Longtime St. Pete theater company needs help from community to keep series running
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A St. Pete staple is in danger of disappearing. American Stage says they don’t have money to continue the musical series they started almost 40 years ago, American Stage in the Park. They’re now appealing to the community to prevent the final curtain call.
About 14,000 people attended last spring’s performance of "Beauty and the Beast" in Demens Landing, but the theater company still didn’t make money off of it, Director of Advancement Pamela Arbisi said.
"This past year, 2024, was probably our most profitable year," she said. "However, we still had a loss."
The American Stage in the Park series started in 1986 with Shakespeare in the Park. Arbisi said the St. Pete tradition may soon disappear, though.
"The cost of the tickets do not cover the cost of what it takes to run the show. The shows run anywhere from $600,000 to $650,000," she said.
Arbisi said they’ve never made money from the outdoor musicals, and don’t want to raise ticket prices that range from $35 to $55.
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"We believe in being a theater that is inclusive and a theater for everyone to be able to enjoy," she said. "It's a wonderful way that you can enjoy live theater under the stars. There's no other place like it in St. Petersburg, and it's more about not just creating a space for art, but it's also a space that we're creating memories too," Arbisi said.
The shows’ price tags are getting to be too much, though, Arbisi said.
"Just like everything else in this world, there have been rising costs and materials as well as labor, but we've also seen some lower attendance rates, just because we're still dealing with post pandemic, and lower donations. So, this amount that we are looking to raise not only secures it for next year, but for all the years to come," Arbisi said.
They recently started the Save Park campaign, reaching out to the community for help. The goal is to raise $500,000 by next May. Arbisi said they’ll use the money to run the productions in the park, including building the sets, paying the cast and crew, and renting the space.
"It would be a tragedy if we did lose this. I mean, it’s creating a space for art in our community and it’s very important. It's creating the memories," she said.
They’ve announced that "Hair" will be next year’s American Stage in the Park show, and are confident, Arbisi said, that the community will save what she calls a St. Pete treasure.
American Stage’s Board of Trustees is matching all donations up to $75,000. They’re also asking people to post their memories and pictures from previous performances in the park to American Stage’s website.
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