- December 30, 2025
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‘A Tailor Near Me’
7 p.m. at FST's Keating Theatre, 1241 Palm Ave.
$39-$59
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
What begins as a trip to a neighborhood tailor for alterations turns into a journey of self-discovery and friendship in this Florida Studio Theatre mainstage play starring David Cantor and Paul Nicholas. Kate Alexander directs the Southeastern premiere of David Tucker’s “A Tailor Near Me,” which runs through Feb. 15.
‘Be More Chill’
7:30 p.m. at Rise Above Performing Arts, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1105
$25-$35
Visit RiseAboveArts.com.
Rise Above Theater presents “Be More Chill,” the hit musical based on Ned Vizzini’s novel. It tells the story of a normal teen who discovers a tiny supercomputer that will make all his dreams come true. But like many people he has to be careful what he wishes for. Rise Above is a community theater focused on making the performing arts accessible to any child at no cost to their families. Runs through Jan. 4.
‘Feeling Good’
7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$18-$42
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
“Feeling Good” pays tribute to contemporary crooners like Michael Bublé and Bette Midler. A dynamic trio — Haley K. Clay, Andrew Leggieri and Russell Mernagh — makes its Florida Studio Theatre debut with such swingin’ hits as “Come Fly With Me,” “It Had to Be You” and “Me and Mrs. Jones.” Runs through Feb. 8.
Winter Art Exhibition
10 a.m. at Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail
Free
Visit ArtSarasota.org.
Art Center Sarasota is marking its 100 anniversary and the landscaping around its buildings in The Bay is finished, so there's much to celebrate at this gallery and education center where admission is free and the artworks are for sale. The latest exhibition has four shows: Delsy Rubio, The Collective Lens, Russ Noto and the Juried Show: Paradise, adjudicated by Robyn Hall. Runs through Jan. 10.
'Wonderland: Believe’
2 and 6 p.m. at LECOM Big Top at UTC, 195 University Town Center Drive
$20 and up
Visit WonderlandCircus.com.
Death-defying aerialist Nik Wallenda returns to University Town Center with his Wonderland Circus, featuring a new tent with plush seats, cupholders and lots of room between rows. Joining Wallenda will be his faithful sidekicks — daredevil clown Johnny Rockett and master of ceremonies Ty McFarlan — as well as new family-friendly circus acts and immersive video to help deliver the message: “Believe!” Runs through Jan. 4.
Jazz Club of Sarasota Scholarship Recipients Concert
2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road
$15-$20
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.
For members of the Sarasota Jazz Club, this edition of the Friday afternoon Jazz at Two series is one of the best of the year. That’s when the club’s scholarship winners perform. It’s not unusual for a bucket to be passed around each Friday to collect donations toward these scholarships. This week, attendees get to hear from the next generation of jazz performers.
Sarasota Seafood and Music Festival
4:30-10 p.m. at Sarasota Fairgrounds, 3000 Ringling Blvd.
Free
Visit ParagonFestivals.com.
Enjoy fresh seafood, meats and vegetarian options cooked on site, live music by top regional talents and a marketplace of arts and crafts. Continues 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Music on Main
6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch
Free
Visit LakewoodRanch.com.
Kettle of Fish will bring its popular brand of rock, blues and reggae to Main Street for the free, monthly concert and block party series. Besides the live music, those who attend will enjoy food vendors, beer trucks an sponsor booths. Plenty of activities will be available for kids. Proceeds from the event will benefit Manatee County Habitat for Humanity.
New Year, New Spirits
7 p.m. at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Road
$20 and up
Visit SoundboxVentures.org.
Soundbox Ventures’s annual New Year’s concert at St. Boniface Church has become a Sarasota tradition in recent years. An ensemble of nine musicians, including Soundbox founder, violinist Max Tan, will perform a selection of seasonal favorites, including Waxman’s Auld Lang Syne Variations, excerpts from Oliver Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” and Haydn’s Symphony No. 101, better known as “The Clock,” for flute, string quartet and piano.
Perlman Music Program Orchestra Rehearsal
7:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail
Free
Visit PerlmanMusicProgramSuncoast.org.
The Perlman Music Program Suncoast has moved its winter residency from the USF Sarasota Manatee Campus to downtown Sarasota locations, after more than two decades. But patrons are being asked to register in advance for the first time. This requirement should not be taken lightly since demand is high to see virtuoso violinist Itzhak Perlman teach and rehearse the students in the program. Runs through Jan. 10.
Guided Bird Walk at Celery Fields
9 a.m. at Celery Fields, 999 Center Road
Free
Visit SarasotaCountyParks.com.
Kylie Wilson, an environmental specialist with Sarasota County, leads this bird walk through the Audubon nature gardens and along the boardwalk at Palmer Road, identifying birds and sharing facts about their behaviors and habitats. Registration required.
‘Snow White’
10 a.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave.
$13-$26
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
This cunning adaptation of the children’s fairy tale by Greg Banks brings the entire world of “Snow White” to the Florida Studio Theatre with two fast-changing actors. This 50-minute play with no intermission is perfect for children of all ages. Runs Saturdays through Feb. 1.
‘Art Deco: The Golden Age of Illustration’
11 a.m. at the Sarasota Art Museum campus of Ringling College, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail
Free for museum members; $20
Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.
The Sarasota Art Museum celebrates the 100th anniversary of the expo that kicked off the Art Deco movement. More than 100 eye-catching posters from the Crouse Collection as well as industrial furniture, home furnishings and other objects loaned by the Wilsonian-Florida International University are on display. Through March 29.
‘Between Coconuts and Concrete’
7:30 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave.
$75
Visit SarasotaJewishTheatre.org.
