Another Bad Surprise

The Culture Edit, August 2025

Author

Susan Bannon
July 27, 2025

The Room’s Tommy Wiseau reacts to more arts funding cuts in Miami (not really, but he would!).

Last summer, our Governor’s beef with the Orlando Fringe Festival led him to veto ALL arts spending for the state, leaving cultural organizations big and small scrambling to keep their seasons afloat. Now it’s the county’s turn.

Thanks to what Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is calling “a perfect storm,” Miami-Dade County is facing a $400 million shortfall in this year’s budget. (The Miami Herald calls it perfectly bad planning, but we are where we are.)

The proposed belt-tightening would slash arts grants by $13 million (more than half) and eviscerate the Department of Cultural Affairs, putting the future of many of our beloved cultural groups in doubt.

Meanwhile, by the county’s own analysis, the arts contribute $2.1 billion annually to our economy, support 32,000 jobs, attract 4.2 million cultural tourists, and produce $443 million in public revenue. And clearly, they just make Miami a better place to live for all of us.

So what can we do? We can let our mayor know that we care about arts & culture in our city ahead of the budget hearings in September. The newly formed Miami Arts Action Alliance has put together a petition to do just that, which you can sign here if you’d like to lend your voice.

Thank you!

Let’s get planning...

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Ongoing Theater

Actors’ Playhouse: Step by Step

Actors’ Playhouse presents the U.S. premiere of Step by Step, a play by Peter Quilter, whose hit Broadway play End of the Rainbow about Judy Garland was adapted into the movie Judy (that won Renée Zellweger an Oscar). Step by Step follows three women as they climb a mountain in honor of a recently deceased friend. They plan to place stones at the peak in her honor, but the climb proves to be more challenging and more hilarious than anyone expected.

Performances through August 10th, Miracle Theatre, $60-$105

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

August 1st-30th

Immersive Space Symphony

The Immersive Space Symphony, a multisensory experience that combines a full orchestra with 360-degree projection mapping, returns to the Miami Beach Classical Music Festival after its sold-out run last summer. This year, the ISS will be taking viewers on a journey through the iconic film scores of Hans Zimmer (Interstellar, Dune) along with stargazing classics like Holst’s The Planets and Strauss’ Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Various times, Temple Emanu-El Ballroom, $27-$75

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Casa Tua, Aviv, Blue Ribbon Sushi | Drinks: Greystone Bar, Water Lion at the Sagamore

August 3rd-September 6th

Summer of Kurosawa at CGAC

Toshirō Mifune, Kurosawa’s favorite leading man, in “Throne of Blood,” 1957.

Good news for cinephiles: Coral Gables Art Cinema has extended its Summer of Kurosawa Festival into September, celebrating the work of legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa with six more classic films. An encore screening of Ikiru, a quiet heartbreaker about a salary man finding meaning in his final days, kicks off the month, but there are plenty of samurai epics on offer, including Throne of Blood, Kurosawa’s haunting retelling of Macbeth.

Various times, Coral Gables Art Cinema, $10-$12

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Wednesday, August 6th

Penumbras: A 40th Anniversary Exhibit

For 40 years, Oolite Arts (fka Art Center/South Florida) has been at the center of Miami’s visual arts ecosystem, providing exhibition and studio space to emerging artists. To celebrate that legacy, Oolite is presenting Penumbras, a retrospective exhibit of work by alumni artists created between 1984 and 2014, along with archival film and photographs that form a time capsule of Miami as it was then. On view through October 19th.

Opening reception 6-9pm, Oolite Arts, Free

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Saturday, August 9th

ICA: Moving Beyond Bars

Mural by “Moving Beyond Bars” participants at South Dakota State Penitentiary, 2023.

The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami presents Moving Beyond Bars, an exhibit of murals, writings and videos created by inmates at three prisons, including the Florida Women’s Prison in Ocala, FL. Suzanne Costello, co-director of the Moving Beyond Bars project will host a panel discussion to kick off opening night. *This exhibit is housed in ICA’s new expansion space, the former home of the de la Cruz Collection.

5-7pm opening with panel discussion, ICA Miami Expansion Space, Free

Neighborhood: Design District

Nearby Eats: Mother Wolf, Nami Nori, Mandolin | Drinks: COTE, Michael’s

Sunday, August 10th

Pan American: Summer Fortnight Offerings

“Gulf of Mexico,” an oil on canvas by Gustavo Acosta, part of PAAP’s “Summer Fortnight Offerings.”

Pan American Art Projects is pleased to announce Summer Fortnight Offerings, a curated selection of collectible works at special prices, designed with beginning collectors in mind. Only available for a fortnight (through August 24th), the exhibit features over 50 works across a variety of media, including drawings, paintings, photography, and sculptures.

Opening reception 11am-4pm, Pan American Art Projects Little River, Free

Neighborhood: Little River

August 16th-17th

International Ballet Festival of Miami: Classical Galas

Celebrating 30 years, the Miami Hispanic Ballet Company presents its annual International Ballet Festival of Miami, featuring performances from contemporary and classical ballet companies from around the world in venues across Miami-Dade and Broward. The festival culminates in the Grand Classical Gala and the Closing Gala of the Stars at the Fillmore Miami Beach.

8pm Saturday, 5pm Sunday, Fillmore Miami Beach, $55-$88

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Sweet Liberty, Mimi Chinese, Blue Ribbon Sushi | Drinks: Greystone Bar, Water Lion at the Sagamore

Saturday, August 16th

Fallen Fruit Screening with Director’s Talk

O Cinema welcomes Miami-based director Chris Molina for a special screening of Fallen Fruit, his debut feature, followed by a director’s talk after the film. Fallen Fruit follows the rocky journey to adulthood of Alex, a young man forced to return to his Miami home after a bad breakup in New York.

6pm, O Cinema South Beach, $12.50

Neighborhood: South Beach

Thursday, August 21st

Summer Concert Series: Tyreek McDole

The Community Arts Program welcomes vocalist Tyreek McDole for the finale of its 40th annual Summer Concert Series. McDole was only the second male artist to ever take first prize at the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Known for his smooth sound, McDole will perform with piano, bass, and drums.

7:30pm, Coral Gables Congregational Church, $35-$55

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Saturday, August 23rd

Miami short Film Fest: Shorts & Beats Brasil

The 24th annual Miami short Film Festival is coming up in November, but leading up to the big event, they’ll be showcasing selections of short films from around the world. This August, MsFF and Deering Estate present a selection of five shorts from Brasil, with a special performance by bossa nova and samba duo Rose Max & Ramatis.

7pm Cocktail Reception, 7:30pm Screening, Deering Estate Visitor Center, $47

Neighborhood: Palmetto Bay

August 30th-31st

The Room Screening with Greg Sestero

Widely considered one of the worst films ever made, Tommy Wiseau’s The Room has become a cult classic, thrilling fans worldwide with its nonsensical dialogue and stunningly terrible acting. Coral Gables Art Cinema is presenting a special screening with Greg Sestero, the very good-natured star of the film and author of the New York Times bestseller The Disaster Artist, on hand for a post-screening Q&A. If that’s not enough Wiseau for you, CGAC is also premiering his new film Big Shark, which looks to be even worse.

11pm Saturday, 8:15pm Sunday, Coral Gables Art Cinema, $20

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

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