Scene & Heard

By Mallory Gnaegy
| 4:00 a.m. May 29, 2013

Loveland Follies presents "A Really Big Shoe, the Life and Times of Ed Sullivan" from Thursday, May 30 through Sunday, June 2, at Venice Theatre.

Arts + Culture

+ Loveland Players give the audience heart
It’s the 18th anniversary performance of the partnership formed between Venice Theatre and The Loveland Center. The Loveland Center provides social services to adults with disabilities, and every year the center puts on a performance at Venice Theatre.

The center’s actors have rehearsed every Thursday at Venice Theatre to put together a production that takes the audience on a journey through all the famous performers on “The Ed Sullivan Show” — from The Beatles to The Andrews Sisters. Tickets are $15. For more information, call 488-1115.

+ Firemen’s wish granted
A fire truck parked outside the Sarasota Opera House the morning of May 23 wasn’t there to put out any fires. Sarasota Opera hosted a special ceremony for the Sarasota County Fire Department, because Sarasota Opera nominated the department for a $20,000 grant from the Fireman’s Fund Heritage Program. The Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. and the National Trust Insurance Services LLC’s program award fire departments with grants. Three Sarasota Youth Opera singers performed at the event. The Sarasota County Fire Department was able to purchase a fire extinguisher simulator to help teach community members what to do in case of a fire. It also bought several hundred smoke detectors.

Patron Saints
The end is near for our online video series, “Patron Saints.” It spotlights supporters of the arts and the venue to which they donate. These people are an important part of what keeps our arts community so vibrant. If you haven’t seen it yet, there are still two weeks left.

Peter Salefsky is this week’s Patron Saint for the nonprofit theater company PLATO. PLATO is a new performing-arts group, and, as of now, is looking for a permanent home, so patronage is essential. Salefsky says he believes in Artistic Director Kyle Turoff and her mission. He’s known her since she was a young girl performing on the stage at The Golden Apple Dinner Theatre. Turoff considers Salefsky her saving grace. Learn more about Salefsky and PLATO at YourObserver.com by clicking on the “Black Tie” tab. Or, you can head to our YouTube channel: YourObserverVideo, and look for Patron Saints.