Tampa Bay Arts Passport

29/07/2025

SPACE FOR EVERYONE’: The Tampa Arts Alliance isn’t just getting a new home, it’s building visibility. Not familiar with the alliance? Here’s the TL;DR: They’re the behind-the-scenes connector.

Until now, though, they’ve never had a physical home.

“This space allows more frequent gathering and education, as well as a place to be seen,” said Michele Smith, executive director of the Tampa Arts Alliance. “We are furthering the awareness that Tampa is an arts city with a diverse and expansive cultural base.”

By Avery Anderson The Tampa Arts Alliance is getting a new home. But what they’re really building is visibility. Thanks to a $1 million in-kind donation from Farley White Interests, the Alliance has secured a 5,000-square-foot street-level space at 201 E. Kennedy Blvd., right across from Lykes Gas...

28/07/2025

DANCE IN ST. PETE 💃 Let’s get this out of the way: ProjectAlchemy is not your tutu-and-twinkle-lights kind of dance company. Founded and led by the visionary Alexander Jones, it’s the only professional dance company in St. Pete—and it’s making that fact count.

This season? It’s big. It’s brave. And above all, it’s collaborative.

Inside St. Pete’s only professional dance company and its most expansive season yet By Avery Anderson Let’s get this out of the way: projectALCHEMY is not your tutu-and-twinkle-lights kind of dance company. Founded and led by the visionary (and occasionally god-mic fantasizing) Alexander Jones, ...

26/07/2025

Mamma Mia, We Did That. 💃
Last night, The Arts Passport threw its first-ever karaoke movie night—and wow, did you all show up.

From the moment the opening credits rolled, the crowd was belting ABBA like their lives depended on it. We had homemade boas, dads in denim, and one unforgettable rendition of “Winner Takes It All” that deserved its own standing ovation. Seriously, St. Pete has never sounded so fabulous.

The bar was stocked, the snacks were flowing, and the vibes? Immaculate. Whether you came solo or brought your whole dancing queen crew, we hope you felt the magic of being in a room full of strangers-turned-besties, singing your hearts out.

Why do we do events like this? Because building community is how we build momentum. The Arts Passport isn’t just about what’s on stage—it’s about who’s in the room.

Thank you to everyone who came, danced, and made it special. If this was your first Arts Passport event, welcome. If it was your fifth, welcome back. Either way: more is coming. And yes, we will be doing another one. 😉

Until then…
🪩 Sign up for The Arts Passport
📚 Join the Book Club
🎭 Support local artists
💋 And never apologize for singing in full chest voice.

And thank you to our sponsors , ,and

25/07/2025

Update: Something to actually celebrate in the world of arts funding – on Friday, July 25, the Department of Education announced it would be releasing billions in previously frozen federal grants to schools across the country, including here in Florida.

Pinellas schools are bracing for impact as a Trump-era grant freeze hits the arts, afterschool programs, and ESOL support. The question now: Who will speak up before it’s gone for good? by Avery Anderson First, it was a field trip. Ten thousand fourth- and fifth-graders across Pinellas County were

24/07/2025

TAMPA BAY THEATERS VS HURRICANES 🌀 Living in Tampa Bay, prepping for hurricane season comes with the territory. And as Floridians brace for potential storms, so do our local theater companies. But with tens of thousands of lost revenue and washed-out performances at stake, how are they weathering the storm?

By Avery Anderson In Tampa Bay, the curtain doesn’t just rise and fall—it bends with the wind. Each summer and fall, as Florida braces for hurricane season, local theaters brace with it. For companies still rebuilding after COVID-era losses, a week of closures—let alone structural damage—can

24/07/2025

🎻 What happens when $9 million disappears from Pinellas schools?

Field trips vanish. Art programs get axed. ESOL students lose critical support.

A Trump-era freeze on federal education grants is now hitting home—putting programs like The Florida Orchestra youth concerts, afterschool art, and college-readiness tutoring on the chopping block.

