Plans For Players Centre’s New Lakewood Ranch Venue Fall Through

LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL — Lakewood Ranch has terminated its agreement with the Players Centre for Performing Arts to build a new performing arts center in Waterside Place, a newly constructed 36-acre lakefront town center, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, Inc. said in a news release.

The Players Centre is now in talks with the city of Sarasota to use the Municipal Auditorium on North Tamiami Trail, Amanda Heisey, the nonprofit organization’s marketing director, said in an email to Patch.

“This is an exciting opportunity and perfect fit for the Centre, the city of Sarasota’s only civic theatre, and enable it to maintain its legacy of accessible performing arts programming,” she said.

In October 2020, the Players Centre moved from its longtime home at 838 N. Tamiami Trail in downtown Sarasota as plans for its new Waterside Place venue moved forward.

The project called for a 480-seat main stage auditorium with balcony seating, a 125-seat black box theatre, a 100-seat cabaret theatre with dining and a campus for The Players Studio.

The theater’s move to Lakewood Ranch had been in the works for some time, but the COVID-19 pandemic sped up the timeline, Heisey told Patch in October 2020.

After moving from its former home, the organization continued to operate from its Players Studio in the Rosemary District at 1400 Blvd. of the Arts, and during the pandemic, hosted events at outdoor venues like Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and The Bazaar on Apricot and Lime.

In May 2021, while plans for Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch were falling into place, the Players Centre temporarily moved into a space at The Crossings at Siesta Key mall.

Eventually, though, plans at Waterside Place fell apart over the costs associated with the project, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch said.

“The cost of constructing a state-of-the-art theater of the scale and scope planned for Waterside Place proved to be extremely challenging in the present environment and it was imperative for this arts organization to find a permanent home to relaunch its robust programming, allowing for its 92-year history to continue,” according to the development company’s news release.

Lakewood Ranch and the Players Centre will continue to collaborate on children’s and adult theater programming in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch, the company added.

“The Players are an invaluable asset to this region, and while we would have enjoyed their presence in Waterside Place, we believe the new location in Sarasota allows them to expeditiously return to their full programming and build for the future,” said Kirk Boylston, president of Lakewood Ranch Commercial.

“The Players Centre for Performing Arts, in charting a path for a post-pandemic world, has given much consideration to facilities and locations,” said William Skaggs, the organization’s CEO. “While collaborations and performances in Lakewood Ranch will continue, the prospect of constructing a new theatrical venue at Waterside Place is quite different now than when originally announced in 2016. This decision will allow more focus on downtown Sarasota facilities, while keeping an eye open for appropriate expansion opportunities going forward.”

Artistic director Lee Gundersheimer said the Players Centre will continue to focus on collaborations with other venues, businesses and organizations in the Lakewood Ranch area.

“While this change keeps our programming focus in Downtown Sarasota, our homebase for so many generations of audiences, we are proud of all we have contributed creatively to the Lakewood Ranch communities, including our popular Sleepy Hollow performances at the Sarasota Polo Club,” he said. “We look forward to future collaborations, especially strengthening our educational programming throughout Lakewood Ranch, and are excited to bring the Players resources to enrich as many of the LWR neighborhoods as possible.”