The Peanut Gallery

On this episode of The Peanut Gallery, Jana Henson and Maggie Duffy dive into some of the conversations, exhibitions, and performances making waves across Tampa Bay’s arts scene. They chat about Creative Pinellas’ upcoming AMPED: Turn Up for the Arts exhibition, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Gallery, The Art of Banksy, and the fascinating The Last Library IV: Written in Water at the MFA. 
Then, they sit down with Colleen Cherry, star of Jobsite Theater’s Penelope, a new musical that puts Odysseus’ famously patient wife at the center of her own story. Colleen talks about bringing Penelope’s perspective to life, the show’s intimate musical style, its fresh take on Greek mythology, and why you don’t need to know The Odyssey to connect with this story.
Penelope runs at Jobsite Theater through September 6.

Welcome back to the peanut gallery! This week, Jana and Maggie are sitting comfy, beating the 90-degree heat, and diving headfirst into the absolute best of the Tampa Bay cultural scene. From tracking down completely off-the-grid mystery artists to hanging out with local theater royalty, we are covering it all.
On the cultural radar this week:
Juicy Art at PIE: Maggie gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Juicy, a new exhibition she helped curate at the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE). It features vintage citrus crate labels from Heritage Village paired with vibrant blown-glass fruit by artist Steve Hagen.
Jazz Flow States & Coffee Shop Mysteries: Jana shares her experience catching Sunday improvised jazz with Sasha Tuck at Green Light Cinema. Plus, she details an analog paper-trail investigation that led her to "Jeff"—a mysterious French painter whose massive, unsigned Renaissance canvas took over a local Kahwa Coffee.
Botanical Gardens & Deep Musings: We review a trip down to Selby Gardens in Sarasota to catch Lynn Goldsmith's stunning photography of Patti Smith , followed by a deep dive into the emotional highs and identity crises of the musical Passing Strange at Studio@620.
Dalí & The Citrus Wizard: In honor of America 250, we look at the legendary drama behind Dalí in America at The Dalí Museum and preview an upcoming Heritage Village installation by Kurt K. Wong celebrating historic Chinese-American horticulturist Lue Gim Gong.
Special Guest Matthew McGee: Playwright, performer, and Freefall Theatre marketing whiz Matthew McGee stops by to pull back the curtain on Bash of the Titans! Discover how this high-energy, legally distinct 80s jukebox musical parody blends sword, sorcery, and iconic 80s pop hits to tell an epic tale of Greek gods behaving badly.
Grab your neck fans, touch some grass, and let's get into it!
 
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Hosts Jana Henson and Maggie Duffy catch up on the latest and greatest in the Tampa Bay arts scene. From the "lore drop" on the mermaids at Floridorama to the intense, raw energy of live local theater, this episode covers the spectrum of cultural happenings.
We take a deep dive into fine art exhibits currently at the MFA St. Pete and Tampa Museum of Art, discussing themes of transmutation and the "spaces between."
Finally, we welcome Claireann Despain of Powerstories Theater to talk about their "Greater Good" season and the off-Broadway hit Predictor—the true story of how a graphic designer in the 1960s changed women's healthcare forever.