📍 Join the July 24 community forum to learn what’s at stake and how to speak up before it’s too late.
https://www.pcsb.org/Funding

✏️ Read the full breakdown from The Arts Passport:
👉 https://www.tbartspassport.com/when-9-million-disappears-so-do-the-field-trips/

Pinellas schools are bracing for impact as a Trump-era grant freeze hits the arts, afterschool programs, and ESOL support. The question now: Who will speak up before it’s gone for good? by Avery Anderson First, it was a field trip. Ten thousand fourth- and fifth-graders across Pinellas County were

21/07/2025

THE BEACH (THEATRE) IS BACK 🎥 Armed with passion, perseverance, and power tools, Hannah Hockman purchased the long-vacant The Beach Theatre on Corey Avenue in March 2024. After months of renovations, the St. Pete Beach staple is finally back and better than ever. Special thanks to guest contributor Lauren Clark D***s for this amazing spotlight! Chaz D Photography Lauren Clark D***s Hannah Hockman

By Lauren Clark D***s It was all blue skies and bold dreams at the Beach Theatre on July 11, as a launch party signaled that the classic venue on St. Pete Beach was officially back in business. Local visionary and self-proclaimed theatre kid Hannah Hockman stole the spotlight in a

20/07/2025

🖼️ We’re partnering with the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida for a special morning that blends literature and visual art. After our book discussion, we’ll take a docent-led tour of the MFA’s current exhibit In the Out / Out the In — an exploration of gender, media, and perception.

🗓️ August 23 | 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
📍 Museum of Fine Arts, St. Pete
✨ Arts Passport members receive a free copy of the book with pick up at Tombolo Books and free museum admission.

Let’s blur boundaries together — on the page, in the gallery, and in community.
RSVP now at: https://www.tbartspassport.com/arts-passport-book-club/

19/07/2025

💃 We’re feeling the beat of the tambourine!
Our Mamma Mia! Karaoke Night made it to BroadwayWorld—and we’re just getting started.

🎤 Come sing your heart out, dress up like a Dancing Queen, and celebrate the official launch of The Arts Passport in full glittery glory.

🗓️ Friday, July 25
📍The Studio at 620
🎟️ Free for Arts Passport members, $25 for guests
✨ All the joy. None of the judgment.

📖 Read the BroadwayWorld preview here:

Kick off Tampa Bay’s newest arts movement with Mamma Mia! Karaoke Night, hosted by Arts Passport founder Avery Anderson. Happening July 25 at 7 PM at The Studio@620, this glittery launch party invites everyone to sing, connect, and celebrate the joy of creative freedom—no theater experience requ...

17/07/2025

🎭 Why do writers love comedy?
We asked the nine playwrights behind Lab Theater Project’s LAB Laughs: A Festival of Firsts to share what draws them to writing funny—and sometimes painfully honest—new plays.

From sexy seniors to emotional hostage takers, fantasy raves to explosive museum tours, this year’s lineup is full of surprises. Best of all? Every play is brand-new, written just for this festival.

Read our full story: https://www.tbartspassport.com/a-festival-of-firsts-lab-theater-projects-comedy-showcase-highlights-new-work-familiar-challenges/

🗓️ Now through August 3
📍 LAB Theater Project, Ybor City
🎟️ Tickets at labtheaterproject.org

Big love to the featured playwrights:
John J. Kelly, Romney Humphrey, Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend, Rich Rubin, Robert & Lynn Dixon, Robert Kehew, Debra A. Cole, Maury Zeff, and Raven Petretti-Stamper!

With nine brand-new comedies, Ybor’s LAB Theater Project doubles down on its mission to champion new work. But as the company celebrates 10 years, its latest festival also highlights Tampa’s ongoing diversity gap in theater. by Avery Anderson Every play needs a first audience. In Ybor City, LAB

16/07/2025

Some stories get erased. This exhibit brings them back.

Spanish immigrants helped build Tampa’s Ybor City—working in the cigar factories, forming mutual aid societies, and shaping the culture we know today. But their contributions have often been left out of the narrative.

📸 Invisible Immigrants: Spaniards in the United States (1868–1945) pulls those stories into the spotlight—just in time.

Through July 28 at the Tampa Bay History Center. Included with museum admission.

📰 Read the full piece → https://www.tbartspassport.com/clocks-ticking-tampa-exhibit-spotlights-invisible-immigrants-and-feels-uncomfortably-timely/

by Avery Anderson Tampa’s history has never been simple. But some stories are easier to forget than others. Invisible Immigrants: Spaniards in the United States (1868-1945)—now in its final month at the Tampa Bay History Center—pulls back the curtain on a long-overlooked chapter of American im...

16/07/2025

Come join the party!

Experience the arts like never before.