The planner (fun things to do)

By Jay Cridlin and Sharon Kennedy Wynne, wynne@tampabay.com
In print: Friday, April 4, 2008

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The Island Community Theatre will try to seduce you (won't they?) with the stage version of the 1967 film The Graduate this weekend. Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft won't be there, but you'll still get the same classic tale of a recent college graduate lacking direction in his life. The play will be staged at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 1:30 p.m. Sundays through April 13, at the Catherine Hickman Theatre, 5501 27th Ave. S, Gulfport. $15. (727) 345-1474.

Longtime Ybor natives know the name Jose Marti. This weekend, they'll have the chance to meet him ... sort of. Set in Ybor City in 1891, the play Charla, A Chat with Jose Marti, starring Jose Marti Chaz Mena as the Cuban freedom fighter, takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Studio@620, 620 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg. It's free, but donations are appreciated. (727) 895-6620. thestudioat620.org.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other Eric Carle favorites go on stage using the magic of black light to capture Carle's distinctive collage style so loved by children and parents. Performances are at 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $7.50-$11.50 at tbpac.com.

Oscar nominee William H. Macy, pictured, will show his local investors what they got when he screens his Hollywood satire The Deal at the Sarasota Film Festival Friday, the opening night of the 10-day festival of more than 200 films. The opening-night gala is at 7 at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall; multi-film passes available. Special events range from free symposiums to a $300 closing-night gala. Other actors scheduled to attend include Charlize Theron, Liv Ullmann, Stanley Tucci and Steve Buscemi. Toll-free (866) 575-3456. A complete schedule is at sarasotafilmfestival.org.

Put on the dog at the third annual Ruskin PetFest from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. There will be food, music and vendors, as well as a pet fashion contest at 10:30 a.m., a silly-pet-tricks contest at 11:30 a.m. and a pet-owner look-alike contest at 12:30 p.m. It takes place at Dr. Ott's Off-Leash Dog Park, 21st Street SE and Third Ave. SE in Ruskin. tampabay.com/petfest.

This weekend brings two opportunities to hear outstanding Jewish musicians at work. Get your violin on with a concert by Itzhak Perlman, the Israeli-American violinist and conductor, at 8 p.m. Saturday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 N McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater. Tickets are $45-$100. (727) 791-7400. rutheckerdhall.com. Then on Sunday, head to Yiddishstock, a Jewish music festival featuring a Yiddish cantata, children's songs and a performance by the Nobile Ensemble, a Baroque quartet from Jerusalem. It begins at 4 p.m. Sunday at Congregation Rodeph Shalom in Tampa. Tickets are $15. (813) 837-1911.

Rolling Stones fans can get some Satisfaction when the Martin Scorsese doc Shine a Light hosts midnight screenings Friday and Saturday at the IMAX Dome at the Tampa Museum of Science and Industry. The movie, recorded during their Bigger Bang Tour, has gotten pretty sweet reviews. It's at MOSI, 4801 E Fowler Ave. in Tampa. (813) 987-6000, mosi.org.

In March 2007, Ryan Skipper, a 25-year-old gay man, was murdered in Polk County. What role did our culture play in his death? That's the issue explored in Accessory to Murder: Our Culture's Complicity in the Death of Ryan Skipper, a film screening at 6 p.m. Sunday at Metropolitan Community Church, 408 E Cayuga St. in Tampa. Filmmakers Vicki Nantz and Mary Meeks will be on hand for a Q&A, as will Skipper's parents, Pat and Lynn Mulder. The screening is free, and seating is first-come, first-served. (813) 879-4220, cliptampabay.com.

LSU fans in town for the Final Four should check in on the 11th annual Crawfish Festival at Cajun Cafe on the Bayou. There will be music by John Wilson and the Zydeco Houserockers, Leroy Thomas and the Zydeco Roadrunners, JB's ZydecoZoo and Dora and the Entourage. The event runs from 1 to 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8101 Park Blvd. in Pinellas Park. Admission is $15, or $25 for all three days. (727) 546-6732.