Does it feel as if the busy arts and entertainment season, at its height November through May, takes forever to come around, or does it arrive way too soon for you procrastinating planners? Either way, it’s here now, so if you haven’t already filled out your calendar with show dates, we’re here to help you by choosing some of the highlights of 2026-27.

It’s a varied and active lineup, with more than a few world, national or regional premieres in the mix. And it even comes with the promised opening of a long-awaited new home for the venerable Sarasota Players. After years in a temporary space since selling its longtime home along North Tamiami Trail, the community theater will be staging shows at the renovated Payne Park Auditorium, hopefully beginning in January. (The company has also started offering smaller-scale shows in its Players Studio on Boulevard of the Arts.) And, all fingers crossed, Venice Theatre’s hurricane-damaged mainstage Jervey Theatre is set to reopen in February after extensive repairs and renovations. Something to celebrate.

Now, let’s take a look at what stands out this season.

Music

Carmina Burana

Feb. 5-7, 2027

Despite the seemingly ubiquitous use of portions of composer Carl Orff’s medievally inspired cantata in films, commercials and even sporting events, there’s still no substitute for hearing the real thing presented by an orchestra and chorus live, as with these performances by the Sarasota Orchestra at the Van Wezel. Music director Giancarlo Guerrero brings the Grant Park Chorus (he also happens to be the Grant Park Music Festival’s artistic director and principal conductor) to town to provide the vocals for “O Fortuna” and the rest of the piece, and it’s bound to be dramatic. Soloists Jana McIntyre (soprano), Logan Tanner (countertenor) and Troy Cook (baritone) join the other musicians.

Sarasota Jazz Festival

March 15-20, 2027

Everybody who loves jazz will be turning out for this year’s Jazz Fest headliners, which include pianist Emmet Cohen’s trio (March 18), Miami-born three-time Grammy winner vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant (March 19) and bassist-bandleader Christian McBride with his quintet, Ursa Major (March 20). But we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you that in the days leading up to that big weekend, you can also catch plenty more local musicians, with the Jazz Trolley Pub Crawl and the March 17 Swing Dance Party featuring The Sarasota Jazz Project, a 17-piece ensemble comprised of some of the best jazz artists in town. Main concerts are at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium; get ready to swing.

Midori with Lucerne Festival Strings

Feb. 28, 2027

Superstar violinist Midori has been performing to accolades ever since she was at an age when most of us are still losing our baby teeth, but she’s lost none of her talent or charisma over the decades. After tuning up with just about every major orchestra in the world, she comes to Sarasota this season with the Lucerne Festival Strings ensemble to play Tchaikovsky’s one and only Violin Concerto in D Major, for Sarasota Concert Association audiences. (Also on the program: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2.) Strings lovers are in for a memorable matinee.

Jenufa

March 6, 9, 14, 18 and 21, 2026

In the first Sarasota Opera season under Richard Russell as both general and artistic director, the company brings to the Opera House this Czech work of unsentimental realism, with music and libretto by Leoš Janáček. Not seen here in three decades, the opera follows its young heroine through hardship, love and the competing demands of her remote 19th-century village. Soprano Kathryn Henry makes her company debut in the role; also starring is world-renowned Finnish-born soprano Karita Mattila in her Sarasota Opera debut, as heroine Jenufa’s protective stepmother. (Mattila is also the opera’s first ever artist-in-residence here this season.) Sung in Czech with English surtitles.

Heroes and Titans

March 19 and 20, 2027

You might say of these concerts by the Venice Symphony (led by Troy Quinn) that it’s “go big or go home” time. Each of the works featured is larger than life, from Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major (often called Titan) to John Williams’ Summon the Heroes (composed for the 1996 Summer Olympics) to Patrick Doyle’s theme from the Marvel Studio movie Thor to Richard Wagner’s Ride of Valkyries from Die Walküre, part of his epic Ring cycle. (You’re already hearing that one in your head, aren’t you?) The performances will probably leave both audiences (and musicians) exhausted and exhilarated. At the Venice Performing Arts Center.

