Ventriloquism, Motown and Popera at Cultural Center This Fall

This just in from the Carrollwood Cultural Center:

The Carrollwood Cultural Center will welcome a variety of performers during its fall season, including a ventriloquist, a singer-songwriter, a record-setting comedian, an African dance band and a Motown group.  

The fall season will open on Saturday, September 15 and Sunday, September 16 with A Night at the Popera. MDHF Productions LLC will present an evening of the most romantic love songs of all time. Songs will include Unchained Melody, The Prayer, My Heart Will Go On and more performed by vocalists: Jolanda Nel, Clint Shephard, Lisa King and Chris Romeo.  

Other featured events coming to the Center this fall include: 

A NIGHT AT THE POPERA, Presented by MDHF Productions

When: Saturday, September 15 at 8pm*• Sunday, September 16 at 6pm. Advanced Tickets: $15 members / $18 non-members / $16 seniors (65+) Day-of-Show Tickets: $17 members / $20 non-members / $18 seniors (65+)*The Carrollwood Cultural Center is teaming up with Time for Wine to offer a pre-show wine tasting package before the show on September 15. The wine tasting will start at 6:30pm and is for ages 21 and older. The package is $23 for members and $26 for non-members and includes admission for one to the wine tasting and the performance. The wine package is available for purchase until September 10.  

THE COMEDY VENTRILOQUISM OF LYNN TREFZGER

When: Thursday, September 20 at 8pm. About the Show: Have you ever had a childhood hobby that got out of hand? That explains Lynn Trefzger’s start as a ventriloquist/comedienne. For more than 30 years, Trefzger has given life to a trunk full of comical characters. Advanced Tickets: $20 members / $24 non-members. Day-of-Show Tickets: $22 members / $26 non-members 

PHIL LEE, Singer-Songwriter

When: Friday, October 12 at 8pm. About the Show: Singer-Songwriter Phil Lee is an Americana/Rockabilly performer on tour promoting his current CD, Further Decline of the Mighty King of Love. The Associated Press describes Lee as combining the “…social conscience of Woody Guthrie with the twisted fury of Jerry Lee Lewis.” Advanced Tickets: $13 members / $16 non-membersDay-of-Show Tickets: $15 members / $18 non-members 

G. DAVID HOWARD, Record-setting Comedian

When: Saturday, October 20 at 8pm. About the Show: Comedian G. David Howard comes to the Center for the very first time! It’s difficult to describe his act with anything other than: “he is just plain funny!” He is gifted, outrageous, spontaneous and blessed with comedy instincts and timing that are beyond comparison. Advanced Tickets: $12 members / $16 non-members / $15 seniors (65+)Day-of-Show Tickets: $14 members / $18 non-members / $17 seniors (65+) 

AMANDLA TUNESMITH, African Dance Band

When: Friday, October 26 at 8pm. About the Show: Amandla Tunesmith is an African Dance Band based in Tampa Florida that plays Soukous from the French word for shake. Soukous music originates in Central Africa and is the most popular dance music of Modern Zaire and is quickly spreading throughout the rest of the world. It incorporates sensual rumba rhythms with Cuban and Caribbean influences, catchy call and response vocals, lively guitar and bass lines and hot percussion to create a sound that is guaranteed to make you move. Advanced Tickets: $12 members / $16 non-membersDay-of-Show: $14 members / $18 non-members.

A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS with the Sounds of Soul

When: Friday, December 21 at 8pm. About the Show: Get ready to relive the hits of Motown and beyond sprinkled with some holiday classics sure to get you in the mood. Advanced Tickets: $18 members / $21 non-members / $20 seniors (65+)Day-of-Show Tickets: $20 members / $23 non-members / $22 seniors (65+).

All performances will be at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, located at 4537 Lowell Road in Tampa. Tickets can be purchased at the box office, online at www.CarrollwoodCenter.org, or by calling (813) 269-1310.