Florida Theatre
Florida Theatre Critics
Christine Dolen, The Miami Herald
Hap Erstein, Palm Beach Arts Paper
Bill Hirschman, Sun Sentinel
Marie J. Kilker, TotalTheater.com & AisleSay.com (primarily reviews plays on FL’s west coast), mjkilker@gmail.com
Mark Lieb, Creative Loafing, Tampa
Michael Martin, Fort Lauderdale Edge
Elizabeth Maupin, formerly critic at Orlando Sentinel; now she writes at her blog
Onelia Mendive , Miami Examiner.
Florida Theatre Organizations, Publications, & Resources
South Florida Theatre Scene. A tremendous resource!!! With feeds of reviews from various local publications, current events, commentary, and more.
Theatre League of South Florida. Soon officially to become southfloridatheatre.com.
Ested. 1991.
“The Theatre League of South Florida is an alliance of theatrical organizations and professionals dedicated to nurturing, promoting, and advocating for the growth and prestige of the South Florida theatre industry.”
Catch the 4th Annual South Florida Theatre Festival took place October 12-October 26, 2009. Click here for details.
Florida Theatre Companies and Venues
Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Mile Theatre.
“The mission of Actors’ Playhouse is to enrich South Florida’s cultural vitality with the highest quality classic and contemporary live theatre productions; to provide comprehensive education and outreach programs to multi-cultural audiences; to provide a supportive and creative work environment for Florida-based theatre professionals; to encourage the creation and production of new works for adults and children; and to maintain the historic identity of its home venue, the Miracle Theatre.”
280 Miracle Mile
Coral Gables, Florida 33134 (Miami-Dade County)
“The Actor’s Workshop & Repertory Company (Actor’s Rep) was launched in May, 1980. The Rep delighted, shocked, amused and educated thousands of audience members who flocked to its 99-seat theatre-in-the-round on Dixie Highway in downtown West Palm Beach.”
The Broward Stage Door Theatre.
8036 W. Sample Rd.
Coral Springs, FL 33065
7901 N. Federal Highway
Boca Raton, FL 33487
Central Florida Performing Arts Alliance.
Conundrum Stages. South Florida performing arts organization that began as a play reading group.
1140 N. Flagler Dr.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304
Florida Professional Theatres Association.
Ested. 1987 as The Theatre Club of the Palm Beaches.
“The nation’s largest professional theatre dedicated to producing exclusively new and emerging American plays.”
Plaza del Mar
262 South Ocean Boulevard
Manalapan, FL 33462 (Palm Beach County)
Next conference to be held Nov. 11- Nov. 14 in Lakeland.
“The mission of GableStage is to provide the South Florida community with classical, contemporary and new theatrical productions of artistic excellence. We challenge our multicultural audience with innovative productions that entertain as well as confront today’s issues and ideas. By emphasizing nontraditional casting and employing the best of our local creative force, GableStage endeavors to meet the needs of our diverse community. GableStage is committed to the enrichment of the local actor, director, designer and technician by providing the opportunity to achieve artistic acclaim in this region. GableStage believes the future of theatre can be assured only by the development of young audiences. Therefore, our in-house mainstage and in-school touring Educational Programs are major components of our theatre. Furthermore, GableStage welcomes the opportunity to support as many worthy causes as possible through our theatrical production benefits and making the theatre available for use to other cultural and community groups.”
1200 Anastasia Avenue
Coral Gables, Florida 33134 (Miami-Dade County)
The resident theater company at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.
“The Jobsite Theater is dedicated to the creation of socially and politically relevant theater and the pursuit of performing it to the broadest possible audience. Jobsite has established and will continue to evolve a collective of like-minded artists, creating a supportive environment where artists of all disciplines may experiment, hone, and apply their skills in a professional laboratory environment.
Through all forms of theater – be it experimental, new plays, contemporary works or the classics – Jobsite hopes to inspire their community to become not just consumers, but true citizens.”
