Sarasota area arts groups stay busy with dozens of December productions
‘A Christmas Carol’
Venice Theatre is back for the 22nd rendition of its original musical version of Charles Dickens’ classic, with Murray Chase returning to direct one of his favorite shows each season. Brad Wages, who once again plays Ebenezer Scrooge, is part of a cast of veterans, including Doug Landin as Bob Cratchit and Neil Kasanofsky as Fezziwig and Christmas Present. Dec. 1-20, Venice Theatre Raymond Center, 140 W. Tampa Ave., Venice. $26, $22 for college students, $15 for youth. 941-488-1115; venicetheatre.org
‘Shakespeare’s Lovers’
Local actress and director Katherine Michelle Tanner collaborates with William Shakespeare for this original piece that weaves together 29 of Shakespeare’s sonnets with 19 by Tanner to tell the story of a poet and a painter exploring first love, lost love and lasting love. Blake Walton directs and plays the narrator. Tanner plays O and Stephan Ray Jr. plays H. Dec. 1-17. Tree Fort Productions Projects, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $40. Treefortproductionsprojects.com
‘To Die For’
FST Improv presents an improvised whodunit in which there’s a new culprit every night, depending on how the audience directs the performers. It plays off traditional murder mystery formulas and scenarios but with comedic twists. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2, 9 and 16. Bowne’s Lab, Florida Studio Theatre, 1265 First St., Sarasota. $12-$15. 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org
Classic Conjuring
Magician Howard Stevens brings his sleight-of-hand to Sarasota for a series of monthly engagements at CinéBistro. Stevens first took up studying magic at age 12 when he started developing his skills at private parties and corporate events. He continued through college and medical school, and has now been performing for more than 30 years. 8 p.m. Dec. 2 (also Jan. 6, Feb. 3, March 2 and April 6). CinéBistro Siesta Key, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail. $35. classicconjuring.wellattended.com
‘The Scottish’
Guest conductor Johannes Debus leads the Sarasota Orchestra in this Masterworks series concert that features violin soloist Randall Goosby, a veteran of the Perlman Music Program. Goosby will be playing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in a program that also includes John Corigliano’s “STOMP” and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, better known as the Scottish symphony. Debus is the music director of the Canadian Opera Company. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2 and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 3. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail. $35-$105. 941-953-3434; sarasotaorchestra.org
Canadian Brass Holiday Concert
The group that may be the world’s most famous brass quintet offers a prelude to the Sarasota Concert Association’s winter Great Performers Series with a holiday-themed concert. The ensemble is known for its clever arrangements and a bit of choreography in its performances. The concert also marks the group’s 25th anniversary. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4. Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. $35-$85. 941-966-6161; scasarasota.org
Great Escapes Holiday Party
The Sarasota Orchestra dives into holiday favorites in this Great Escapes concert, featuring selections from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker," “White Christmas,” “Greensleeves,” Hanukkah melodies and more. Conductor Kelly Corcoran makes her Sarasota debut with the program. Dec. 6-10. Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $47-$63. 941-953-3434; sarasotaorchestra.org
Solofest
Venice Theatre presents three one-person shows over little more than a week, beginning Dec. 8-10 with Sarasota actress Jan Wallace starring in Willy Russell’s “Shirley Valentine.” Jack Rabito follows in Samuel Gallu’s “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!” about President Harry S. Truman, Dec. 12-14. The series concludes with Alan Kitty starring in “Mark Twain: They Told Me to Be Brief,” a piece he created about the iconic humorist and novelist. Dec. 15-17. Pinkerton Theatre, 140 W. Tampa Ave., Venice. $26. 941-488-1115; venicetheatre.org
‘The Nutcracker’
The Sarasota Ballet Studio Company joins with students from the Sarasota Ballet School, the Margaret Barbieri Conservatory and other local dancers for performances of the timeless story of Clara and The Nutcracker, set to the classic music of Tchaikovsky. 7 p.m. Dec. 8 and 3 p.m. Dec. 9, Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave., Venice; veniceperformingartscenter.com. Also, 6:30 p.m. Dec. 17 and 18, Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. $35-$75. 941-359-0099; sarasotaballet.org
