Saw LES MIS last night - a performance by super-talented high school actors & younger. It was well…read moreover a ten! The minimalist, effective sets & handling their setups was effective. The youth were superbly talented in their approach to this classic play, in full, glorious voice & touching roles well-played. Very hard to believe these were not professional actors - but then they were! It is brilliant, it shines, it is not to be missed if you can get on standby as the plays are all sold out at this point - but I got in, so tickets can be had... DO NOT MISS IT! Absolutely stunning in presentation, quality & presentation!

I have been volunteering both on and off stage as well as seeing shows at the players and I have…read morealways had a blast. The staff here is amazing and always very kind. Service wise, I have never had a negative experience here and performances are always great, considering that it's a community theatre. I would also recommend volunteering if you can, it really helps the theatre out and it's allot of fun working with and meeting new people every show you do.

Saw a production of Purlie, performers were absolutely fantastic, facility is impeccable.read more

This is a really nice spot! Been there several times. Super intimate.... your high school…read moreauditorium is bigger!!! How I got over Gospel Review was great albeit way way way too loud! I should have said something as checking with others this is a common complaint! The actors/ singers are so talented and the theatre is so small they honestly don't need the microphones which make it over the top loud. Still love this place!!!

Sailor Circus Academy started in 1949 and is now a top circus training program. The venue is very…read morenice, the inside of the building really gives you a circus tent feeling. 3 times a year they have a show. The spring show we visited was called "Victorious " and it was super. Lights, music, 2 very good announcers made it a spectacular show. It was 2 hours of fun and excitement. I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

I last went to the Sailor Circus about 50 years ago. It was great to get to go again. There are…read moreperformances only 3 days, Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. and a matinee and evening performance on Saturday. The circus performers are kids! Their ages range from 6-18. It is truly amazing what these youngsters are capable of doing. Not only are they doing many of the typical acts one associates with the circus(tightrope walking, juggling, aerials, unicycle and bicycling feats, high flying on trapezes), but they are incredibly strong. Both the boys and the girls are able to swing from trapeze bars and hold on to other performers who spin and twirl high above the circus floor or catch a performer flying through the air. The boy who pedaled the bike was strong enough to carry 5 other performers who did handstands while in motion. It's a wonderful show put on by school children. Bright costumes and great music! The show is 2 1/2 hours, including a brief intermission.

This is an event space where we went to to see a dance recital. Although it is small it serves it's…read morepurpose. It was cozy and intimate. We arrived after everything started and sat where we could find a seat for 4 people together. Our seat was located in the front but we did not want to disturb the show. It turns out the people who belonged in these seats came after we did. The usher told us we had to move but we negotiated with the other people and they took our unused seats up front. It's a cute little place but when you walk in you don't know who works there and who doesn't. The ushers should have something in letting you know they are an usher.

So, last night we wrapped up our week of Theatre with an absolutely phenomenal presentation of…read more"Spring Awakening" at Rise Above! This was the senior year production, and I got to tell you... I was blown out of the water by what these kids brought to the stage! This production has everything! Talent, great voices, impeccable, choreography, and a love scene that would rival any Broadway production. to everyone involved with this... Kudos and thank you for a marvelous night in the theater. Wishing everyone of you much success in your journey ahead. simply brilliant!

Here for the first time for a Sarasota Orchestra performance. Much smaller than the Van Weitzel…read morewith ample parking, easy in/out, a well marked campus ( it is the PAC for the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota). Great acoustics, comfortable seats with lots of leg room that allows for easy navigation to one's seat, intimate with a GORGEOUS organ. Friendly and helpful ushers, clean bathrooms. Great performance by the Sarasota Orchestra in their Master Works series ( we attended Beethoven's Fifth- fantastic!!) I was told this is the last performance by the Sarasota Orchestra here--- very disappointed in that.... But otherwise an asset to the community.

