Tom Hall

Sept. 23 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of music legend John Coltrane. Jazz pianist Zach Bartholomew celebrates the centennial at Arts Bonita on Nov. 19. With “A Centennial Celebration,” Zach Bartholomew promises a comprehensive journey through John Coltrane’s truly transformative work.

Based on the thought-provoking children's novel by Natalie Babbitt, Bishop Verot High School's fall production of "Tuck Everlasting" explores themes of immortality, freedom, and the complexities of human emotions. The narrative unfolds with a blend of fairy tale elements and intense emotional depth.

Every note of jazz traces its DNA to The Big Easy. New Orleans has produced a sound unlike anywhere else on earth - jubilant and mournful, sacred and profane, impossibly funky and endlessly sophisticated all at once. So, the Gulf Coast Jazz Collective will recreate the full, rich texture of the Crescent City’s musical legacy in an unforgettable performance that will make you feel like you’re standing on Bourbon Street with a drink in your hand and a brass band is turning the corner.

A new adaptation of “Wait Until Dark” opens at Florida Repertory Theatre on November 24. The Broadway play ran for 373 performances in the mid-‘60s, with Lee Remick garnering a Best Actress Tony nomination. Audrey Hepburn earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for the 1967 film. Producing Artistic Director Greg Longenhagen notes that the adaptation Florida Rep is producing amps up the drama by setting the play in 1944. “So it's more of a … has more of a film noir … more of a noir-ish kind of take,” Longenhagen said.

This week, one show opens, five close, nine continue their runs and there are seven limited engagements at Southwest Florida theaters.

“Revival” is an exhibition of ceramics created by Beth Miranda, Ethan Fiedler and other members of St. Pete Ceramics. All of the pieces in the show were created in tiny temporary quarters after St. Pete Ceramics lost its studio in a devastating early morning fire in January. The ceramics Miranda, Fiedler and the members of the collective created for the show aren’t just high-quality works of art. They tell the story of St. Pete Ceramics’ resilience, rebuilding, and the remarkable community that restored the studio’s viability.

The Alliance for the Arts’ main gallery features “That’s Absurd,” a group exhibition that blends humor with seriousness and the familiar with the unexpected. In the Foulds Theatre Gallery, Zan Lombardo’s “Night Swim” invites viewers into an exploration of light and nature. And “Nude Works” in the Member Gallery showcases studies by students of the Alliance’s Instructed Life Drawing and Life Drawing Lounge.

Under the glowing aurora borealis, strangers, friends and lovers experience the always surreal, sometimes painful and magical ways that love begins, changes, or ends in the tiny town of Almost, Maine. This charming comedy was recently performed by Theatre Conspiracy and now it’s Oasis Charter High School’s turn to bring this John Cariani masterwork to the stage. Shows are through Saturday (Nov. 7) at The Belle Theatre in Cape Coral.

The American spirit has always been fostered by visionary musicians who brought cultural change through their music. So, when Florida Studio Theatre Executive Director Rebecca Hopkins sat down with her husband, Richard, to write a Semiquincentennial musical revue, she knew she had to feature artists who challenged convention, inspired change and gave voice to new generations … like The Boss.

Gulf Coast Symphony Music Director Andrew Kurtz and pianist Julie Beardon Carver are introducing a new series in the Music and Arts Community Center. It’s called “Inside Broadway” and it kicks off November 5.