Several factors influenced Matthew Wolf’s decision to join the Straz as its new chief operating officer. COO Matthew Wolf. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. There’s the Straz’s reputation as both an entertainment and an educational facility, and the potential to grow both of those operations. There’s the city of Tampa itself, expanding economically and culturally, creating... Continue Reading →
Well before the play’s first murder, Lady Macbeth establishes her place among Shakespeare’s most treacherous characters with this invocation: Come, you spiritsThat tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,And fill me from the crown to the toe top-fullOf direst cruelty. Make thick my blood.Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse,That no compunctious visitings of... Continue Reading →
National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Jackson recently visited The Straz, learning about Straz Salutes, The Straz’s multifaceted military outreach program. As one of 11 charter Creative Forces® community network organizations, the Straz Salutes program has served Tampa Bay’s military community since 2017. Funding for the program initially was supported by grants from the... Continue Reading →
Competition was baked into hip-hop from the start. Rap battles tested an MC’s rhymes and flow. DJs and writers (graffiti artists) duked it out using turntables and spray paint, respectively. Breaking, hip-hop’s fourth element, went global in the ‘90s, spawning competitions on five continents. The finest from those battles will be among the b-boys and... Continue Reading →