Talks

Anderson Cooper

Jan. 11, 2027

Whether you know him best from his longstanding CNN anchor role, his stint on CBS’ 60 Minutes, or even his annual on-air New Year’s Eve tomfoolery with pal Andy Cohen, there’s no denying Cooper has had a front-row seat at just about every news-making event of the past 30-plus years. He kicks off Ringling College Library Association’s Town Hall lecture series at the Van Wezel, where he’ll bring us up to speed on what’s happening around the world, and maybe throw in a few personal reflections, too.

Dance

The Sarasota Ballet’s Program Four

Jan. 29-Feb. 1, 2027

In its 20th season under the artistic leadership of Iain Webb, The Sarasota Ballet presents not one, not two, but three company premieres in this program at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. Two of them are choreographed by Brit Ashley Page. The first, The Pump Room, moves to a pounding electronic score by Aphex Twin and Nine Inch Nails; the second, Walking in the Heat, offers a steamy dance duet and music by Orlando Gough that one reviewer has called “a Latin mix of lust and languor.” Plus, there’s Paul Taylor’s Mercuric Tidings, set to music by Schubert and dazzling us with some neon pink costumes. Rounding out the program: Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations.

Romantic Night

Feb. 12-14, 2027

The Sarasota Cuban Ballet is once more in the mood for love this Valentine’s Day weekend. Two romantic pas de deux choreographed by faculty members, Othello to music by Bach and Midsummer Night’s Dream to music by Mendelssohn, are joined by Petipa’s Esmeralda Pas de Six. And there’s also a new contemporary piece created by Isabella Serrano, one of the Studio Company dancers. Performances at the ballet’s auditorium, on Cattlemen Road. BTW, the company has also expanded its dance roster from just three company members to six this season: three men and three women, making for more range and opportunities in pairings and ensembles. Good news for the company and audiences alike.

Murals in Motion

Dec. 11-13, 2026

Here’s something that sounds intriguingly different. As part of its “Raíces & Velos (Roots & Flight)” 21st season, Sarasota Contemporary Dance is bringing to life three of the murals painted in its Rosemary District neighborhood, with live music carrying the dancers and the audience along on the journey. Just three curated performances featuring original choreography drawn from the works of art are scheduled, with watchers following along on a guided tour throughout the district that is providing inspiration. Sign up early if you haven’t already.

Comedy

John Mulaney: Mister Whatever

Dec. 10, 2027

Sure, this evening of stand-up by Mulaney, best known to many as a writer and frequent host for Saturday Night Live, may sell out quickly, but you never know unless you try. At any rate, if you’re lucky enough to get a ticket, you’ll be entertained by the Chicago native’s smart mix of often self-deprecating storytelling, observational humor and wide-ranging wit. At some stops on this tour, Mulaney has been joined by fellow comedians including Nick Kroll, Fred Armisen, Pete Davidson and Jon Stewart. Will Sarasota be one of the fortunate cities? At the Van Wezel at 7:30 p.m.

Theater

Kimberly Akimbo

Nov. 18-Jan. 3, 2027

There are several reasons to see this musical by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire. First, it won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Second, it’s a touching, funny, and unusual story about a teenager dealing with a rare condition that causes her to age rapidly—an intriguing concept. Third, it has some strong local ties: Tesori worked on the score for its transfer from off-Broadway at the Hermitage Artist Retreat, and Sarasota-based performer Ann Morrison (also a Hermitage alum) starred in the recent national tour of the show. It will be directed and choreographed by Ben Liebert in its bow at Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre.

