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Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

A fifth-generation Tampa native, Stephanie Bolling has been a reporter and editorial assistant for the Tampa Bay Times since 2008. She covers community events, concerts and the performing arts. If she's not hanging around Ybor City with the ghosts of her cigar-rolling ancestors, she'll probably be at the beach or a show trying to find the next great local vibe.

Phone: (813) 226-3408

Email: sbolling@tampabay.com

Twitter: @StephBolling

  1. Review: Family of the Year, The Mowgli's get intimate at the Ritz Ybor in Tampa

    03/23/13 Blog Stephanie Bolling

    If the line of cargo trailers in lieu of tour buses outside the Ritz Ybor on Friday night was any indication of the intimate show that beckoned inside, then appearances turned out to be right.

    Fewer than 100 people braved the thunderstorm outdoors and crowded into a side room of the venue. Instead of watching Family of the Year and The Mowgli's in the main hall, fans got an up-close-and-personal performance of the bands on the Royal Room’s side stage, which normally housed a projection screen for concert-goers quelling their nicotine needs....

    Family of the Year performs at the Ritz Ybor on March 22, 2013.

  2. Review: 'Much Ado About Nothing' is worth something

    03/19/13StageStephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    TAMPA — Sometimes nothing means everything, and everything means nothing, and there's much ado about it. From the schemes and quarrels to comedic commentary on love, Jobsite Theater's production of Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing captures the vulnerabilities of human emotion and error.

    Underneath multicolored lit lanterns and tree branches strung from the rafters, the cast of 10 performed to a nearly sold out show Sunday afternoon....

    Jonathan Cho (Claudio), Roxanne Fay (Beatrice), Ned Averill-Snell (Benedick), Matt Lunsford (Don Pedro), Katrina Stevenson (Margaret), and Betty-Jane Parks (Hero).
Photo by Brian Smallheer

  3. Beer Week: Cafe Hey provides quite a mouthful

    03/09/13 Bars & Spirits By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    Beer week is full of surprises. So was the case for North Coast on North Franklin at Cafe Hey Thursday night. Set against the backdrop of the cafe's open mike night, attendees took a self-guided tour of six brews from North Coast Brewery cleverly paired with signature and specialty items from Cafe Hey in Tampa.

    The recommended method began with the lighter beers and progressively moved to the dark side of the palette. Food pairings ranged from soups and desserts to sandwiches and salads....

  4. Beer Week: Brooklyn brew comes to Ybor

    03/08/13 Bars & Spirits By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    East Coast in the house! Florida produces some pretty amazing beer, Tampa Bay Beer Week has established that. But don't be stingy now, share some of that home ground pride up the East Coast to the Brooklyn Brewery.

    The Brooklyn Brewery night at the Bricks of Ybor on Wednesday showcased some of the brewery's specialty and signature blends. It seemed the locals quite fancied the beer from the borough. Take the Sorachi Ace. The 7.6 percent saison contains hops grown on a single farm in Oregon. The taste starts as a classic Belgian, but a surprise hit of lemon pepper zings through the finish line....

  5. Beer Week: All hail to the Hopslam!

    03/05/13 Bars & Spirits By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    Hail to the Hopslam! This rare baby debuts once a year and flies off the shelf in less than 24 hours of its arrival. Connoisseurs race to the taps and bars beg for a single keg.

    "Some people trade babies for it, some people just pay for it," said Andrew Seeber, bar manager at the Bricks of Ybor.

    Needless to say, Bell's Brewery shindig Monday night at the Bricks thrived on the Hopslam vibe. The 10 percent "liquid gold" gem (as Seeber called it) kept bar line orders repeated like a broken record, "Hopslam," "Hopslam," "Hopslam!"...

  6. Beer Week: Mermaid Tavern pairs food with pints

    03/05/13 Bars & Spirits By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    The Mermaid Tavern off Nebraska Avenue in Seminole Heights has become somewhat of an iconic local spot for the diverse palates thirsting after the craft beer craze. So it made sense for the Mermaid to pair up some of their most popular menu items with Florida beers in honor of beer week.

    On the menu for Pairings and Pints on Sunday: Key West Southernmost Wheat and PortaBella Napoleon; Gaspar's Porter and Tempura Fish-n-Chips; Devil's Triangle IPA (FBC's latest brew) and Coup de Gras Burger; Swamp Ape Imperial IPA and Loaded Swamp Fries....

  7. Beer Week: Bikes and beer come full circle

    03/03/13 Bars & Spirits By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    At Chain Links and Craft Drinks, bikes lined the rack and leaned up against patio tables at the Independent Bar and Cafe in Tampa as patrons waited in a long line Saturday to sip on craft brews from Gulfport's very own Cycle Brewing. A purchase of one of the three Cycle Brewing beers, Freewheel Pale Ale, Bottom of the 9th Brown Ale and Goodnight Imperial Stout, awarded enthusiasts with a raffle ticket to win a T-shirt, water bottle, glass or a growler with a free refill....

  8. Beer Week: Too chilly, even for Cold Storage crowd

    03/03/13 Bars & Spirits By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    As the temperature dipped, so did the crowd at the Seminole Heights Saturday Social at Cold Storage Craft Brewery in Tampa. Some took refuge inside the warm and comfy vibe of the tasting room, which offered five of its own brews (Florida Avenue Blueberry, Florida Avenue Ale, Florida Avenue IPA, Copperhead Amber Ale and Betchy Brown Ale) alongside other guest beers. Or some didn't come out because of the frigid Florida weather. But for the lone food truck, keg of Florida Avenue Ale, and three bands outside in the adjacent parking lot, the social went on. ...