P.O. Box 7975
Tampa, FL 33673-7975 (Hillsborough Coutny)
12200 West Broward Blvd.
Plantation, FL 33325
11300 Northeast 2nd Ave.
Miami, FL 33161 (Miami-Dade County)
“…a multi-cultural theatre producing a season of Nouveau Classic works, blending classics and new works, which speak to and about a diverse contemporary audience by stimulating, provoking, challenging, and entertaining since 1986. Entering our 23rd season, our theatre has flourished under the energetic Artistic Direction of Ricky J. Martinez and Managing Director, Eileen Suarez refining its focus on works which speak of social/religious/humanistic interests, relevant issues of discrimination based on race, gender and sexual orientation, the immigrant’s plight, the role of youth in our community, and for stories from the heart and for the soul which celebrate the mosaic that makes up our South Florida community. We embrace the voices of early and mid-career playwrights. Many talented artists would not have a forum for their work without our unflagging commitment to “new voices-new work.” We have commissioned and/or produced over fifty world premieres including Nilo Cruz’s 2003 Pulitzer Prize and Steinberg award-winning play Anna in the Tropics, Steinberg and Osburn award nominated Just A Kiss by Catherine Bush, recently published works such asClarence Darrow’s Last Trial by Shirley Lauro, Elaine Romero’s Barrio Hollywood, and David Caudle’s Sunken Living Room.”
4120 Laguna Street
Coral Gables, FL 33146 (Miami- Dade County)
Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival. Orlando, Loch Haven Park. May 20-31, 2010.
“Palm Beach Dramaworks is a professional not-for-profit theatre company that engages and entertains audiences with provocative and timeless productions that personally impact each individual.”
322 Banyan Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival Playbill.
“The PlayGround Theatre is a repertory company dedicated to the production and presentation of classical and contemporary works that entertain, educate, and delight audiences of all ages. Our magical and intelligent productions foster intellectual, emotional, and social development while reflecting the cultural diversity of South Florida.”
9806 NE 2nd Avenue
Miami Shores, Florida 33138 (Miami-Dade County)
Orlando, FL
“The Promethean Theatre (TPT) is a professional non-profit regional theatre company that seeks daring and
creative approaches to classical pieces as well as contemporary and new works that engage the imagination
and inspire passionate discourse among its artists and the audience. The Promethean Theatre is the professional theatre company in residence at
Nova Southeastern University, Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences.”
4 NE 44th St
Miami, FL 33137 (Miami-Dade County)
Rising Action Theatre Company.
“Rising Action Theatre, Inc. is dedicated to promoting and educating the public in diversity and tolerance for all people through theatre arts. It will present plays with multi-cultural themes and works of social relevance.”
840 E. Oakland Park Blvd.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33334 (Broward County)
“To be a locally based professional theatre group providing the South Florida Community the opportunity to see daring, contemporary and intelligent works of Musical Theatre. We search for like-minded fellow artists that share in this vision and bring to life these works that educate, provoke thought as well as entertain.”
449 NW 48th Street
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309 (Broward County)
Women’s Theatre Project. This Ft. Lauderdale, FL theatre company (ested. in 2001) is the nation’s only theatre company devoted to producing plays by women, about women, with all-female casts.
Never knew there were so many theatres in Florida. Guess I just never looked into it.
Thanks for the plug! I’ve added you to my reading list – welcome to the South Florida Theatre Scene!
In your list of theaters you’re missing Boca Raton’s Caldwell Theatre Company and Plantation’s Mosaic Theatre, both prominent theater companies in South Florida, along with the new Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale. Also, sorry to report that New Vista Theatre and Sol Theatre Project are no longer in operation.
Hi Tony,
Ahhhhh I know, and I’ve been meaning to update the page for too long now. Thanks for keeping me on my toes…
The Hippodrome Theatre in Gainesville, Florida is a 37 year old professional regional theatre producing 8 mainstage shows annually. Visit thehipp.org for showtimes and season information. The Hippodrome also has a visual art gallery, art-house cinema and education program.