitch has appeared in.

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Rob Green is Bobo in Alliance’s ‘Clown Bar’

Rob Green is Bobo in the Alliance for the Arts’ production of Clown Bar. Among Rob’s credits are roles in Confusions (which consisted of three one-act plays, The Still Alarm by George S. Kauffman and Alan Ayckbourn’s Between Mouthfuls and A Talk in the Park), emcee Randy Bowen in Lab Theater’s filmed theatrical production of The Realish Housewives of Fort Myers, Sherlock Holmes in Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery for the Alliance for the Arts, Dr. Sanderson in Harvey, Nick Dahner in Rancho Mirage, The Teacher, Cam, in Max Frisch’s Andorra and Gerald Halverson in Jeffrey Hatcher’s Murderers. Go here for the rest of Rob’s theatrical credits.

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Anna Grilli plays vera for Belle Theatre in ‘Odd Couple Female Version’

Anna Grilli is a talented local actor who next appears in the role of Vera for Belle Theatre in Odd Couple: Female Version. Anna’s stage credits include Dunn in Men on Boats, Emma in The Role of Della in the Alliance’s production of Auditions, Diners and Weddings, Ginny in 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, Much the Miller’s Son in Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood and Bianca in The Taming, all for Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance for the Arts. Anna’s full profile is here.

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Declan Ireland plays not-so-funny clown Timmy in ‘Clown Bar’

Declan Ireland makes his Theatre Conspiracy debut in the role of Timmy in Adam Szymkowic’s clown noir dramedy Clown Bar. He previously appeared for the Alliance Youth Theatre in the roles of Pete & Jake’s Dad, Sam Houston, Jim Bowie & Davie Crockett in Burnt Park Boys.

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Heather Johnson plays Annie in ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ at Lab

Heather McLemore Johnson appears in Lab Theater’s Henry Lewis-Jonathan Sayer-Henry Shields comedy The Play That Goes Wrong, where she’ll play Annie. Heather’s stage credits include various roles in Lab Theater’s summer spoof of The Birds, Sharla in the Southwest Florida premiere of Killer Joe, Jane in the Florida premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, Rebecca Nurse in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and an aggrieved soccer mom (and the only adult cast member) in The Wolves. Go here to view the rest of Heather’s theatrical credits.

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Thomas Marsh is Twinkles in Alliance’s ‘Clown Bar’

Thomas Marsh appears in the role of Twinkles for the Alliance in Clown Bar. His previous credits include various roles  for Players Circle Theatre in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, multiple roles in the Alliance’s production of Confusions (which consists of three one-act plays, The Still Alarm by George S. Kauffman and Alan Ayckbourn’s Between Mouthfuls and A Talk in the Park) and multiple roles in Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery directed by Rachael Endrizzi. Go here for all of Marsh’s stage credits.

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Cicero McCarter is Giggles in Alliance’s ‘Clown Bar’

Cicero McCarter is Giggles in the Alliance for the Arts’ production of Clown Bar. McCarter has appeared in a number of productions since 2015, including all four August Wilson American Century Cycle plays produced by Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance for the Arts: King Hedley II (Canewell, otherwise known as Stool Pigeon), Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Bynum Walker), Seven Guitars (Hedley) and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Slow Drag). He also played the role of Trevor Neese in Rancho Mirage. He made his Southwest Florida theater debut in Lillian Hellman’s Toys in the Attic (Henry Simpson). Go here to access McCarter’s full profile.

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Tera Nicole Miller plays Popo for Alliance in ‘Clown Bar’

Tera Nicole Miller returns to Fort Myers to play Popo in Clown Bar for the Alliance for the Arts. Prior to relocating, Tera’s local stage credits included Debra in The Smell of the Kill at Lab Theater, Squeamish in William Wycherley’s Victorian-era farce The Country Wife for Theatre Conspiracy, seven different characters in Jessica Dickey’s one woman show The Amish Project (also for Theatre Conspiracy) and a middle-aged wife in Happy at Lab Theater.  Go here to see what else Tera’s been in.

