Summer Shorts Strikes Again

The Culture Edit, June 3rd-June 16th

Author

Susan Bannon
June 02, 2024

A Miami tradition for 27 years, City Theatre’s Summer Shorts is one of the (admittedly few) good reasons to look forward to summer in this town. Eight hilarious and thought-provoking short plays are staged in one go, with an energetic cast of talented locals and a lot of Miami themes, thanks to four local playwrights participating. The Arsht Center is hosting a Summer Shorts launch party on Thompson Plaza, with local eats and live music, before this Friday’s performance.

Speaking of local theater, Laughs in Spanish at GableStage is getting rave reviews for its very Miami story of an art week gone bad, as well as for its gorgeous graffiti-art set and throwback Miami soundtrack. My friends at GableStage have kindly offered a pair of free tickets to the show, which I’m happy to pass on to the first reader that refers this newsletter to three friends. (For details on that, simply reply to this email.)

Moving on to art… as I may have mentioned before, my favorite way to experience art is in a noisy crowd, cocktail in hand. This week brings us two such opportunities on Thursday and Friday: an art-making event with happy hour at PAMM, and a special Pride edition of ICA’s wildly popular First Fridays events.

It also happens to be Women Artists’ Art Week, an international initiative to support the work of women in the art world, and several Miami galleries are participating with panel discussions and curator tours of exhibits by female artists around town. You can check out the events for that here.

Let’s get planning...

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Thursday, June 6th

Art Date with Buen Provecho at PAMM

Buen Provecho Collective has a cult following around town for their art workshops and events, and now they’re joining forces with the Perez Art Museum Miami for an evening of communal art-making and music. The night begins with happy hour at Verde on the terrace, followed by art-making inspired by the current Spirit of the Land exhibit and music by DJ Ahamed. The event is free, but if you want to check out Spirit of the Land, the museum’s galleries are open until 9pm with regular admission prices.

5pm Happy Hour, 6pm Art-Making, Free

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Also on June 6th: Preview Night for Summer Shorts at the Arsht Center, plus performances of Laughs in Spanish at GableStage and A Rock Sails By at Actor’s Playhouse.

Friday, June 7th

First Fridays at ICA: Pride Edition

The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami celebrates World Pride Month with a Pride edition of its fan-favorite “First Fridays” events. Cocktails and special performances - by Honduran pop sensation Isabella Lovestory and local “legends of drag” Kat Wilderness and Sting Dion - will be outside in the sculpture garden. In the galleries, you can check out the Huguette Caland exhibit and Toward the Celestial, a curated selection of the museum’s impressive permanent collection.

6pm, Institute of Contemporary Art, $10 (includes two beverage tickets!)

Neighborhood: Design District

Also on June 7th: a party on the plaza at the Arsht Center to celebrate the opening of Summer Shorts, a talk on women’s influence on the Harlem Renaissance at the Wolfsonian, a panel discussion of Latin American female artists at Pan American Art Projects, plus performances of Laughs in Spanish at GableStage and A Rock Sails By at Actor’s Playhouse.

Saturday, June 8th

Summer Shorts: Flipping the Script

A Miami tradition for 27 years, City Theatre Miami’s Summer Shorts has been dubbed “Miami's equivalent to Saturday Night Live” (Broadway World). This year’s edition, presented in partnership with Adrienne Arsht Center, stages eight funny and provocative ten-minute plays, four of which are new plays by local Miami playwrights.

3pm and 7:30pm, Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht Center, $50 or $75 VIP (includes upfront cabaret-style seating and a free drink!)

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Also on June 8th: the opening of a solo show for artist Luis Paredes at Diana Lowenstein Gallery, a studio visit with three female artists at Fountainhead, plus performances of Laughs in Spanish at GableStage and A Rock Sails By at Actor’s Playhouse.

Sunday, June 9th

Eric Andre at the Bandshell

Comedian Eric Andre is the creator and host of Adult Swim’s hit The Eric Andre Show, now in its sixth season, and an “expert panelist” on ABC’s Prank Panel, alongside fellow esteemed panelist Johnny Knoxville. If you’re a fan of his particular brand of outrageous humor, or just interested in how it will translate into a live show, book your tickets for The Eric Andre Show Live soon because they’re selling out fast. Must be 18+ to attend.

8pm, Miami Beach Bandshell, $50

Neighborhood: North Beach

Also on June 9th: a business futurist speaks at Books & Books about coming breakthroughs, plus performances of Summer Shorts at the Arsht, Laughs in Spanish at GableStage, and the final performance of A Rock Sails By at Actor’s Playhouse.

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.

Tuesday, June 11th

An Evening with Author Lisa Barr

Books & Books presents an evening with Lisa Barr, bestselling author of Woman on Fire, to discuss her new historical thriller, The Goddess of Warsaw, about an aging Hollywood icon and her secret past. Lisa will be in conversation with Rochelle Weinstein, co-host of Miami’s BookTalk and author of seven women’s fiction novels. Rsvp required.

7pm, Books & Books, Free

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Thursday, June 13th

Bass Art After Hours: Book Club

As part of its “Art After Hours” series, The Bass Museum is hosting a book club to discuss Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower, a post-apocalyptic bestseller from 1993 that has since been adapted into an opera and a graphic novel, and deals with the theme of climate change. (Chillingly, the novel’s story begins in 2024.) The book will be discussed after a tour of Anne Duk Hee Jordan’s I will always weather with you, an immersive exhibit that explores the relationship between technology and nature. Rsvp required.

6:30-8pm, The Bass Museum, Free

Neighborhood: Miami Beach

Also on June 13th: Bestselling City on Fire author Garth Risk Hallberg speaks at Books & Books, plus performances of Summer Shorts at the Arsht and Laughs in Spanish at GableStage.

Friday, June 14th

Laughs in Spanish

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-$60

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Also on June 14th: a performance of Summer Shorts at the Arsht.

Saturday, June 15th

Siudy Flamenco: Amor Brujo

A collaboration between Siudy Garrido Flamenco Company and the South Florida Symphony Orchestra, Amor Brujo is a mesmerizing dance-theater production set to a timeless masterpiece by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. The story, based on Spanish folktales, follows a grieving young widow as she deals with the presence of her husband’s ghost, yet discovers passionate new love (of course it’s passionate, this is flamenco!).

8pm, Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht Center, $50-$170

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Also on June 15th: performances of Summer Shorts at the Arsht and Laughs in Spanish at GableStage.

Planning Ahead:

Summertime means you don’t really need to plan ahead - events 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…

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 of Dear England, 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

Saturday, July 13th

Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami: Kaleidoscope

In the few short years since Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami was founded by Miami City Ballet principal dancers Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra, this young troupe has racked up accolades for its athletic style and fresh, contemporary ballet repertoire. This July, the company presents Kaleidoscope, an all-new program of electrifying dance, featuring Arcadia, a world premiere by Artist in Residence Yanis Eric Pikieris.

8pm, the Moss Center, $25-$45

Neighborhood: Cutler Bay

Nearby Eats: Not much! Grab dinner at Platea or Golden Rule Seafood on your way down there and have some rooftop cocktails at Mamey on 3rd or La Terrazza on your way back.

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