$25-$30 million Naples theater would boast Pavarotti name, 900 seats, lush garden
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If all goes well, a new $25 million - $30 million performing-arts center could open within two years in Naples. The 900-seat Theater in the Garden would be the second-biggest venue in Collier County, after Artis-Naples.
Organizers announced the proposed venue Friday.
"This project is born out of the proven need for another venue to perform in Collier County," said Livio Ferrari, director of Theater in the Garden Inc., a not-for-profit corporation.
Elevating the proposed venue's profile is its connection to one of the most famous opera singers of all time: The late Luciano Pavarotti.
Pavarotti's widow, Nicoletta Pavarotti, is involved with the project and plans to make it the American headquarters for Italy's Luciano Pavarotti Foundation. The nonprofit foundation keeps the late opera singer's memory alive through international events and also supports promising young singers.
Pavarotti's famous husband, who died in 2007, never visited Naples, she said. But his American opera career started nearby on Florida's east coast.
"The door to his American career was opened by Florida, when he performed in 1965 in Miami," Nicoletta Pavarotti said. "So when Livio came to us with this idea, we found it fascinating.
"We were looking for a special place where art and opera were in the hearts of people … a place where we can grow together in the name of Luciano … a place where we can even work on the future of opera."
To that end, the facility's Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Academy would offer voice, acting and diction lessons to young singers, especially those from "underprivileged backgrounds." Those singers would perform in public concerts at the venue.
The facility would also be available for use by other arts organizations in Collier County, including Opera Naples and members of United Arts Collier.
Theater in the Garden's inspiration: England's Grange Park Opera
The Theater in the Garden project was dreamed up by Opera Naples co-founder and board member Ferrari. The project's advisory team includes Opera Naples music director Ramón Tebar, Gulfshore Ballet co-artistic director Iliana Lopez and Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann.
The design of the estimated $25-$30 million center was inspired by Surrey, England's countryside Grange Park Opera and its lush gardens. Indeed, the Naples project includes two members of the Grange Park Opera creative team: British firm Tim Ronalds Architects and acoustician and author Raf Orlowski ("Acoustics in Architectural Design").
Organizers are looking at a 17-acre piece of land on Naples' Bayshore Road, but they're also open to other possibilities, Ferrari said.
Once they secure the land, they'll continue fundraising and could have the facility built within 18-24 months, he said. "We have prominent arts lovers behind us, so hopefully we'll be able to materialize very soon."
They hope to secure that land any day now. "We're getting close," Ferrari says.
More about Naples' proposed Theater in the Garden
The multi-use facility would include:
A 900-seat, state-of-the-art indoor theater featuring local and touring acts in multiple genres, including opera, ballet, classical and jazz;
A surrounding, Florida-style garden designed to offer a "peaceful escape" for visitors;
An outdoor amphitheater;
The Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Academy;
A Luciano Pavarotti museum filled with posters, photos, memorabilia and Luciano Pavarotti’s theatrical costumes worn at some of the world's top opera houses;
And Luciano’s Restaurant, which will serve food inspired by Luciano Pavarotti's own recipes.
The 900-seat theater would be the second biggest venue in Collier County. Artis-Naples' Hayes Hall has 1,477 seats.
More venue space is definitely needed in Collier, Heitmann says. Many venues sell out quickly, including Artis-Naples and Gulfshore Playhouse.
"If we’re already selling out with these venues, then there's room for more variety …" Heitmann said. "I think it'll be a benefit to the city, and I think that it will be a benefit to the county."
Heitmann says she looks forward to seeing shows at Theater in the Garden. She's already an opera fan – and apparently a lot of other people are, too. That's something she's learned from all the phone calls she's received since the project was announced.
"It's bringing a spark to people that I didn't even know enjoyed the opera," she said. "And we need to introduce our next generation to opera. Opera is storytelling, and I think it's really important."
Luciano Pavarotti's dream, coming soon to Naples
Nicoletta Pavarotti visited Naples for the first time last week, but she's already planning to return for several upcoming events. She said she's excited to build a new arts facility in her late husband's name – especially one that will help spread the joy of opera through free concerts in its outdoor area and amphitheater.
"I was told that in Naples, there was the need for a real opera theater," Pavarotti said. "And to do it with Luciano is something really dear to my heart. Because the dream of Luciano was to bring opera to everyone. …
"If this big dream becomes a reality, I think Luciano would have been very happy. Or would be, because we think he's still with us in a way."
For more information on the project, visit theaterinthegarden.com.
— Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him at crunnells@gannett.com. Follow or message him on social media: Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Pavarotti Foundation part of Naples' Theater in the Garden plan