The Producers

Jan. 7-24, 2027

You’d expect the Sarasota Players to stage something big and splashy to celebrate their new chapter and home, and this 12-time Tony-winning show (the most Tonys ever for any single musical) is it—barring any Producers-like disasters before opening night. By now we’re all familiar with the story of Bialystock and Bloom and their deliberate attempt to stage a big flop and make a mint by bilking their investors. And no matter whether you see it at their current space at The Crossings at Siesta Key or in their new space at Payne Park (we’re hoping the new space is open in time), it’s still hilarious; and instigator Mel Brooks—a recent centenarian—along with co-writer Thomas Meehan, is, indeed, a king of Broadway as well as comedy.

The Garbologists

Jan. 8-Feb. 14, 2027

Have you ever really thought much about garbage? Playwright Lindsay Joelle has, and this regional premiere at Urbanite Theatre takes us on a ride along a New York City sanitation route with two very different employees. One is Danny (white, blue-collar, a garbage vet), and the other is Marlowe (Black, Ivy-educated, new to the biz). In this offbeat “buddy” comedy, Joelle not only juxtaposes their different worlds, but she also digs into what we throw away, what we keep, and what connects us in a messy world. We’re not just talkin’ trash.

Provenance

Feb. 24-March 21, 2027

A world premiere by Jennifer Maisel that tracks the journey of one painting, from its creation through its theft by the Nazis and beyond, telling a story that spans continents and over a century in time. Winner of the 2025 Jewish Plays Project, Provenance asks the question: Can what was lost ever truly be recovered? An Asolo Rep production in the Cook Theatre, in partnership with Palm Beach Dreamworks, directed by Casey Stangl.

Appropriate

Feb. 18-28, 2027

As far as we know, this production of Branden Jacob-Jenkins’ acclaimed play, staged originally in 2013 and in a Tony-winning Broadway revival in 2023, is the first of its kind in the area. And it’s daring material for the Manatee Players, in the Bradenton Kiwanis Theater space, to tackle. The piece centers on a dysfunctional family reluctantly brought together by the passing of the family patriarch. As they work to clear out and dispose of items in his crumbling plantation home, they discover an album of highly disturbing photos. How each member decides to deal with that discovery reveals a great deal about them, and about American history. Yes, it gets dark.

Kinky Boots

Feb. 18-March 4, 2027

Venice Theatre has been waiting to produce this show since before Hurricane Ian hit in 2022, heavily damaging its mainstage theater and cancelling the season. Now the Jervey is on track to open in time to stage the musical. With songs by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein, it’s based on the movie about a guy desperate to save his family’s struggling shoe factory, and a drag performer, Lola, who helps him find some new boot buyers among her fellow queens. A Tony winner for Best Musical and Best Actor (Billy Porter); who will wear those sparkly high heels in VT’s version? We’ll find out.

Six

March 16-21, 2027

Call me a Tudor groupie, but I’ve been looking forward to this musical about the six wives of Henry VIII coming to town ever since its Broadway opening, just before Covid struck. Creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss achieved a fun, radical re-imagining of these historical figures, placing them in a competition to see who suffered the most at Henry’s hands and modeling them to suggest elements of pop idols Beyonce, Rihanna and Ariana Grande, among others. Song titles like “Don’t Lose Ur Head,” “Haus of Holbein” and “I Don’t Need Your Love” give you a hint of what to expect. Variety said of the show, “Six is a solid 10 for joy.” Onstage at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen

April 13-18, 2027

Another solid look at a real-life woman, this time singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. Hell’s Kitchen, which received 13 Tony nominations in 2024, is a semi-autobiographical account of a period in the life of young (17-year-old) Ali, dealing with an overprotective mother, a mostly absent father, and her attraction to an older guy. Maybe music—including Keys’ hits like “Girl on Fire,” “Fallin’” and “Empire State of Mind”—will get her through. In addition to Keys’ songs, the show’s book is by Kristofer Diaz; Asolo Rep audiences may recall a production of his The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity a few years ago, which made him a Pulitzer finalist. At the Van Wezel.

