Pictured: Executive Director Janet Raine and Artistic Director Jalex Scott of the Sunshine State Theatre. Photo courtesy of Janet Raines.

This weekend, head down to Bradenton to catch Almost, Maine, from the Sunshine State Theatre. The production, which runs from Friday evening through Sunday, is not only the debut performance from Bradenton’s only professional nonprofit theater company but also the first play to be held at Oscura in old downtown.

“My business partner Jalex Scott and I have known each other since we were 18 and went to college together,” says Janet Raines, the executive director of Sunshine State Theatre and director of this weekend’s production of Almost, Maine, the most produced play in America. "It’s done so often because it’s one of those stories that you can identify with no matter where you are in life. Everybody knows a little bit about love and that’s what this play is about – the magic that love brings when it's going well and when it’s not. There’s a little bit of that magic in the air with this show.”

Fittingly enough, magic is the theme of Sunshine State Theatre’s debut season, as this new theater company pushes to bring live entertainment to the forefront of people’s minds once again. “Preserving that magic was one of the most important things for when Jalex and I started this theater. One of the things that I love about theater is that there’s nothing that can replicate live entertainment,” says Raines. “While we all love good content and have gotten accustomed to watching stuff on our couch, we wanted to be part of the movement to be a little more of a community. We wanted to make sure magic is always felt in the air and we promise that every time round this year we’ll have a show that illustrates why we fight for our community and why we fight for live entertainment.”

Oscura, 816 Manatee Ave E, Bradenton, https://sunshinestatetheatre.com/ticketing-%26-season-info.

Pictured: Executive Director Janet Raine and Artistic Director Jalex Scott of the Sunshine State Theatre. Photo courtesy of Janet Raines.