A Celtic Christmas with Music Sacra
Two local choirs join with the folk band The Lubben Brothers for the traditional holiday program “A Celtic Christmas.” It features the First Presbyterian Choir and Music Sacra Sarasota, along with award-winning bagpiper Kevin Weigand and the Riverview High School Kiltie Band Highland Dancers. The West Palm Beach-based Lubben Brothers are triplets who were raised in Iowa farm country before they attended a music conservatory and returned to their folk music roots. 7 p.m. Dec. 8, First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St., Sarasota. $15 minimum donation. musicsacrasarasota.org
‘A Holiday Circus Spectacular’
The Showfolks of Sarasota marks the season with its annual "Holiday Circus Spectacular." 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9; Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota; $9.99 presale special, $20 adults (with one free child's ticket with each presale or adult ticket purchased), $12 ages 3-12, free ages 2 and under, $34.99 family five-pack, $35-$45 VIP; 800-756-8048; showfolks.com
Handel’s ‘Messiah’
The Sarasota Choral Society returns for its 77th performance of the Christmas portion of Handel’s “Messiah.” It features soprano Hein Jung, contralto Krista Laskowski, tenor John Kaneklides and bass Christopher Holloway as soloists, along with the full chorus. They are joined by Jonathan Spivey on the organ and orchestra members. Artistic Director Genevieve Beauchamp. 4 p.m. Dec. 9, Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Rd., Sarasota. $25. 941-504-3818; sarasotachoralsociety.org
‘The Nutcracker’
The Diane Partington Studio of Classical Ballet marks the 20th anniversary of its traditional staging of the classic ballet performed by dancers from its school. It also features international ballet star Sebastian Vinet. 7 p.m. Dec. 9, Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. $30-$60. 941-328-1300; sarasotaopera.org
‘Derek Hough — Symphony of Dance’
Emmy Award-winning dancer and choreographer Derek Hough, best known from his years as a performer and judge on “Dancing With the Stars,” returns to the Van Wezel in his first touring show in four years. It is described as a fusion of dance and music featuring ballroom, tap, salsa and hip-hop and choreography by Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo, better known as NappyTabs. 8 p.m. Dec. 9. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Sold out. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
‘Finding Nemo Jr.’
The Disney animated movie becomes a stage show featuring young actors interacting with large puppets and dancers. It’s about Marlin, a widowed clownfish trying to find his his missing son, Nemo, who was taken by a diver. Dec. 9-17. Ovation School of Musical Theatre, 4602 E. State Road 64, Bradenton. $20 adults, $10 for students age 4 and older. ovationfla.com/ovation-theatre
‘The Nutcracker’
The four-year-old Star Dance Academy, a Palmetto-based school that offers training for children from age 18 months to adults presents its version of the holiday favorite ballet. The performance is intended for audiences of all ages. 4 p.m. Dec. 10, Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. $20-$55. 941-328-1300; sarasotaopera.org
Christmas Celebration
For the first time in years, Choral Artists of Sarasota presents a concert focused solely on a wide range of Christmas music, from African-American spirituals, to more traditional holiday music. It includes “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Great Joy A-Comin’” and “Seven Joys of Christmas." 7 p.m. Dec. 10, Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota. $40, $5 for students. 941-387-4900; choralartistssarasota.org
A Bublé Holiday
The Pops Orchestra gets into the spirit of the season with guest singer Chris Burke helping the ensemble perform the music of popular Canadian singer Michael Bublé. Burke is a Nashville-based singer who will be performing such hits as “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “I’ll be Home for Christmas” and “White Christmas” in the style of Bublé. 3 p.m. Dec. 10, Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way, Sarasota; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11, Neel Performing Arts Center, SCF, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton. $30-$60. 941-926-7677; thepopsorchestra.org
La Santa Cecilia
A music program that represents a hybrid of Latin culture, rock and world music, with Pan-American rhythms like the rumba and bossa-nova, along with Klezmer music, all filtered through the band’s Mexican heritage. 6 p.m. Dec. 12, The Ringling, Ca’ d’Zan Bolger Campiello, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. $40. 941-360-7399; ringling.org
