Da Capo Society To Host WIZARD OF OZ Costume Contest

Sarasota Opera's Da Capo Society, the only young patrons group, ages 21 - 45, dedicated to a single arts organization in Sarasota, will host The Wizard of Oz themed costume contest Thursday, June 7th at 6pm to celebrate the launch of the new season of "Classic Movies at the Opera House." Launched in 2017, the "Classic Movies at the Opera House" series will occur twice monthly starting Thursday, June 7 and will include timeless films designed to be enjoyed on the big screen in the elegance of the Opera House. Each presentation will begin at 7:30pm.

"Since our inaugural season in 2016, the Da Capo Society has become a wonderful way of expanding the Sarasota Opera community to the next generation of arts lovers," says Sam Lowry, Director of Audience Development. "Our members are eager to support the mission of Sarasota Opera and look forward to finding creative ways to bring new people in."

The Wizard of Oz costume contest will begin at 6pm. Guests who have purchased a ticket and are attending the movie will be eligible to compete. Once they arrive, contestants can register and show off their creativity at the judges table located in the Opera House lobby. The judges will be a panel of Da Capo Society members. First, second, and third prize awards will be handed out on the opera house stage before the movie begins. The contest is free and all ages are welcome!

Tickets for the "Classic Movies at the Opera House" are only $10. All seating is general admission. Information and tickets can be found online at www.sarasotaopera.org or by calling (941) 328-1300. You can also visit the Sarasota Opera Box Office at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.

Da Capo Society

Launched in 2016, the Da Capo Society offers members the opportunity to join the Sarasota Opera community by becoming both a subscriber and donor to Sarasota Opera. Designed especially for people between the ages of 21-45, members enjoy a discounted subscription package, unique access to Sarasota Opera's acclaimed productions, and VIP events designed especially for them. For more information on the program, contact Sam Lowry at slowry@sarasotaopera.org or call (941) 328-1322.

Classic Movies at the Opera House

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Thursday, June 7th at 7:30pm
Sarasota Opera House

$10

A tornado whisks young Kansas native Dorothy and her dog Toto away to the magical land of Oz, where they befriend a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Cowardly Lion on their journey to confront the Wicked Witch of the West and visit the wonderful Wizard of Oz. (101 minutes)

Starring: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Margaret Hamilton

All About Eve (1950)
Thursday, June 21st at 7:30pm
Sarasota Opera House

$10

A story of theatrical ambition, deception, and hypocrisy. The legendary Bette Davis, in her greatest role, plays a powerful, aging actress, at the apex of her career, who does battle with a calculating newcomer.

Starring: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Marilyn Monroe

Gone with the Wind (1939)

Thursday, July 5th at 7:30pm

Sarasota Opera House

$10

A Civil War epic about life in the South before, during and after the war centers on a spoiled young woman and her obsession with a man in love with someone else. The film won eight Oscars.

Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard, Hattie McDaniel

King Creole (1958)

Thursday, July 19th at 7:30pm

Sarasota Opera House

$10

Elvis Presley as a singer mixed up with gangsters. Elvis performed at the Sarasota Opera House, then the Florida Theater, in 1956.

Starring: Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Dolores Hart, Dean Jagger, Walter Matthau

North by Northwest (1959)

Thursday, August 2nd at 7:30pm

Sarasota Opera House

$10

An ad exec pursues---and is pursued by---foreign spies, from New York to the top of Mount Rushmore in this monumental Hitchcock classic highlighted by the famed crop-duster sequence.

Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Leo G. Carroll, Jessie Royce Landis

Rio Bravo (1959)*

Thursday, August 16th at 7:30pm

Sarasota Opera House

$10

In 1860s Texas, a sheriff and his three deputies try to keep a murderous thug jailed long enough for the U.S. marshal to arrive on the scene.

Starring: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan

*On August 18, 2018, Sarasota Opera House Presents will present Ricky Nelson Remembered starring Mr. Nelson's twin sons Matthew and Gunnar Nelson.

Sabrina (1954)

Thursday, September 6th at 7:30pm

Sarasota Opera House

$10

A chauffer's daughter falls in love with the estate playboy, who views her as a kid...until she returns from two years in Paris a sophisticated woman.

Starring: Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Humphrey Bogart, John Williams, Walter Hampden

The Great Caruso (1951)

Thursday, September 20th at 7:30pm

Sarasota Opera House

$10

This biopic traces Naples-born Caruso's ascension from adolescent choir singer to the uppermost ranks of the opera world.

Starring: Mario Lanza, Ann Blyth, Carl Benton Reid, Dorothy Kirsten, Richard Hageman

Sarasota Opera was awarded grants in 2014 from the William and Marie Selby Foundation and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to purchase film projection equipment for the Opera House, and an additional "Building Opera Audiences" grant from Opera America to support marketing.

Four and Five-Opera Subscriptions for the 2018/19 Sarasota Opera Festival Season are now available for purchase online at www.sarasotaopera.org, by phone at (941) 328-1300 or in person at the Sarasota Opera Box Office. Subscribers receive a 10% discount off the total price of the package. Single tickets go on-sale exclusively online Wednesday, August 1, 2018 and in the box office Tuesday, September 4, 2018.

ABOUT SARASOTA OPERA

Based on Florida's beautiful Gulf Coast, Sarasota Opera recently completed its internationally acclaimed Verdi Cycle making it the only company in the world to have performed every work of Giuseppe Verdi.

In 1960, the company began presenting chamber-sized repertoire in the historic 320-seat Asolo Theater on the grounds of Sarasota's Ringling Museum of Art. Recognizing the need for a theater more conducive to opera, the company purchased the former A.B. Edwards Theater in downtown Sarasota in 1979 and first performing in it in 1984 as the Sarasota Opera House. The theater has just undergone a $20 million renovation and rehabilitation enhancing audience amenities, while updating the technical facilities including increasing the size of the orchestra pit. The theater, which reopened in March 2008, has been called "one of America's finest venues for opera" by Musical America.

Since 1983, the company has been under the artistic leadership of Victor DeRenzi and administrative leadership of Executive Director Richard Russell since 2012. The company has garnered international attention with its Masterwork Revivals Series, which presents neglected works of artistic merit, as well as the Verdi Cycle producing the complete works of Giuseppe Verdi. Recognizing the importance of training, Maestro DeRenzi founded the Apprentice Artist and Studio Artist programs. Sarasota Opera also maintains a commitment to education through its Invitation to Opera performances for local schools and the unique Sarasota Youth Opera program.

Sarasota Opera is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Programs are supported in part by an award the Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Additional funding is provided by the City of Sarasota and the County of Sarasota.

To post a comment, you must register and login.