Create
Your weekend arts forecast: A string thing at the A&C Museum
Here’s something you don’t see every day, as the old saying goes, at least not in St. Pete: A world-class puppet show.
They’re not puppets, they’re marionettes – operated via strings from puppeteers above the stage – and they’re coming to St. Petersburg’s Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement Saturday and Sunday, for a different full-length production each day.
For some of us, “marionettes” conjures up uncomfortable images of Thunderbirds or Team America: World Police, but the Tanglewood Marionettes is neither a cheesy nor comic enterprise. Based in New England, it’s a nationally touring, professional marionette theater utilizing large, hand-crafted marionettes, colorful sets and integrated lighting and sound to create an immersive theatrical experience.
Saturday’s show is The Dragon King, based on Chinese folklore, at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.; Sunday at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., it’s Perseus and Medusa, from Greek mythology.
The Tanglewood Marionettes performances are free with paid museum admission; click here to watch segments from The Dragon King.
Amphitheater concerts
Australian-born country music superstar Keith Urban – that’s “Mr. Kidman” to you and me – has a Friday night date at the Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre (tickets here). The very next night at the humongous Hillsborough venue, REO Speedwagon and Styx share the bill, with ‘80s two-hit wonder Loverboy opening. All tickets can be got here.
Music at the Palladium
Friday at the Palladium Theater’s intimate Side Door venue, two powerhouse players from the local jazz scene join forces – Jeremy Carter (sax) and James Suggs (trumpet). The band includes Anthony Aldissi (piano), Elias Tona (bass) and Rod Alnord (drums. Tickets here.
And Saturday, the Palladium’s got WMNF Presents a Juneteenth Celebration with Soul Caravan, the funk/soul revue, and vocalists Theo Valentin, Rita Wilson, Tron Montgomery and Hiram Hazley, plus Tampa Bay spoken word poets and more. Tickets here.
Funny stuff
The Never Know Show returns to thestudio@620 Friday, hosted, as always, by Matt Walker and Geoff Fella. These shows feature many of Florida’s finest improv artists, as well as numerous surprises (hence the name). Tickets are here.
Atelier de SoSi, the art gallery and studio space at 2380 Sixth Ave. South, has a Pride-centric standup comedy show Saturday (be sure to check out the LIT exhibition while you’re there. With Lauren Dufault, Kye Saunders, Alina Siddiqui and Jeff Klein. Tickets are here.
Theater stages
It’s your last weekend to catch A Skeptic and a Bruja at freeFall Theater, The Dreamer Examines His Pillow from Tampa Rep, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Stageworks. These are one and all exemplary productions, and they’re all doing their final shows Sunday (June 19).
Juneteenth
“Shades of Pride: Juneteenth Celebration” is a free event from 2 to 9 p.m. on Sunday at The Factory St. Pete. LGBTQIA+ activist TS Madison, the first Black Trans woman to star in and executive-produce her own reality series, is the emcee.
The first-ever Tampa Museum of Art Juneteenth Cultural Celebration takes place 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Included: Free museum admission, art-making activities, live music and performances, family portraits, food trucks and, yes, more.
Visual art
The Visit, an exhibition of paintings, drawings and photographs by Uruguayan-Spanish artist Yamandú Canosa, opens Saturday at the Dali Museum. Through four interrelated walls, the largest component of the exhibit includes concepts of Sa Farnera, the small island that closes the Bay of Port Lligat, Spain, the setting of Dalí’s home. We’ll have much more on The Visit Friday in the Catalyst.
Please add us to your mailing list – send all press releases and event info to bill@stpetecatalyst.com.
You can also submit your events to the Catalyst calendar, by clicking here.
