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Community Theater:
Marriage is Murder
by Nick Hall

May 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, at 8 PM
and a matinee Sunday, May 13, 2 PM

Opening Night Reception: Thursday, May 10, 7 PM

Community Players at Herb Strauss Theater

Contact BIG ARTS Center for tickets

BIG ARTS Community Players present Nick Hall's comedy, Marriage is Murder. Ex-spouses Paul and Polly Butler write murder mysteries together, acting out the crimes - poisoned chocolates, lethal martinis, bodies in a trunk, daggers, and even an axe contribute to the fast-paced hilarity. Their egos take some hits as they strive to outdo each other, learning in the wake of comic twists and turns that marriage, like murder, is in the details.

Single Ticket: $15
Child 17 & Under $5

Buy one ticket to both shows (Marriage is Murder and The Star-Spangled Girl) for the discounted "Series" price of $26. For tickets contact BIG ARTS Center at (239) 395-0900.

Community Theater:
The Star-Spangled Girl
by Neil Simon

July 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21, at 8 PM

Community Players at Herb Strauss Theater

Contact BIG ARTS Center for tickets

BIG ARTS Community Players present The Star-Spangled Girl, a classic Simon comedy set in 1960s. The play is a story of a love triangle mixed with politics. Andy and Norman are radical liberals struggling to make a living working on their magazine, Fallout. Sophie is an all-American girl who moves into the apartment next door. Norman immediately falls in love with Sophie and makes Andy hire her at the magazine. When Sophie falls in love with Andy, the magazine and the men's friendship are threatened.

Single Ticket: $15
Child 17 & Under $5

Buy one ticket to both shows (Marriage is Murder and The Star-Spangled Girl) for the discounted "Series" price of $26. For tickets contact BIG ARTS Center at (239) 395-0900.

The Florida Laboratory Theater's
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

After its wildly successful run in 2010, The Florida Laboratory Theater's production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? comes to Sanibel for a special eight night revival you won't want to miss! Winner of the 1963 Tony Award for Best Play, Woolf? is an American theater classic exploring the complexities of life and love through the lens of two couples of separate generations. Written by celebrated playwright Edward Albee, this three-act play introduces audiences to a bitter and aging couple, George and Martha, hosts of a dinner party attended by a younger couple and for whom drinking becomes more than recreation and quickly turns into sport.

Click here to read a review of this production in the Naples News.

A Couple of Blaguards

A Couple of Blaguards is a two man comedy by award-winning authors and brothers Frank and Malachy McCourt about their experience growing up in Ireland and America. Complete with a sprinkling of Irish song and dance, the show, which Newsday says "mixes the sweetness and kick of an Irish coffee," has enjoyed much critical praise as it has toured for the last three years.

Click here to read a review of this production in the Naples News.

Winter Wonderettes

Winter Wonderettes is a family-friendly holiday revue that takes place in the 1960s at a holiday party. When Santa mysteriously turns up missing, Wonderettes must combine their talent and spontaneity to distract from the absence of the jolly big guy in red. Festive tunes like Santa Baby, and Jingle Bell Rock warm the crowd as the pressure is on for the girls to keep the Christmas spirit alive. LA Weekly calls Winter Wonderettes, "The perfect Christmas revue … the musical numbers crackle with energy and joy," and a Los Angeles Times review raves, "If you're looking for festive entertainment this holiday season, turn yourself over to the wonderful Wonderettes."

December 16 - 31

New Year's Eve performance starts at 9 PM, champagne reception to follow: $75

Click here to read the review by Naples News critic Chris Silk.

Click here for the review by Di Saggau of The Island Sun.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Based on the popular 1988 film of the same title, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is the Tony® and Drama Desk award-winning musical that has taken Broadway by storm. Meet Lawrence Jameson and Freddy Benson, two con men living the good life on the French Riviera. Jameson, a seemingly sophisticated gentleman, sweet-talks wealthy women out of their money. Benson is a small-time crook whose stories about his grandmother's failing health prove prosperous. The pair join forces only to discover that the town simply isn't big enough for the both of them. This hilarious battle of cons will keep you laughing, humming, and guessing until the end.

January 13 - February 11

Click here to read a rave review of this production in the
Naples News.

Click here to read a fabulous review of this production in the
The Island Sun and River Weekly.

Click here to read a rockin' review of this production in
The Islander.

Das Barbecü

Opera lovers and haters alike can revel in the sheer hilarity and fun of Das Barbecü. Epic Wagnerian opera is spun as a witty Texas fable using five actors playing more than 30 outrageous characters at breakneck speed. Musical numbers run the gamut from Broadway to Texas Swing and Jazz to Country/Western. You won't want to miss the southwest Florida premiere of this new musical comedy!

February 17 - March 17

Click here to read a spirited review of this production in the
Fort Myers News-Press.

Click here to read a rave review of this production in the
Naples News.

Click here for the terrific review of this production in the Island Sun.

Click here for the wonderful review of this production in the Islander.

Play Readings:
- Carmen Garmin
- Lady Godiva of Flamingo Landing
- Homecoming for Sergeant Porter

Sunday, April 1, 7:30 PM

Community Theater
at Herb Strauss Theater

BIG ARTS Live Theater Committee selected plays written by local playwrights, these plays will be presented as readings. On April 1 actors will perform Carmen Garmin and Lady Godiva of Flamingo Landing written by Marci Rudin and directed by Angie Koch, and Homecoming for Sergeant Porter written by Wally Kain, directed by Edina Lessack.
Carmen Garmin is about a driver who experiences his GPS voice coming to life, castigating him for his neglect of his former wife and young son, which leads him to change his ways.
The Lady Godiva of Flamingo Landing is about three couples on the Amtrak cartrain to Florida, and what transpires after a naked woman is discovered in a country club locker room. In the end all is revealed.
Homecoming for Sergeant Porter deals with a fraught encounter of an angry Army vet of the Iraq war and the widow of a fallen Marine in the same war. Matters take a different turn as they come to know one another.

$12
Child 17 & Under $5

Over the Tavern

Set in Buffalo, New York, playwright Tom Dudzick's hometown, Over the Tavern carries us back to the Eisenhower years of the 1950s and introduces us to the dysfunctionally delightful Pazinski family. Chet and Ellen Pazinski and their four children are living above the Polish-Catholic family's tavern and each are struggling in their own unique and sometimes mischievous ways to abide by the true meaning of family values. When wise-cracking 12-year-old Rudy explains to his teacher, Sister Clarissa, for example, that he is going to "shop around for a more fun religion," the stage is set for this heartwarming comedy. Don't miss the show that The Chicago Sun Times calls "utterly charming."

March 23 - April 21
Performances run Tuesday through Saturday, 8 PM
at BIG ARTS Herb Strauss Theater
General: $42, Child 17 & Under: $20

Click here to read Chris Silk's review of this production in the Naples News.

Click here for the review by Di Saggau in The Island Sun.

Click here to read Sid Simon's review in The Island Reporter

Click here to read Marsha Wagner's review in The Islander.