Support for The Players – but is the Municipal Auditorium the right venue? | SEIDMAN SAYS

With so many of our neighbors trying to put their lives and homes back together in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Ian, the debate over whether future use and management of Sarasota’s Municipal Auditorium should go to The Players, The Bay, or both -- as I discussed in last week’s column -- hardly seems a priority.

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But the Sarasota City Commission is still scheduled to take up the issue this week and, judging from my mailbox, the commissioners could face a storm of a different nature.

I heard from about 200 residents who shared their opinions on whether the auditorium should: a) become the new home of the theater group; b) be managed by The Bay (as implied in the contract it signed with the city), or c) be shared, as the commission suggested in May when it sent the two groups to the bargaining table.

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By the numbers The Players was the local favorite, with residents championing the theater nonprofit over the public park by about 2 to 1. Those who support The Bay, however, were equally convinced of its greater benefit to the community. Less than a handful of people – four to be exact – felt like a shared arrangement was feasible and one person voted for “neither,” insisting the city should retain management.

Meanwhile, another citizen, who has clearly had enough of Sarasota’s tendency to bulldoze through obstacles – literally – resorted to cynicism. “Well, hell, simple solution,” said Kelly Barker. “It’s a historic landmark, so just tear it down like Sarasota does with everything else. Problem solved!”

Sarcasm aside, it’s evident there remains strong affection for and loyalty to Sarasota’s oldest performing arts organization – and a fervent desire to keep it downtown, despite the organization’s aborted threat of desertion to Lakewood Ranch.

“We favor giving it to The Players,” wrote Allan Kennedy and his wife, Isa Engleberg, in an email representative of many I received. “They have served local Sarasota well in the past and they deserve a new future.”

“While I am a big supporter of The Bay . . . I think this one belongs to The Players,” seconded Ritz Mazur. “I don’t think a shared arrangement will benefit either party.”

Supporters of The Bay, however, cited not only the city’s prior contractual commitment but the importance of keeping the venue an inclusive public space, not dominated by any one organization.

“I am on the side of The Bay,” wrote Steve Wooden. “Multiple uses for the auditorium should not be denied in favor of a single tenant.”

Added Kevin Spence:  “It seems to me The Bay contract should be honored and not just for legal reasons. . . .  From experience I can say that trying to let two venues function side by side, managed by two different parties, is not an easy task and is a recipe for long-term conflict.”

While a few people shared their one-word choice on the subject line of an otherwise empty email, most respondents provided enough context about their decision-making process to reveal their own degree of uncertainty, often questioning whether there were other alternatives and options that should be explored.

Experienced theater folks insisted it makes no sense to pump millions into a reconfiguration of the auditorium that would still be less than ideal for Players’ productions. A few insisted that money would be better spent on redeveloping the Payne Park auditorium, which the city has also offered to The Players. (Players’ board chair William Porter said the Payne Park auditorium is “too small” for the organization’s needs, but admitted only a cursory assessment had been done.)

Dozens want to know more about what plans the Sarasota Orchestra – which intends to build a new facility on Fruitville Road – has for its Holley Hall concert hall adjacent to The Bay; many feel its 400-seat capacity would ideally suit The Players’ needs. Still others suggested Holley Hall could become The Bay’s indoor venue.

Liz Hisey, who has been involved for years with the stamp exhibition held in the Municipal Auditorium, said little consideration is being given to events like hers that would be displaced, leaving them without comparable alternatives.

And almost everyone suggested the Van Wezel, which is eventually slated to be “repurposed” when a new performing arts center is built, should somehow figure into the equation – even if it is down the road.

Resentments, misconceptions and distrust also surfaced in comments by those who hold grudges on either side of the debate. Some said The Players – which sold their previous home across Tamiami Trail and then fell short of the funds needed to build in Lakewood Ranch – created their own dilemma by being “financially irresponsible” and now expect the city to “bail them out." Others accused The Bay of “a propensity to overreach” and declared that the Conservancy “has not been aboveboard” in its efforts to reach a compromise.

Sadly, my plea for resident input didn’t do much to clarify the picture for commissioners. As it stands, this is yet another city issue provoking conflict, ill will and division. So given that the Municipal Auditorium already has bookings for 2023 – and it will likely be at least a year before any of these scenarios could unfold – why not postpone this decision until other options have been fully explored?

Both The Players and The Bay enjoy healthy community support and neither organization’s good work should be undermined by an arbitrarily hasty decision.

Let’s take a deep breath and work toward a future plan that supports both organizations and utilizes all the potentially available spaces in the best way possible.

Contact Carrie Seidman at carrie.seidman@gmail.com or (505)-238-0392.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Debate over Sarasota's Municipal Auditorium draws passionate views