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Aimee Naughton plays Mickey in ‘Odd Couple Female Version’

Aimee Naughton appears next in the role of Mickey in Odd Couple: Female Version for Belle Theatre. Her previous stage credits include work in the ensemble of Head over Heels the Musical for New Phoenix Theatre, Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Sister Mary Amnesia in both Nunsense and Nunsense II for Cultural Park Theater. Aimee holds a Bachelor of Music Education (BME) from Florida State University. She also plays saxophone, both alto and tenor.

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Samantha Richardson makes Southwest Florida Theatre debut in ‘Odd Couple’

Samantha Richardson plays Sylvie in Belle Theatre’s production of Odd Couple: Female Version. The role represents Samantha’s first time on stage since high school, although she has emceed numerous local events, including Disney Karaoke with Melody Lane Junior Theater events, golf tournaments with The Oasis Foundation and other local charity events. Samantha and her husband have also worked on props and sets for many local productions.

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Kelly Rivadulla is femme Blinky Fatale in ‘Clown Bar’

Kelly Rivadulla rocks Bill Taylor’s Prohibition-style speakeasy as Blinky Fatale, the clown that gumshoe dick Happy left behind for the world of beige in Adam Szymkowic’s Clown Bar. In the role, Rivadulla conjures the mystique, danger and coquettishness of the archetype, which dates back to silent movie era actresses Theda Bara and Helen Gardner. Go here for more on Kelly.

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Stephanie Sabelhaus stars as Olive Madison in ‘Odd Couple: Female Version’

Stephanie Sabelhaus stars as Olive Madison in Belle Theatre’s production of Odd Couple: Female Version. Her previous stage credits include Vice Principal Panch in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Steele in A Piece of My Heart, the Emcee in And the Nominees Are, Orin Scrivello, DDS in Little Shop of Horrors, Mrs. Pickles in Onstage, Places Please! and Soupy Sue in Urinetown, all for Cultural Park Theater (and directed by Tyler Young with the exception of Piece of My Heart).

When not performing, the Northern Kentucky transplant can be found at Young’s Electric, where she’s office manager, or at home with her husband, reading and studying metaphysics.

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Daniel Sabiston plays Jonathan and Charles Haversham in ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’

Daniel Sabiston appears in the roles of Jonathan and Charles Haversham in The Play That Goes Wrong. Daniel’s previous credits include various roles for Lab Theater in its summer spoof, The Birds: A Parody, Azalon in Dangerous Liaisons, Trinculo in The Tempest, Alan in Torch Song for The Studio Players, various roles in the summer spoof Sunset Schmoulevard, and Poggio di Chullu in the regional premiere of Jordan Tannahill’s Botticelli in the Fire. Go here to see the rest of Daniel’s stage credits.

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Shelley Sanders is bubbly Girl Friday clown Petunia in ‘Clown Bar’

Shelley Sanders is bubbly Petunia in Clown Bar, a full-service clown defined by sexual innuendo and a girl Friday sensibility. Some of Sanders’ previous roles include John Wesley Powell in Men in Boats, Brooke in the filmed theatrical production of Realish Housewives of Fort Myers for Lab Theater (during COVID pandemic), a variety of roles in Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery by Ken Ludwig, Columbia in Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show (New Phoenix Theatre), and the lead in Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood (Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance). But wait! There’s more. Go here to see all of Shelley’s theatrical credits.

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Stacy Stauffer is Renee in Belle Theatre’s ‘Odd Couple Female Version’

Stacy Stauffer next appears in the role of Renee in Odd Couple: Female Version for Belle Theatre. Her previous stage credits include the role of Marjorie Taub in Charles Busch’s The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife for New Phoenix Theatre (2022), Hall in Men on Boats for the Alliance for the Arts and Sarah Goodwin in New Phoenix Theatre’s production of Time Stands Still. Go here to see what else Stacy has been in.

