mad Theatre of Tampa presents Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy Company. Company is largely regarded as a trailblazer of the dark-comedy, modern-musical genre and the winner of 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Lyrics and Best Book.

On the night of his 35th birthday, confirmed bachelor Robert contemplates his unmarried state. Over the course of a series of dinners, drinks, and even a wedding, his friends — “those good and crazy people [his] married friends” — explain the pro’s and con’s of taking on a spouse. The habitually single Robert is forced to question his adamant retention of bachelorhood during a hilarious array of interactions.

Company features a brilliantly brisk and energetic score containing many of Stephen Sondheim’s best known songs. The strength of the piece lies in its vivid yet real characters, meaning impressive technical aspects aren’t necessary to convey the story. It can be told as effectively with a cavalcade of automated set pieces as it can with a chair or two. Every audience member will see reflections of themselves in at least one of the characters on stage.

Starring Ricky Marenda, Justin Batten, Peter A. Belk, Kelsey Ehrenberger, Francesca Guanciale Jay, Jen Martin, DeAnna McMahan, Heather Lynn Mendoza, Jay Morgan, Jessica Moraton, Lisa Prieto, Bill Rolon, James Faroute and Lindsay Yarbrough.

Step into the enchanted world of the modern classic, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, where Patel Conservatory students grade 9-college bring this “tale as old as time” to life.
The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

***Sensory-friendly performance: SUN • JUN 25 • 2PM***
The Straz Center’s Patel Conservatory Theater is pleased to present a sensory-friendly, student performed, professionally produced production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Often, because of the challenge of sitting quietly for long periods of time, loud noises and light changes, children with sensory processing disorders such as autism and Asperger’s aren’t able to enjoy theater. In this performance, audience members will enjoy the full production with adjustments made to the show’s lighting and sound effects. Audiences will also have the freedom to move, wander, verbalize and utilize break areas. This performance allows all patrons to enjoy theater without barriers.

mad Theatre of Tampa presents Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy Company. Company is largely regarded as a trailblazer of the dark-comedy, modern-musical genre and the winner of 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Lyrics and Best Book.

On the night of his 35th birthday, confirmed bachelor Robert contemplates his unmarried state. Over the course of a series of dinners, drinks, and even a wedding, his friends — “those good and crazy people [his] married friends” — explain the pro’s and con’s of taking on a spouse. The habitually single Robert is forced to question his adamant retention of bachelorhood during a hilarious array of interactions.

Company features a brilliantly brisk and energetic score containing many of Stephen Sondheim’s best known songs. The strength of the piece lies in its vivid yet real characters, meaning impressive technical aspects aren’t necessary to convey the story. It can be told as effectively with a cavalcade of automated set pieces as it can with a chair or two. Every audience member will see reflections of themselves in at least one of the characters on stage.

Starring Ricky Marenda, Justin Batten, Peter A. Belk, Kelsey Ehrenberger, Francesca Guanciale Jay, Jen Martin, DeAnna McMahan, Heather Lynn Mendoza, Jay Morgan, Jessica Moraton, Lisa Prieto, Bill Rolon, James Faroute and Lindsay Yarbrough.

Step into the enchanted world of the modern classic, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, where Patel Conservatory students grade 9-college bring this “tale as old as time” to life.
The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

***Sensory-friendly performance: SUN • JUN 25 • 2PM***
The Straz Center’s Patel Conservatory Theater is pleased to present a sensory-friendly, student performed, professionally produced production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Often, because of the challenge of sitting quietly for long periods of time, loud noises and light changes, children with sensory processing disorders such as autism and Asperger’s aren’t able to enjoy theater. In this performance, audience members will enjoy the full production with adjustments made to the show’s lighting and sound effects. Audiences will also have the freedom to move, wander, verbalize and utilize break areas. This performance allows all patrons to enjoy theater without barriers.

Witnessing this brilliant comedy is a sure-fire mental workout. Think of it as a zany Brit-com meets a Womens Studies doctoral dissertation with more than a healthy dose of Brecht’s Epic Theater thrown in for good measure. Caryl Churchill sets in motion characters whose sexual identities and alliances shift constantly. She asks audiences to accept that most of the characters make an impossible leap in time, from colonial Africa in the Victorian age to contemporary Britain. She then asks audiences to ignore the fact that certain men are played by women, certain women are played by men, children can be played by adults and that even black can be white.

This theatrical evening of aerial acrobatics dazzles audiences with charismatic performers in feats of strength, elegance and fearlessness. Using silks, lyra, trapeze, rope and flexibility, the diverse members of The Keep create theatrical entertainment that mystifies and transports audiences to another world. “Reality in many cultures is used as a deceptive illusion. To know who you are is to understand what we are made of and what we can accomplish. You must understand and explore your own identity which will help you to better understand the surrounding world.” – The Veils of Illusion

PAW Patrol is on a roll with the first-ever live tour!

It’s the day of the Super Adventure Race between Adventure Bay’s Mayor Goodway and Foggy Bottom’s Mayor Humdinger, but Mayor Goodway is nowhere to be found. PAW Patrol to the rescue! Ryder summons Marshall, Chase, Skye, Rubble, Rocky, Zuma and Everest to help.

