3 Welcome Letter THE PRESIDENT It is my pleasure to welcome you to the historic Florida Theatre! Last year was the theatre’s best attended year in 7 years. We already have more shows booked for this year than last year, and with your continued patronage of the theatre’s offerings, we are looking forward to breaking that record again this year. Pollstar Magazine is a trade journal for the concert industry, and each year they release a set of year-end charts for the industry. In 2014 the Florida Theatre was #82 on Pollstar’s Top 100 Theatres list in terms of attendance. The Florida Theatre moved up 7 points from 2013. If you were one of the lucky ones to see Mike Birbiglia’s performance of his one-man show “Thank God for Jokes” at the theatre last November, you heard him call the Florida Theatre, “The only theatre in Florida.” He was joking of course, but now we have independent, objective and verifiable evidence that the Florida Theatre is the 82nd theatre in the country! These numbers are also living proof of our vibrant cultural community, and they legitimize our own thoughts about the historic Florida Theatre; namely, that it is one of the unique things that, “Makes Jacksonville, Jacksonville.” As we progress through the year, I hope you we will see you many times for the shows that catch your eye, and I hope that every once in a while, you will consider attending a show that you are unfamiliar with. We like to think that while everything we put on our stage may not be to every single person’s taste, it’s all of the highest quality, so we encourage you to experiment a little. Either way, whenever you come back, bring friends! They deserve to know what a special place this theatre is too. Sincerely, Numa C. Saisselin President Cover art features excerpts of Florida Theatre mural created by Alden Road Exceptional Student Center students led by Teaching Artist Laurie Brown. 4 5 History of THE FLORIDA THEATRE When the Florida Theatre originally opened to the public on April 8, 1927, it was downtown Jacksonville’s fifteenth, and largest, theatre. Today, it is the last remaining historic theatre on the north bank of downtown, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the city’s last remaining example of 1920s fantasy architecture. The elaborate interior was designed by R.E. Hall of New York and Jacksonville architect Roy Benjamin. Their design displays many characteristics of the Mediterranean Revival, one of the most prominent architectural styles associated with Florida’s building boom of the 1920s. The architects envisioned a Moorish courtyard at night, resplendent with glittering stars, grand balconies, and fountains. The ornate proscenium arch that frames the stage reaches nearly six stories high, dominating the auditorium and contributing to the venue’s excellent acoustics. An open-air roof garden in the 1920s provided a venue for dancing under the stars, and a nursery was available for patrons’ young children. The building’s then-modern features included central heating, air-conditioning and a central vacuuming system. Like many theatres of its day, the Florida Theatre was designed for both stage shows and motion pictures and a typical program included six elements: a news reel, a comedy short, a cartoon or travelogue, an overture by the band on a moveable orchestra pit (still in use today), a live stage presentation, and the feature film. Creative marketing through the decades included “Screeno,” a bingo game played on the movie screen; “Bank Night,” which gave ticket buyers a chance to win cash prizes; and, in the late 1960s, rocking chairs. Live performances have always been a hallmark of the Theatre’s schedule, and one of the most memorable occurred in 1956, when Elvis Presley came to the Florida Theatre. Presley, the City of Jacksonville, and the Florida Theatre found themselves subjects of a LIFE magazine feature when Juvenile Court Judge Marion Gooding sat through the performance to ensure that Presley’s body movements would not become too suggestive. By the late 1970s, however, the Theatre was only marginally profitable. By May 8, 1980, when the building closed, martial arts movies were the bulk of the schedule. In 1981, with financial support from the State of Florida, the City of Jacksonville, and the private sector, the Arts Assembly of Jacksonville (now the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville) acquired the Theatre to preserve it for cultural uses. A $4.1 million capital campaign resulted in the building’s restoration and renovation. The 1,900-seat Theatre reopened on October 1, 1983, with a Gala Variety Show featuring Some Like It Cole, a Cole Porter review; the London Symphony String Quartet; and Grammy Award winning fiddle player Vassar Clements, who closed the evening with “Orange Blossom Special.” On October 1, 1987, the City of Jacksonville acquired the building. The Florida Theatre Performing Arts Center, Inc. was founded as a nonprofit corporation to manage, program, and preserve the building. Thousands of performances and millions of audience members later, the Florida Theatre is still, “One of the unique assets that makes Jacksonville, Jacksonville.” 