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Scott Thomson is Dusty in Alliance’s ‘Clown Bar’

Scott Thomson has long-standing relationships with Artistic Directors Bill Taylor and Robert Cacioppo. He worked with Robert and Carrie Cacioppo in one of their first theatres on Captiva Island in I’m Not Rappaport, and has been collaborating with Bill Taylor for 30 or so years – from Vampire Lesbians of Sodom to Little Shop of Horrors, School for Wives and Relatively Speaking. He appears in the role of Dusty for Taylor in the Alliance’s production of Clown Bar. Go here for more on Thomson’s stage credits.

2      DIRECTORS

Belle Theatre’s Dana Alvarez honored with Freddie G Teaching Fellowship

Home to more than 20 equity and community theater companies, Southwest Florida is gaining national, if not international recognition for producing tomorrow’s stars of the stage and silver screen.

One of the theater educators doing this important developmental work is the Director of Theatre Education at Cape Coral’s new Belle Theatre, Dana Alvarez. In July, Alvarez was one of just six theater educators from around the world who was invited to take part in the 11^th Annual Freddie G Fellowship in New York City.

Listen to the story on WGCU.

Go here for Dana’s full theatrical credits and accomplishments.

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Bill Taylor directs ‘Clown Bar’ at Alliance for the Arts

A long-standing member of the City of Fort Myers Public Art Committee, Bill Taylor is best known in Southwest Florida as a producer, director, actor and founder of Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance for the Arts. Since founding the latter company in 1984, Bill has produced more than 120 shows, directed 40 productions and performed in over 50 others including three one-man shows, Sex, Drugs & Rock and Roll, Barrymore and Tru. His favorite shows include A Tuna Christmas, The Katy and Mo Show and whatever play he is working on currently, namely Clown Bar, Adam Szymkowic’s cunningly sharp clown noir dramedy (with music and additional lyrics by Adam Overett) that performs in the Foulds Theatre at the Alliance for the Arts August 18-28.

Among the many initiatives Taylor has launched at Theatre Conspiracy are its perennial New Play Contest, an emphasis on productions written by female playwrights and providing strong female characters, and programming that provides opportunities for area actors of color and discourse on the Black experience in America (in shows like George C. Wolff’s A Colored Museum, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, August Wilson’s King Hedley II, Joe Wilson’s Come and Gone, Seven Guitars and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Lydia Diamond’s The Bluest Eye and Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf).

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Spotlight on ‘Clown Bar’ Assistant Director Marja Murawski

Marja Murawski has served as Assistant Director for Adam Szymkowic’s clown noir dramedy Clown Bar. Marja was also Assistant Director at Theatre Conspiracy for A Raisin in the Sun and Harvey. Other credits include Lab Theater’s production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, various plays at The Marco Players and multiple plays at Southern Marine Community College in Maine, where she also directed That Was No Lady, That Was a Private Eye. Marja has a B.A. in Theatre from Florida Gulf Coast University.

On Wednesday, the Alliance for the Arts and dozens of local arts organizations launched the Arts & Economic Prosperity survey. It’s part of a nationwide study by Americans for the Arts of the contribution made by arts organizations to their local economies. This is the sixth such study and involves 387 participating communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In Lee County, the Alliance for the Arts is spearheading the effort to collect the data needed for the study. Within the Alliance, Jennifer Falk functions as the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) Project Coordinator. Go here to hear why you should participate in the study if you are asked to complete a survey.

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DAAS showcases textile artist Kasara Castell Whelan in August

DAAS CO-OP Art Gallery is showcasing work by textile artist Kasara Castell Whelan during the month of August.

Whelan is self-taught. Most of her work results from hours of trial-and-error experimentation. “I’ve been fortunate to take lessons from great teachers throughout my life that have truly impacted my learning in a positive way and helped guide my development when life took sudden turns,” says Whelan, who has an avid interest learning about old civilizations and their mystics ways. “Learning how [old civilizations] viewed life hundreds of years ago, the circumstances they faced and the knowledge they passed on to generations to come are topics that constantly inspire me to create new art that is normally concealed in my work.”

