Tom Hall

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 June, there are 26 shows at these venues. Each will stimulate viewers’ imaginations and underscore the importance of the arts in our part of the country.

The Marco Island Center for the Arts and Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas are exchanging exhibitions that draw attention to Latinx art and artists. The idea is to foster cultural understanding, transcend language barriers and demonstrate the ways an artist’s heritage, upbringing and experiences inform their art.

Brett Marston is an actor’s director. He approaches every script from an actor’s perspective. But when Artistic Director Scott Lilly asked Marston to take a look at John Patrick Shanley’s “Prodigal Son,” it wasn’t to have him direct, but rather play the role of Carl Schmitt, the stern headmaster of Thomas More Prep School.

Stage 2 Improv is one of nine performers taking part in the 3rd Annual Fringe Fort Myers. The troupe is looking forward to shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Foulds Theatre at the Alliance for the Arts, plus a 5-to-7-minute preview following Thursday evening's Flamingle reception.

“When Bullfrogs Sing Opera” is a charming country comedy that just happens to take place in New York City. The lighthearted story centers on two sisters from the backwater Southern town of Bullfrog Waller.

The NYU Tisch School of the Arts sits at the pinnacle of college musical theater programs. So that’s where Mia Zottolo wanted to go. It was an arduous journey, but she got in. Now she's headed to New York City in the fall.

This week, two shows open, four close and five continue their runs, and there are two limited engagements at Southwest Florida equity and community theaters.

"Prodigal Son is onstage at Golden Gate Community Center through June 1. The young actor who plays the lead, Landon Libbey, is creating quite a sensation.

'Margaritaville' cast expects audience members to do more than merely don a flowered shirt, a pair of shorts and faded flip flops. They're hoping they'll sing along.

“Hairspray” is a musical about bringing people together of different sizes, different shapes and different colors. It’s a message that’s the Florida Rep Conservatory cast has put into practice not only onstage, but throughout the rehearsal process.