In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920’s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the CABARET. With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, CABARET explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken by English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally’s boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Musical numbers include “Willkommen,” “Cabaret,” “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Two Ladies.” This is the 1998 version.

In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920’s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the CABARET. With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, CABARET explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken by English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally’s boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Musical numbers include “Willkommen,” “Cabaret,” “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Two Ladies.” This is the 1998 version.

In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920’s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the CABARET. With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, CABARET explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken by English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally’s boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Musical numbers include “Willkommen,” “Cabaret,” “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Two Ladies.” This is the 1998 version.

This “winning adaptation” (The Hollywood Reporter) of the best-selling Disney-Hyperion novel by Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is “electrifying!” (Newsday). The Greek gods are real, and they’re ruining Percy Jackson’s life. As a son of Poseidon, Percy has newly discovered powers he can’t control, monsters on his trail, and is on an epic quest to find Zeus’s lightning bolt to prevent a war between the gods. Nominated for three Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, The Lightning Thief is “mesmerizing” and proves “lightning can strike twice!” (TheaterMania).

Students discover the Bard while honing skills specific to the performance of Shakespeare. This one-week intensive delves deeply into text analysis, vocal technique, stage, combat, acting, accent work and movement.

The camp culminates with two free memorized workshop performances of scenes, monologues and sonnets, open to the public. The performance on Thursday, July 11 will be on the Straz Center Riverwalk at 3 p.m. The performance on Friday, July 12 will be in the Jaeb Theater at 3 p.m.

Camp registration is available by calling 813.222.1040 or by visiting www.patelconservatory.org.

The accredited Patel Conservatory offers summer camps and classes in dance, music and theater for students of all ages and experience levels. Each year, the Straz Center’s arts education programs enrich the lives of more than 50,000 students in our classrooms, on our stages and through the community.

Students discover the Bard while honing skills specific to the performance of Shakespeare. This one-week intensive delves deeply into text analysis, vocal technique, stage, combat, acting, accent work and movement.

The camp culminates with two free memorized workshop performances of scenes, monologues and sonnets, open to the public. The performance on Thursday, July 11 will be on the Straz Center Riverwalk at 3 p.m. The performance on Friday, July 12 will be in the Jaeb Theater at 3 p.m.

Camp registration is available by calling 813.222.1040 or by visiting www.patelconservatory.org.

The accredited Patel Conservatory offers summer camps and classes in dance, music and theater for students of all ages and experience levels. Each year, the Straz Center’s arts education programs enrich the lives of more than 50,000 students in our classrooms, on our stages and through the community.

For students interested in hands-on, in-depth exposure to the jazz form, this camp for students ages 13 and up pairs teaching artists with students for five full days of small combo and big band playing.

Including master classes, ear training, sight-reading and improvisation, this intensive emphasizes instruction in all aspects of jazz, from appreciation to performance.

The camp culminates with a performance on Friday, July 19, at 5:30 p.m.  Regularly priced tickets are $10 and may be purchased by calling 813.229.STAR (7827) or 800.955.1045 outside Tampa Bay, in person at the Straz Center Ticket Sales Office or online at www.strazcenter.org. Handling fees will apply.

Camp registration is available by calling 813.222.1040 or by visiting www.patelconservatory.org.

The accredited Patel Conservatory offers summer camps and classes in dance, music and theater for students of all ages and experience levels. Each year, the Straz Center’s arts education programs enrich the lives of more than 50,000 students in our classrooms, on our stages and through the community.

More than 150 talented dance students from all across the United States, Mexico, Canada and Hong Kong who are enrolled in the Next Generation Ballet Summer Intensive will come together for a stunning performance.

Students will showcase what they learned in classical ballet, contemporary dance and musical theater in this professionally produced performance in the elegant Ferguson Hall.

Regularly priced tickets are $15 and may be purchased by calling 813.229.STAR (7827) or 800.955.1045 outside Tampa Bay, in person at the Straz Center Ticket Sales Office or online at www.strazcenter.org. Handling fees will apply.

The accredited Patel Conservatory offers summer camps and classes in dance, music and theater for students of all ages and experience levels. Each year, the Straz Center’s arts education programs enrich the lives of more than 50,000 students in our classrooms, on our stages and through the community.

The 1989 comedy/drama Say Anything brought popular culture the love story of Lloyd Dobler (actor John Cusack) and Diane Court (actress Ione Skye). An eternal optimist seeks the heart of a “brain trapped in the body of a game show hostess.” Ranked by Entertainment Weekly as one of the greatest modern movie romances (and #11 on the list of 50 best high-school movies), Say Anything made a star out of John Cusack who went on to success in multiple films including High Fidelity, Grosse Point Blank, and Being John Malkovich, among others.

Now, join John Cusack for a screening of Say Anything followed by a live conversation regarding his career and the making of Say Anything. Roger Ebert called the movie “one of the best films of the year” when it was released. Fans will now get the opportunity to experience a moderated discussion with John answering audience questions as well. A limited number of VIP Gold Circle seats will be available that include a post-show photo opportunity with John.