Marie Osmond: An Orchestral Christmas
The famed singer who grew up before the nation’s eyes as part of the Osmond family and frequent partner of her brother Donny comes to Sarasota for a holiday celebration that will weave in some of her hits. She is joined by her nephew David Osmond, lead singer of The Osmonds: The 2nd Generation. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $45-$105. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
‘Pictures From Home’
Inspired by Larry Sultan’s acclaimed photo memoir about his family, Sharr White has created a theatrical portrait of a mother and father and their photographer son, who spent years capturing images of them and their lives. Actor Nathan Lane, who played the father in the Broadway production, said it is about parents and mortality. “They’re all fighting to tell their own story.” Dec. 13-Feb. 18. Florida Studio Theatre Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota. $25-$39. 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org
Sarah Brightman: A Christmas Symphony
The singer who gained fame as the original Christine in “The Phantom of the Opera” returns for a second time with her holiday concert that was originally created for streaming during the pandemic. She turned it into a touring show and is joined in each city by local choirs and orchestras to perform new arrangements of traditional carols and other seasonal favorites. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $148-$188. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
‘Frankenstein’
Ren Pearson adapts and directs his latest live radio play, a version of Mary Shelley’s gothic classic. The company includes Tom Horton as Victor Frankenstein and Vincent Pearson as his creation, who was made from the remains of the dead. Ren Pearson, who has performed frequently in area theaters, earned a film directing degree at Ringling College. 8 p.m. Dec. 14-16. Bookstore1Sarasota, 117 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. $20. 941-365-7902; sarasotabooks.com/events
‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Musical’
Barbara Robinson’s 1971 novel, which has been turned into a film and a play, is also now a musical. It’s all about the Hersmans, the worst kids in the history of the world, who crash Sunday school and demand to be part of the Christmas pageant, creating panic throughout their small town. Dec. 14-17, Charlotte Performing Arts Center, 701 Carmalita St., Punta Gorda. $27, $14 for students. 941-255-1022; charlotteplayers.org
Daniel O’Donnell
One of the most prolific and successful recording artists in the United Kingdom, Daniel O’Donnell performs a concert of his hits and popular favorites. O’Donnell is the only artist to have hits on the U.K. album charts every year since 1988, surpassing such superstars as Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2 and the Rolling Stones. His latest album, released in 2022, is “I Wish You Well.” 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $35-$80. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
A Holiday Spectacular
The Venice Symphony, led by Troy Quinn, ushers in the holiday season with an instrumental concert of music of the holiday season. In addition to some expected favorites, this year’s program includes a newly arranged suite of music from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and music from “Home Alone” and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16. Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave., Venice. All concerts sold out. 941-207-8822; thevenicesymphony.org
‘Moments of Meaning’
The Sarasota Ballet reprises two past pieces of varied styles. The program features George Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations,” set to music by Tchaikovsky and recalling the style of the Russian Imperial Ballet. It’s a distinct contrast to Twyla Tharp’s 1986 piece “In the Upper Room,” choreographed to music by Philip Glass. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16. Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. $35-$125. 941-359-0099; sarasotaballet.org
‘Listen Hear’
A new salon concert series is launched by Soundbox Ventures and curated by violinist Max Tan in association with St. Boniface Episcopal Church. The new venture plans three concerts this season beginning Dec. 16 with “Preludes with Marisa Gupta,” a world premiere of “12 Preludes for Solo Piano” by Catalonian composer Marc Migó and performed by American pianist Marissa Gupta. Tan describes the new series as “an interactive exhibition for music.” Future programs are scheduled in March. 7 p.m. Dec. 16, St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key. Admission is free but registration is required. soundboxventures.org/events