  9. Review: Carolina Chocolate Drops drop a music history lesson on the Straz Center in Tampa

    02/18/13 Blog Stephanie Bolling

    Stepping into the Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center on Friday night meant a serenade of strings and an exercise of history commencing at exactly 7:30 p.m. The Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops didn’t waste any time on an opener. The foursome came out full-steed, emanating an unabashed simplicity in their delivery of back-to-back renditions of allegorical arrangements that breathed life into melodies long forgotten....

  10. Preview: Circus follows tradition, builds on new theme

    01/02/13TeenBy Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    TAMPA

    The Greatest Show on Earth attempts a fresh approach to its age-old show with this year's theme, "Built to Amaze." With clowns, animals and trained entertainers, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's traditional circus is speckled with a motif to add cohesion to the variety of acts. • The "Built to Amaze" concept plays out as the audience gets a behind-the-scenes perspective on how the circus is built, from seeing the visible opening disarray to watching how the performers prep. The construction theme is heavy, with elephants in hard hats, cleanup crew clown skits, caution tape and girls in sexy workman uniforms. • Most of the show becomes an exercise of entertainment on the premise of gender competition, with Team Pink (girls) versus Team Blue (boys). Through lighthearted skits and main stunts, each team attempts to garner audience approval until the ringmaster decides that both sides should come together as a circus dream team. • The parade of nonstop entertainment features some of Ringling's classic circus acts and a few new ones....

    The Ringling show “Built to Amaze” features new choreography and a new ringmaster, Andre McClain, along with all of the familiar elements. The show is debuting in Tampa before setting off on a two-year tour.

  11. Review: 'Dixie's Tupperware Party' serves up humor on a platter

    12/05/12 Performing Arts By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    Straight from a Mobile, Ala., trailer park and dressed like a truckstop diner waitress, drag queen Dixie Longate hosts the funniest Tupperware party you will ever attend. Wrapped in a nearly two-hour sales pitch of sex, stereotypes and comedy, Dixie's Tupperware Party, currently showing at the Straz Center's Jaeb Theater through Sunday, features Longate, the alter-ego of Kris Andersson, in an air-tight theatrical performance that also serves as a real Tupperware party....

    Kris Andersson’s alter-ego Dixie Longate leads a wild show at the Jaeb Theater.

  12. Hometown Hillsborough: Readers' news of life throughout the county

    11/17/12 Human Interest By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    Ybor City native turns 100: James Marvell of the ’60s band Mercy poses with his father, Salvador Zayas, on Zayas’ 100th birthday. Zayas was born in Ybor City on Oct. 25, 1912. His parents were cigarmakers and took him and his three siblings to Cuba when he was 2. He returned to “His Beautiful Tampa” when he was 33. Zayas married a woman named Emily and they had two sons, Albert and James. Zayas is fond of meatloaf, vegetable soup and Cuban food. He’s optimistic, never stresses, still does some exercise and sleeps about 10 hours a night. He likes to go to the library and check out romance novels among many other books. He says that his faith is very important. Zayas and Marvell made a YouTube video where they sing a song about Tampa together.

  13. Review: Cirque Italia show a bit of a slow stretch

    11/12/12 Performing Arts By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    Normally, anything with the name "cirque" conjures up images of a fast-paced, high-flying spectacle full of elaborate costumes and dozens of performers. Most of that does not apply to Cirque Italia, an Italian entertainment company and rookie in the traveling big top playing field.

    Cirque Italia's Act XVII, currently set up adjacent to the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, is a stripped-down version of the bigger cirque shows, but without the pizzazz. (It's hard not to make comparisons to Cirque du Soleil's bedazzled Kooza, which has set up its tent outside of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg through Dec. 16.)...

    Act XVII features nine performers in 12 acts that include trapeze artists, contortionists and hand balancers.

  14. Hometown Hillsborough: Readers' news of life throughout the county

    11/10/12 Human Interest By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    Christmas visitors come early: Chris O’Hara asked the Women’s Chorus of Sun City Center to bring their Christmas stuff for a picture while rehearsing recently. Smack dab in the middle of preparation for their Christmas concert, they were joined by Santa, his helpers and reindeer who stopped by for a visit. Pictured are Santa (Shirley Carroll), an elf (Janet Cardulla), Claire Hadley, Mary Merrill, Betty Lance, LaVerne Backes, Paul Barrientos, Gert Affayroux, Johnnie Bates, Louise Kohnle, Shirley Corbosiero, Debbie Shorb, Kris Collett, Joan Sullivan, Katherine Dechance and Laura Kennedy.

  15. Hometown Hillsborough: Readers' news of life throughout the county

    10/27/12 Human Interest By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer

    Two $5k scholarships awarded: The Sertoma Clubs of Florida award two $5,000 scholarships at the University of South Florida each year from the Sertoma Endowed Scholarship, established in 1991. The endowment provides $10,000 annually for scholarships to master’s degree students studying audiology or speech/language pathology at USF. This year’s scholarships were presented to Kali Morris and Terry Gier. Pictured, from left: Julianne M. Serovich, dean of College of Behavior and Community Sciences USF; Harvey Rhinehart, Sertoma Central Florida district governor; Kali Morris, second-year scholarship recipient; Jesse Brown, Sertoma Southeast/Caribbean International director; Terry Gier, first-year scholarship recipient; Phil Amuso, Great Tampa Sertoma Club president.