TALES FROM THE WOOD Fairytales have been around in various forms for centuries, maintaining their long-lasting appeal by catering to our childhood nostalgia. Of course, the storylines have undergone plenty of artistic manipulations and re-workings. Take the Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical Into the Woods, for example, which tinkers with not one, but three classic tales. In this play, a vengeful witch curses a baker and his wife with childlessness. To reverse the curse, the couple has to acquire certain items belonging to Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel, and bring them back to the witch. The University of Tampa Drama Department produces a local version this weekend and Michael Staczar directs. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Nov. 17-20. $10 adults/$5 seniors and students (UT faculty, staff and students enter for free). Falk Theatre, 428 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. For more information, call 813-253-6212.
IT'S ALL ABOUT ADOPTION In conjunction with this weekend's Conference on Adoption and Culture at the University of Tampa, the Florida Humanities Council sponsors a series of free events for any local folks interested in learning about the adoption process. The events kick off with a screening of Sheila Ganz's Unlocking the Heart of Adoption, which chronicles her journey as a birthmother and reveals the personal stories of adoptees, birth parents and adoptive parents; a discussion with Ganz follows (4-5:30 p.m., Grand Salon, Plant Hall). Tomorrow, Deann Borshay Liem presents her own film, First Person Plural, about her experiences growing up as a Korean adoptee to a middle-class American family, and the flashbacks that eventually led her back to her homeland (3:45-5:45 p.m., Music Room, Plant Hall). Also scheduled is a multimedia installation and discussion presented by Ann Fessler of the Rhode Island School of Design (8:30-10 p.m. tomorrow, Reeves Theater); a talk about the subject of adoption in children's fiction headed by Texas A&M University English instructor Claudia Nelson (2:30-3:45 p.m. Saturday, Ninth Floor Board Room, Vaughn Center); and a screening and post-film panel discussion with Jill Deans, Helen Fehervary and Sheila Ganz (8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Reeves Theater). Nov. 17-19. 410 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 813-253-3333.
CREATIVE GUMBO Musician, artist and Eckerd College alumnus Stuart Hyatt, together with a group of Eckerd students and Creative Clay artists, present Shrimp Attack!, a contemporary art project fusing original music with an interactive outdoor sculpture installation and a crustacean feast. The CD centerpiece includes a collection of tunes addressing themes of power, representation and probable revolution. Each limited edition CD release comes in a signed and numbered handmade package produced from recycled and salvaged materials, many containing drawings, collages, photographs and other surprise goodies. The installation of gigantic shrimp — constructed from dryer hoses and tin foil — is scattered throughout the Eckerd College Ransom Art Center grounds. The public is invited to come out and enjoy the music, installation and a feast of jumbo shrimp (vegetarian options are also available). Shrimp sculptures, CD packages and various other items are available for purchase, with all proceeds benefiting Creative Clay, a nonprofit arts center that gives developmentally challenged artists the chance to create and display their works. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free. 4200 54 th Ave. S., St. Petersburg, 727-865-7000.
A PROGRESSIVE PRODUCTION Committed to using art as activism, playwright Cristal Chanelle Truscott and the New York City-based touring ensemble ProgressTheatre have combined original music with verbal essays to produce an innovative theater piece examining the black female experience in contemporary America. Peaches tackles stereotypes from the era of slavery to the present, and is partially inspired by Nina Simone's song "Four Women," a bitter lament of four black women whose circumstances and outlook are linked to subtle gradations in skin color. ProgressTheatre makes its local debut this weekend at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and each of the three performances are preceded by an "Open Stage" presentation highlighting the works of two very talented women: actress and poet Venus Jones, and Lizz Straight, a spoken word artist and host of WMNF-88.5 FM's Poetry Is… program. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., Nov. 18-20. $25. Shimberg Playhouse, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, 813-229-7827.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO… The Blind Boys of Alabama have been sharing their own brand of expressive gospel with appreciative audiences for the past 60 years. Founding members Clarence Fountain and Jimmy Carter are now in their 70s, but their septuagenarian status hasn't hindered their creativity, and it certainly doesn't keep them off the road. In fact, you can see them perform in the majestic Tampa Theatre tonight. Expect a concert of traditional gospel combined with a variety of contemporary genres and delivered in gorgeous, four-part harmonies. If you're lucky, you may even get to hear a re-arranged version of "Amazing Grace," in which the lyrics are paired with music from "House of the Rising Sun." The ticket prices are a little steep, but it's definitely a show worth seeing, especially considering that Charlie Musselwhite (a veteran bluesman and harmonica master) is also slated to appear, and collaborations are a given. 8 p.m. $36. 711 Franklin St., downtown Tampa, 813-274-8286.
THE GREAT TRAIN DEPOT This weekend marks the official re-opening of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot, a Tarpon Springs train station that served as a center of communication and commerce from its opening in 1909 until the last train pulled away 20 years ago. The station then became home to the offices and archival collection of the Tarpon Springs Area Historical Society, which moved everything out in September of 2004 so the city could begin an extensive renovation of the historic building. Almost $900,000 and 11 months later, the project was completed, with the exterior restored to its original 1909 appearance and the interior transformed into a modern museum, all while adhering to standard historic preservation guidelines. Today's ribbon-cutting ceremony is free and open to the public and afterward, attendees are invited to enjoy refreshments, live music and tours of the Depot Museum. 4-6 p.m. Free. 160 E. Tarpon Ave., Tarpon Springs. For more information, call 727-937-1130.
BLACK AS NIGHT The term "film noir" (literally, "black film") was originally coined by French critics who noticed a dark change in American crime and detective movies immediately following the conclusion of World War II. Derived from the hard-edged style of Depression-era crime fiction, noir films depict principal characters in a nihilistic and existential world, and unsettling techniques like the confessional voice-over or hero's-eye-view camerawork are not uncommon. As a celebration of the golden age of film noir (which occurred from the 1940s through the late 1950s), the Studio@620 hosts a Film Noir Festival, beginning this evening with a screening of the noir French caper Rififi. This flick by blacklisted director Jules Dassin was banned in several countries due to its explicit depictions of drug use, violence and an almost 30-minute silent sequence that shows — in real time — how to pull off a jewelry heist. Related events include an exhibit of 200 noir-style paperbacks as well as film sculptures by artist Nancy Cervenka; a lecture by film-noir historian Eddie Muller; a series of live radio plays performed by local actors with a sound effects orchestra; and a concert of jazz-inspired music called the "Marlowe Suite." See the Film Feature for information about specific films in the festival. Fest continues through Dec. 6; for a complete schedule of screenings and events, visit www.thestudioat620.com. 7 p.m. $6. 620 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg, 727-895-6620.
This article appears in Nov 16-23, 2005.