Whelan discovered her passion for tapestries after organizing Peru and India exhibitions back in her birth country of Argentina. From weaving to felting and recently paper, she prodded herself to find ways to express her emotions and love through this style of art. Her life wasn’t exactly a path of roses, as she explains; finding ways to learn new techniques wasn’t an easy task.

Kasara is a member of the NEFG (Northeast Feltmaker Guild) and has a background in art and sales. She has a degree in Etching (Aguafuerte) and Textile Design. She has been living and working in the United States for 22 years, finally settling in Southwest Florida.

On opening reception will be held from 6:00-9:30 p.m. on Friday, August 5 concurrently with Art Walk. DAAS CO-OP Art Gallery is located at 1815 Fowler Street in the Butterfly Estates complex in Fort Myers. Business hours are 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. More information about the venue can be found at daascoop.com or by calling 239-590-8645.

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DAAS’ September show features works on paper

During the month of September, DAAS CO-OP Art Gallery is showcasing an array of artworks created by various Southwest Florida artists who responded to the gallery’s recent invitational call challenging them to create artwork using paper as the main material or surface that imitates or honors the beauty of flowers and/or plants. Titled The Paper Garden, the exhibition not only features works on paper depicting flowers and plants, but a beautiful and cohesive presentation of work by many of the talented artists who live and work throughout Southwest Florida.

The opening reception is scheduled for 6:00-9:30 p.m. on Friday, September 2nd in conjunction with Fort Myers Art Walk. The exhibition will be on display through Sunday, September 25th, 2022.

DAAS CO-OP Art Gallery & Gifts is located at 1815 Fowler Street, in the Butterfly Estates complex in Fort Myers, FL. The gallery’s business hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. More information about the venue can be found at daascoop.com or by calling 239-590-8645.

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‘Colonial Contours’ at Alliance for the Arts

Colonial Contours is on view at the Alliance for the Arts through August 28th. The exhibition is a collection of works produced by two under-30 artists, Dimithry Victor and Martha De la Cruz. Victor’s paintings and De la Cruz’s installation and video pieces showcase the complicated relationship surrounding the Dominican Republic and Haiti, neighboring countries that share a single island in the Caribbean. The exhibition explores the long lingering symptoms of colonialism and coloniality/neocolonialism present in both countries to this day.

Dimithry Victor is a Haitian born and Miami-based visual artist. His work juxtaposes elements of portraiture, cartoons, and abstract to visually narrate non-physical emotional states. In collaging these elements with careful attention to detail, texture, and color, he intends to create a sense of visual empathy between viewers and painted figures. Victor has exhibited his work globally, including London, New York City, Los Angeles and more.

Martha De la Cruz is a Dominican-American artist who, through video, installations and sculpture, investigates issues of decolonization, identity, race, and power. Her practice is guided by her experiences as a U.S. transplant, her memories of the past, and her inherited colonialist wounds. She received her BFA in Sculpture from the University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, and is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. Her work has been part of many exhibitions in spaces across the U.S., including the Carolyn M. Wilson Gallery, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, BigArts Sanibel, and more. In 2021, she was awarded the City of Fort Myers Arts & Culture Grant in Fort Myers, FL in recognition of her work in the progression of the arts and culture of the city.

While the gallery admission is free, a $5 suggested donation keeps the Alliance programming affordable and accessible. While visiting the exhibit, please be sure to also partake in the Arts & Economic Prosperity survey. All answers are anonymous and help to measure the economic and social impact of arts and culture in our community. More information can be found at americansforthearts.org. , on Art Southwest Florida and at WGCU.

For more information about this exhibit, visit artinlee.org/colonialcontours or call 239-939-2787.

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4     PUBLIC ART

Spotlight on Fort Myers’ Ward 3 art hub at IMAG

For more than a year, the Fort Myers Public Art Committee has been establishing art hubs in each of the City’s six wards using the 23 Edgardo Carmona sculptures that the City purchased in August of 2018. One such art hub is IMAG History & Science Center in Ward 3. On April 25th, the Committee moved Duo Sinfonica or Man Playing Flute and Utopia or Boy Fishing from a Bucket to IMAG, which is an ideal art hub partner.

