ST. PETE GALA

SATURDAY, MAY 13, 2023 • Sponsor Reception : 6:00 pm / Gala 7:00-11:00pm

THE

St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Please join us for our 2023 Equality Florida St. Pete Gala!

It’s time to stand together and celebrate our community! This year we are honoring State Representative Michele K. Rayner-Goolsby with our Voice for Equality Award, and local community hero, Marjorie Sherwin, with the Edie Windsor Lifetime Achievement Award. There will be delicious cuisine, open bar, entertainment by the incredible Alex Harris, DJ L Mo, and Gios Typos, dancing, a fantastic silent auction, and a “State of the State” address by Equality Florida CEO, Nadine Smith, Time Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential People of 2022.

Tickets are $135

NO

R.S.V.P. and purchase tickets at eqfl.org/stpetegala or call (727) 822-2122

Equality

Sponsorship opportunities begin at $500 and include complimentary Gala tickets along with a number of other benefits. To become a sponsor visit eqfl.org/stpetegala or contact Todd Richardson at Todd@equalityflorida.org or (727) 822-2122

PRESENTED BY

GuideStar nonprofit by GreatNonprofits, and nationally accredited by the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance (give.org).

#STPETEGALA2023

@EqualityFL

Ryan Williams-Jent

THE TAMPA INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL KNOWS talent. It’s helped artists from around the world cultivate their craft in Tampa Bay for seven years.

This year the region’s only open-access, uncensored arts celebration returns May 10-14 with 32 companies, five venues and the launch of The Fringe Theatre, its year-round incubation space. The 40-seat black box theatre is located in Ybor’s Historic Kress Building and will hold its grand opening May 10, coinciding with 2023’s preview night.

After last year’s successful festival, which featured significant growth after the height of the pandemic, a permanent venue made sense. Following Tampa Fringe 2023, the space will be utilized for recurring and one-off events.

Tampa Fringe Producer Trish Parry says the idea came from World Fringe Congress 2022, held in Orlando last May. The bi-annual meeting welcomes Fringe organizers from around the globe to collaborate and strengthen their festivals.

“Folks from other festivals kept saying things about their communities and that made me ask myself — in terms of theatre, the performing arts — what does Tampa need?” Parry recalls. “We have lots of professional and community theatres. We’ve got the Straz. And I realized, ‘an incubation space.’ A safe space for artists to mingle, explore, experiment, affordably.

“That is what we are missing,” she continues. “Fringe wants to take more of a hand in making space for people, creating a community, providing continuing education in areas less traditional for actors.”

It’s what the organization was already doing each Tampa Fringe, she adds, “so why not do it year-round?”

The grand opening celebration is scheduled for 6 p.m. and includes a ribbon cutting at 6:55 p.m. with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. At 7 p.m., previews featuring two minutes of this year’s 30+ shows will begin to help guests plan their weekend.

Additional performance spaces in the Kress include Screen Door Cinema and The Cage. Rehearsal Hall and The Coop, each located at HCC Ybor’s Performing Arts Building, round out this year’s venues.

This year’s theme “Gotta Watch ‘Em All” will encourage audiences to visit each of them. Organizers drew inspiration from “Pokémon,” the popular franchise where trainers try and catch the coveted creatures.

“We are always excited about cramming in as much as possible,” Parry muses. “This year it’s physically impossible to see everything. There will be a bingo sheet and there will be a prize for whomever ‘catches the most of ‘em!’”

As in prior festivals, LGBTQ+ creators and content are heavily featured this year. “Diversity is always important to Fringe,” Parry says. “We are very pleased that this year within our LGBTQ+ shows we have quite a range of perspectives within it!”

View details about some of those shows here, in order of first presentation.

The seventh annual Tampa Fringe will be held May 10-14 in Ybor. Individual shows range from $5-15 +$3 in fees or -$1 with cash at each venue. Passes and discounts are also available. For more information about each venue and show, visit TampaFringe.org.