6 7 The Florida Theatre EVENT CALENDAR Tickets & information: 904-355-ARTS (2787) www.floridatheatre.com MARCH 3/1 K. Michelle Concert 3/21 B-52s 3/7 The Great Guitar Gathering Featuring 3/22 Jackie Evancho Martin Taylor and Richard Smith 3/24 Get the Led Out 3/10 Three Dog Night 3/26 The Australian Bee Gees 3/11 Cultural Council presents Vito Di Bari 3/27 Jane Lynch 3/14 Elvis Costello 3/28 Miss Delta Teen Pageant 3/18 Rhythm of the Dance 3/29 The Bronx Wanderers APRIL 4/2 Lynyrd Skynyrd 4/17 Why: A 2015 Go to Nations Experience 4/3 Lynyrd Skynyrd 4/18-19 Kids Artistic Revue Dance Competition 4/7 One Spark Speaker Summit 4/23 Celtic Thunder: The Very Best of with 4/8 Cake Boss Special Guest Damian McGinty 4/10 The Mavericks 4/24 RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles 4/11 HASKELL PRESENTS: “ELO’s Greatest Hits 4/27 Theatreworks presents with Symphony:” The Orchestra Starring Curious George (for schools) Legendary Members of ELO 4/28 Mythbusters: Jamie and Adam Unleashed 4/13 Diana Krall at Jacoby Symphony Hall 4/30 Chris Botti 4/15 David Ferhety 4/16 Chef Robert Irvine MAY 5/3 John Mulaney 5/14 Apartment Finders Gala 2015 5/4 Theatreworks presents The Lightning 5/15 Air Supply Thief (for schools) 5/21 Jazz Fest Piano Competition 5/5 Hozier 5/22 Off-Jazz Concert - Jacksonville Jazz Festival 5/8 Ghost of the Blues 5/23-24 Starquest International Dance Competition 5/9 Callahan Dance Recital 5/29 A.I.A. Jax Ann'l Awards 5/11 FSCJ Nurse’s Pinning Ceremony 5/30 Virginia Dell School of Dance 5/12 Jason Isbell JUNE 6/2 Brit Floyd 6/16 Happy Together Tour 6/6 Mary Pauline Dance Recital 6/17-18 48 Hour Film Fest 6/8-9 Mark Spivak Dance Recital 6/17-18 Theatreworks presents The Summer Show 6/11 Gipsy Kings 6/19 Art Institute Graduation 6/13 Beth Marks Ballet Arts Center 6/20 Debbie's Dance 6/15 48 Hour Film Fest JULY 7/9 48 Hour Film Fest 7/16-19 International Brotherhood of Magicians AUGUST 8/1 American Dreams Pageant 8/16 Weird Al 8/8 Elvis Anniversary Bash 8/28 Blackhawk/Outlaws See floridatheatre.com for even more! 8 9 Inside the Operations of THE FLORIDA THEATRE The Florida Theatre Performing Arts Center, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and founded in 1987 for the express purpose of managing, programming, and preserving the historic Florida Theatre on behalf of the City of Jacksonville, which owns the building. The 501(c)(3) tax designation indicates that the corporation’s purpose is to provide a community service. It can accept tax deductible contributions. All funds generated by the corporation must remain within the corporation to pay regular operating costs or be reinvested in new programming or capital improvements. Any surplus funds cannot be retained by an individual or other entity. The organization holds its assets in trust for the community. There are no owners or shareholders. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of civic and community leaders who receive no compensation or their efforts. Operations are conducted by a paid professional staff according to the policies and direction established by the Board in the Bylaws and Mission Statement of the corporation. The results of the corporation’s operations are a matter of public record. Copies of its annual filings with the state and federal government are available on request from the Florida Theatre itself, from the appropriate government agency, or from numerous web-based watchdog organizations. The mission of the Florida Theatre Performing Arts Center, Inc., as a nonprofit organization, is to enhance the North Florida community's quality of life by providing diverse and memorable arts and entertainment experiences, and by preserving a unique historic Jacksonville landmark. Each year the Theatre hosts between 100 and 200 public events, attended by between 100,000 and 200,000 people a year. Some of these events are presented by the Theatre, either by itself, or in cooperation with another organization. Other events are presented or produced by outside organizations renting the Theatre. In the case of a rental production, the Theatre is simply a venue for hire, earning a rental fee and being reimbursed for its other costs.