An evening of new works and traditional favorites of choral music, string chamber music and works for combined orchestra and choir will be presented by students from two separate Patel Conservatory intensives – Choral Intensive and Chamber Orchestra Intensive.

Regularly priced tickets are $15 and may be purchased by calling 813.229.STAR (7827) or 800.955.1045 outside Tampa Bay, in person at the Straz Center Ticket Sales Office or online at www.strazcenter.org. Handling fees will apply.

The accredited Patel Conservatory offers summer camps and classes in dance, music and theater for students of all ages and experience levels. Each year, the Straz Center’s arts education programs enrich the lives of more than 50,000 students in our classrooms, on our stages and through the community. Camp registration is available by calling 813.222.1040 or by visiting www.patelconservatory.org.

METEOR SHOWER- BY STEVE MARTIN & DIRECTED BY PAUL J. POTENZA
Sep. 6-29, 2019. Previews Sep. 4-5.

Corky (Jobsite ensemble member and veteran area comedienne Jonelle Meyer) and Norm are excited to host Gerald and Laura at their home in the valley outside Los Angeles to watch a once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower. But as the stars come out and the conversation gets rolling, it becomes clear that Gerald and Laura might not be all that they appear to be. Over the course of a crazy, starlit dinner party, the wildly unexpected occurs. The couples begin to flirt and insanity reigns. Martin, using his trademark absurdist humor, bends the fluid nature of time and reality to create a surprising and unforgettably funny new play. Jobsite has previously enjoyed sold out runs of Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile and The Underpants. Artistic Associate Paul J. Potenza directs, known by the Jobsite faithful for his hand over A Skull in Connemara, All New People, and The Lonesome West. “Mr. Martin is peerless at crafting tiny wit bombs, and always has been […] It’s definitely funny!” – The New York Times. “Meteor Shower is a very funny play. Keening-like-a-howler-monkey funny. Design-a-new-cry-laughing-emoji funny.” – Entertainment Weekly

The 13th Annual Crack up Cancer Comedy Benefit helps local people and their families suffering with a diagnosis of cancer. In over 12 years, Crackup Cancer has grown from a small comedy club in Clearwater to the Improv Ybor to Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center, from 85 attendees to nearly 900 last year.

From raising $1800 in year one to $30,000 in year 12, and cumulatively over $155,000. This year Crack up Cancer will be benefiting Florida Cancer Specialist Foundation through Cure on Wheels. For more information please visit Crack Up Cancer at crackupcancer.com and Cure on Wheels at cureonwheels.org and Florida Cancer Specialist Foundation at Foundation.FLCancer.com.

Crack up Cancer 13 will take place Saturday, September 14th at Ferguson Hall this year. As is the case every year, CUC will feature nationally recognized and touring comics, as well as local staples.

For more information visit: crackupcancer.com or www.facebook.com/crackupcancer

THE THANKSGIVING PLAY- BY LARISSA FASTHORSE & DIRECTED BY KARI GOETZ
Oct. 25 – Nov. 17, 2019. Previews Oct. 23-24.

Ah, Thanksgiving, that most American of holidays: when families gather to celebrate the warmth of home, the bounty of the harvest — and a legacy of genocide and violent colonial expansion. Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally “woke” teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month. Kari Goetz returns to Jobsite after a few years away, previously helming lauded productions like The March of the Kitefliers, boom!, and Crimes of the Heart. “The familiar, whitewashed story of Pilgrims and Native Americans chowing down together gets a delicious roasting from expert farceurs.” – The New York Times. “Very, very funny. [It] skewers liberal pretensions with glee – this clever satire is something for which to be truly thankful.” The Hollywood Reporter”

THE THANKSGIVING PLAY- BY LARISSA FASTHORSE & DIRECTED BY KARI GOETZ
Oct. 25 – Nov. 17, 2019. Previews Oct. 23-24.

Ah, Thanksgiving, that most American of holidays: when families gather to celebrate the warmth of home, the bounty of the harvest — and a legacy of genocide and violent colonial expansion. Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally “woke” teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month. Kari Goetz returns to Jobsite after a few years away, previously helming lauded productions like The March of the Kitefliers, boom!, and Crimes of the Heart. “The familiar, whitewashed story of Pilgrims and Native Americans chowing down together gets a delicious roasting from expert farceurs.” – The New York Times. “Very, very funny. [It] skewers liberal pretensions with glee – this clever satire is something for which to be truly thankful.” The Hollywood Reporter”

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM- BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE & DIRECTED BY DAVID M. JENKINS
Jan. 17 – Feb. 9, 2020. Previews Jan. 15-16.