‘Magic of the Holidays’
The Illusionists bring a touch of the holiday season to their touring magic show, which features a rotating group of performers who amaze audiences with the tricks they achieve. The show got its start in Australia more than a decade ago and has grown to feature illusionists in acts around the world, including a run on Broadway. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $65-$95. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
‘Bye Bye Birdie’
Booker High School’s Visual and Performing Arts Center’s theater department presents the popular musical about the bedlam caused when an Elvis Presley-like phenomenon visits a small town to kiss a high school girl before he heads off to the Army. 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 16, 2 p.m. Dec. 17. Neel Performing Arts Center, SCF, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton. $12-$22. bookervpa.com/calendar
'Parade'
A multi-gallery installation at The Ringling of work by contemporary artist Shinique Smith whose work explores Black femininity and the history of the circus while in relation to historic European art. It features several large-scale sculptures and smaller works, which will be displayed in the permanent collection galleries. Dec. 16-Jan. 5, 2025. The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. 941-359-5700; ringling.org
Ovation Holiday Revue
Ovation Theatre celebrates the holiday with its students performing songs and dances from their favorite holiday-themed shows. 6 p.m. Dec. 17. Ovation Theatre, 4602 E. State Road 64, Bradenton. $20. ovationfla.com/ovation-theatre
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Live
Mark L. Walberg, known for his turns hosting such programs as “Antiques Roadshow” and “Temptation Island,” is the emcee for a live version of one of television’s most popular game shows. Contestants are randomly selected from the audience to play on stage and win prizes, including trips and up to $10,000 in cash. 7 p.m. Dec. 17, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $52-$72. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
‘The Queen’s Six’
A holiday-themed concert by the vocal sextet that works and lives at Windsor Castle presented by Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota. The group performs early chants, bawdy madrigals and folk songs. The singers will present some holiday favorites with upbeat jazz and pop arrangements. 2 p.m. Dec. 17, First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St., Sarasota. $40. 941-306-1200; artistseriesconcerts.org
‘A Place at the Table’
Herald-Tribune opinion columnist and dance writer Carrie Seidman launches her new book “A Place at the Table: Memories of a Life Well-Fed,” a collection of essays about intersection of what sustains us physically and how it binds us emotionally. She will talk about the book, sign copies and answer questions. 5 p.m. Dec. 18, Bookstore1Sarasota, 117 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. $15 with a copy of the book, or free general admission. 941-365-7900; sarasotabooks.com
Il Divo
After COVID-related delays and the death of Carlos Marin, one of the founding members of Il Divo, the vocal quartet returns to the Van Wezel with a special holiday-themed tour. They will be joined by guest singer, baritone Steven LaBrie and perform such favorites as “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $73-$160. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
Cheers to the Music of Dance
Guest conductor Yue Bao leads this Sarasota Orchestra Discoveries concert featuring music inspired by dance. It includes Johan Strauss Jr.’s “Voices of Spring” and “Emperor Waltz," Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5, Christoph Gluck’s “Dance of Blessed Spirits” and Francis Poulenc’s Sinfonietta. Discoveries programs run about an hour and are presented with more conversation between the conductor and the audience. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20, Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. $35-$79. 941-953-3434; sarasotaorchestra.org
Beethoven and Berio
The final Sarasota Orchestra Chamber Soiree in 2023 has a touch of the holiday spirit with the sounds of brass in Giovanni Gabrieli’s “Four Canzoni,” arranged for brass quintet, along with Luciano Berio’s “Opus Number Zoo” and Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 2. 5:30 p.m. Dec. 21, Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $42-$52. 941-953-3434; sarasotaorchestra.org
