Summer is Coming

The Culture Edit, May 6th-May 19th

Author

Susan Bannon
May 05, 2024

We’re only a few days into May, but the Miami cultural season is already winding down and getting ready for summer break. Miami City Ballet, Seraphic Fire, and Florida Grand Opera are some of the big names that have already concluded their 2023-24 seasons. This weekend, New World Symphony joins them, with a season finale featuring Stravinsky’s challenging Rite of Spring and the last free WALLCAST of the year in adjacent SoundScape Park.

But not to worry, we still have some great local theater to look forward to, plus book talks, art openings, and a chamber music festival - plenty to keep us entertained well into June. After that, you’re out of town half the time anyway.

Let's get planning...

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Wednesday, May 8th

Oolite Artists in Residence: Everything is a Spiral

Oolite Arts, which provides studio and exhibition space to local artists, celebrates the opening of Everything is a Spiral, a group show of 17 of its artists in residence. The maze-like layout of artist studios will be open to the public during the reception, which is a great chance to meet an artist and hear them discuss their work. Opening receptions at Oolite feel a bit like an interactive game, where new art and new people are encountered around every corner. Plus, there’s music and free wine (of course!), if you can find it.

7-9pm, Oolite Arts, Free

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Also on May 8th: Brazilian singer-songwriter Céu plays the Miami Beach Bandshell, The 6th Annual Jazz Series at Faena Theater presents The Shelly Berg Trio, and Cuban Chicken Soup gets another performance at Zoetic Stage.

Thursday, May 9th

Miami Chamber Fest: Ariel Quartet

The Miami Chamber Music Society presents Chamberfest 2024: New Directions, a series of intimate recitals throughout the month of May by chamber musicians from around the world. The opening recital features the internationally renowned Ariel Quartet, with pianist Marina Radiushina, performing Dvorak, Ravel, and Schumann, at the brand new performance center at Temple Beth Am.

7:30pm, The Hub at Temple Beth Am, $39-$53

Neighborhood: Pinecrest

Also on May 9th: an opening reception for Becomes Us - a reimagining of “women’s work” by three female artists - at the Collective 62, a free screening of European short films (with food & drink from each country!) at Coral Gables Art Cinema, and a performance of Cuban Chicken Soup at Zoetic Stage.

Friday, May 10th

Miami Dances

Miami Dances returns for its second year, bringing us an exciting sampler of local dance companies as a celebratory finale to the South Florida dance season. There are two programs, with two different lineups of companies, for Friday and Saturday. The Friday performance includes performances by Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami and Dance NOW! Miami. (You can see the complete lineups here.) Ticket holders are invited to come early for cocktail hour and stay after for a Q&A with the artists.

7pm, Sandrell Rivers Theater, $15

Neighborhood: Little River / Little Haiti

Nearby Eats: so many good ones! Try Rosie's*, Phuc Yea, Blue Collar, or Ogawa | Drinks: Bar Kaiju at the Citadel, Zey Zey (*Rosie’s is closing temporarily after May 12th, so make this one a priority.)

Also on May 10th: a screening of selected shorts from the Miami Short Film Festival at the Doral Cultural Arts Center and another performance of Cuban Chicken Soup at Zoetic Stage.

Saturday, May 11th

Fountainhead Arts: Artists Open

Launched in 2019, Artists Open is a unique open studios event series welcoming the public into over 300 artist studios across the county. The event is organized by Fountainhead, an artist residency program that has grown into a pretty vast art ecosystem since its founding 15 years ago. For this edition, Artists Open will focus on artist studios in just the Little Haiti and Little River neighborhoods, and thank goodness because that’s already 70+ studios to explore in one afternoon. Rsvp required.

1-5pm, Artist Studios in Various Locations, Free

Neighborhood: Little River / Little Haiti

Nearby Eats: all the ones listed for Miami Dances, plus Boia De, Walrus Rodeo, Branja | Drinks: rooftop at the Citadel, Offsite Nano Brewery

Also on May 11th: New World Symphony performs Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring for its season finale, Miami Dances presents Program #2, and Cuban Chicken Soup gets another performance at Zoetic Stage.

Sunday, May 12th

New World Symphony Season Finale

Artistic Director Stéphane Denève leads the New World Symphony for their season finale, performing Stravinsky’s groundbreaking Rite of Spring and the world premiere of a “prelude” to Rite of Spring by eclectic French composer Guillaume Connesson. Also on the program, two works by John Williams, one of our best-known living composers, including his First Violin Concerto, a touching work dedicated to the memory of his late wife.

2pm, New World Center, $40-$130

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Joliet, Casa Tua, Zaytinya | Drinks: MILA, Water Lion at the Sagamore

Also on May 12th: a performance of Cuban Chicken Soup at Zoetic Stage.

Happening NEXT Week:

Because maybe your friends are busy this week. Or you're busy this week. Or this week just seems too soon to pull your act together and make a plan.

Wednesday, May 15th

A Rock Sails By - Opening Night!

Actor’s Playhouse presents the South Florida premiere of A Rock Sails By, a play by Sean Grennan filled with humor, heart, and astrophysics. Dr. Lynn Cummings, an astrophysicist, tries to bring science and faith into balance while grappling with the loss of her husband. When an unidentified object is discovered heading toward Earth, a sketchy online magazine misquotes her, casting doubt on her credibility. As Dr. Cummings investigates, she hopes to witness nothing remarkable and thus save her reputation, but there’s no telling what she’ll discover beyond the stars. 