In recent seasons, Josephine Phoenix has captivated Sarasota audiences with her performances in Sarasota Jewish Theatre’s “Good Jews” and “Lost in Yonkers.” Now, she’s starring in “Between Coconuts and Concrete,” a one-woman show about her unorthodox childhood as the daughter of a Cuban Las Vegas showgirl and a Spanish/Lebanese flamenco guitarist. Like many other people of Spanish descentPhoenix has learned that she has Jewish roots thanks to genetic testing. Directed by Joe Barros with musical direction by Nikko Benson. Runs through Jan. 4.
‘Life’s a Beach’
7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 Main St.
$17-$20
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
It’s baaack! “Life’s a Beach” is a FST Improv show that uses audience suggestions to create sketches, musical numbers and improv games to the place in paradise we call home. Watch as talented improv performers poke fun at Sarasota rituals and customs including the annual snowbird migration, confusion about who has the right of way in a roundabout and dogs in strollers. Did somebody mention never-ending construction? It’s all grist for the tropical mill in “Life’s a Beach.” Runs through March 23.
Sarasota Polo Club
1 p.m. at the Sarasota Polo Club, 8201 Polo Club Lane, Sarasota
From $20
Visit SarasotaPolo.com.
The polo season has begun at the Sarasota Polo Club and runs every Sunday through April 12. The theme is to dress as your favorite literary character. Doors open at 10 a.m.
Copland: An American Journey
4 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$25-$65
Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
Guest conductor David Alan Miller, music director of the Albany Symphony since 1992 and an artistic advisor to the Sarasota Orchestra, leads a program dedicated to the quintessential American composer Aaron Copland. Among the works that will be performed by the Sarasota Orchestra are the ballet scores for “Appalachian Spring” and “Rodeo,” as well as his jazz-infused “Music for the Theatre” and the soundtrack from the 1949 film“The Red Pony.” William Socolof is the featured bass/baritone.
Bee Gees Gold: The Tribute
7 p.m. at Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave. Building 5, Venice
$39-$89
Visit VenicePerformingArtsCenter.com.
Few bands navigated the changing tides of rock ‘n’ roll better than the Bee Gees, from soulful ballads like “I Started a Joke” in the 1960s to “Nights on Broadway” in the 1970s and the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack, which still ranks among the best-selling albums of all time. The Brothers Gibb still hold a place in the hearts of many and those tribute band reminds us why.
Michael Ross & Dave Pate featuring Fred Johnson
7 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court
$25
Visit WSLR.org.
Calling all jazz fans! The trio of Fred Johnson, David Pate and Michael Ross will perform music from “Conversations,” the new album by Pate and Ross, as well as jazz standards and originals. Be prepared for a jazz journey with three seasoned artists whose virtuosity and versatility lead to unexpected tangents on the way to a unique destination.
Fleetwood Max: The Definitive Fleetwood Mac Tribute
2 and 7 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W, Bradenton
$35 and up
Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter.com.
You can go your own way but make sure your dreams lead you to this Fleetwood Mac tribute concert if the “rumours” are true. Christine McVie is no longer with us but this band brings her voice back to life as well as those of core group members Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Lindsay Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood, whose musical and romantic pairings produced a motherlode of Seventies solid gold.
Mike Block Trio
5:30 p.m. at Plantation Golf and Country Club, 500 Rockley Blvd., Venice
$85 including dinner
Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.
Cellist and composer Mike Block has wowed audiences with his cross-cultural performances at the Sarasota Music Festival in 2024 and 2025. Joining him at this Artist Series Concerts program are bluegrass mandolin player Joe K. Walsh and bassist Zachariah Hickman. The trio will blend American roots and Appalachian folk music with contemporary and international sounds for a unique presentation of acoustic music.
Under the Big Top
5:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 S. Tamiami Trail
$48-$64
Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
With its casual Discoveries concert, Sarasota Orchestra offers programs that start at 5:30 on Wednesdays and Fridays and don’t have an intermission except on Saturday. With “Under the Big Top,” guest conductor Evan Roider pays tribute to Sarasota’s circus roots with a program that includes feats of musical derring-do from composers such as Copland, Sondheim, Rimsky-Korsakov and more. Runs through Jan. 11.
‘Paradise Blue’
7:30 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave.
$20-$40
Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.
Set in 1949 in Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood, Dominique Morissea’s drama, “Paradise Blue” follows a trumpet player who is pondering the sale of his once-vibrant jazz club to leave the past behind and pursue a better life. But will he be leaving his soul behind in the process? Runs through Feb. 8.
‘Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground'
7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St.
$31-$48
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Robert Zukerman stars as Dwight D. Eisenhower in Richard Hellesen’s play running in Florida Studio Theatre’s edgy Stage III series. After helping to win World War II as supreme commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, the popular conception is that Eisenhower spent his time in the White House playing golf and presiding over an Ozzie and Harriet America. The reality was more complex, as "Ike" had to deal with Cold War tensions, an atomic arms race and the Red Scare, to name just a few of the hot buttons of the 1950s. Runs through Jan. 30.
‘Primary Trust’
7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
$31-$77
Visit AsoloRep.org.
Asolo Repertory Theatre presents “Primary Trust,” winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Eboni Booth’s play follows a middle-aged man whose quotidian routines are disrupted when he loses his job. The upheaval forces him to explore the possibility of intimacy that he’s previously shunned. Runs through Feb. 11.
‘Annie’
7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Players, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 100
$35, $15 students
Visit ThePlayers.org.
It’s a hard knock life and don’t we know it. But somehow the unsinkable orphan “Annie” manages to escape poverty and foil her enemies to create a new life for herself in the midst of the Great Depression. Based on the comic strip by Harold Gray, this Tony Award-winning musical became a global sensation with the help of songs like “Tomorrow.” Runs through Jan. 18.
