SINNING SIRENS: Let these sultry singers lure you in. 6 < SPICE: See what advantages pop-up restaurants offer. 8
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT SCENE AND HEARD Welcome to the Black Tie beat
There’s a fresh face on Sarasota’s Black Tie scene. Welcome Niki Kottmann, the Observer’s new Black Tie reporter. She couldn’t be more excited for season to begin. Kottmann recently graduated from the University of Missouri, where she earned a Bachelor of Journalism with an emphasis in magazine writing. She also earned a minor in French and a multicultural certificate, so it’s safe to say that she enjoys learning about the world around her. It wasn’t until she spent a semester studying in Reims, France, however, that the travel bug really bit her. That’s probably why she was more than willing to move to Florida after spending her whole life in the Midwest. Kottman was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Ill., so she decided to trade in her winter coat for some extra pairs of sandals when she moved to Sarasota. Here, she looks forward to immersing herself in Sarasota’s black tie and philanthropic scene. You can reach her at 366-3468, Ext. 356, or at nkottmann@yourobserver. com.
Anu Tali renews contract
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016
YOUROBSERVER.COM
ORGANIZED
CHAOS Sarasota Improv Festival spans three days and 27 performances. Behind the unscripted antics onstage, there’s a world of planning. MARTY FUGATE | CONTRIBUTOR
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his year marks the ninth installment of the Sarasota Improv Festival at Florida Studio Theatre. Starting Thursday, July 14, improv troupes from around the nation will create musicals out of thin air, spout pseudo-Shakespearean soliloquies and bend over backwards to make the daily news sound even more ludicrous than it is. Their onstage antics might look like anarchy in action. They’re really the result of careful planning. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Anu Tali, the music director of the Sarasota Orchestra, announced this week that she has signed a three-year contract renewal as music director. Tali, a world-renowned conductor, signed her first contract with the organization in August 2013, becoming the orchestra’s fifth music director. Her new contract is effective Aug. 1. “From our first meeting, I felt a musical connection with the Sarasota Orchestra,” said Tali in a release. “It has been a wonderful musical journey for me to share the stage with these talented musicians. Sarasota has become a second home to me, and I look forward to sharing more great music with the community I have come to love.”
Courtesy Photo Impro Theatre: Twilight Zone Unscripted