Tom duPont is famous for wearing green trousers at special events, but it’s a branding thing (we think): The green in his pants just happens to match the green in the dRTB logo. For the rest of us, the wearing o’ the green is a sartorial choice connected either with a) our heritage or b) our eagerness to dive into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit (or spirits). But St. Paddy’s isn’t the only game in town. Here are 10 other great events (in alpha order) that you gotta check out.
Bloom and Residue. A collaboration between projectAlchemy (a new company founded by the dancer/choreographer Alex Jones), mixed media artist Rebekah Lazaridis and The Studio@620, Bloom and Residue is an immersive dance and art installation centered around the idea that in order to truly change, sacrifices must be made. The audience will stand and move through the space at The Studio@620. 3/15-16, 7:30 p.m.; 3/17, 2:30 p.m. The Studio@620. studio620.org
Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival. Despite the name, there’s lots more than food and wine on tap. Music, for instance; the impressive concert lineup includes Daughtry (Saturday at 7 p.m.) and The Band Perry (Sunday at 6) this weekend, with Stone Temple Pilots, Josh Turner, Foreigner and many more in the weeks to come. But the edibles and drinkables sound pretty appealing, too: 13 Food Cabins with cuisines from all over the U.S. (Dungeness crab croquettes, St. Louis ribs, NOLA grilled oysters); wine and spirit tastings; and multiple sampler and VIP packages. All concerts are included with daily ticketed admission to the park. Food and beverage is not, but is available for an extra fee. Weekends through 4/28, buschgardens.com/tampa/events/food-and-wine-festival.
The Business of Murder. We can’t tell you who murders whom, but we will reveal that one of the three characters in this twisty British suspense thriller is played by the only occasionally homicidal editor of dR Tampa Bay (aka, yours truly). Thurs.-Sun. through 3/24, Gulfport Community Players, gulfportcommunityplayers.org.
The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]. For its 20th anniversary season, Jobsite brings back one of its biggest hits, in which all of the Bard’s 37 plays plus a few sonnets are squished into 90 minutes. The irrepressible comic virtuosos (and quick-change artists) David Jenkins, Shawn Paonessa and Spencer Meyers star in this take-nothing-seriously Shakespearean send-up. Thurs.-Sun., through 4/7, Jobsite Theater at the Straz, jobsitetheater.org.
Historic Kenwood Artist Studio Tour. So many artists live in the cozy-bungalow neighborhood of Historic Kenwood that St. Pete’s city council declared it an Artist Enclave. This weekend you get the chance to visit them in their enclave, and their studios, during a free self-guided tour featuring 21 different artists combined in 12 stops. Well-known names like the uber-talented Steven Kenny are on the tour, but part of the fun is discovery: you may just fall in love with an artist whose work you’ve never seen before. 3/16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; 3/17, Noon-5 p.m., kenwoodartistenclave.org.
The Pearl Fishers. Lifelong friends in a Far East seaside village find themselves in an impossible love triangle in Georges Bizet’s 1863 opera, which makes its Opera Tampa debut. Susan Hellman Spatafora stars. 3/15 at 8 p.m.; 3/17 at 2 p.m., Straz, strazcenter.org.
The Roommate. The Odd Couple meets Thelma and Louise meets Breaking Bad, as a shy 50-something homemaker in Iowa gets more than she bargained with her new roommate, a woman who needs a place to hide and the chance to start over. Through 4-7, American Stage, americanstage.org.
James Suggs: You’re Gonna Hear from Me. Local jazz fans can never hear enough of suave trumpeter James Suggs, so this CD release party is cause for celebration. 3/16, 8 p.m., Side Door at the Palladium.
Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training. Opening day’s a few weeks off, so you still have time to figure out the difference between Brandon Lowe (rhymes with “cow”) and Nate Lowe (rhymes with, well, “low”). 3/14, Phillies; 3/15, Tigers; 3/16, Twins in Port Charlotte. 3/17, Red Sox in Fort Myers. All games at 1:05 p.m. Charlotte Sports Park, 2300 El Jobean Rd., Port Charlotte. 888-FAN-RAYS, raysbaseball.com/spring
Wings Wheels & Wine A great opportunity to help the fine work of the Arc Tampa Bay Foundation, whose mission is to support and empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities served by The Arc Tampa Bay. Taking place at the Clearwater Air Park, the fourth annual Wings, Wheels & Wine will feature exotic cars and airplanes, live music, auction, dinner and libations. 3/16, 6-10 p.m., thearctbfoundation.org/event/wings-wheels-wine
