- March 17, 2026
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Arts Advocates Luncheon: Thayer Greenberg
11 a.m. at Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd.
$50
Visit ArtsAdvocates.org.
Arts Advocates presents Thayer Greenberg, who was recently promoted to managing director of the The Sarasota Players, the 97-year-old community theater. Greenberg will no doubt talk about The Sarasota Players' upcoming move to its permanent home in Payne Park from its temporary space in The Crossings at Siesta Kay mall.
Sarasota Opera Apprentices at Noon
12 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$10
Visit SarasotaOpera.org.
If you think opera is only for the wealthy, think again. In this affordable concert, hear the Sarasota Opera’s apprentice and studio artists perform operatic arias, duets and ensembles. Repeats March 26.
'The Unfriend’
1:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
$31-$77
Visit AsoloRep.org.
Directed by Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein, “Unfriend” follows an English couple who meet a friendly American named Elsa on a cruise. A casual invitation extended in courtesy leads to Elsa taking up residence in their home and upending their family routines. Runs through March 22.
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and Beth Steel
6:30 p.m. at Hermitage Artist Retreat, 6660 Manasota Key Road, Englewood
Free with $5 registration
Visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
Arts incubator Hermitage Artist Retreat gives world-class artists a chance to get some peace and quiet to create. In exchange, they offer local audiences a sneak peek into their latest works. This program features returning Hermitage Fellow Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, a Tony-nominated performer known her role as Lady of the Lake in Broadway's “Spamalot." She’ll be joined by U.K.-based playwright and Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist Beth Steel.
A Night At The Oscars
7 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail
$24, students $12
Visit StringsConBrio.org.
Didn’t get an invite to the Oscars? No problem. The community orchestra Strings Con Brio has you covered with "A Night at the Oscars." Sarasota Living Arts Festival founder Jeffery Kin stands in for Conan O’Brien as emcee and introduces the program's songs, each of which won an Academy Award, was featured in a film that won one or was composed by an Oscar-winning composer. In keeping with the Oscar vibe, the entrance to Holley Hall will be outfitted with a red carpet, a limo will be parked out front and a giant replica of the Oscar statuette will be on hand for selfies.
Three Dog Night
7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$51-$101
Visit VanWezel.org.
“Mama Told Me Not To Come” was the advice often not heeded by the generation that grew up listening to the hits of Three Dog Night. Led by original member Danny Hutton, the band got its name from a phrase used by Aboriginal Australian hunters to describe a night so cold that it required the warmth of three dogs. You’ll leave humming such golden oldies as “Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Joy to the World."
‘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.
David Sitler stars as Dwight D. Eisenhower in Richard Hellesen’s play, which premiered earlier this season and is back for an encore. 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. Runs through April 5.
‘Susannah’
7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$35-$200
Visit SarasotaOpera.org.
It’s the 100th anniversary of the Sarasota Opera House, where Carlisle Floyd's “Susannah” is being performed, and it’s the centenary of Floyd’s birth. Those looking for a Florida connection will be pleased to know that “Susannah” debuted in 1955 at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Runs through March 28.
‘How I Got Over: A Gospel Revue’
7:30 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave.
$54
Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.
Gospel standards such as "Amazing Grace," "When The Saints Go Marching In" and "Oh Happy Day" are delivered in the energetic fashion for which Westcoast Black Theatre is known, accompanied by a live band. Runs through March 29.
‘Three Pianos’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$18-$42
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Florida Studio Theatre's cabaret show “Three Pianos” is an ode to superstars of the keyboard such as Ray Charles, Elton John and Alicia Keys. These mavericks didn’t tinkle the ivories; they tore up the rulebook. Runs through April 19.
Masterworks 6: Beethoven’s Fifth
7:30 p.m. at Neel Performing Arts Center, 5840 26th St. W, Bradenton
$39 and up
Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
The year was 1976. America was celebrating its bicentennial and Beethoven’s Fifth was climbing the pop charts. Yep, you read that right. A disco version of the famous symphony briefly hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 40. Purists who want to hear the real thing should make their way to this Sarasota Orchestra Masterworks concert, led by guest conductor Katharina Wincor.
‘La bohème’
1:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$43.26-$185.40
Visit SarasotaOpera.org.