Join Jobsite for another breathtaking production of one of the Bard’s best-loved works. Set in an enchanted forest with fairies, sparring lovers and a group of amateur actors who are putting on a play, this production incorporates aerial and circus performance elements choreographed by Artistic Associate Katrina Stevenson as well as a completely original score from The Florida Bjorkestra’s Jeremy Douglass. On a Midsummer’s night, four young lovers find themselves wrapped in the dream-like arms of an enchanted place where sprites lurk and fairies rule. While a feuding Fairy King and Queen are at war, their paths are crossed by Bottom (Jobsite and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company veteran Giles Davies), Quince and their friends presenting a play within a play. Chief mischief-maker Puck is on-hand to ensure that the course of true love is anything but smooth, and games of fantasy, love and dreams ensue in Shakespeare’s most beguiling comedy. Jobsite again expands their education outreach efforts by offering up to 16 weekday field trip matinee performances for middle and high schools in addition to the 17 scheduled mainstage performances.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM- BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE & DIRECTED BY DAVID M. JENKINS
Jan. 17 – Feb. 9, 2020. Previews Jan. 15-16.

Join Jobsite for another breathtaking production of one of the Bard’s best-loved works. Set in an enchanted forest with fairies, sparring lovers and a group of amateur actors who are putting on a play, this production incorporates aerial and circus performance elements choreographed by Artistic Associate Katrina Stevenson as well as a completely original score from The Florida Bjorkestra’s Jeremy Douglass. On a Midsummer’s night, four young lovers find themselves wrapped in the dream-like arms of an enchanted place where sprites lurk and fairies rule. While a feuding Fairy King and Queen are at war, their paths are crossed by Bottom (Jobsite and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company veteran Giles Davies), Quince and their friends presenting a play within a play. Chief mischief-maker Puck is on-hand to ensure that the course of true love is anything but smooth, and games of fantasy, love and dreams ensue in Shakespeare’s most beguiling comedy. Jobsite again expands their education outreach efforts by offering up to 16 weekday field trip matinee performances for middle and high schools in addition to the 17 scheduled mainstage performances.

DOUBT: A PARABLE- BY JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY & DIRECTED BY SUMMER BOHNENKAMP
Mar. 13 – Apr. 5, 2020. Previews Mar. 11-12.

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play. In this brilliant and powerful drama set in 1964, Sister Aloysius, a Bronx parochial school principal, takes matters into her own hands when she suspects the young and popular Father Flynn of improper relations with one of the male students. Summer Bohnenkamp has previously directed the Jobsite hits The Flick, Time Stands Still, and directs Constellations this summer. “a gripping story of suspicion cast on a priest’s behavior that is less about scandal than about fascinatingly nuanced questions of moral certainty.” —Variety. “Blunt yet subtle, manipulative but full of empathy for all sides, the play is set in 1964 but could not be more timely … passionate, exquisite, important and engrossing.” — NY Newsday. “Here, for the first time in a long time, is a play that is about something.” — Chicago Tribune. “An eloquent and provocative investigation of truth and consequences. A gripping mystery, tightly written.” —Time Out NY.

DOUBT: A PARABLE- BY JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY & DIRECTED BY SUMMER BOHNENKAMP
Mar. 13 – Apr. 5, 2020. Previews Mar. 11-12.

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play. In this brilliant and powerful drama set in 1964, Sister Aloysius, a Bronx parochial school principal, takes matters into her own hands when she suspects the young and popular Father Flynn of improper relations with one of the male students. Summer Bohnenkamp has previously directed the Jobsite hits The Flick, Time Stands Still, and directs Constellations this summer. “a gripping story of suspicion cast on a priest’s behavior that is less about scandal than about fascinatingly nuanced questions of moral certainty.” —Variety. “Blunt yet subtle, manipulative but full of empathy for all sides, the play is set in 1964 but could not be more timely … passionate, exquisite, important and engrossing.” — NY Newsday. “Here, for the first time in a long time, is a play that is about something.” — Chicago Tribune. “An eloquent and provocative investigation of truth and consequences. A gripping mystery, tightly written.” —Time Out NY.

THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI- BY BERTOLT BRECHT, TRANSLATED BY GEORGE TABORI & DIRECTED BY DAVID M. JENKINS
May 15 – June 7, 2020. Previews May 13-14.

Written while in exile in 1941, Brecht’s Arturo Ui is a satirical allegory that recasts Hitler’s rise as a 1930’s Chicago gangster’s takeover of the Windy City’s green-grocery trade. Terror and bloodshed follow — can anyone stop him? Brecht’s skewering of Adolf Hitler and totalitarianism is given renewed significance in 2020 America and is presented here in an adaptation featuring eight performers — Brecht’s original featured over 35. Previous lauded NY revivals have featured the likes of Christopher Plummer, Al Pacino, and Raul Esparza. This production was inspired by Producing Artistic Director David M. Jenkins’ recent visit to Brecht’s theatrical home, the Berliner Ensemble, where Arturo Ui is still one of their most popular productions. Jobsite previously produced a large-scale version of Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera in 2017. “You laugh at him, you fear him, you realize you know him. You certainly can’t resist him” – Time Out New York. “Arturo Ui is a sly, fearsome sideshow, a deceptively humble, hugely exciting piece of work…It’s Richard III meets Jimmy Cagney by way of the vaudeville circuit … it’s both rollicking and frightening.” – New York Magazine