Over the loud lightning strikes from our seemingly daily thunderstorms we’ve heard your cries: “Break’s OVER.” The Straz Center and its resident theater company, Jobsite Theater, have worked during our COVID-19 intermission, with intermittent pauses to lounge on our chaises of course, to bring performances back to our stages with appropriate social distancing and cleaning... Continue Reading →
Ahoy, me hearties! As you might have come to recognize, we love celebrating national days here at The Straz, and September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. And being in Tampa, this is one holiday we cannot pass up, since no one knows and loves pirates quite like those from the home of the legendary Jose Gaspar. Oh, and those Buccaneers. The... Continue Reading →
Of the 16 EGOT winners – those who have won an Emmy®, Grammy®, Oscar® and a Tony® – three of them won the grand slam before it was actually dubbed an EGOT. The first three winners of the big four entertainment awards were: Richard Rodgers, second from left, in rehearsal for South Pacific in 1949.... Continue Reading →
The Straz Center will be bathed in red light tonight as it joins 1,500 venues across North America in support of #WeMakeEvents’ “Red Alert Day of Action” to raise awareness of the financial impact COVID-19 is having on the live event industry. We are excited to support this movement by lighting our building red tonight,”... Continue Reading →
For the past five months, theaters across the globe have gone dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Find out how you can help “Save Our Stages” here.) Many artists and arts workers have had their livelihoods thrown into chaos as they try to navigate the unknown - and while our stages are silent, the need... Continue Reading →
When the Straz staff was sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we started looking for ways to stay connected to each other while apart. We’re a group that loves gathering – and one that loves gathering with food. When we’re in the building, we celebrate special occasions or large staff meetings with food, and... Continue Reading →
August 17 is National Nonprofit Day, which recognizes the positive impacts nonprofits have on their communities. Emily Dey, the Straz Center's senior director of individual giving, muses on the current state of The Straz. The Straz and its $130,000,000 overall contribution to the local economy reinforces our commitment to the area’s cultural and economic prosperity.... Continue Reading →
While the extended intermission continues at The Straz and the earliest Broadway will open is January 2021, all due to COVID-19, performing arts administrators have been working with national health professionals to formulate reopening plans and safety protocols to put patrons back in the seats. Since April, Straz COO Lorrin Shepard has chaired the Performing... Continue Reading →
We love celebrating national days here at The Straz, especially when they have to do with the arts. July 31 is Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day, and we want to bring your attention to these unique and fascinating music-makers. Music is all around us, and these instruments prove you can use just about anything to create... Continue Reading →
It wasn’t surprising but certainly disappointing when it was announced late last month that Broadway would remain closed the remainder of the year due to COVID-19. Theaters closed on March 12 – the first time Broadway has shut down due to a health pandemic. The ripple effect of going dark registered at The Straz as... Continue Reading →
Just because the Straz stages are on intermission during the COVID-19 pandemic, doesn’t mean our Opera Tampa singers are home resting on their laurels – well, not all of the time. About a month ago we caught up with Annie Scott, Alec Brown and Dana Clark, who also are roommates here in Tampa. Scott is... Continue Reading →
By guest blogger Suzanne Livesay, Straz Center Vice President of Education and Community Engagement Mask wearing has been a topic of conversation in the United States for almost three months and counting. A required piece of attire as we reintroduce our on-site summer camps at Patel Conservatory will be the mask. No matter how one... Continue Reading →
In a recent post we discussed recording artists, such as Bruce Springsteen and David Byrne, making their mark on Broadway, but many more have weaved musical magic from behind the scenes. And a few have even popped in to play roles or have brief cameos in shows they’ve composed. Whether it is Sting, Cyndi Lauper... Continue Reading →
Guest blogger Zachary Hines (left) is a local performing artist and a member of the marketing team at The Straz. An avid theatergoer since he was a child, his greatest passion in work, and in life, is to share the joy of experiencing live performance. This week he shares his thoughts on gay pride and... Continue Reading →
We know Tampa Bay is home to many talented performers – from actors and musicians to comedians and wrestlers. We host local talent on our stages regularly, giving them a platform to share their art with our beloved community. But did you know these famous performers have ties to Tampa Bay? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy1lWiHHHFY Patrick Wilson Tony®, Golden Globe® and... Continue Reading →
All the press of late about recording stars on Broadway has been about Bruce Springsteen and David Byrne -- and for good reason. Those two shows energized audiences and possibly brought to the Great White Way an audience who might never have thought to touch foot in a Broadway theater. But Springsteen and Byrne were... Continue Reading →
There are more than 1,500 national days to celebrate according to the National Day Calendar, but May 25 is a day to honor and celebrate the uniquely American art form that is tap dance. The brainchild of Carol Vaughn, Nicola Daval and Linda Christensen and urged by the Tap America Project, the idea was first... Continue Reading →
The Straz Center’s Broadway investments return Tony Award®-winning shows to our stages and keep new shows in the works. The Straz Center isn’t just a tour stop for big Broadway show-stoppers. Most of the time, we’ve been on the ground floor as a producer, investing in the show and banking on its success. Every year,... Continue Reading →
One Patel Conservatory theater instructor’s journey to the big time in the big top and how realizing his dream helps students reach theirs. Just a few years back, Patel Conservatory theater faculty member Matthew Belopavlovich stood stranded atop a 25-foot tower while a handful of clowns, dressed as knights, circled beneath, trying to figure out... Continue Reading →
With performing art centers, such as The Straz, temporarily shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cable networks and streaming services are tapping into a large bank of available documentaries centered on the performing arts so we can satisfy our appetite for theater, dance, opera and more. And though documentaries generally don’t bring in Marvel box... Continue Reading →
