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 →
Editor’s Note: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, its Straz run rescheduled due to the COVID-19 crisis from May 5-10, 2020 to July 13-18, 2021, was to be featured in the Straz Center’s publications this month. The article features Tampa DJ Ann Kelly of WDUV-105 FM, who accompanied The Straz team last year to preview the... Continue Reading →
Theater is about telling stories, and it’s hard to tell a story that doesn’t have a mother involved in some way. After all, they’re how we come into this world and can often greatly affect the outcome of our lives, directly or indirectly, which is why they make such great characters in musicals. Broadway has... Continue Reading →
The French codified ballet under King Louis XIV by defining the five basic positions of the feet and setting a catalog of positions related to the “turn-out” of the legs in the hip sockets (i.e., the legs rotate out of the hips instead of facing forward). Placement, a.k.a. alignment, and lift, a.k.a. pull-up, became fundamentals... Continue Reading →
Before COVID-19 disrupted the world, The Florida Orchestra’s table at The Straz in May was set with "Beethoven’s Fifth," Superhero Soundtracks and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. https://youtu.be/t7XBpHFpmuw When announcing the cancellation of the remainder of the orchestra season, TFO noted its instinct was to provide hope, comfort and healing with the power of music.... Continue Reading →
We are all Zooming so much these days that we’re practically movie stars. The Patel Conservatory Theater Department has turned one of their favorite improv activities into a Zoom theater game to play with family or friends. What You’ll Need: 2 or more players Writing utensil Something to write on Electronic devices with Wi-Fi Roles:... Continue Reading →
Polyrhythms, sound healing and the significance of vibration This blog was originally published as part of a series called Art as a Survival Tool, blogs we published in the summer of 2015 that examined the crucial role art plays in the fulfillment of the human experience. We figured now was a great time to revisit the... Continue Reading →
