Arts Bonita

In the summer of 1945, a survivor of the Auschwitz- Birkenau death camp wrote this to his sister in Palestine: “You, over there, cannot imagine even a hundredth part of the suffering, fear, humiliation and every kind of bullying that we lived through. People who live and think as normal people cannot possibly understand.” With “Boy from Block 66,” playwright Kody C. Jones makes us understand.

Six shows open, one closes and 13 others continue their runs this week at Southwest Florida equity and community theaters.

Live theater lovers have two dozen productions to choose from this week, including ten new shows, a holiday tradition and two different performances of the Nutcracker ballet.

On November 21, “Dreams to Wings” opened in Arts Bonita’s gallery in the round at its Performing Arts Center in the Hinman Auditorium on Bonita Beach Road. It's a collection of work by Fort Myers Beach Art Association members, who lost their permanent home during Hurricane Ian.

When abstract expressionist Karen Gozzo Nolan sits down to paint, she puts on music. The emotion of the piece influences her color palette and the tools she’ll use to render her painting. The results of this process are on view in the Tranovich Gallerie at Arts Bonita. Curator Danielle Branchaud provides this overview of the exhibition.

What can an artist say when color is removed from their creative process? “Black & White,” a new juried group exhibition at Arts Bonita, explores precisely this question. According to Curator Danielle Branchaud, the result is a clean, contemporary vibe.