8pm, Actor’s Playhouse at the Miracle Theater, $40

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Also on May 15th: a performance of Cuban Chicken Soup at Zoetic Stage.

Thursday, May 16th

MCB Studio Performance + Bass Museum Reception

Miami City Ballet’s pop-up performances began as a pandemic-era gift to the city, but proved so popular the company decided to make it an ongoing tradition. The free performances give MCB dancers the opportunity to choreograph and perform new works in venues around the city, and give us the chance to see these world-class dancers in a more casual setting, which is especially welcome now that their official season is over. This edition will be at the MCB studios on Miami Beach, followed by a reception at the next-door Bass Museum, offering free admission and music for its Third Thursday event. Rsvp required.

6:30pm, Miami City Ballet Studios & Bass Museum, Free

Neighborhood: Miami Beach

Also on May 16th: “My Octopus Teacher” filmmaker Craig Foster speaks at Books & Books and a “golden-toned baritone” sings songs of love at Sanctuary of the Arts, plus performances of Cuban Chicken Soup and A Rock Sails By.

Friday, May 17th

Laughs in Spanish - Opening Night!

GableStage caps off its 2023-24 season with Laughs in Spanish, a cafecito-fueled romp through Miami’s art scene. The plot centers around Mariana, a young woman trying to keep her art gallery ready for Art Basel when it’s suddenly become a crime scene, and her movie-star mother, who tries to save the day but just makes everything more complicado.

7:30pm, GableStage at the Biltmore, $25-$50

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Also on May 17th: a live broadcast from the London stage of Andrew Scott in Vanya, a second Miami City Ballet pop-up performance at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, and performances of Cuban Chicken Soup and A Rock Sails By.

Saturday, May 18th

New Art on 22nd Street

Once longtime Miami gallerist Mindy Solomon opened her expansive new space in Allapattah, and three exciting new galleries opened on the same street, Miami suddenly had a quorum of great galleries all in one spot. On May 18th, Mindy is celebrating three new exhibits: two by South Korean artists and an exhibit of Miami-based artists Frances Trombly and Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova. Stroll down the street to check out Jeffrey | Merik at Andrew Reed and the last night of Haunted I at Voloshyn Gallery.

Opening Reception 6-8:30pm, Mindy Solomon Gallery, Free

Neighborhood: Allapattah

Nearby Eats: Leku, Hometown BBQ, Morgan’s | Drinks: Dante's Hifi, Higher Ground (both Wynwood)

Also on May 18th: A lot! Dance NOW! Miami premieres a new work set to 80’s music in Aventura, Locust Projects celebrates the opening of Kerry Phillips: The Patience of Ordinary Things, City Theatre stages readings of four fast and funny short plays in Key Biscayne, plus performances of Laughs in Spanish, Cuban Chicken Soup, and A Rock Sails By.

Sunday, May 19th

Cuban Chicken Soup: When There’s No More Café - Final Performance!

From Zoetic Stage and the creative team behind the hugely successful ¡Fuácata! A Latina's Guide to Surviving the Universe comes a new one-woman, comedic tour de force starring the incomparable Elena Maria Garcia. All the powerful, eccentric and very funny women introduced in ¡Fuacata! return, as Elena’s story continues 10 years later.

2:30pm, Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht Center, $55-$60

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Verde at PAMM (lunch only), Julia & Henry's Food Hall, Jaguar Sun (dinner only) | Drinks: Night Swim, Biscayne Bay Brewing Co.

Also on May 19th: your last chance to see Vanya live from the London Stage at Coral Gables Art Cinema, plus performances of Laughs in Spanish and A Rock Sails By.

Planning Ahead:

With the summer approaching, you don’t really need to plan ahead - any events we have probably won’t sell out and it’s easy to get a table at even the buzziest restaurants. But it’s always nice to have a few good outings on the calendar…

Wednesday, May 29th

Masters of Comedy: Jamie Kennedy

New this year, Faena Theater’s Masters of Comedy series brings top notch comics to their intimate cabaret-style theater space on the last Wednesday of each month. For this performance, actor and comedian Jamie Kennedy, best know for his roles in the Scream movie franchise and his show, “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment”, takes the stage with his stand-up hour. Seating at Faena is two by two, and you can upgrade with fancy bottle service and even caviar, so this is definitely a date night booking.

6:30pm and 9:15pm, Faena Theater, $65-$95

Neighborhood: Mid Beach

Nearby Eats: Los Fuegos at Faena, also 27 Restaurant and Cecconi's  | Drinks: Choose from three great bars at the Faena - Tree of Life, Living Room, and The Saxony Bar, or head to WunderBar for a change of scenery.

June 21st-23rd

National Theatre Live: Dear England

Coral Gables Art Cinema is proud to present National Theatre Live, a groundbreaking project to broadcast the best of British theater, live from the London stage to cinemas around the world. In this sold out performance, Joseph Fiennes takes on the role of Gareth Southgate in James Graham’s gripping exploration of nation and game. Showings Friday thru Sunday.

12pm Friday & Saturday, 1pm Sunday, Coral Gables Art Cinema, $15

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

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