Suncoast Blues Festival announces 2018 lineup: Theatre Odyssey seeks student playwrights

For people in Bradenton, the Suncoast Blues Festival might seem to be that “other” blues festival down the road. But it’s a great festival, only a couple of years younger than the Bradenton Blues Festival, with a similarly impressive lineup of talent. In fact, Paul Benjamin, who has always been responsible for picking the artists at the Bradenton Blues Festival, is the co-producer of the Suncoast festival. (The other co-producer is locally based Mojoe Productions.)

The fourth annual Suncoast Blues Festival is set for March 3 at the Sarasota Fairgrounds. The recently announced lineup includes James Armstrong, Andrew Jr. Boy Jones, Doug MacLeod, Thornetta Davis, Lurrie Bell and the Monster Mike Welch/Mike Ledbetter Band.

If you’re a blues fan you probably know most of those acts, If not, you might not be aware of what a prestigious lineup that is. Just to give you an idea, Bell’s new CD “Can’t Shake This Feeling” was nominated for a Grammy and won the 2017 Blues Music Award for Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year. Davis was named “Detroit’s Queen of the Blues” in 2015 and won the 2017 Blues Blast Music Award Winner for Soul Blues Album for “Honest Woman,” and guitarist Welch and former opera singer Ledbetter were major blues forces in their own rights before they teamed up.

General admission tickets are $30 in advance and $45 at the gate, and through the end of this month you can get them for $25. Reserved seating is $50. Call 941-758-7585 or go to suncoastbluesfestival.com.

If you’ve ever tried your hand at writing a play, you may have found that the actual writing was easier than getting it produced, or even getting it read by people who could help.

Theatre Odyssey is one of the local groups that makes that easier, with a couple of 10-minute play competitions.

Right now, Theatre Odyssey is seeking scripts for its sixth annual Student Ten-Minute Playwriting Festival.

Is open to all middle school and high school students in the area. All scripts will be considered by theater experts and the best eight plays will be given full productions in Feb. 3-4 at the Cook Theatre at the FSU/Asolo Center for Performing Arts. Those eight plays will be judged by another panel of theater professionals, and the winning playwright will receive a $500 prize. Runner-up receives $300.

Last year’s winner was Luke Valid of Saint Stephens Episcopal School for a play about the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” Runner-up was Richard Caldwell of Sarasota High School for “Goodbye, Old Friend,” about homeless veterans.

Deadline for submissions is Nov. 15. Details are at theatreodyssey.org.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Suncoast Blues Festival announces 2018 lineup: Theatre Odyssey seeks student playwrights."