Quote:
Originally Posted by twg0727
Finally, theatre enthusiasts and new theatre clubs that want to be active have to struggle for stage time, unless they are grandfathered in, because of the ALL purpose rooms used here containing the stages. Since these rooms are the largest areas, they are very often needed for large meetings, dance classes, musicians, etc. even when a stage isn't needed. This limits the time greatly that theatrical clubs can find good dates for their rehearsals and performances. Not to mention if one doesn't choose to pay the high price of going thru the official community ticket office, (which charges a HEFTY fee,) they will be limited to getting any info in the recreation news to get the word out where their tickets are available. This has been a very distasteful experience. Theatre is a huge part of the villages--the numerous theatre clubs attest to that. The fact that they often have sell out performances proves they are successful. Why isn't there a desiginated theatre complex or two, to free up these limitations and offer graduated seating which is more comfortable for the audience to view the stage.
A good theatre complex should have two mini stage areas for 200-300 people with stages; one set us cabaret style with tables and chairs and one graduaed seating for small productions and rehearsals. Plus one large stage area for the big productions and name talent that comes to town. I have toured retirement communities that have something very much like this with graduated seating--so that idea is not unique.
Don't get me wrong, we love The Villages for many reasons... but, the above mentioned ARE NOT among them!
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You can get involved with PALM, I'm sure they would welcome your help.
A retiree from Albany, N.Y., Richard Chady is a Sumter County resident who adores cultural trappings. He is an Appleton Museum of Art member and an Ocala Civic Theatre season ticket holder.
He keeps a close eye on performance schedules in Orlando, particularly of major touring productions and concerts. He wants to see more “world-class performers,” but he wants to see them in his own backyard.
And he will tell you, with surveys to back it up, he is not alone.
Chady is communications manager with Performing Arts of Lake, Marion and Sumter (PALMS), a group of North Central Florida residents with an extremely ambitious plan: build a 1,500-seat-plus, state-of-the-art “eco-concious” performing arts center that would bring top-name national acts to the tri-county region.
That is to say, if PALMS succeeds, acts such as Michael Buble, Norah Jones, Johnny Mathis, Harry Connick Jr. and Tony Bennett, as well as touring Broadway plays, would perform near The Villages, somewhere in either southern Marion County, northeast Sumter County or northwest Lake County. PALMS hopes to buy 15 to 20 acres and has narrowed sites down from 40 to “a handful,” Chady said.
Picking up a torch lit in The Villages years ago, PALMS exists solely to build a self-sufficient performing arts center near The Villages, the 80,000-resident retirement community that touches three counties. Early estimates have the center priced between $10 million and $20 million, but there is much to do — including a new architectural plan — before getting an accurate figure.