The Straz Center for the Performing Arts, which still has limited engagements due to the pandemic, has an interesting February lineup to appeal to many different tastes while keeping patrons safe.
COVID-19 safety
“While emphasizing health and safety and mandating socially distanced seating configurations and the wearing of masks, The Straz is bringing our campus to life with programming opportunities that utilize our Riverwalk Stage and the intimate Jaeb Theater to create experiences that feature an eclectic bunch of artists and welcome all members of our diverse community,” said Paul Bilyeu, senior director of communications for The Straz.
“I am very proud to say that The Straz Center has received a seal of approval from Tampa General Hospital’s consulting service, TGH Prevention Response Outreach (TPRO), for our campus-wide reopening protocols,” he said. “This partnership with TPRO will help to keep everyone safe and healthy while on The Straz campus.”
Lineup
The month kicks off Feb. 5 from 6-9 p.m. on the Riverwalk Stage with soulful singer-songwriter Jariah Higgins. Higgins captivates his audience with his soul-driven voice entrancing beatbox and melodic harmonies through a looping technique that has become his signature.
Raised as a preacher’s kid who traveled the U.S. with his musically talented family, Higgins is now a fulltime musician living in Tampa. He released his first EP this year, Locked, and recently won the AZ1 award for best local artist.
Tickets are free, but the best seats go to Straz donors helping with Raise the Curtain: A Recovery Fund for The Straz. Find ways to give here.
Valentine’s Engagement, with songs of love and heartbreak, takes place Feb. 12-14 on the Straz Riverwalk. Tickets are $25. The performance features Glan Carlo Menotti’s hilarious and rarely performed The Telephone along with love songs from opera, Broadway and beyond. It features Tyler Putnam and Sarah Nordin.
The drama Hand to God will be performed Feb. 24-March 14 in the Jaeb Theater. Tickets are $35.50 for singles or $99.50 for a table of four. Meek and mild Jason takes solace in the Christian Puppet ministry after the death of his father. The show explores the fragile nature of faith, morality and the ties that bind us.
February finishes out with the monthly conversation on Voice of the Community: Denied a Stage, She Sang for a Nation. Famed African American contralto Marian Anderson, once denied a stage due to the color of her skin, sings at the Lincoln Memorial. Register here.
