March 25 & 26

Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall at FSW
Cabaret is a powerful musical set in 1931 Berlin in the shadow of the Nazi rise to power. Focusing on the hedonistic nightlife at the sexy, seedy Kit Kat Klub, Cabaret revolves around American writer Cliff Bradshaw’s relationship with English cabaret performer Sally Bowles.

The club’s master of ceremonies delivers ribald songs that explore the dark, intoxicating, and turbulent life of Berlin’s citizens and expatriates under an emerging Third Reich. Cabaret originally opened in 1966 and won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best musical and eight Tony awards.

A delicious dramatic comedy, set in the present-day North Carolina, that asks the big questions about love, marriage, tolerance and baking. The Cake by Bekah Brunstetter and directed by Stephanie Davis opens Thursday, March 17.

The Cake a comedy by Bekah Brunstetter and directed by Stephanie Davis

“Refreshing and heartening” – LA Times · “A fresh and funny voice” – Vogue

Performances March 17 – April 1 • All is going well for Della. Her North Carolina bakery is legendary and she’s just been cast on her favorite television baking competition. But then, her late-best-friend’s daughter comes home from New York City to ask her to make a cake for her upcoming wedding. When Della learns that Jen’s about to marry a woman, she is forced to re-examine her deeply held beliefs as questions of morals, judgment and family swirl around them all. This emotional and deliciously funny play was created by Bekah Brunstetter, writer and producer of NBC’s “This is Us.”

Staring Dianne Fussaro, Chantel Rhodes, Madelaine Hayes and Scott Thomson.

This production is sponsored by Janet and Bruce Bunch.

36th Annual All Florida Exhibition

Exhibits Now through March 26 • This annual show is the most anticipated of the year. As the name suggests, this exhibition features pieces created by artists working in a wide variety of media from all over the 65,000 square miles that make up Florida. The juried entries come together for an award-winning and exciting exhibition representing today’s contemporary Florida artists.

The 36th Annual All Florida Exhibition is generously sponsored by American Art Collector and International Artist.

The Nouveaux Honkies and Robert Bidney Outdoor Concert

March 20 • Bouncing around the country for the last 10 years, the Nouveaux Honkies currently spread their time between East Tennessee and Southern Florida. Yes, some would call them “snowbirds”, but they will declare themselves bi-statual. That’s not a word, but it will be. As far as what one will hear when they perform, they consider it genre neutral. They play songs they wrote and songs they wish they wrote. If you wanna get picky it’s called “mother lovin’, country folkin’ blues.”

Art Classes for All Ages and Abilities

Learn the skills you need to live your dreams in career, hobby, and life. Stay connected and inspired from your living room, kitchen table or studio with our online art classes or connect outdoors or in our classroom. Upcoming classes include:

• Tending to your Soul: An Ongoing SoulCollage® Practice
• Zentangle for the Seasons (Ages 13+)
• Landscapes: Painting with Thread (Ages 14+) – Onsite Workshop
• An Evening Reflection: The Art of Labyrinth Walking
• Palette Knife Painting Workshop (Ages 16+)
• Fine Art Acrylics (Ages 18+)
• Fine Art Acrylics Plein Air Painting (Ages 18+)
• The Psychological Language In The Art of Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Picasso – Online Art Lecture
• Creating Luminous Flowers in Watercolor (ages 13+)
• Mosaic and Stained Glass Multi Week Workshop (Ages 18+)
• Playing with Pastels Workshop (Ages 16+)

Naples Big Band

Saturday, April 2 • Grab your lawn chairs, blankets and coolers and park yourself on our festival grounds for this Big Band concert! Enjoy a beautiful evening with your friends as you tap your toes to some fabulous music. Tickets are $10 per person for non-members. Tickets for members are free, but an RSVP is required. If you are an Alliance for the Arts member, click here to reserve your tickets.

Storytelling: Stories of April Fools and Tall Tales

Saturday, April 16 • What’s a tall tale? Come and find out the truth. Our tellers get up on stage and tell stories as tall as the sky and as wide as the ocean. That’s a pretty big story! Storytellers of the Round Table and The Elephant Showcase Storytellers bring you stories in the oral tradition. Captivating, spellbinding, and entertaining and featuring featuring Dr. Joel Ying, Mary Lou Williams, Lisa Leonhardt and Pamela Minton.

