Bonita News

Broadwayworld Food and Wine has enjoyed interviewing chefs for our Chef Spotlight feature. One of our favorite questions is 'What is your favorite meal or meals?' Here are some of the responses!

As COVID-19 is spreading in the US and people are urged to stay home and practice social distancing to stop the spread, many theatres in Southwest Florida are closing in an effort to keep their patrons and employees healthy and safe. 

The Cincinnati Arts Association has announced the winners of its Overture Awards Competition, held on Saturday, March 7, 2020 at the Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theater, and the winner of its Arts Educator Award for Excellence in Arts Instruction. The competition awarded $4,000 to six area students for education and training, with 19 runners-up each winning $1,000, while the Arts Educator Award winner received $2,500 and two finalists were awarded $500 each.

Live For Live Music is proud to partner with Sugarshack to bring you a series of special, high-quality, live acoustic performance videos featuring some of our favorite artists. Filmed at a beautiful, historic villa in Little Havana, Miami over the course of several days in January, these Sugarshack Sessions capture the musicians in an unusually intimate setting which allowed them to let loose and provide an up-close look at their unique artistry.

On Monday night, Michael McElroy and Broadway Inspirational Voices celebrated the 'Silver Anniversary Gala Concert & Live Auction', honoring Disney Theatrical Productions for their commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Florida Repertory Theatre has announced the opening of 'Every Brilliant Thing' by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe. Playing in the ArtStage Studio Theatre Feb. 28 to Mar. 29, the run includes four nearly sold-out previews Feb. 25 - 27.

Ring ring, it's life on the line. An unsuspecting woman becomes deeply involved in the hilarious wiles of a stranger's life. His phone won't stop ringing (and he's not exactly able to answer) so she picks up the phone down the proverbial rabbit hole she goes. Sarah Ruhl penned the romantic comedy that Peter Amster will direct. The show will run in the Cook Theatre through March 8, with a pay-what-you-can (minimum $5, day of performance) preview night on February 18.

Comedy/variety show JUST FOR LAUGHS returns to The Center for Performing Arts Bonita Springs on Friday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. for a special Valentine's Day show in the Moe Auditorium and Film Center, featuring comedians, music, sketches and comedy improvisation.

The Ben Rice Blues Band embark on their Spring 2020 Tour, with a local performance at Full Circle Brewing Company, 620 F Street, Thursday, February 20. Showtime is 8 p.m. and admission is free. 

'A solid relationship is when someone has your back and will stand by your side no matter what,' explains Boney James about the title of his new CD. 'Solid is a word that has a few meanings, but this one really resonated with me and became the theme of the record.'

Who will be voted Cincinnati's best celebrity dancer? Which stars have the right moves to rule the dance floor? Find out on Saturday, April 18, 2020 when the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) celebrates season fourteen of its annual fundraiser Dancing for the Stars at the Music Hall Ballroom to benefit CAA's Overture Awards - the nation's largest locally-run high school arts scholarship competition - and Arts Education Programs.

Sundance Institute today announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Sony Pictures Classics and Trafalgar Releasing: on January 26, the Utah premiere of The Climb, screening in the Spotlight category of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, will be simulcast across ten cinemas across the U.S., with the following Q&A simulcast live from The Ray Theatre in Park City, enabling independent film fans in markets nationwide to participate in the buzz of Festival from afar.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce the next round of artist additions for MerleFest 2020, which will be held April 23-26. Melissa Etheridge, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, The Marcus King Band, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and John Cowan will be joining the annual homecoming of musicians and music fans on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

The Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild announced winners of its 7th Annual MUAHS Awards in 23 categories of film, television, commercials and live theater, during a formal gala at the NOVO by Microsoft at L.A. Live Downtown on Saturday night, January 11, 2020. Among the winners were Fosse/Verdon, Hamilton, Cats, Pose, and more!

Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Seth Glier hasreleased a new single. Entitled 'Stages', the new release draws upon traditional roots music while adding experimental instrumentation and pop sensibility, for a unique exploration of sound. Glier has been descried by NPR as having an 'otherworldly' voice. He is set to embark on a national tour followed by a US State Department sponsored international tour as a music ambassador.

Jesse Cook—the internationally acclaimed guitarist, composer and producer—has released “HEY!,” his latest single since 2017's “To The Horizon” from the Beyond Borders (eOne Music) album. The spirited music video for “HEY!” was also released today and features the Gadfly dance company from Toronto, ON.  Watch below!

Having presented more than 40 playwrights in 2019, Center for Performing Arts kicks off the new year with a celebration of Southwest Florida Playwrights in the January 10 edition of their Staged Reading Series. The event will feature short plays, a solo play excerpt, and the 40-minute one-act play Inn Trouble by Sarasota's Pamela Schueler, a door-slammer and comedy of errors with a noir feel.

January 14 will mark the deadline for entries into the fourth annual Stage It! 10-Minute Play Festival at Center for Performing Arts Bonita Springs. The Festival culminates with a full production of ten of the winning plays March 19-22, 2020.

We're heading to the Pridelands to get a behind-the-scenes look at the three hyenas of Disney's smash hit musical The Lion King: James Brown-Orleans (Banzai), Enrique Segura (Ed), and Bonita Hamilton (Shenzi) as the trio celebrates 5000 performances together on Broadway. Check it out with this video!