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This Week in Sarasota: Thursday, Aug. 22

A look at our favorite events taking place this week.


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  • | 6:00 a.m. August 21, 2019
  • Arts + Entertainment
  • Things To Do
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Thursday 

‘Glass in the Gardens’

10 a.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 900 S. Palm Ave.

Free with $20 admission; children 4-17 and members’ guests $10; members and children 3 and under free

Call 366-5731.

Experience 3D art in Sarasota’s own living museum at this exhibit. See original work by glass-blowers from St. Petersburg Hot Glass Workshop and Duncan McClellan Gallery, two organizations partnering with Selby Gardens for a botanically themed art glass show illustrating a variety of glassmaking techniques. Runs through Sunday.

 

Ringling Remix

6 p.m. at The Ringling,  5401 Bay Shore Road

$15; children 6-17 $5; children 5 and under and members free (Art After 5 prices)

Call 359-5700.

Looking for an inexpensive date activity or night out with the squad? Explore The Ringling’s art exhibition galleries and the Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion at a reduced rate every Art After 5 Thursday. This week, the reduced admission price also includes a fun collaboration with Florida Studio Theatre’s improv team. MuseumProv offers a whole new kind of Gallery Walk and Talk and helps audiences see The Ringling’s art collection in a completely new way as they laugh through several improv games played throughout the museum galleries.

 

Tracy Smith

7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.

$18

Call 925-3869.

Nobody makes the single life funnier than Tracy Smith. Whether you’ve seen her on Comedy Central, NBC or HBO or haven’t even heard of her, this respected stand-up comedian is sure to leave you in stitches — why else would The Hollywood Reporter have named her one of the “Ten Comics to Watch”? Runs through Sunday.

 

‘The Cottage’

8 p.m. at Gompertz Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, 1265 First St.

$39

Call 366-9000.

Like most juicy stories, this one starts with a confession: Sylvia Van Kipness has been having a love affair, and it’s time to tell her husband. This and several other events unfold in a quaint British cottage by the sea in 1923, where the occupants are two oversexed, uppercrust couples. This story of love, lust and betrayal is dramatic, but it’ll also keep audiences laughing. Runs through Saturday.

 

Friday

‘Formations in Bronze’

10 a.m. at Chasen Galleries Sarasota, 1830 S. Osprey Ave., Suite 102

Free admission

Call 260-5787.

Shine bright at this impressive Chasen Galleries exhibit featuring sculptural bronzeworks and wall-reliefs in abstract, surrealist and figurative styles. Experience works by renowned artists Guillome, Alex Kveton, Hessam Abrishami and Ravi Venkatamaran along with vibrant new works in fiberglass by Alina Fonteneau. Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Exhibit runs through Aug. 31.

 

Sunset Reading on the Beach

7 p.m. at Hermitage Artist Retreat, 6630 Manasota Key Road, Englewood

Free, reservations required

Call 475-2098.

There are few more peaceful places for a poetry reading than the Gulf of Mexico as the sky fades to a painting of pink and orange. So pull up a beach chair or blanket, and listen to poet Melissa Studdard read from her collection “I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast,” as well as from manuscripts that she’s still working on — some of which were written during her April residency at the Hermitage. Michael J. Seidlinger will read from a novel-in-progress he’s writing about a 2007 road trip.

 

‘West Side Story’

8 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton

$34

Call 748-5875.

“Something’s Coming” this weekend. Enjoy everyone’s favorite musical take on “Romeo and Juliet” told through a couple on either side of a heated gang rivalry in New York City’s Upper West Side. Runs through Sunday.

 

Classic Movies at the Opera House: ‘Key Largo’

7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.

$12

Call 328-1300.

A man visits the hotel of his war pal’s family and surprisingly finds a gangster running the show. Two storms soon approach — a hurricane and a heated confrontation.

 

Saturday

Nik’s Pick: Yoga With Tigers

You read that right. Come get your tree pose on next to Sarasota’s biggest felines. This collaboration with Pineapple Yoga Studio allows for a one-of-a-kind yoga practice for yogis of all skill levels to stretch while enjoying nature and the sounds of animals resting safely in their enclosures nearby. Guests must bring their own yoga mats, towels, etc. This event is now recurring on the fourth Saturday of every month.

If You Go

When: 8:45 a.m. Saturday

Where: Big Cat Habitat Gulf Coast Sanctuary, 7101 Palmer Blvd.

Tickets: $40

Info: Call 371-6377.

 

‘Scorch’

8 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St.

$30; under 40 $20; students $5

Call 321-1397.

This one-person play starring FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training student Amber McNew follows Kes, a young person questioning the concepts of identity, sexuality and gender. After falling in love for the first time online, Kes is accused of criminal conduct — the play is inspired by real cases of gender “fraud” — which forces the teen through a journey of self-exploration. Runs through Sunday.

 

Sunday

Don’t Miss: HD at the Opera House: ‘Die Walküre’

God Woton’s son, Siegmund, runs away from his enemies and finds himself at the house of Hunding in the beginning of this production, the second opera in Richard Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” Siegmund, the son of a god and mortal woman, falls in love with Hunding’s wife — aka his long-lost sister. Can their love survive this breach of the gods’ laws against adultery and incest?

If You Go

When: 1:30 p.m. Sunday

Where: Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.

Tickets: $20

Info: Call 328-1300.

 

‘Beneva Fruitville’s Drag Queen Bingo Bonanza’

8 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.

$20

Call 925-3869.

LDG Productions presents Sarasota’s beloved queen, Beneva Fruitville, in the naughtiest game of bingo in town. The show is celebrating its ninth anniversary, so toast to nearly a decade of bingo fun with special guest performers and plenty of surprises. You’re in for a wild night.

 

Monday

Karaoke Monday

9 p.m. at The Beach Club, 5151 Ocean Blvd.

Free admission

Call 349-6311.

Every Monday night is karaoke night at The Beach Club, and with Emcee Dallas behind the mic and The Reverend DJ Lalo offering a variety of songs for your most Snapchat-able performance, there’s fun in store. Singers get a free mixed shot after their first song. Service industry employees also get 20% off all drinks.

 

Tuesday

‘Rob Shanahan, Rock Photographer to the Stars’ Exhibit

11 a.m. at Stakenborg-Greenberg Fine Art, 1545 Main St.

Free admission

Call 487-8001.

Rob Shanahan knows rock ‘n’ roll up close and personal. As a musical artist photographer for icons including Ringo Starr, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney, this guy’s got some stories to tell. Enjoy this exhibition of his photos on display until Sept. 30. The gallery is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

 

Wednesday

‘Summer Showcase’

11 a.m. Dabbert Gallery, 46 S. Palm Ave.

Free admission

Call 955-1315.

There are few ways to better escape the sizzling heat of summer than a trip to a cool art gallery. Head to Dabbert to enjoy a group show of diverse, award-winning artists from around the U.S. — California, New York, Wisconsin, Missouri and Florida — and all the way across two oceans in Norway and Australia. Eight of Sarasota’s best artists will also be showcasing work to get your local fix, too. Runs through Sept. 30, and gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

 

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