Spring Break Arts Camp for Grades 1 – 6

Thursdays, March 10 – 31 • Camp is set up as a daily event where children can attend for as many days as they’d like or stay for the whole week. Each day is packed with something different to encourage and create exposure of visual and performing arts through a variety of media – all taught and led by our team of experienced artists and educators. Kids will love exploring activities like mixed media, choreography, sketching and improv in a creative, fun and small-class environment. Registration, scholarship opportunities and volunteer applications are now open!

Weekly GreenMarket

Each and every Sunday • The Alliance for the Arts weekly GreenMarket is now on Sundays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Sunday market days feature Tai Chi on the lawn presented by Ellio Pilates, beginning at 11:15 a.m. This class is pay-what-you-will to attend and no reservations are required. While onsite, explore the Alliance for the Arts’ 10-acre campus or come inside to shop the gift shop or explore its current gallery exhibitions. The gallery is free and open to the public, though a $5 suggested donation keeps Alliance programming affordable and accessible.

Field Trip to the Netherlands

May 15 – 22 • This trip is designed as a personalized experience to inspire creativity, foster new experiences and build community. You’ll enjoy local cuisine and wine, get inspiration from tulip covered hillsides and the 17th-century Dutch masters, including Rembrandt and Vermeer, while fostering calm and clarity through yoga sessions.

Alliance for the Arts • ArtInLee.org
239-939-2787 • 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers

Membership • Donate • Classes • Exhibits • Theatre

Janet & Bruce Bunch · The Claiborne & Ned Foulds Foundation
Leigh Frizzell Hayes · Mary Lou & Richard Helms
Meisenberg Family Trust · Jon & Megan Romine · Arthur Zupko

And incredible people like you!

Alliance for the Arts | 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33919

STARS AT THE MACC
Marc Kudisch
March 11
Music & Arts Community Center
13411 Shire Lane, Fort Myers

Tickets are still available. Don’t miss this one night only performance!

The MACC welcomes Marc Kudisch for an evening of Broadway favorites and behind the scenes stories. Three time Tony nominee Marc Kudisch has appeared regularly on Broadway and television for the past two decades.

Marc Kudisch has been a creative powerhouse on Broadway, Modern Opera, Television and Film for the past 30 years, most recently wrapping up his costarring turn in GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at The Belasco Theatre, his 15th Broadway show. He has been nominated for the Tony Award three times, as Trevor Graydon in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Baron Bomburst in CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG and Franklin Hart in 9 TO 5, and is a Drama Desk Award winner for his work Off Broadway in THE WAYSIDE MOTOR INN.

When not onstage, Marc can be seen on the big and small screens on such projects as Showtime’s BILLIONS, Netflix’s MINDHUNTER, Steven Soderbergh’s UNSANE, Mindy Kaling’s LATE NIGHT and Ben Englund’s THE TICK on Amazon.

Gulf Coast Symphony, PO Box 60878, Fort Myers, FL 33906, United States

STARS AT THE MACC
MELISSA ERRICO

April 8
Music & Arts Community Center
13411 Shire Lane, Fort Myers

Woman of stage, screen and song, Melissa Errico has become one of the polestars of the American musical theater. Actress and author, called “an incomparable concert performer” by The Wall Street Journal, she mixes cabaret and classic shows with much-praised recordings—and then adds a wry take on them all in sparkling prose.

A Gulf Coast Symphony fan favorite, Melissa has performed with the Gulf Coast Symphony a half dozen times over that past 20 years. Join us for this intimate cabaret performance where Melissa mixes stories of her life, the music with beautiful renditions

AIRPORT MEETING CANCELLED 

The Lee County Port Authority Airports Special Management Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 15, 2022, has been cancelled. The committee’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. at Southwest Florida International Airport’s Training and Conference Center. For more information, please visit flylcpa.com.

MARCH 10, 2022

Please note:  Florida has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from Port Authority employees and officials regarding Port Authority business are public records available to the public and media upon request. Your email communication may be subject to public disclosure.

March 10, 2022

FWC encourages boaters to “Spring Aboard” and take a boater education class
Spring has arrived and that means many residents and visitors will be flocking to Florida’s beautiful beaches and waterways. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants boaters to “Spring Aboard” and get educated prior to the kick-off of the boating season to make the most of their time on the water. Spring is the perfect time to take a boating safety course before the summer boating season begins.

In 2021, Florida boating accident statistics indicated that 83% of boating deaths occurred on boats where the boat operator had never received boating education instruction. Education is the key to having a safe and enjoyable day on the water.

While not currently required, owners of human-powered watercraft, such as paddleboards and kayaks, are encouraged to take a boating education class as well so they are aware of critical boating knowledge that anyone who plans to get out on the water should have and be better prepared for the risks they might face while boating.