Using their unique skills and teamwork, the pups show that “no job is too big, no pup is too small,” and share lessons for all ages about citizenship, social skills and problem-solving as they make several heroic rescues on their race to the finish line.

Be a VIP – Very Important Pup! The VIP package includes a premium seat, special souvenir gift and exclusive access to a Meet & Greet with Ryder and two PAW Patrol Characters after the show. Each adult and child (age 1 and up) in a group must have a VIP ticket. Pick up your VIP Packet at the VIP Check in table prior to the show.

Children who have celebrated their first birthday are required to purchase a full-priced ticket.

$10 Lap tickets for children under 1 will be available on the day of the performance, in-person only, at the Ticket Office.

In a run-down movie theater in central Massachusetts, three underpaid employees mop the floors and attend to one of the last 35-millimeter film projectors in the state. Their tiny battles and not-so-tiny heartbreaks play out in the empty aisles, becoming more gripping than the lackluster, second-run movies on screen. With keen insight and a finely-tuned comic eye, The Flick is a hilarious and heart-rending cry for authenticity in a fast-changing world.

Directed by Summer Bohnenkamp, who last helmed Jobsite’s critically-lauded and award-winning production of Time Stands Still. Bay area theatergoers may recall Baker’s work from the recent production of The Aliens at Stageworks Theater, directed by Jobsite Producing Artistic Director David M. Jenkins.

This smash off-Broadway hit takes you to the 1958 Springfield High School prom where we meet Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy, and Suzy, four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts! As we learn about their lives and loves, the girls serenade us with classic ‘50s hits including “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid,” and “Lipstick on Your Collar.”  In act two, the Wonderettes reunite to take the stage and perform at their ten-year reunion. We learn about the highs and lows the girls have experienced in the past decade and are charmed to find that no matter what life throws their way, they will conquer it together. Featuring over 30 classic ’50s and ’60s hits, The Marvelous Wonderettes will keep you smiling in this must-take musical trip down memory lane!

Crack up Cancer annually features some of the areas best comics, and 2017 is no exception.  The lineup this year includes Danny Bevins, Al Romas, John Consoli, Mike McCarthy, Helen Keaney and Kevin Rogers.  The show has two price tiers making it accessible to one and all.  Regular priced tickets are $25 each and VIP tickets are $75 and come with a pre-show reception with served appetizers, “meet the comics” area, and preferential seating in the auditorium for the show.  Come see why Crack up Cancer was nominated in 2016 as Best Fundraiser in Tampa Bay by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Crack up Cancer benefits local and all volunteer 501(c)3 Cure on Wheels who grants monies donated to targeted programs in local cancer organizations, supporting patients and families. Cure on Wheels, Inc. is a St. Petersburg-based not for profit and is an all volunteer organization with little to no overhead, therefore nearly 100% of all monies raised go directly to local cancer patients and families annually.

Set in London in the 1800s, The Threepenny Opera is a musical satire about a notorious bandit who marries a girl much to the chagrin of her father, forcing the peeved patriarch to do everything in his power to imprison his son-in-law. Ahead of its time, the political and social themes in this iconic piece of musical theater get at the corruption of humanity and how it consumes us and forces us to consume one another.

Last revived on Broadway in a Tony Award-winning production starring Alan Cumming and Cyndi Lauper, The Threepenny Opera must be recognized as the grandfather of musicals like Cabaret and Chicago that show us singing and dancing our way to our own destruction. David M. Jenkins directs with Jeremy Douglass set to return after previously helming LIZZIE’s six-piece band (several of whom also return here to fill out the seven-piece on-stage orchestra) as music director.

Everyone’s favorite astrophysicist returns for another out-of-this-world experience in the funny, thoughtful, highly informed and always entertaining world of Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Best-selling author and one of the most recognizable ambassadors of all things science, Dr. Tyson’s sold-out engagement last year at The Straz, An Astrophysicist Goes to the Movies, was a highlight of our speaker series. He returns this fall with An Astrophysicist Reads the Newspaper, an exploration of all that is funny, illuminating and alarming in reports about the world’s current events.

Under the artistic direction of Emmy® Award winner, Travis Wall, and co-created with Nick Lazzarini, Teddy Forance and Kyle Robinson, Shaping Sound is an electrifying mash-up of dance styles and musical genres brought fully to life on stage by a dynamic company of contemporary dancers. In After the Curtain, these visual musicians return to The Straz to dazzle audiences as they tell the story of a man fighting to find his creative voice after the death of his one true love. Heart-wrenching, breathtaking and ultimately uplifting, this is one dance show that audiences will remember forever.

Jobsite’s relationship with internationally-renown filmmaker, poet, and playwright Israel Horovitz was recognized last year with a Best of the Bay Award from Creative for Best Link to the Greater Theater World after staging his Lebensraum and doing several other readings of his plays since 2015. This time Jobsite takes on one of his newest plays, recently seen at his Gloucester Stage and then New York’s prestigious LaMaMa.

Man in Snow is a powerful family drama with both humor and heart. David, recently retired and mourning the loss of his son, revisits Alaska’s Mt. McKinley after 25 years. This time, however, he’s not there to climb it, but to guide a group of Japanese honeymooners who hope to conceive a child under the spell of the Northern Lights. This is passionate, compelling storytelling that is guaranteed to have audiences on the edge of their seats.