The Straz is back and we really couldn’t have picked a better month for our return. Live performances return to the stages of the Straz in October. Coincidentally, October is National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM) — an annual celebration that shines a spotlight on culture in America. Arts, humanities, culture – it’s what we... Continue Reading →
From Opera To Spanish Rhythms, Straz celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
Tampa has a long history tied to Latin cultures, dating back to 1539 and the arrival of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto to the Tampa Bay region. That historical tie continues more than 470 years later when the Straz Center for the Performing Arts participates in National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15... Continue Reading →
The Stars in The Stars and Stripes
Can serving in the military help prepare you for a performing arts career? Some celebrities began their careers off-stage, serving in the armed forces. While there are many performers who are veterans, we shine a light here on a few in recognition of Military Appreciation Month. James Earl Jones, a multiple Tony®-Award winner who also... Continue Reading →
WE’RE BACK, BABY!
Jobsite’s Theater’s first performance of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] on our Riverwalk Stage. (Fotoset by James Luedde) While emphasizing health and safety and mandating socially distanced seating configurations and the wearing of masks, on Friday, Oct. 2, the Straz Center cautiously and thoughtfully began a slate of live, in-person performances -- the first performances... Continue Reading →
Got EGOT? 16 In Entertainment Have Earned Industry’s Biggest Honor
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 →
Venues To Go Red In Support of Entertainment Workers in Time For Labor Day
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 →
TTRL’s Top Moments
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 →
National Nonprofit Day
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 →
Big Heart, Open Mind
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 →
Straz Recommends: Performing Arts Documentaries
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 →
Resources for Artists
We put together this list of resources for artist assistance. Part of The Straz’s mission is to support local artistic talent, and usually we’re able to do that by offering stages, gigs like Live & Local or Arts Legacy REMIX and unique opportunities to collaborate. But when audiences must stay home, our best effort to... Continue Reading →
Straz Recommends: 10 More Must-See Performing Arts Movies
By guest blogger Alex Stewart, Straz Center media relations manager We’re back with more feel-good movie recommendations from the Straz Center staff. Since you can’t get out of the house to see a show, we’re bringing the shows to you and your couch. We curated another list of our staff’s favorite performing arts flicks, this... Continue Reading →
Straz Recommends: 10 Must-See Performing Arts Movies
By guest blogger Alex Stewart, Straz Center media relations manager A lot of us are looking for ways to feel good right now, and nothing lifts the spirits quite like a bit of song and dance - and maybe a good-looking performer or two. I asked the Straz Center staff to share their favorite performing... Continue Reading →
Straz Shout Out: Local Guitarist Christie Lenee
The 2019 Acoustic Guitarist of the Year happens to be a Tampa native. One of the things we love about being this area’s performing arts center is that we get to host so many incredible Tampa Bay-area talents early in their careers. One such—guitarist Christie Lenee—appeared in the Jaeb Theater in 2018, already crowned 2017’s... Continue Reading →
DIY Show-at-Home Theater Game for You and the Kids
The Patel Conservatory theater department presents a great idea for an easy, fun, at-home performing arts game you can do as a fam. If you’ve got random household objects plus a restless young'un or two running around, then you’ve got just about everything you need for this quick-to-arrange, easy-to-cleanup theater game from our pros in... Continue Reading →
First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage, Then Comes … an Audition?
Jobsite Theater’s latest production, Doubt: A Parable, features wife-and-husband team of Summer Bohnenkamp directing and David Jenkins in a lead role. How do they do it? This week, Caught in the Act takes a deep-dive into the working-life-partners relationship of Summer Bohnenkamp and David Jenkins. The pair talks about the tricky business of work-life-love balance and... Continue Reading →
Why the Paul Taylor Dance Company is a Must See for Any Fan of Live Performances
We enlist the help of Paul Bilyeu, our senior director of communications and the former lead publicist for dance at The Kennedy Center, for a little dance appreciation 101 about this must-see modern dance company. 1970s Omaha, Nebraska. Not exactly a progressive hotbed of boy ballet students, but there our senior director of communications Paul... Continue Reading →
From Houseless to Household Name
Consummate storyteller John Tesh speaks in this exclusive interview with the Straz Center A few months ago, our senior marketing manager Carol Cohen interviewed John Tesh over the phone for his current Q&A in the back of The Straz’s official publication, INSIDE magazine. The interview covered some interesting ground that we had to edit from... Continue Reading →
Wiggle Room
The Straz Center’s Wee Folk series is designed specifically for the toddler set. Welcome to the room where wiggling is allowed. You may not know this, but on the ground floor behind Morsani Hall, we have a large, tall rehearsal room that regularly sees Opera Tampa rehearsals, ballet classes, chamber music practices and the occasional special event. However, three... Continue Reading →
Mean Girls 101
The essential guide to cult classic catch phrases This week, Caught in the Act welcomes guest blogger Alex Stewart, media relations manager for The Straz and a big fan of the Mean Girls movie. Our resident subject matter expert on the most memorable lines from the film, Alex agreed to take us through this Mean... Continue Reading →