Tom Hall

During the month of October, nine exhibitions open, four close and 21 others continue their runs at Southwest Florida museums.

The Alliance for the Arts and the Cape Coral Art Center are hosting a town hall meeting on Monday, Oct. 5 to discuss art and culture issues impacting Southwest Florida. The town hall will focus on key priorities shaping the future of arts and culture in Southwest Florida, with a special emphasis on the arts in Cape Coral and the Amendment 3 ballot initiative that could impact local funding for arts programming and education.

The 18th Annual Naples International Film Festival will screen 59 films, including 10 features, nine documentaries and 40 short films. Representing 13 countries, this year’s lineup includes 47 premieres. The festival opens on Thursday, Oct. 22 and closes Sunday, Oct. 25.

On a fall night in 1958, Nancy Wilson joined friends at a jazz emporium in Columbus, Ohio, to hear an up-and-coming saxophone player by the name of Cannonball Adderley. The willowy singer performed some unrehearsed off-the-cuff tunes with the band. Impressed, three years later Adderley invited her to collaborate with him on an album. It’s the focus of Resident Artist Zach Bartholomew’s jazz concert at Arts Bonita on Oct. 15.

The Music & Arts Community Center in Fort Myers hosts the Love Flamenco World Tour on Oct. 3. It’s a sensory experience in which music, dance, and emotion come together for an unforgettable night.

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

Over the weekend, Cypress Lakes School for the Arts produced “A Monster Calls,” a devised play in the tradition of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” The play gave Artistic Director Carmen Crussard’s theater students a rare opportunity to learn about and be in a unique, ensemble-driven theatrical genre that is reshaping how stories are created and performed.

It’s “Scream Time” at DAAS CO-OP Art Gallery in October. The exhibition features the artwork of Pamela Jones and Michael Santacroce. Her contribution to the show is “Bad Clowns,” a series that voices Jones’ fear and loathing of clowns – a metaphor for Americans’ anxiety about the future. Santacroce brings ink creatures that signify his personal demons - involving identity, addiction, mental health and sexuality.

Resident artists Zach Bartholomew and Mark Sanders return with a variety of jazz and cabaret performances. Joining Hotel California, Bee Gees Now and Chicago Transit are new tribute acts Sabbath: Long Live Ozzy, The Brit Pack and Given to Fly. The theatre company brings “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “Oklahoma!” to the stage, along with a staged reading of an original new musical, “Velvet Curtain.” The Bonita Improv Group returns for a third season. And laughs abound with a host of new and returning stand-up comedy acts.

With a fast-paced score by songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, “Dear Evan Hansen” won the hearts of theatergoers and critics, winning six Tony Awards and a Grammy during its two-year Broadway run. “It not only features amazing music, but it commands a story of self-empowerment that no one can forget,” says Director Kody C. Jones.