Composed by Puccini in the 1890s, ‘“La bohème” follows the seamstress Mimi and her struggling artist friends in 1830s Paris. More than a century after its debut, the opera continues to win new fans with its heartrending tale of love, poverty and loss. Runs through March 28.
Jazz at Two: Pete BarenBregge & The Foot Note Jazz Band
2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalists of SRQ, 3975 Fruitville Road
$20
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.
TGIF! Roll into the weekend's with two hours of live music at Jazz Club of Sarasota's weekly Jazz at Two series. This week's performer is Pete BarenBregge, former director of the USAF Airmen of Note, and his Foot Note Jazz Band of talented local musicians.
‘The Apiary’
7:30 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St.
$5-$44
Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.
Urbanite Theatre’s “The Apiary” unfolds in the not-too-distant future. What's an apiary? It's an area for beekeeping. This one's a black comedy — and incandescent science-fiction. Kate Douglas' play zeroes in on two lab assistants, Zora and Pilar, who struggle to save the last surviving honeybee hive. Runs through April 19.
Alexander Calder: The Nature of Movement
10 a.m. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St.
$28
Visit Selby.org.
Each year, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens stages a blockbuster show in its Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition series. This year, Selby is showcasing artist Alexander Calder and his abstract moving sculptures, dubbed “mobiles.” Calder’s interest in suspension provides a provocative pairing with Selby’s collection of epiphytes, or air plants. Runs through May 31.
‘Il trovatore’
1:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$35-$200
Visit SarasotaOpera.org.
Under Maestro Victor DeRenzi, Sarasota Opera made its name by becoming the only opera company in the world to perform all the operas of Verdi. The Opera concluded the Verdi Cycle in 2016, but since then it has performed a Verdi opera in its winter festival. This year’s selection is “Il trovatore,” which follows the noblewoman Leonora, who is in love with the troubadour Manrico, and who does not return the affections of Count di Luna. Runs through March 29.
The Pops Orchestra: Elton!
3 p.m. at Neel Performing Arts Center, 5840 26th St. West, Bldg. 11, Bradenton
$35 and up
Visit ThePopsOrchestra.org.
Come remember when rock was young with this Elton John tribute featuring performer Greg Bickley and the Pops Orchestra. With a grand piano, big glasses and rainbow boa, Bickley exudes Sir Elton's fashion sense and delivers his roof-raising hits with authenticity. Continues March 22 at Riverview Performing Arts Center in Sarasota and returns to Bradenton on March 23.
'The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster' & Other Winning Plays
10 a.m. and 12 p.m. at FST’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave.
$12
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Don’t let the kids spend weekends glued to digital devices. Bring them out to Florida Studio Theatre for family-oriented fare. A 50-minute program of short plays written by grade-schoolers from around the world features professional actors bringing heroes of all kinds to life. Runs weekends through April 19.
Irish Spring
3 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3131 61st St.
$5
Visit SuncoastConcertBand.org.
It’s not too late to catch some of the luck of the Irish with this concert by the Suncoast Concert Band, now in 93rd season. Led by Robert Stoll since 2005, the group has evolved from a trailer park band to a concert hall ensemble of seasoned professional and amateur musicians. One of the highlights of the Irish Spring concert will be “The Rakes of Mallow,” an Irish polka that traces its roots to County Cork.
Temptations & Four Tops
7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$51-$111
Visit VanWezel.org.
No, it’s not just your imagination. Motown superstars The Temptations and The Four Tops are joining hands for an evening of classic hits, fancy footwork and dazzling costumes. Some of us ain’t too proud to beg for a ticket to this show, which will showcase the best of Berry Gordy’s Hitsville USA.
Monday Night Jazz at the Cabaret: Belinda Womack
7:30 p.m. at FST’s John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$40
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.
If you’re not worn out after the recent Sarasota Jazz Festival, make your way to Monday Night at the Cabaret, the weekly series sponsored by Jazz Club of Sarasota. This week’s performer is Tampa Bay’s Belinda Womack, a jazz and gospel singer who has worked with Lou Rawls and has opened for B.B. King and Al Jarreau.
‘Art Deco: The Golden Age of Illustration’
10 a.m. at the Sarasota Art Museum, 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 Wolfsonian-Florida International University are on display. Through March 29.
