Gulf Coast Life Arts Edition

Florida Repertory Theatre is mounting a production of playwright John Patrick Shanely’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony award-winning drama “Doubt, A Parable.” We take a deeper dive into the show in a conversation with cast members Matt Lytle, Taylor Reister, and Alia Shakira.

Bruce Costella brings a limited engagement of his one-man show “MUTTNIK” at the Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium November 7 – 9. The performance tells the story of Laika, stray dog from the streets of Moscow, who was chosen by Soviet scientists to become the first living animal to orbit the Earth aboard the Sputnik 2 in 1957.

Players Circle Theater in Fort Myers opens its 7th season this week with a production of playwright Neil Simon’s sophisticated farce “Rumors.” We explore the play in a conversation with director Bob Cacioppo and cast members Carrie Lund Cacioppo and Frank Blocker.

The 17th annual Naples International Film Festival will feature 60 films, filmmaker panel discussions, and a special performance by the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. We get a preview of the festival with producers David Filner and Shannon Franklin. We also talk with Mark Craig about his documentary film “Apollo 1,” which will have its Florida premiere at the festival.

Players Circle Theater is preparing a robust seventh season, which kicks off next month. The season includes a fast-paced farce, a holiday musical revue, a musical adaptation of the classic novel “Little Women,” a family comedy, a romantic comedy, a dramedy and a one-woman show that includes a three-course meal prepared and served to a few lucky patrons. We’ll listen back to our season-preview conversation with Players Circle Theater co-founder and Artistic Director Bob Cacioppo.

Bridging the Gap Center for the Arts is Southwest Florida’s newest arts and culture nonprofit. The new organization is committed to providing support, education, community, and performance opportunities for BIPOC artists. We’ll learn about the new organization in an encore of our conversation this past summer with founder and executive director Sonya McCarter, board of directors member Cotrenia Hood, and dance instructor Eden Collier.

Laboratory Theater of Florida opens its 17th season with the Southwest Florida premiere production of the psychological thriller “Grey House.” Ahead of next week’s opening, we explore the horror play in a conversation with director Heather Johnson and actors Roslyn Kellogg and Abby Seeley.

Players Circle Theater is preparing a robust seventh season, which kicks off next month. We’ll get a preview of the season ahead in a conversation with Players Circle Theater co-founder and Artistic Director Bob Cacioppo.

The new Florida Philharmonic arose after the closure of the Punta Gorda Symphony in January 2024. Ahead of the Florida Philharmonic’s second performance season, we talk with Music and Artistic Director Richard Stoelzel about his plans for the future of the symphony and his personal life journey through music.

The Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center’s latest exhibition “Exposed: The Art of Photography” explores the distinctive styles and vision of five different photographers. Ahead of the Sept. 5 opening reception, we talk with three of the featured photographers: Tonya Barnes, Beth Everhart and Brian Tietz.