Go here for the full story.

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‘Fire Dance’ to be repainted in late September

One can’t help but notice all the activity that’s been taking place in Centennial Park so far this year. A stately new amphitheater. An expanded playground with brand new orange, blue and purple slides, swings and other equipment. A renovated pavilion and new sidewalks.

And there have been changes to the public artworks on display in the park as well. Gone are the big trees that once surrounded the Uncommon Friends fountain, keeping Parks & Beautification employees busy fishing out leaves, twigs and branches on a weekly, sometimes even daily basis. To make way for the bandshell, the USCT 2^nd Regiment and Buckingham & Page Army Air Field monuments were given new homes to the west of Uncommon Friends. And during the waning weeks of summer, the red modernist sculpture known as Fire Dance will get a make-over too.

The rest of this story is here.

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Audio for Collaboratory’s ‘Ribbon Routine’ now live on Otocast

A new audio has been added to Otocast, the free mobile app that shares stories about the City’s public artworks.

One of the artworks included on Otocast is the Cor-Ten steel sculpture known as Ribbon Routine (Ena En La Plaza) that sits outside the main entrance into the Collaboratory. Located at 2031 Jackson Street adjacent to the Fort Myers Fire Department’s main station and across from the Trailways.

The rest of this story is here.

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‘Rachel at the Well’ in need of a sponsor

The City of Fort Myers Public Art Committee is looking for a sponsor for The Spirit of Fort Myers. Popularly known as Rachel at the Well, she’s the Grecian maiden pouring water from an urn who greets residents and visitors entering Edison Park from McGregor Boulevard. The maiden turned 96 this past April 8th.  While most, if not all other sculptures created a century ago were chiseled from a block of granite, marble or some other stone, Rachel is made of stone substitute applied in layers over a skeleton frame. You will find the rest of this story here.

‘Odd Couple Female Version’ promises jokes, one-liners and comedic insights

The Odd Couple Female Version comes to Belle Theatre in the Cape September 2 through 11. Joke for joke, Simon’s female version has more laughs and comedic insights into the difficulties of divorce and the value of real friendship than the all-male version audiences are accustomed to seeing. But if hilarious one-liners are your jam, you’re in for a Bonne Maman cornucopia. Go here for the full advance.

You will find play dates, times, ticket and cast information here.

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Gulf Coast Symphony robust 2022-23 season to include ‘Gypsy’ and ‘Nunsense’

Since its founding in 1995, Gulf Coast Symphony has produced many spectacular performances, but its 2022-23 season is poised to be its most productive and memorable to date. One reason is its new Music & Arts Community Center on the campus of Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Fort Myers. Gulf Coast Symphony founder, CEO and Maestro Andrew Kurtz couldn’t be prouder of the what they’ve done with the facility since opening it in January 2021, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Go here for the full story.

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‘Play That Goes Wrong’ part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, all mayhem

To kick off its 14th season, The Laboratory Theater of Florida pays homage to the theatrical arts with a play within a play – where everything that can go wrong does, with hilarious results. It’s The Play That Goes Wrong by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Hendry Shields, and the production marks the comedy’s Southwest Florida premiere. Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, and all mayhem, this Olivier Award-winning show is disastrously delightful.

The rest of this advance is here.

And to here for play dates, times and ticket information.

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‘Beer for Breakfast’ a masterpiece of modern mirth

Coming to the Joan Jenks stage at Golden Gate Community Center September 23 through October 9 is The Studio Players’ production of Sean Grennan’s comedy Beer Before Breakfast. It’s a study in silliness, and masterpiece of modern mirth filled with clever dialogue and hilarity. Four middle-aged buddies reunite for a “guys’ weekend” — complete with old music, cheap beer and enough cholesterol to stop Superman’s heart.  These guys are out to prove they’ve still got it, so they are going to party like it’s 1979!  It’s all going well until one of them doesn’t show up…but his wife does.  Snowed in overnight, an epic struggle ensues: will man be judged the superior sex or will woman prevail? The full advance is here.

Go here for play dates, times and tickets.