Even as questions about safety protocols remain to be determined, Asolo Repertory Theatre plans to return to a full season of indoor productions next season beginning with a fall staging of the tribal rock musical “Hair.”
In an online video Wednesday afternoon, Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards announced a lineup that is primarily filled with the same plays and musicals that were intended to be presented over the last two seasons but were canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Among the previously planned productions are Thornton Wilder’s classic “Our Town,” the recent Broadway comedy “Grand Horizons” by Bess Wohl, Lauren Yee’s “The Great Leap,” the delayed world premiere of the new musical “Knoxville,” and “Hood,” a new musical inspired by the Robin Hood story that has its eye on Broadway.
The Asolo Repertory Theatre brought the 1950s back in style with its Sock Hop at The Drive In gala on May 1.
The annual gala moved to Nathan Benderson Park for a throwback Drive-In event that had guests dressing up in their most vintage and colorful retro attire that ranged from poodle skirts to greaser jackets. Guests drove up to the concert space and parked their cars right next to their tables where they then mingled or headed over to the tented diner area to pick up a quick cheeseburger. The seven-piece 1950s Chome 57 band played lively tunes for guests to enjoy before sitting down for dinner.
Hard-hit arts and cultural organizations in Florida that faced drastic losses of revenues after closing their doors for long periods due to the coronavirus pandemic, are getting a boost in funding assistance from the state Legislature.
The 2021-22 budget plan agreed to by the Florida House and Senate and sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis includes $26.7 million in two of the four budget categories that provide allocations for arts and cultural organizations and individual artists. That marks a 24 percent boost over 2020, when the Legislature approved $20.2 million in three categories. In 2019, the state provided $21.2 million in grants.
The largest portion, $23.2 million, is allocated for Cultural and Museum Grants category, which provides operational funding to 517 nonprofit organizations across the state. That represents a $9.6 million increase from last year.