We hope! It’s been a long wait for our performing arts community. The mass cancellations that besieged our beloved venues and the talented performers that grace their stages have been disappointing for them and their patrons. But so far, it looks like the 2021-2022 season is unfolding and we’re excited to be able to share what’s to look forward to as box offices open and curtains go up all over the Treasure Coast. Here’s what’s happening this fall and a preview of the 2022 openers.
Theatre
Sunrise Theatre, Fort Pierce
Sunrise opens its season in October with 12 performances booked through the end of September. These include national touring shows, dance and ballet performances, musical headliners, and rock & roll tributes. Standout performances include some big names like Sawyer Brown and The Marshall Tucker Band. In November, Grammy Award-Winning band America takes the stage for its 50th anniversary. In December, fans of one of the nation’s favorite television sitcoms of all time won’t want to miss Friends! The Musical Parody. And, just in time for the holidays, the prestigious State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine will present The Nutcracker. The Sunrise Theatre has more than 40 performances currently scheduled and also features a variety of comedy shows in its swanky Black Box Theatre. Check the entire calendar at sunrisetheatre.com.
Vero Beach Theatre Guild
The Guild, one of the oldest and most respected community theatres on the Treasure Coast, heads into the month of October with a perfectly timed presentation of Bram Stoker’s classic, Dracula. To be directed by the talented Alex Martinez and, combined with the skilled set designers and makeup folks that have wowed audiences in recent years with their transformational dexterity, Dracula should be a solid bet for theatre lovers. In November, Anthony Schaffer’s Tony award-winning whodunnit thriller Sleuth will be directed by Beth Shestack. Next up in January will be Calendar Girls, the hilarious comedy based on a true story by Tim Firth and directed by Guild veteran Art Pingree. Visit verobeachtheatreguild.com for more.
Riverside Theatre, Vero Beach
Florida’s largest professional theatre welcomes its youngest patrons back inside first with Theatre for KIDS! The children’s theatre will feature Disney's Beauty and the Beast JR. in October followed by Elf, The Musical JR. in November. But there’s even more excitement around the 2022 reopening of the Stark Stage season beginning in January with the musical masterpiece that is Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. Next up in February, A Comedy of Tenors will tickle your funny bone with Ken Ludwig’s uproarious madcap tale. March brings perhaps one of the most anticipated shows of the season. On Your Feet! is the Broadway hit musical based on the lives and music of 26-time Grammy Award-winning husband-and-wife team, Emilio and Gloria Estefan, who also happen to call Vero Beach home for part of the year. Visit riversidetheatre.com to see everything going on including comedy shows and free live music every weekend.
The Barn Theatre, Stuart
There’s a little old community theatre on Ocean Drive in Stuart that has been churning out big hits with big local talent for more than 50 years now. The Barn Theatre welcomes its loyal patrons back in September with the very hilarious and for adults only, The Full Monty, The Musical. In case you missed the movie, you will not want to miss this raucous pop-rock musical that transforms out-of-work steel mill workers into strippers who “take it all off” for a better paycheck. Next up in November, Let’s Murder Marsha promises lots of giggles when a housewife who reads too many murder mystery novels happens to overhear and misinterpret a conversation that sends her jumping to whacky conclusions. January features the iconic Broadway smash, Rent, The Musical. For more details on Stuart’s oldest community theatre, visit barn-theatre.com
Music & Dance
Atlantic Classical Orchestra
The ACO is the area’s only professional orchestra, offering Chamber and Masterworks performances at three different venues along the Treasure Coast. The orchestra is live again in 2022 beginning in January with a stunning opener. Maestro David Amado and his 42 stellar musicians will kick off the season with three magnificent pieces. Kodaly's virtuosic Dances of Galanta, and Beethoven’s white-hot 7th Symphony frame Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue—the first ‘crossover’ piece in classical music—blending jazz and popular music all in a classical scaffolding, promise an evening of festive music celebrating the glories of a live orchestra. ACO performances happen at the Community Church of Vero Beach, the Lyric Theatre in Stuart, and the Eissey Campus Theatre in Palm Beach Gardens. Learn about the rest of the 2022 season at atlanticclassicalorchestra.com
Ballet Vero Beach
This professional ballet company stole our hearts with a magnificent interpretation of a holiday classic with Nutcracker on the Indian River starting four years ago. It was traditionally performed in a theater, but last year’s challenges lead the company in a different direction. They filmed the production in outdoor venues and produced a successful film adaptation. This December, the ballet plans to bring its critically acclaimed performance to a very different stage. Nestled among palms, mangroves, and lush tropical greenery, Tree House Vero Beach will host this magical experience. In January, Ballet Vero will return to the stage for Franco-American, celebrating elected French and American influences. Ballet Vero Beach offers in-person and film access to many of its productions. To learn more, visit balletverobeach.org.
Vero Beach Performing Arts
The remarkably talented students at Vero Beach High School will open their season in late September with a choral concert. In October, their award-winning orchestra will present an Orchestral Spooktacular, an annual favorite for all ages. The jazz band performs in November as well as the drama club which will put on All Together Now, a musical revue of songs from some of the most beloved shows in musical theatre. The VBHS concert band will also present a concert in November followed by the annual winter concert in December, a combined performance showcasing the gifts of all these young performing arts students. For tickets to the area’s most affordable family entertainment visit verobeachperformingarts.com.