We’re moving toward the end of the official arts “season,” but there are still more performances and events happening than any one person can attend. Here are Jay and Carrie’s picks for the upcoming week, but for more options, visit our friends at the Arts and Cultural Alliance, who have a full calendar listing.
April 13
Deepa Purohit, the 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner.
If you read Jay’s recent story on the Hermitage Artist Retreat, you already know about some of the great work that’s been produced by previous Hermitage resident artists and prize winners. Now, you have an opportunity to see the latest: The culminating work and first public presentation of 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner Deepa Purohit’s commissioned play, “Mxx: The Dignity Project.”
Described as “an immersive play, installation, discussion circle and ‘happening,’” “Mxx” shares the collective experiences of inter-generational women from the South Asian diaspora living in America, who engage in or disrupt the rituals and expectations placed on their bodies as they navigate the medical/elder care/end-of-life system. How does one die with dignity within a medical system built around prolonging life?
7 p.m. at the Asolo Repertory Theatre’s Koski Center, Coville Rehearsal Hall, 1009 Tallevast Road. $5. Registration required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
— Carrie Seidman
April 14-May 24
From left, Rachel Gubow, Linda Bard, Jeremy Radin, Noa Luz Barenblat and Lauren Molina star in the Asolo Repertory Theatre production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Photo by Adrian Van Stee
I’ve been waiting for this one all season, Asolo Repertory Theatre’s “Fiddler on the Roof,” which is in previews this week before Friday’s opening night. I’ve certainly seen plenty of productions of this classic show about Tevye the milkman, his wife, Golde and their five daughters living amid attacks and pogroms by Russian authorities. But this one will be different. Most of the actors will be playing characters and instruments. I’m eager to see and hear how that works out. It is directed by Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein and stars Jeremy Radin, a stage, film and television actor, who has played Tevye in the past.
Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Tickets are $37-81 for previews through April 16, then $46-$104. asoloep.org; 941-351-8000
— Jay Handelman
April 18
Students in the Sarasota Sailor Circus are performing their spring show “A Night at the Movies 2.” Photo provided by Circus Arts Conservatory
Saturday is World Circus Day and there are multiple ways to celebrate in the Sarasota area. The Ringling Museum is providing free admission to the Circus Museum for the day. Visitors can explore the Tibbals Learning Center and the Historic Circus Galleries, looking at historic circus posters, climbing into Lou Jacobs’ clown car and wandering around Howard Tibbals’ impressive model of an old-fashioned big top tent circus. The Circus Arts Conservatory’s Sailor Circus will be in the final performances of its spring show “A Night at the Movies 2,” featuring the young performers in a variety of circus acts with a movie theme. That show runs April 16-19 at the Sailor Circus Arena.
The Ringling is at 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota. April 18 hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 941-359-5700; ringling.org. The Sailor Circus Arena is at 2075 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota. Tickets are $20-$40. circusarts.org; 941-355-9805
— Jay Handelman
The Garbage-Men
Perhaps you’ve heard of The Garbage-Men, a wonderful ensemble of musicians who play on instruments entirely made from, well, trash. Now it’s your turn to get in on the fun. As part of Art Center Sarasota’s Free Family Saturday programming, you can try your hand at crafting percussion instruments from found and recycled materials and everyday objects. Then you can turn recycling into rhythm and join The Garbage-Men themselves for a high-energy jam. It’s all part of Suncoast Remake Learning Days, sponsored by The Patterson Foundation.
12 p.m. crafting; 1:30-3 p.m. live music (snacks and sips while they last), at Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail. (Registration encouraged, but not required; email [email protected]). FREE. 941-365-02032; artsarasota.org/familysaturdays
— Carrie Seidman
April 18
It’s the grand finale of the 2026 Sarasota Film Festival and you won’t want to miss the closing night film – “In the Hand of Dante,” by director/artist Julian Schnabel, who’s the celebrity attraction at this year’s festival. His newest work follows a disillusioned author drawn into a violent underworld quest to authenticate a manuscript believed to be Dante Alighieri’s original “Divine Comedy.” Arrive early and learn about all of the films that received awards at this year’s festival.
Director Julian Schnabel’s “In the Hand of Dante” is the 2026 Sarasota Film Festival closing night film. / Photo courtesy SFF
6 p.m. at the Sainer Pavilion, New College of Florida, 5313 Bay Shore Road. $50. Tickets at SFF Box office, 332 Cocoanut Ave. (Cocoanut and 4th St.) or online at SarasotaFilmFestival.com
— Carrie Seidman
April 18
Three local arts organizations are joining together to give families a behind-the-scenes look at what they do and special experiences. Backstage Sarasota: A Theatre Trolley Tour will take guests to several free events during the day. It includes a backstage tour of Asolo Repertory Theatre, a performance of “The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster and Other Winning Plays” at Florida Studio Theatre and a dance workshop at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Guests should arrive at the Van Wezel by 9:30 a.m. and the tour ends at 1 p.m. with an ice cream social. This is another event that is part of the Patterson Foundation’s Suncoast Remake Learning Days. To reserve space: https://bit.ly/4skwXHz
— Jay Handelman
