Avery Sommers has long served the world of theater with her booming voice and talent she presents on the stage. Starting in the original cast of Platinum (1978), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978) where she replaced Nell Carter after stepping down from her role, she moved on to do a national tour with Chicago as Matron “Mama” Morton (1997) lasting eighteen months. 

An established stage, TV and film actress; writer, producer, director, voice-over artist and frequent frontwoman for television commercials, Miami Beach native Jill Melody is admittedly “driven” in her chosen pursuits.

The Theater Up Close series at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami will celebrate its tenth anniversary this fall, with five new productions mounted by two local theater companies — including one world premiere and two South Florida premieres.

Our Fund Foundation has made it their mission to support an arts community that has been largely neglected in the past. However, The LGBTQ+ community has come a long way from where they first started, especially the South Florida Society of LGBTQ+ Arts because of organizations like Our Fund leading the way. Founded in 2010 by a board of committed advocates, Our Fund focuses on areas that need the most aid through community assessments – primarily in the areas of health and wellness, social justice, and cultural needs of LGBTQ+ Arts in Florida. They award over $1 million annually to non-profit companies that hold the same missions.

Kelley Shanley, president and CEO of the Broward Center, made a remarkable admission of practicing what he called “unconscious bias” during a recent panel discussion at his venue, billed as “Arts For Action: Black Voices — Bridging the Gap.” 

Marcie Gorman knows a thing or three about overcoming adversity. Still, when the pandemic hit during preparations for MNM Theatre Company’s 2020 production of “Cabaret,” she admitted its effect left a devastating impact.

Talk with Patrick Fitzwater for just five minutes, and you’ll discover this is a man who is anything but burned out by the pandemic.

Since its 2015 launch, Theatre Lab has been on the fast track to becoming one of the most prominent and promising theatre companies in South Florida, and Matt Stabile has been there every step of the way.

Marilynn Wick pictured at Costume World (photo courtesy of Sun-Sentinel)

Marilynn Wick described her journey through the coronavirus pandemic as a fiendish rollercoaster ride without any end in sight.

Ask Artistic Director William Hayes how he and Palm Beach Dramaworks have dealt with the challenges of a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he’ll tell you how it’s opened his eyes to new and exciting possibilities for his theater and its audiences.