“In Florida, boaters who were born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, are required to complete and pass a boater safety education course. But everyone interested in boating should take a course,” said Maj. Rob Beaton, FWC’s Boating and Waterways Section Leader. “Taking a boating education course is one of the best things you can do to prevent accidents on the water.”

Boaters have many ways to get educated, from classroom courses offered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary and United States Power Squadrons to online offerings available any time day or night. Learn more about boater safety education by visiting MyFWC.com/boating and clicking on “Boating Safety and Education.”

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission · 620 S. Meridian Street · Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600 · (850) 488-4676

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 10, 2022) – The 2^nd Annual Brews for Blessings event raised over $26,000 to help support Blessings in a Backpack SWFL’s mission to provide food to school children on weekends. All funds raised will go directly to feeding local children in need.

Brews for Blessings was held Feb. 26 and co-hosted by Millennial Brewing Company in Fort Myers. A large selection of brews were offered at the free, family-friendly event that also featured a special children’s area in addition to food trucks, a silent auction, and live music. At the event, families also learned about food insecurity in SWFL and how they can help feed a child for a school year.

“We are thrilled with the outpouring of support we received at this year’s Brews for Blessings,” said Cecilia St. Arnold, Executive Director for Blessings in a Backpack SWFL. “The community saw the need once again this year and came out to help the children. We sincerely appreciate it.”

During the week, many young students are fed by federal government programs through school meals. A leader in the movement to end childhood hunger, Blessings in a Backpack SWFL ensures these children receive nutritional meals over the weekend during the school year. Every Friday afternoon, each child receives a backpack filled with nutritious, kid-friendly, ready-to-eat items. They return the backpacks on Monday, and each is filled and ready for the next weekend.

A donation of only $115 will provide meals for 36 weekends for one school-age child. Blessings goal this school year is to feed 6,000 school children.

Blessings in a Backpack helps prevent childhood hunger

Blessings in a Backpack serves 5,600 students through 27 school-based programs located throughout Lee and Collier Counties. In these schools, test scores, reading skills, positive behavior, general health, and school attendance have improved dramatically due in part to students receiving the nourishment they need throughout the week and the weekends.

Kids are our future; you can help secure theirs. A $115 donation will feed a child for one full school year. Gifts of all sizes are welcome through the donations portal at https://swfl.blessingsinabackpack.org/ or via mail at P.O. Box 61402 Fort Myers, FL 33906. All contributions are tax-deductible.

September 24 at Old Corkscrew Golf Club
(Fort Myers, Fla. –August 5, 2021) — The Heights Foundation sixth annual benefit golf tournament “Swing Fore The Kids” will take place on Friday, September 24 at Old Corkscrew Golf Club.  The proceeds of the event support The Heights Center’s programs that work to build strong, self-sufficient families in the Harlem Heights neighborhood of Fort Myers.  Last year’s tournament raised $50,000.  Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. There will be a boxed lunch, and a shotgun start at 1:00 p.m. and hors d’ oeuvres, auction and awards at 6:00 p.m.  The presenting sponsor is Entech.

“The poverty rate for children in Harlem Heights is more than twice the county average,” said Jim Sanger, Chief Operating Officer of The Heights Foundation.  “This tournament will help support programs at The Heights Center including School Success and our enriching summer camp.”

Tournament Registration is now available.  A foursome is $600 and two golfers are $300.   Sponsorships that include golf packages and recognition are available.  The sponsorship deadline is September 10 and golfer registration deadline is September 17. For more information visit www.heightsfoundation.org/golf or call Jim Sanger at (239) 482-7706 or email [email protected]

About The Heights Foundation/The Heights Center

The Heights Foundation works to build self-sufficient families in the Harlem Heights neighborhood.  The mission is to support education and wellness, promote family and community development, and provide the benefits of enrichment and the arts.  The Heights Center, supported by The Heights Foundation, is a place for Education, Opportunity, and Enrichment.   Heights Early Learning serves more than 80 babies through age 4. The Harlem Heights Community Charter School serves 120 children from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Harlem Heights was originally settled as a rural agricultural community.   Approximately 780 children live in a mixture of single-family homes and multi-family apartments. Demographically, the population is approximately 70% Hispanic, 20% African-American, and 8% Caucasian. The poverty rate for children in Harlem Heights is more than twice the county average, with family income 40% below the county average. Families cannot easily access family support services located in downtown Fort Myers and benefit greatly from programs located within the neighborhood.