Latest news with #StrazCenter
Axios
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Unhoused teens become playwrights through Straz partnership
Nine teens stand in a circle. Erin Lekovic, a playwright and community engagement instructor at the Straz Center, is in the middle, leading a round of "Fortunately, Unfortunately." "Unfortunately, I lost my car," one teen begins. "Fortunately, I had wings," another offers. "Unfortunately, I flew too close to the Sun," a third chimes in. Laughter spreads. The warmup ends. The teens sink into gray couches and open their scripts for today's rehearsal: a comedy they wrote about a gold-digging leprechaun. Why it matters: The youngest in the room is 13; the oldest, 18. All of them are experiencing homelessness and live at Metropolitan Ministries with their parents. But through a partnership between Metropolitan Ministries and the Straz, for 90 minutes each week, they're not case numbers — they're actors and playwrights. What they're saying: Justine Burke, vice president of marketing for Metropolitan Ministries, noted that many kids the nonprofit serves have never experienced Broadway-style theater. "It brings them a lot of laughter, a lot of joy. It relieves their stress and exposes them to things that they might otherwise not be able to do." Zoom in: Lekovic grew up in Tampa and is a product of the Straz's community engagement program. Her mom dropped her off in the summers while she worked. That's where she first learned that not all plays were written by "dead white guys." They could be made in a room with kids like her. And that stuck with her. She studied musical theater, started a theater company in New York, worked on stages in Chicago and wrote screenplays in Los Angeles. But her roots were in Tampa, and she returned in 2022. State of play: The teens have written two plays since January. One is a dark reimagining of "Little Red Riding Hood." The other started as a joke on St. Patrick's Day. Some of the teens miss classes, but they always come back. Over time, the talkative ones quiet down; the quiet ones speak up. Lekovic has watched them grow into an ensemble. She hopes a few keep writing. Maybe a few keep acting. But mostly, Lekovic hopes they remember what it felt like to build something together. What's next: Tonight, the teens have a stage reading. Not all of them will be there — some have jobs, some have SAT prep. Life.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Grandmother who paid $3K for Lion King tickets offered 1 ticket hours before show
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Mary Gray has been attending Broadway shows for years, and it was important to her to make sure her family got to go to 'The Lion King' at the Straz Center. That's why she bought tickets in November and glossed over the whopping $3,000 price tag. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now She called Better Call Behnken last week two days before the show, when she still didn't have tickets. She said she thought she was buying directly from the Straz Center but later discovered it was actually a third-party reseller called A representative from told Consumer Investigator Shannon Behnken Friday that Gray did not need to worry because she would receive an email about meeting the seller in front of the venue before the show to get tickets. Florida fisherman who recorded argument with captain urges public to stop threats However, the day of the show, Gray said she received an email about obtaining one of the seven tickets but not the others. The representative put us on hold and came back to say the reason why six of the tickets weren't delivered is because Gray called her credit card company about the undelivered tickets late last week, putting everything on hold. Gray said her credit card company told her Monday they are refunding the six tickets she didn't receive, in the amount of $2,618. They are still investigating the one ticket she was offered in another seat. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
No tickets after grandmother pays $3,000 online for Lion King show
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Mary Gray has been attending Broadway shows for years. In November, she decided to buy tickets for seven family members, including grandchildren, to attend the Lion King show at the Straz Center. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'We just think the Lion King is so phenomenal, and it's a play that children would love,' she said. It would be the kids' first time seeing the production. In a hurry to buy before they sold out, she ordered online, paying more than $3,000. Federal judge questions Pinellas County businessman Leo Govoni on stand She later discovered she paid not the Straz Center like she thought. She learned she not only paid three times what she could have paid Straz directly but now, two days before the show, she hasn't received the tickets and is worried about what the company is telling her. 'I would be getting an email from them with the seller's name and phone number so we could arrange a meet-up to get these tickets,' Gray said. 'Of course I'd like my money back but I figured if this happened to me, and I'm the most techie person but I'm not crazy either,' Gray said. 'And if I can make this mistake I just figure there are other people out there that can make this mistake, and I don't want that to happen to them.' Consumer Investigator Shannon Behnken reached out to and was told Gray shouldn't worry and will receive an email soon about meeting the seller in front of the venue before the show. Behnken was told that the only way Gray will receive a refund is if the seller doesn't show up. Behnken went to the Straz Center, and spokeswoman Summer Bohnenkamp said she hears horror stories about some third-party venders. 'It's really heartbreaking for folks, and it's typically even worse the more popular a show is,' she said. Bohnenkamp said it's not uncommon to pay more than face value from a reseller and she said consumers often miss the fine print because the websites present well. 'They should not be using any IP, anything trademarked, registered anything whether that's logos, photos, from us, or from the shows,' she said. Gray says she has now purchased similar tickets directly from the Straz Center, and she paid about $900. She said she takes responsibility for paying so much for the tickets, but said she had no idea she wouldn't receive the tickets by now. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
