- December 5, 2025
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Kickoff Party for 2025 Modern Works Festival
6 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St.
$32 for individual play readings, $5 for students; festival pass $99
Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.
Urbanite Theatre kicks off its sixth annual Modern Works Festival celebrating female playwrights with a party in its black-box theater downtown. The party is for festival passholders only, but tickets for the staged readings of the three plays in competition (Stacey Isom Campbell’s “1999,” Jenny Stafford’s “Ahoy-hoy” and Sarah Cho’s “Screen Time”) can be purchased separately. This year’s keynote speaker is Nan Barnett, executive director of the National New Play Network, who takes the podium on 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 19. Festival runs through Sept. 21.
Jason Salmon
7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
$26
Visit McCurdysComedy.com.
Standup comedian Jason Salmon is well-known to those who like to watch their comedy online. The Texas native, whose official bio says he was born during a freak hailstorm, is bringing his “Biscuits and Gravity” tour to McCurdy’s. Salmon has honed his comedy chops performing for U.S. troops in Europe and Afghanistan. He has graced the small screen in such shows as “Orange is the New Black” and “30 Rock,” and received widespread recognition for his previous album, “Force of Nurture,” which debuted at No. 1 on iTunes. Runs through Sept. 21.
‘I’m Going to Marry You, Tobey Maguire’
7:30 p.m. at Dingbat Theatre Project, 7288 S. Tamiami Trail
$30; students $10
Visit DingbatTheatre.org.
Billed as a “Y2K farce,” "I'm Going to Marry You, Tobey Maguire" follows a starstruck teenager, played by Jamie Saunders, who kidnaps her heartthrob, the star of “Spider-Man,” played by Tom Horton. In the play, Mark-Alan does double duty as a poster of Tobey Maguire who comes to life and Brenda, a nosy real estate agent. Dingbat Theatre Project founder Luke Manual and Gretchen Beaumier co-direct and handle scenic, sound and projections design in this scrappy production. Runs through Sept. 21.
'Gutenberg! The Musical'
7:30 p.m. at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Avenue. W, Bradenton
$34.50
Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter.com.
Looking for a few laughs? We’ve got just the show for you — Manatee Players’ “Gutenberg! The Musical!” The musical-within-a-musical follows two driven writers’ efforts to produce a Broadway show about the inventor of the printing press, a performance that requires the actors to play multiple roles. Runs through Sept. 21.
Sights + Sounds: Sailor Circus Academy
6 p.m. at 1560 Lakefront Drive, Waterside Place
Free
Visit WatersidePlace.com.
The Sailor Circus Academy is the featured performer in the free Sights + Sounds series event. The academy will present a display of various circus acts. Limited seating is available so feel free to bring a lawn chair. No outside food or drinks are permitted.
‘Nunsense’
7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre’s Raymond Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice
$40
Visit VeniceTheatre.org.
Join Mother Superior Sister Mary Regina and the rest of the nuns as they stage a madcap variety show to help defray the cost of funerals after a culinary disaster. With book, music and lyrics Don Goggin, “Nunsense” began as a line of greeting cards before becoming an Off-Broadway musical in 1985 that has since morphed into a global comedy phenomenon. Murray Chase directs Venice Theatre’s production, which features choreography by Vanessa Russo and music direction by Donna Smith. Runs through Oct. 5.
‘A Band Called Honalee’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 Palm Ave.
$39 and up
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
The subtitle to Florida Studio Theatre’s last cabaret show of the season is “A Tribute to Peter, Paul Mary… and Friends,” but any self-respecting folk rock fan can spot the play on words in the name “A Band Called Honalee.” ICYMI, it refers to the mythical land made famous by the children’s song “Puff the Magic Dragon.” The incarnation of the Band Called Honalee appearing in Sarasota includes Brian Ott, a veteran of FST’s “59th Street Bridge,” who has been touring with the group since 2019. Also on stage are Michael Grieve, Geoffrey Neuman and Sigrid Wise. Runs through Oct. 26.
‘Casa Havana’ with Tania Vergara
3 and 7 p.m. at Sarasota Contemporary Dance Home Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts Suite 300
$25-$30
Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance.org.
Tania Vergara, founder and artistic director of Endedans Contemporary Ballet, presents "Casa Havana." Set in modern-day Cuba, the piece tells the story of three siblings and their mother. The mother is anguished by her fear of the government and worries that her children could be punished for making their views known. But it is a son who chooses to leave that is the source of true heartbreak.
‘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 exposition 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. In addition to consumer products, there are posters for automobiles, train and ocean travel, as well as sports competitions that reflected a growing love of speed and luxury in spite of the Great Depression. Through March 29, 2026.
Church of the Redeemer Evensong: Arvo Part Celebration
5:15 p.m. at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave.
Free
Visit RedeemerSarasota.org.
Church of the Redeemer will honor the birthday of Estonian composer Arvo Part, who turned 90 on Sept. 11, at its Sunday Evensong. Celebrating the minimalist composer in a church is fitting since his music is partly inspired by Gregorian chant. Even if you’ve never heard of Part, you’ve no doubt heard his music. In recent years, he has rivaled movie score composer John Williams as the living composer whose works are most frequently performed.
'Ancestral Edge: Abstraction and Symbolism in the Works of Nine Native American Women Artists'
10 a.m. at The John and Mable Ringling Art Museum, 5401 Bayshore Road
Free with $30 admission; Mondays free
Visit Ringling.org.
Aficionados of Native American art often have to travel to places such as Washington, D.C., Phoenix and Santa Fe to see contemporary work. The Ringling has recently been bringing more visibility to contemporary Native American art, first with its 2023 show, "Reclaiming Home" showcasing members of Florida tribes, and now with "Ancestral Edge" featuring nine female artists from across the U.S. Their bold multimedia works occupy the Keith D. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art through April 2026.