The Day the Circus Came to Town

March 21-April 24, 2027

You’ve got to admire Asolo Rep’s producing artistic director Peter Rothstein’s gumption in tackling a world premiere musical about one of Sarasota’s most famous—and sometimes fractious—institutions, in this play celebrating the 100th anniversary of the year John Ringling moved his Big Top to Sarasota. Show creators David Darrow, Carla Noack and Rothstein interviewed dozens of Sarasota circus stars to keep the story rooted in authenticity. And, of course, there’s a cast of acrobats and aerialists to complement the actors. Can any one show please all of Sarasota’s circus fanatics? Here’s hoping.

Circus

Circus Sarasota

Feb. 19-March 21, 2027

In this year celebrating the centennial of the arrival of the Ringling circus to Sarasota, the Circus Arts Conservatory is looking to the future while honoring the past, using new technologies and welcoming new festival-winning artists from around the world. But familiar faces return, including ringmaster Joseph Bauer Jr. and hometown fave Bello Nock, who will execute some different, but still incredibly daring, physical heroics. The Big Top goes up on the UTC grounds, as Nathan Benderson Park is expected to be involved with construction. Here’s hoping the recent departures of Circus Sarasota founders Dolly Jacobs and Pedro Reis don’t affect the show.

The Kif Kif Sisters

April 16-18, 2027

The Ringling’s Art of Performance series honors World Circus Day (April 17) with performances by this Montreal-based duo—twin sisters named Francoise and Josette Lépine who excel at both fun and physical theater. With Returns Department, set in a store’s section for inspecting returned merchandise, the two combine circus arts, robotics, puppetry and more, inspired by both Charlie Chaplin and comic strips, for a playful show aimed at the child inside all of us. Inside the Historic Asolo Theater.

Visual Arts

Keith Haring: Lines in Motion

Jan. 19-April 2027

Street-graffiti-Pop artist Haring takes the spotlight in this show at Ringling College of Art + Design’s Stulberg Gallery. His bold, graphic imagery is represented through more than 130 works in the show, drawn from a private collection, including lithographs, drawings on paper, posters and much more. In addition, works by Haring’s longtime collaborator, Angel Ortiz (LA II), will be on view in the Selby Foundation Gallery on the campus, featuring more than a dozen works by Ortiz exploring movement, pattern and improvisation. It’s like taking a trip on the New York subway without the, ahem, aromas.

Verdi: Composer & Farmer

Feb. 7-May 30, 2027

You might think the 2027 Jean & Alfred Goldstein exhibition at Selby Gardens’ downtown campus is a departure from previous editions, since it focuses on a musical master, not a visual arts one. And you’d be right. But it makes sense once you remember the recent addition to the Selby team of former longtime Sarasota Opera artistic director Victor DeRenzi, whose love of Verdi is well known. So, besides the objects and images in the museum, and the horticultural designs on the grounds, expect to hear music from Verdi’s operas.

Spectacular Japan: From Misemono to Big Top

Feb. 20-Aug. 15, 2027

The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art presents the first major exhibition in the English-speaking world to explore circus arts in both Japanese and Western visual culture. Misemono, which means “show” or “exhibition” in Japanese, was a somewhat weird amalgam of circus, carnival, zoo and more especially popular during the Edo period from 1603 to 1867, where it took place on city streets or on temple grounds, and could include sideshows or freak shows testing the limits of acceptability. In this exhibit, woodblock prints, photos, textiles and circus posters bring the era to life, while pointing out connections between the Japanese and Western traditions of entertainment. You’re bound to learn something new here.

Double Feature: Mike Solomon and Syd Solomon 

May 16-Oct. 31, 2027

A show long in the making, spotlighting father Syd—one of Sarasota’s best-known artists, a master of Abstract Expressionism who found inspiration for his paintings in the Gulf Coast’s land, sea and sky—and son Mike, who’s put his own mark on the contemporary art world using a wide range of materials to explore the spiritual dimensions of nature. Their work will be exhibited in side-by-side galleries at the Sarasota Art Museum, creating a rare chance to appreciate a familial, artistic and Sarasota connection.