Arts & Culture

The Baker Museum has received a major gift to the museum’s permanent collection. Longtime Naples residents and passionate collectors Dr. Laurence and Rita Sibrack have donated 74 works of contemporary glass and ceramics to the museum. The gift, which the museum calls “transformational,” includes works by 60 key figures in the studio glass movement, including Dale Chihuly, Amber Cowan, Preston Singletary, Judith Schaechter and Lucio Bubacco.

The Alliance for the Arts is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Another milestone for the community-based arts nonprofit came in March with the selection of Neil Volz as its new executive director. Volz brings more than a quarter century of experience as an advocate, organizer, and nonprofit leader to the role. We talk with Volz about his background and the challenges and opportunities he will lead the organization through going forward.

We listen back to our April show featuring Emmy-nominated jazz trumpeter, vocalist and composer Benny Benack III performing live in studio with the Florida Gulf Coast University Jazz Combo.

Alternative music showcase returns with 8th annual Babefest. The concert on June 13 at Nice Guys Pizza in Cape Coral aims to elevate femme-presenting individuals, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community,

The third annual Fringe Fort Myers runs May 29 – June 1, 2025. Ahead of the opening “Flamingle with the Artists” at the Alliance for the Arts, we talk with one of this year’s nine featured performers, Dawn Truax, about her one-woman show “Genius, Madness and Murder: Tales of the Scandalous Family of John Wilkes Booth.”

For decades, Tito Puente was “The King of Timbales”. His Latin music vibes garnered legions of fans and a music style that was often replicated but never duplicated.

Players Circle Theater is mounting the Southwest Florida regional premiere production of “Vanities: The Musical.” Adapted from Jack Heifner’s stage play, it’s a coming-of-age story exploring the joys and challenges of long-term friendships through the lives of three women as they navigate high school, college, and into adulthood, where they’ve grown into very different people. We’ll explore the show in a conversation with director Ted Wioncek, and actors Elizabeth D’Aiuto, Natalie Brouwer, and Kimberly Suskind.

Southwest Florida-based playwright Joe Simonelli is the Artistic Director of the region’s newest theater venue “Cape Café Theatre,” which is now working on it’s third production of Simonelli’s work. Meanwhile, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre is mounting a production of Simonelli’s hilarious farce “Half Baked.” Simonelli joins us to talk about the unique Off-Broadway repertory theatre experience the new café theatre gives audiences and to explore his creative approach to playwright.

Mia Zottolo has enjoyed some incredible roles. She played Katherine Howard in “Six.” Eurydice in “Hadestown Teen Edition.” Judas Iscariot in “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The Leading Player in “Pippin.” It wasn’t always that way.

Gulfshore Opera’s season-ending extravaganza takes place this week. But attendees won’t be hearing opera.