Bravo! SCF's music department is amazing!read more

This is my first opera since moving down here from NYC 11 years ago. In tonight's case, we have…read moretickets for Il Trovatore (Giuseppe Verdi). Even though downtown Sarasota is a total conglomeration of small and poorly laid out streets, it was easy to get here. I lucked out and found a spot on Central Ave right around the corner. Just $2 to park until 8pm, after which it's "free parking," to borrow a phrase from Monopoly. They refurbished this place not so long ago so it's quite nice in the auditorium itself. It kinda has a Spanish colonial feel both inside and outside. When I hear "opera house," I think of the Metropolitan Opera House and Lincoln Center. This place is quite small and more closely resembles a theatre where one would expect to see "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" or "Hello Dolly." I purchased orchestra box seats, which come 4 to a box, two rows per box. No one right near us but two couples front of us in the next box forward. I'm tall enough to have seen over Madame Blue Hair, so I had to switch seats with my dear Queen Bee. Sight lines could be better, IMHO. Meantime, I even received a personalized thank you letter from the Opera House "Powers That Be" upon entering our "box." Two free drinks were ours for the taking..."does not include spirits." Still a nice touch though. Free Diet Pepsi/Coke awaits us in the future! Woo Hoo!! Acoustics seemed okay rather than too loud, too muffled or too tinny. As I said above, sight lines are rather mediocre but at least one isn't totally packed in like a tin of sardines. Both our seats (stand alone moveable chairs) and standard row seating seem comfortable enough.

Stopped into this hundred year-old historic Opera House in the arts district of Sarasota. The…read moreSarasota Opera House is a historic, beautifully renovated 1,119-seat theater in downtown Sarasota, known for hosting opera, ballet, concerts & film festivals. Originally opened in 1926 as the Edwards Theatre, it features a restored auditorium with excellent acoustics and is part of a larger complex that includes a pavilion for events. The venue is on the National Register of Historic Places and offers a variety of performance and event spaces.

Please list the movies and times for Burns Court Cinema. Your faithful patrons can easily walk to…read morethe theater. We love the film selections, and the lemonade is delicious.

We are members now, and stopped in for our first film - See How They Run - a takeoff of an Agatha…read moreChristie whodunit. An annual membership for two is $50. The theater is small, running three films, but everything about this is like stepping back twenty years in time. Ok, it's not recliner seating and massive screens with state of the art sound systems. Save those IMAX and cinematic blockbusters for the multiplex theaters. But come here for drama, comedy and documentary films. They also run themed reruns - like Heroes - which run the gamut from A Few Good Men to Stripes. Free membership appreciation films. Meet the filmmaker night. A true community theater. Start with the cost for a weekday afternoon -$6 per seat, a drink and popcorn included! Friendly staff, clean theater seats, a huge selection of treats and snacks priced at half of what the chains now charge. Drinks, including wine, beer and mixed cocktails for sale. A unique popcorn flavor station tops off the list of things that make this theater, and its twin in Lakewood Ranch, a neighborhood gem!

The Historic Asolo Theater is a true gem of the Sarasota area…read more "The name 'Asolo' comes to us from Asolo, Italy, a beautiful town tucked in the hills of the northern countryside. There, a lovely 18th-century theatre, caught the eye of Everett "Chick" Austin, the first Director of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. He acquired the theatre's interior for the museum's collection in 1949." We saw a matinee performance of "All is Calm" and it was wonderful. The acting and singing were superb. This is a definite must-see if you are in the area.

Old school entertainment. If you have an 7-10 yr old then maybe you'd enjoy the Circus Summer…read moreSpectacular at Asolo Theater. My nephew is 15 so he was a tad bored. We were thinking that the price is a touch high. I'd say twice as high as it should be. The theater is small so it looks like even in the balcony it is only 2 rows. Not packed. Cute and decorative. You can tell the performers tried their best to show their skill and talents. They had about 7 minutes for each performance slot. Charming Reynaldo Teaching the kids how to balance a spinning plate , had some Chaplin-esque skits.in the beginning he barely spoke , his non verbal communication was cute. Later he'd count to 5 in Japanese or French and even Spanish too. Little kids were delighted. He got up and personal with them and picked many to go on stage with him. I would say he performed the most. He was entertaining a bit between each segment. Little kids were giggling a lot. You can watch the aerial silks performances( seems to be so hugely popular no?), hand balancing acts, Twirling Cubique spinning , amazing crossbow skills ( also cute couple shooting each other's targets with a bow and arrow .) Duo fusion is an attractive af husband and wife balancing act where the wife does most of the lifting. They are just so pretty. Retro costumes really do pay homage to the classic balancing act that I expect to have seen & heard about in the bygone days of the circus ( proper)... or even Coney Island. So muscular and toned and so strong. So there you have it. See if you can arrange a discount ticket. *****Although this ticket does allow you a Summer Circus Bonus, which is $5 admission to the Circus Museum ~with is a wonderful sight to see at the Ringling