Van Wezel Performing
Arts Hall
777 North Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-953-3368 or 800-Van-Wezel / www.vanwezel.org
The purple, seashell-shaped Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
is both the architectural icon of the Sarasota evening skyline
as well as the centerpiece of the city's commitment to the
arts. The recently renovated Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
hosts over 120 world-class performances each year. The artistic
programming offers something for everyone with an exciting
season of Broadway musicals, top national and international
performers, world-class symphony orchestras and a compelling
mix of classical, modern and ethnic dance. Entertainers
over the years have included Luciano Pavarotti, Leonard
Bernstein, Bob Dylan, The Boston Pops, The Chicago Symphony,
Willie Nelson, Dizzy Gillespie, and The Temptations. And
to think it's all right next door!
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The Asolo Theatre Festival
5555 N. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34243
941-351-8000 / www.asolo.org
Live theater in a historic setting. The Asolo Theatre Festival
is housed in the Florida State University Center for the Performing
Arts. In any single weekend, theatergoers can select from
as many as four different plays. The professional Asolo Theatre
Company performs in the Harold E. and Ester M.. Mertz Theatre,
a beautiful turn of the last century facility originally built
as an opera house in Scotland. Plays range from classics to
new works performed in rotating reparatory from November to
June. The Jane B. Cook Theatre, an intimate theatre, features
performances by second-year FSU students seeking their MFA
degrees.
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Sarasota Ballet of Florida
5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243
Box Office (941)351-8000 / www.sarasotaballet.org
The Sarasota Ballet of Florida is a professional resident
company that had its beginnings in a ballet company founded
by Jean Allenby-Weidner, former prima ballerina with the Stuttgart
Ballet. Through extraordinary community support, the dream
of an entire resident company was realized in 1990 when the
company became the Sarasota Ballet of Florida. Under Artistic
Director/CEO Robert de Warren, it has achieved world-class
standing for its eclectic programming, delighting its audiences
with a combination of treasured classics, contemporary and
modern works. Under de Warren's artistic direction, the Ballet
has become a bright beacon for the region's cultural leadership.
It's a testament of their broad appeal that readers of Sarasota
Magazine have chosen Sarasota Ballet the Best Performing Arts
Group for eight consecutive years.
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John and Mable Ringling Museum
5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, FL 34233
941-359-5700 phone / www.ringling.org
A triad of art treasures awaits you at The John and Mable
Ringling Museum of Art, which boasts the world's most important
collection of Rubens and other Baroque art, the Circus Museum
filled with delightful rare circus memorabilia, and the Cà
d'Zan, the historic Venetian-style Ringling Mansion which
competes with the art for your amazement. It's certainly worth
a half day to see this art gem.
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| Sarasota Film Society
506 Burns Lane, Sarasota
(941)364-8662 / box office call 941-955-3456 / www.filmsociety.org
The Sarasota Film Society is a real gem that many visitors
overlook. The Society has a distinguished reputation for bringing
the best art, foreign and independent films to Sarasota at
the Burns Court Cinemas in downtown Sarasota in the historic
Burns Court district. They have three films showing throughout
the day. Area film lovers always look forward to the Society's
10 day Film Festival in early November each year. So kick
back, pass the popcorn, and enjoy movies you just won't see
in your local cine-plex back home.
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Longboat Key Center for the Arts
6860 Longboat Drive South
(941) 383-2345 / www.longboatkeyartscenter.org
Ever thought of awakening the artist within you? Well there's
real artist treasure on the north end of Longboat Key. The
Longboat Key Center for the Arts, established in 1952, provides
studios for instruction and continually changing exhibits
in three art galleries. They also sponsor a Concert in the
Park Series with local musicians. The Center has grown to
be one of the best and largest art facilities on Florida's
west coast with more than 950 members and a talented faculty
of 16. The instructors are very friendly and work effectively
with all skill levels. Who knows…maybe your art work
will one day be displayed in John and Mable's museum!
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