Tom Hall

When Melody Lane Theatre selected “Chicago” for its summer stock show, Sami Doherty knew the theater couldn’t afford the rights to Bob Fosse’s original choreography. So, she and Assistant Choreographer Athena Rose Belis did the next best thing. They created original choreography that would make Bob Fosse proud. The result is a splendiferous show guaranteed to razzle dazzle Southwest Florida audiences.

Arts Bonita Actors Theatre has cast Shennan Nelson and Landon Maas in the roles of Princess Anna and Prince Hans of the Southern Isles in its upcoming production of Disney’s “Frozen: The Broadway Musical.” In their duet “Love is An Open Door,” Hans and Anna meet and instantly fall in love. But, says Maas, if you read between the lines, he’s actually telling her he intends to supplant her and her sister, Elsa, on throne.

“Songbirds of the Seventies” is Florida Studio Theatre’s latest summer sidekick. Featuring hits from Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Helen Reddy, Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks, “Songbirds of the Seventies” celebrates a musical era in which authenticity mattered more than spectacle.

When Iliana Lopez and Franklin Gamero joined Miami City Ballet as principal dancers in 1967, there wasn’t much support for ballet in South Florida. They found an almost identical situation when they joined Gulfshore Ballet as teachers in 2011. Fast forward 15 years and Gulfshore Ballet is on the brink of establishing a full-time professional ballet company to complement its ballet school.

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

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 July, there are 28 shows at these venues.

The cast of Arts Bonita’s upcoming production of Disney’s “Frozen” is led by three local actors on summer break from college and another who begins her pursuit of a Bachelor of Arts in Acting in the fall.

Southwest Florida’s museums regularly curate traveling art exhibitions as well as artworks from their permanent collections. During July, two exhibitions open, five close and 26 others continue their runs at museums from Marco Island to Sarasota.

Each year, BIG ARTS collaborates with the Florida SouthWestern State College School of the Arts to put on an exhibition in the Dunham Family Gallery. The theme for this year’s show is boredom.

“Geometry of Emotion” is on view in the Hinman Auditorium Gallery-in-the-Round. It’s a bold exploration into the invisible architecture of human feeling.