Weekend spotlight: Two prize pickers on the same day

What are the odds that two of today’s most acclaimed American guitarists would be performing in Pinellas County, on two different stages, on the exact same day?

Molly Tuttle, a flatpicking bluegrass guitar and banjo player and singer, winner of multiple accolades and industry honors, is at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater tonight with her band of fellow top-drawer pickers.

Although Tuttle has been stretching out musically as of late – there’s a real Taylor Swift vibe to her latest song and video “Old Me (New Wig)” – she remains rooted to bluegrass. “That’s the music I grew up with,” she said in a recent Guitarist interview. “It’s a huge part of who I am, but it’s not the only thing that I do and the only way to express myself.”

David Grier

Meanwhile, at the Craftsman House Gallery (St. Petersburg), the winner of multiple International Bluegrass Music Association awards is playing tonight at 7. He’s David Grier, and Molly Tuttle herself has referred to him – Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s Artist of the Decade – as one of her guitar heroes.

Tickets for the Molly Tuttle show are here; for David Grier tickets, call Craftsman House at 727-323-2787.

The Florida Orchestra is back for Season 58, starting with Friday’s performance of Richard Strauss’ epic tone poem An Alpine Symphony Friday at the Straz Center (Morsani Hall) at 8 p.m., and again Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Mahaffey Theater. Maestro Michael Francis and the TFO are at the Mahaffey tonight at 7:30 for a pay-what-you-can deep dive convo and music, Inside the Alpine Symphony. All program notes and concert tickets are at this link. Francis is Friday’s guest on our Arts Alive! podcast.

On theater stages

Tonight through Sunday at The Studio@620, Bill Leavengood directs the drama Tail of the Bell, with Amanda Ladd and Eric Jacobson. Read all about this one-weekend-only production at this link.

Weird in St. Pete, written by American Stage artistic director Helen R. Murray and produced by the company, is performed at the Duncan McClellan Gallery, 2342 Emerson Ave S, St. Petersburg. Characters from the city’s history come to life in this show, on the half-hour Thursdays through Sundays, through Oct. 19. Tickets and times – along with additional details – can be found here.

Last call for Tell Me on a Sunday, the one-woman Andrew Lloyd Webber musical at freeFall Theatre; shows are tonight through Sunday (find showtimes and tickets here).

And it’s final curtain for LAB Theatre Project’s production of Doug DeVita’s Goddess of the Hunt. There are performances tonight through Sunday at the Ybor City black box theater. Showtimes and tickets are at this link.

LAB Theatre Project’s “Goddess of the Hunt” features Samantha Martí-Parisi, left, Larry Corwin and David Warner. The production ends Sunday. Photo provided.

ThinkTank Theatre is part of a nationwide movement (50 similar stage groups) putting on readings of six new plays by teen writers confronting and examining gun violence from different angles. Enough! Shows to End Gun Violence is presented at 7:15 p.m. Monday (Oct. 6) at the Shanna and Bryan Glazer JCC, 522 N Howard Ave, Tampa. Admission is free/pay-what-you-can. Performers are Cranstan Cumberbatch, Adrian De La Rosa, Randi J. Norman, Georgios Tsambis and members of ThinkTank’s Young Artists’ Ensemble Intern Company. Find more info here.

The Tuesday (Oct. 7) performance of I Am a Mistery, the story of androgynous pop singer Amanda Lear, is sold out at the Dali Museum. Directed by Bob Devin Jones, the play will be onstage Oct. 10 and 11 at The Studio@620 (tickets are here).

Continuing at the Straz Center, in the Jaeb Theatre, is the over-the-top Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are here. The show is in residence through Oct. 26.

And more concerts

Paul Thorn and Marc Broussard are at Ruth Eckerd Hall – again – tonight. Tickets.

At Ruth Eckerd Friday: An acoustic showing pairing ‘80s pop star Rick Springfield and Richard Marx. Tickets.

Country singer Jason Aldean is back in the area for a Friday show at the Mid Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre. Tickets.

Hard-rocking Papa Roach plays the Mid Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre Saturday. Tickets.

Saturday brings 311 frontman Nick Hexum to Jannus Live, performing with his Tampa friends the Ries Brothers. Here’s our interview with Hexum from earlier this week.

Saturday at the Palladium Theater Side Door Cabaret: Brazilian jazz from Ella & the Bossa Beat. Tickets.

Steve Martin and Martin Short, postponed from earlier this year, take the stage at Ruth Eckerd Hall Sunday. Tickets.

Your Weekend Spotlight appears every Thursday in the Catalyst’s CREATE section. 

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