In October, Florida Studio Theatre broke ground on McGillicuddy Arts Plaza. Phase 1 of the project includes completion of the building, which will consist of a 127-space parking garage and 57 artist housing units, including 39 extended-stay studios that will house more than 250 guest artists per year, plus 18 units supporting year-round local artists. The $46 million eight-story building is scheduled for completion in August 2027.
Phase 2 of McGillicuddy Art Plaza consists of the completion of two cabaret theaters, the Maier and Schlegel Cabarets, as well as a lobby and accompanying dining spaces. The theater will add 200 new seats to FST’s downtown campus, which already include a complement of five theaters in the heart of downtown Sarasota.
Florida Studio Theatre announced last week that it has received an anonymous gift of $1 million toward the cost of the Phase 2 improvements.
“An anonymous donor has stepped forward with an astonishing $1 million gift, and with it, they have ignited Act 2 of the McGillicuddy Arts Plaza Campaign,” said FST’s managing director, Rebecca Hopkins. “Though they choose to remain unseen, their impact will be felt by every artist we support and every audience member we welcome. This next act propels us toward opening the Maier and Schlegel Cabarets – spaces where stories are shared, music fills the room, and our audience finds connection and joy. Their generosity moves us into the next phase with renewed momentum and deep gratitude.”
For more than 50 years, FST has been producing theatre that is entertaining, challenging, and accessible for all. Today, the theatre welcomes over 225,000 audience members annually and stands as a beacon of the Sarasota arts community.
“This gift allows us to create the greatest possible impact,” said Richard Hopkins, FST’s Producing Artistic Director. “By using it to launch a matching challenge, we’re inviting our full community to participate in shaping the future of FST.”
Founded in 1973, Florida Studio Theatre is the largest subscription theater in the state and among the largest in the country, serving more than 225,000 attendees each year.
For more on the McGillicuddy Arts Plaza, read “Florida Studio Theatre breaking ground on McGillicuddy Arts Plaza.”
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
