The Straz Center brings “think globally, act locally” to the performing arts.
If you’ve been around The Straz for the past few years, you’ve noticed the changes transforming our outdoor spaces to places meant for getting together, enjoying some cool art, having conversations and making the most of our primo waterfront property. We are blessed with one of the greatest downtown locations, so it makes sense that people would come here to relax, catch a sunset, enjoy some food and drinks and take in the creative vibes.
One of the best ways to soak in these spoils is to stop by on the weekend for Live and Local.
This free performance series presents a local musician in the Jaeb Courtyard, our magical outdoor play space complete with twinkle lights and café seating for supreme al fresco chill time.
The man in charge of Live and Local is Joel Lisi, who is himself something of a magical experience, as many longtime Tampanians recognize him as the guitarist for the jazz power instrumental trio Beanstalk and the jazz improv group Ghetto Love Sugar.
“This is really cool, man, you know,” he says about booking acts for the stage and growing the series from year to year. “There used to be a metallic statue in the courtyard, maybe it belonged to the city and the city took it back, but it was gone, and all we had was landscaping rocks and this round rotundo space. We had to get some entertainment in for an event that weekend and we thought, ‘hey, there’s this weird rock space. Let’s put someone there.’ Because of my music background, I was asked to find someone. So, I called a friend, and we had him perform where the statue used to be.”
While gathered at the event that night, Lisi and a few Straz execs realized they were onto something. “We saw how the trees create this half-dome orchestra shell over the stage, and we were like ‘wow—this is the perfect outdoor music space’,” Lisi says. They began to strategize, thinking it would be cool to host a free performance before a weekend Broadway show (but pay the performer, of course). Some Straz patrons noted that the season programming lacked local artists, so this new space seemed to be a perfect solution.
“Roberto DeBourg—he’s known as Chachi—was our first musician. This was before SteamHeat Café or any of our plans for that space had fleshed out. But, we tried it before a Saturday night Broadway show, and it worked,” Lisi says. “That was the birth and it’s grown from there. Now, The Cube [featuring Broadway-themed graffiti art by Eric Hornsby] is there—and SteamHeat [the coffee shop serving local Buddy Brew roasts]. Everybody wants to hang out there. We went from six performances the first season to 20 this year. So, Live and Local is about exposing people to local culture, to local artists. It’s nice to make a connection to the local scene when you’re a big performing arts center.”
The Live and Local series still coincides mostly with the Saturday Broadway show, but artists perform before the Sunday opera matinee and before certain other big shows like Next Generation Ballet’s Nutcracker.
Lisi curates the pairings, making sure the Live and Local act meshes with the tone of the main stage show. “I try to theme it, so yeah, there would be someone like Greg West, a rock guy, before a show like American Idiot, and Francesca Ani, this crazy-talented 17-year-old singer-songwriter who just won a big radio contest, before Nutcracker. It’s taken on a life of its own, and we’ve even been able to get some of our Live and Local artists to open for big touring acts playing The Straz.”
Check out this clip of Francesca performing at the Straz Center Open House in 2016:
Always on the lookout for solid Live and Local talent, Lisi keeps a generous spirit about getting Tampa Bay artists on the stage. “Yes, I always need people. I’ve been in a restaurant and some guy in the corner is killing it, and I’ll approach him and ask if he wants to perform. I’ll take suggestions, too.”
If you want to be considered as a Live and Local artist, send an email to joel.lisi@strazcenter.org with relevant details and where you are in the Tampa Bay area (gotta keep it local, folks).
If you want to know the lineup this season, we should have the bulk of it on the website by the end of August. For now, bookmark us and check back regularly. Here’s our Live and Local page.
“The bottom line,” Lisi says, “is that it’s just fun. You can come early for your show and hang out, not have to fight traffic. You can enjoy some live entertainment outside with your friends and just have a good time. That’s what it’s all about.”