If you are looking to sit back and enjoy world-class music or theater, Southwest Florida is blessed with performing arts venues that regularly host chart-topping artists and award-winning Broadway shows, as well as regional theater, comedy acts and more.
And there may be no busier concert hall than Artis—Naples. From CeeLo Green to The Righteous Brothers, Gladys Knight to Dave Koz, the performing arts destination hosts more than 800 concerts, performances, exhibitions and educational events for adults and children. Upcoming events include Gilberto Santa Rosa, Mannheim Steamroller, Michael Bolton, Alton Brown Live, Neil Sedaka and many others. Meanwhile, performances of Broadway hits (such as Come From Away, Tootsie and My Fair Lady), modern and classical dance, as well as classical music by the Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra and others fill out the schedule.
In Fort Myers, the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall finds itself the epicenter of the arts, regularly hosting touring companies of Broadway hits such as Hamilton and The Book of Mormon. Coming up on the calendar: ZZ Top, Rent, David Foster, Blue Man Group, Little River Band, Dear Evan Hansen and An Officer and a Gentleman. The venue also features classical music by the Southwest Florida Symphony as well as the Gulf Coast Symphony. Less traditional fare includes shows such as The Price is Right Live.
As the region’s only true arena, Hertz Arena in Estero is usually filled with sports fans (both the Florida Everblades of the East Coast Hockey League and the Division I men’s basketball team from Florida Gulf Coast University), as well as performances by bigger artists that come through the region, such as Marc Anthony, Chris Stapleton and Joe Bonamassa in the next year.
And, if you prefer quality regional theater that is regularly trumpeted by such outlets as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and American Theatre Magazine, you need to check out the Florida Repertory Theatre—the only professional theater group working with union talent in Fort Myers. On the roster for their upcoming season: The Woman in Black, West Side Story, Driving Miss Daisy and A Doll’s House Part 2. In Naples, Gulfshore Playhouse—also a professional theater—is building a stunning new complex. In the meantime, they continue delighting audiences with Broadway-quality productions, like August Wilson’s Radio Golf and The 39 Steps for 2021-2022.
