Jericho, the latest dark comedy from famed New York playwright Jack Canfora, will end its eight-week, nearly sold-out run at Florida Studio Theatre on June 9. Exploring themes of politics and personal pain in the aftermath of 9/11, the devastating yet humorous tale follows the lives of two conflicted survivors, a Jewish man and Palestinian woman, introduced by family during a Jewish Thanksgiving dinner. Penning the thought-provoking tale of how people deal with guilt, grief and ‘going on,’ Canfora, the award-winning writer of Place Setting (2005), masterfully examines the effects [...]

Longboat Key property values dipping again → Longboat Key taxable values are dropping again, but preliminary estimates show the dip is much less than the previous four years. Taxable values will drop for the fifth year in a row on Longboat Key this year, although they aren’t dropping near as much as in past years. Key-wide, Longboat Key Finance Director Tom Kelley estimates a 1.5% to 3% decrease in property values this year. The preliminary estimates mark the fifth year in a row taxable values have dropped on the island [...]

This year’s Embracing Our Differences was a delightful antidote to the incivility that is rampant in an election year, particularly this election year.  While it sometimes feels our country and even our community is tearing itself asunder, this annual month-long international exhibit was a tribute to peace and the power of the human spirit. “A community is not a community without unity,” stated Sammi Fishe, a 12-year-old Sarasota Middle School student, who wrote one of many wise quotes about why we must revel in and celebrate our community’s diversity. As usual, I [...]

I beseech you to check out Florida Studio Theatre‘s Jericho, which takes you on a simultaneously hilarious and thought-provoking journey through the landmines of our post-9/11 world. I’m always a bit hesitant to tread back into that territory because I was working in downtown Manhattan that fateful day. But I was also very interested to see how playwright Jack Canfora would deal with the issues, particularly relating to how we heal after such a tragedy, in his new play, part of a rolling world premiere (FST’s was the last production [...]

Last Thursday evening, gaggles of Sarasota locals braved an epic lightning storm to make their way out to Growler’s Pub and relish glasses of ‘Gansett and other fine beers while loosening up to a triple-threat lineup of area favorites: Physical Plant, The Wallies and (the) somewhat-mysterious-but-becoming-less-mysterious Umbrella Cult. Physical Plant, who described their sound in an interview with This Week in Sarasota as “psychedelic rock and folk,” strummed their first chord at around 9:30 p.m. and played an electrifying set that overflowed with melodious, four-part vocal harmonies, galvanizing guitar solos, heaving [...]

All right, so we know Sarasota has the best beach and is a number-one destination for the arts. Since good things usually come in threes—here’s another one for you! A Sarasota dad may soon be voted the “Hottest Dad” in America in a national contest by iVillage.com. Kevin McElyea (okay, yes, he is my husband!) has made the semi-finals in the police/firefighter category. He is the only police officer among five other firefighters, so come on and support Team Law Enforcement! He has already suffered severe ridicule from his friends, and [...]