Arts & Entertainment

ArtsBeat

Harold Mendez, a Dancer Who Doesn’t Fit the Traditional Ballet Aesthetic, Ends His Career While Still in His Prime

At 5 feet, 5 inches tall, regardless of his outsized talent, Mendez’s lack of stature relegated him to less acclaim and opportunity than he deserved.

07/15/2026 By Carrie Seidman/ArtsBeat.org

Jingle All the Way

Van Wezel Announces Holiday Season Lineup

This year's slate of performances includes a Taylor Swift tribute, a high-flying circus performance and "Hamilton" star Leslie Odom Jr. making his Sarasota debut.

07/14/2026 By Staff

ArtsBeat

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Builds Connections at International Black Theatre Festival

Nate Jacobs' Sarasota-based company returns to the biennial festival in North Carolina with a new revue celebrating Marvin Gaye.

07/13/2026 By Jay Handelman/ArtsBeat.org

Nature's Score

After 44 Years at Sarasota Opera, Victor DeRenzi Is Heading to the Gardens

The longtime maestro will serve as honorary curator of Selby Gardens’ spring 2027 season, bringing music, performance and horticulture together in a new series of exhibitions and programs.

07/13/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Review

We're Off to See the Wizard in Asolo Rep's Summer Show

In a pared-down but still entertaining adaptation, "The Wizard of Oz" brings the classic movie musical to the stage.

07/13/2026 By Kay Kipling

Miss Manners

‘Ladies of London’ Star Myka Meier Got Her Start Right Here in Sarasota

Meier, who’s been called “the picture of grace” by Vogue and “America’s Queen of Good Manners” by The Times magazine, was once Sarasota High School’s prom queen.

07/06/2026 By Kendall Southworth

ArtsBeat

Arts Groups to Share $20 Million as DeSantis Vetoes More Funding

Questions remain about what organizations will receive state support.

07/02/2026 By Jay Handelman/ArtsBeat.org

In the Club

As Summer Heat Bears Down Outside, Head Indoors With These Great Local Book Clubs

There's one for every reader.

07/01/2026 By Kim Doleatto

The Women Behind the Art

The Untold Stories of Sarasota's Women Artists

From the earliest days of Sarasota’s vaunted arts history, women were painting, drawing, sculpting and otherwise creating.

07/01/2026 By Kay Kipling

Book Report

The Books Sarasota's Historical Figures Might Read This Summer

Would John Ringling be engrossed in "The Art of the Deal"? Would Eugenie Clark binge "Remarkably Bright Creatures"?

07/01/2026

Treat Yourself

The Ultimate Sarasota Summer Splurge Guide

How to indulge during the long, hot season.

07/01/2026 By The Editors

Keep Ramblin'

Dickey Betts Gets His Highway and a Tribute Concert

A stretch of U.S. 41 near the late Allman Brothers Band co-founder’s Osprey home will be renamed in his honor Wednesday, with a free waterfront jam to follow.

06/30/2026 By Kim Doleatto