Alliance for the Arts

When Ted Neeley was cast in the lead of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in 1973, he had no idea that it was the role of a lifetime. Twenty years after the film’s release, he reprised the role of Jesus in a national tour that became the longest running revival in North American theater history. A second tour ran from 2006 through 2010. To celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary, Neeley criss-crossed the U.S. screening a digitally remastered print of the film, which he did again in 2023 to commemorate “Jesus Christ Superstar’s” 50th. And now he’s conducting a “farewell tour” that has no discernible end.

In addition to being one of Southwest Florida’s pre-eminent art centers, the Alliance for the Arts plays an advocacy role within Lee County, and beyond. With more than 20 years as a community advocate and organizer, Neil Volz is uniquely suited to empower the Alliance to discharge this aspect of its overarching mission as its new Executive Director. Volz’s views on the art of advocacy are people-centric.

On Tuesday, the director of grants, Jessica McElwee, told the Fort Myers Public Art Committee that the city is preparing to open the application window for this year’s arts & culture grants. If all goes well, that window will open April 1 and close on May 16, 2025.

This is the 39th year that the Alliance for the Arts has organized its 'All Florida Exhibition.' As the name implies, it features work by artists from across the state of Florida. Overall, the exhibition reflects the wide array of subjects and themes that weigh on the minds and hearts of Florida-based artists.

The Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers is hosting a four-day family-friendly storytelling festival March 13 – 16. The event includes storytelling performances covering a wide variety of subjects and genres along with storytelling workshops. Ahead of the March 13th opening reception, we’ll get a preview from the event’s featured storytellers Paul Strickland and Erika MacDonald.

From Sarasota to Marco Island and Venice and Sanibel to Arcadia and LaBelle, Southwest Florida is home to more than a dozen art centers. Most host visual art exhibitions showcasing member, regional and nationally renowned artists that change every month. In March, there are 24 shows at these venues. Each will stimulate your imagination and underscore the importance of the arts in our part of the country.

A storytelling festival takes place over four days at the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers.

Four shows open, six productions close and nine others continue their runs this week in Southwest Florida theaters.

Actor Lemec Bernard says that the struggles taking place onstage in August Wilson's "Jitney" are a microcosm of those we encounter in everyday life.

A production of playwright August Wilson’s “Jitney” opens this week at the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers. The play marks the eighth chronological installment in Wilson’s series known as the American Century Cycle. Set in the late 70s, “Jitney” centers on the lives of some unofficial, unlicensed taxi drivers operating in Pittsburgh’s Hill District community, where traditional taxi services wouldn’t go. We take a deeper dive in a conversation with director Sonya McCarter and actor Shontae White.