Celtic Angels Christmas
Traditional and contemporary Irish and holiday songs combine in this touring production featuring singers Louise Barry, Chloe Haven, Olivia Bradley, Michaela Groth and Katie Sweeney. The program also includes the Celtic Knight Dancers. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $25-$70. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland
An all-new holiday-themed production takes audiences to a magical land far away where acrobats, aerialists, clowns and more display their skills and athleticism. The routines are all set to seasonal favorites. 7 p.m. Dec. 23, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $40-$90. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
Christmas Eve with Daniel Espinal
Sarasota High School graduate Daniel Espinal, who is now in his second year at the Yale Graduate School of Music, will perform at Christmas Eve services at First United Methodist Church in Sarasota. A teacher recognized his untrained tenor voice in high school and suggested he get a vocal coach. Espinal went on to graduate from the Manhattan School of Music with honors, and has signed a contract with the Lyric Opera in Chicago 2024-26. 5 and 8 p.m. Dec. 24. First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. firstsrq.com/events/music-fine-arts-events/
‘Candyland’
The Sarasota Sailor Circus, the nation's longest-running youth circus, returns with its annual holiday show, featuring young circus performers doing acrobatics, highwire, aerial and comedic acts for family audiences. Dec. 27-31, Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia Vista St, Sarasota. $20-$40. 941-355-9805; circusarts.org
‘The Nutcracker Magical Christmas Ballet’
An international cast of dancers carries on a 30-year tradition with this annual production of the popular ballet. It features more than 40 dancers, 10-foot-tall puppets, hand-painted backdrops and hundreds of exquisite costumes. Each year, the company also invites local children to perform in the show. 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 28, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $42-$198. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert
Budapest conductor András Deák leads the Strauss Symphony of America in this annual program that creates the traditional Neujahrskonzert (or New Year’s concert) that grew from the golden age of Viennese music. It features performers from Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, soprano Katarzyna Dondalska and tenor Franz Gürtelschmied. 7 p.m. Dec. 30, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $58-$101. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
Continuing
Art Center Sarasota
Solo shows of work by Aimee Jones, Ethan Fielder and Tom Casmer, plus a juried show called “Still Life” continue through Jan. 13. Jones’ paintings use the dichotomy of the female form as a political landscape. Fielder displays sculptural ceramics, and Casmer’s show, “ges-talt,” is inspired by the human figure, nature and machine-made elements. 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 941-365-2032; artsarasota.org
Asolo Rep
Fans of Gershwin and tap dancing will likely get a kick out of “Crazy for You,“ a musical inspired by George and Ira Gershwin’s “Girl Crazy.” It’s about a banker’s son who just wants to be a song-and-dance man, and who falls in love when he’s sent to foreclose on a theater in Deadrock, Nevada, where he helps to put on a show to save it. Through Jan. 4, Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $35-$98. 941-351-8000; asolorep.org
‘A Brave New Wonderland’
High-wire artist and daredevil Nik Wallenda produces and stars in this new holiday-season production presented with the Circus Arts Conservatory under the big top in the East District of University Town Center. Wallenda and family members perform, along with acrobatic contortion, hula hoops, comedy, aerial pole, freestanding ladder and dog acts. Through Dec. 31. 257 N. Cattlemen Road, Sarasota. $30-$75. 941-355-9335; circusarts.org
Florida Studio Theatre
The season-opening mainstage production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” about a man-eating plant and the store clerk who feeds her, continues in the Gompertz Theatre through Jan. 7. $29-$49. The cabaret revue “Up on the Roof,” featuring music by songwriters who emerged from New York’s Brill Building, continues through Feb. 4 in the Court Cabaret. $34-$39. “Take it to the Limit,” a revue of songs by rock ‘n’ roll rebels, continues through April 7 in the Goldstein Cabaret. $34-$39. The FST Children’s Theatre production of “Deck the Halls” continues through Dec. 24 in the Keating Theatre. $10. 1241 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota. 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org
