See what dwells on Tampa Bays arts' fringe when Gasp! returns for a second year. The Tampa Museum of Art and Creative Loafing will co-present the a breathtakingly multi-disciplinary performing arts festival on Fri., March 27, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Tampa Museum of Art (120 Gasparilla Plaza in Tampa).
The miasma of music, dance, theater, improv, video, and more, presented live by both emerging and accomplished artists, will take place inside and spill out on the museum patio.
Creative Loafing and the Tampa Museum of Art hosted an open call for performers and have selected a lineup of exciting artists from across the Tampa Bay area, including:
• Karleigh Chase: “Memoirs of a Painted Woman”
• Stageworks Theatre’s Teen Creatives Group
• Jesse Thelonious Vance
• Impulse Pole Dance
• Improv Marathon hosted by Post-Dinner Conversation
• Scott & Patti (Scott Daniel & Matthew McGee)
• Avant-Guardian: “The Artist”
• MIFU (Mobile Itinerant Funk Unit)
• Jeanne M. Adams: “Tales Untold”
• UNRB featuring the ukulele stylings of Noel Rochford
• Autumn Widdoes & Elizabeth A. Baker with the New Music Conflagration
• Bayfolk featuring Hector Mayoral & Paul Gianotti
• Collective Soles Dance Company
• Sparky!
• And more TBA
"Last year's inaugural Gasp! was a blast," says CL Editor-in-Chief David Warner. "So much was happening all at once—improvised dance, dazzling one-woman shows, poets, comics, jazz, sideshow acts and more. It was like an issue of CL come to life, and we're excited to mix it up again. We love being the last Gasp! of Gasparilla month."
Gasp! was created in 2014 to highlight Tampa’s March-long celebration of the arts and takes its inspiration from fringe festivals—the edgy, innovative, multi-disciplinary performance fests popular throughout the globe, from Edinburgh to Orlando.
General admission tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Specialty drinks and snacks will be available for purchase from Sono Café and Mise en Place. VIP admission is $65 in advance and $75 at the door; VIP includes complimentary bites and exclusive programming. The Museum's current exhibition, American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell will be open exclusively for all Gasp! attendees the night of the festival. For more information on Gasp! and to purchase tickets and RSVP, visit gasptampa.com. Please use the following hashtag for any digital promotions and mentions: #gasptampa
This article appears in Jan 22-28, 2015.