KEY WEST EVENTS

Thursdays through December and Monday and Tuesday evenings this season, join us at Hugh’s View where the bar is open, admission is free, and everyone looks great in the golden twilight. Hugh’s View sits on the roof of The Studios offering panoramic vistas across the rooftops of Old Town, from the Gulf of Mexico on one side to the Atlantic on the other. Blackout dates: Jan 17, 18, 24 & Feb 8, 22.

Written by William Shakespeare, conceived and directed by Richard Ericson. Twilight. Hugh’s View. Wild desire, jealousy, & comic revenge. Shakespeare’s greatest comedy — the most-produced in the world — is now just eighty minutes. Five actors play fifteen roles, sometimes with life-size puppets. As Puck says, “What fools these mortals be.” Laughter, sex, & love as the stars twinkle.

Raise a glass on the roof to beloved bon vivant and Hugh’s View namesake, Hugh Ware, on the occasion of what would have been his 99th birthday. Enjoy golden era jazz standards and WWII-era classics performed by Bobby Nesbit and Carmen Rodriguez while watching the sun tip below the horizon.

Roya Sadat is an Afghan filmmaker & international women’s rights advocate. Named by the BBC as one of the 100 Most Inspiring & Influential Women in the World for 2021, she taught herself how to create visual stories during the Taliban regime. We will screen her film A Letter to the President, the Afghan submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2018 Oscars, followed by a Q&A.

Jazz on the Roof is a series of monthly concerts featuring the critically acclaimed vocalist Libby York and her jazz trio. Working on her forthcoming album, York is known for her subtle and swinging renditions of Great American Songbook classics, as well as bossa nova gems and a few obscure Songbook treasures.

Called “one of the most innovative songwriters working today,” (Chicago Tribune), Susan Werner crafts lyrics that are as sharp as thistles, and every bit as funny as they are on point. A giant on the acoustic scene, Werner is by turns wry and passionate on stage, and famous for her live shows. As she says, “If you can’t laugh about it, you might be in the wrong line of work.”

Salvadoran artist Carlo Mejía serves as a conduit to the ancient Mayans. His porcelain vases and colorful paintings are steeped in myth, with bold patterns and stylized faces that seem to gaze through time.

Mary Gauthier comes to The Studios as an Artist in Residence this season, with a new book and recent GRAMMY Award-nominated album in hand. Gauthier has made a career of sharing the redemptive power of music through her live shows, Master Classes and a TED Talk. Gauthier will be joined by Jaimee Harris, a Texas-raised folk n’ roll singer, songwriter and criminal justice reform activist.

The Studios is proud to host the annual Anne McKee Auction now celebrating its 27th year. Join us in-person for one of the most popular art events of the year. Proceeds fund grants exclusively benefiting Keys artists.

Dead Horses isn’t a band in the conventional sense. Rather, it’s a folk-inspired conversation between two close friends, guitarist/ singer Sarah Vos and bassist Daniel Wolff. The pair’s musicality, and ambitions have sent them on a winding journey.

Jazz on the Roof is a series of monthly concerts featuring the critically acclaimed vocalist Libby York and her jazz trio. Working on her forthcoming album, York is known for her subtle and swinging renditions of Great American Songbook classics, as well as bossa nova gems and a few obscure Songbook treasures.

Key West actors let you peek inside the diary of the island with stories of renegades, rebels and regular joes. Hear the (sometimes sordid) tales that give our community its unique flavor. Stories have been contributed by locals and visitors, from the past both near and far, and are read by local actors.

One of our most popular annual events, the Studio Tours return to Old Town this season with a carefully curated collection of creative work spaces. Spend the afternoon peeking into the homes and studios of some of the island’s most fascinating artists.

These three old friends happen to be among our nation’s funniest, most insightful commentators on society and politics, with a pile of Pulitzers between them. Humorist Dave Barry, and cartoonists Mike Luckovich & Mike Peters return to The Studios stage for an uproarious evening of stories, sketches and pokes at the powerful.

Ellis Delaney may just be what we all need after the past year. Funny, thoughtful and uninhibited, Delaney is known as one of the most giving musicians out there. She gives her all in transformational performances, stating that her mission is to be “undefended and open.”

Music by Martin Hennessy. Libretto by Stephen Kitsakos. Directed by Murphy Davis. Starring Michael Kelly. In the mid-1970s, a young man lands ashore in Manhattan without a map. Negotiating his way into a life in the performing arts, The Pleasing Recollection chronicles his musical adventures as he charmingly stumbles into some of the musical and theater giants of the era including Larry Kert, Leonard Bernstein, Charles Ludlum, and Aaron Copland among them.

Jazz on the Roof is a series of monthly concerts featuring the critically acclaimed vocalist Libby York and her jazz trio. Working on her forthcoming album, York is known for her subtle and swinging renditions of Great American Songbook classics, as well as bossa nova gems and a few obscure Songbook treasures.

Jose Elias lights up Key West each season with his unique blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms. This year he returns with an installment of the popular Afro Roots Festival, which Elias has produced for over twenty years. One of Miami’s longest running music festivals, Afro Roots was recently acknowledged by the Miami New Times as one of “South Florida’s Ten Best Music Festivals“.

A founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, GRAMMY Award Winner and two-Time EMMY Nominee Dom Flemons has earned the moniker “The American Songster.” With a repertoire covering over 100 years of early American popular music, Flemons masterfully plays everything from banjo and harmonica to fife and rhythm bones.

Audiences have called The Pickpocket’s Daughter, “a first class thriller with loads of laughs.” Young Matzy Moses navigates the corruption and gang warfare of 1930’s New York to save everything she holds dear. Up against her are policemen on the take, Irish gangsters and shady politicians. But with a resilient and unconventional heroine, you can expect the unexpected.

Pandemic-postponed, our typically-biannual favorite, One Night Stand returns! Since 2007, ONS has prompted creative thinkers to develop five brand new pieces of theatre from start to finish in only 24 hours. With the clock ticking, dozens of people work together at a wickedly fast pace to make the project come to fruition.