Manatee Players
In the musical “She Loves Me,” two bickering colleagues working in a perfumerie don’t realize that they are really in love, which they express in anonymous letters they exchange with each other through the mail. It features a score by “Fiddler on the Roof” creators Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, and a book by Joe Masteroff, who also wrote “Cabaret.” Through Dec. 17, Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton. $38. 941-748-5875; manateeperformingartscenter.com
The Ringling
The museum complex has several shows continuing, including the recently opened “The True Story of Eve,” featuring work of author and multimedia artist Michele Oka Doner, including sculptures and work on paper touching on climate and ecology. Through June 2, Monda Gallery. “Friar with a Gold Earring” explores a rare portrait by the Italian Baroque painter Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), which the museum acquired in 2015. Through Jan. 7. “500 Years of Italian Drawings from the Princeton University Art Museum,” featuring 95 works from the late 15th century to early 20th century, continues through Jan. 21. “Working Conditions,” an exploration of labor seen through the lens of photographers, continues through March 3. “Mountains of the Mind: Scholars’ Rocks from China and Beyond” continues through June 23. “As long as there is sun, as long as there is light” continues through Jan. 7. The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. 941-359-5700; ringling.org
Ringling College galleries
“Fluid Impressions: The Paintings of Syd Solomon,” an immersive collection featuring expressive, storytelling paintings from the master abstract impressionist, continues through March 25 in the Stulberg Gallery. “Morris Mitchell: Perceptions of My Life," featuring work by the 1959 Ringling graduate and longtime faculty member, continues through Dec. 8 in the Patricia Thompson and Skylight Galleries. A new edition of the annual “War Paint: Profiles of Courage” is on display in the Selby Foundation Gallery through Dec. 8. “Here and There,” a group exhibition featuring work by three current students is in the Basch Gallery through Dec. 8. Ringling College, 2700 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 941-359-7563; ringlingcollege.gallery
Sarasota Art Museum
“Embodied Memories, Ancestral Histories,” an exhibition of work by Cuban-born artist Juana Valdés, exploring her Caribbean identity, Cuban roots and African ancestry continues through Feb. 11. “Contemporary/Traditional,” an exhibit of glass work from the collection of Richard and Barbara Basch from the late 20th and early 21st centuries continues through Feb. 11. “Picking Up the Pieces,” a new installation created for the museum by Judy Pfaff is on display through March 24. 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 941-309-4300; sarasotaartmuseum.org
Sarasota Players
In “A Tuna Christmas,” a local production of “A Christmas Carol” is threatened by unpaid electric bills, and people in Texas’s third-smallest town do what they can to see that traditions continue. Through Dec. 17. The Sarasota Players, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130, Sarasota. $28-$30, $13 for students. 941-365-2494; theplayers.org
Selby Botanical Gardens
An exhibit of work by famed photographer and conservationist Clyde Butcher is on display on the grounds of Selby’s Historic Spanish Point campus, with large-scale photos of plants, animals and Florida habitats printed on aluminum. Through Aug. 31. 401 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey. 941-366-5731; selby.org
Urbanite Theatre
The regional premiere of Adam Rapp’s recent Broadway drama “The Sound Inside” about the relationship between a Yale University creative writing professor and one of her brilliant students, continues through Dec. 3. It opens Urbanite Theatre’s 10th season. 1487 Second St., Sarasota. $42, $28 for those under 40 and $5 for students. 941-321-1397; urbanitetheatre.com
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe brings back Nate Jacobs’ 2021 original revue, “Joyful! Joyful!” which mixes traditional holiday tunes, gospel-flavored classics and dancing that represent different cultural traditions. It provides a showcase for students from the company’s Stage of Discovery program. Through Dec. 30, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota. $20-$48. 941-366-1505; westcoastblacktheatre.org
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 40+ December arts events in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties
