The Straz Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts venue in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States. It opened in 1987 as the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and was renamed in 2009. The Straz Center is located downtown on a site along the east bank of the Hillsborough River. As the second largest performing arts complex in the Southeastern United States (behind the

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts The Arsht Center is a performing arts center located in Miami, Florida. It is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The center was partly built on the site of a former Sears department store; an Art Deco building const ...

), the venue provides an environment for a variety of events. It has a leading Broadway series and produces grand opera, as well as presenting a variety of concerts, performances and events. The center estimates that it has a statewide economic impact of $100 million annually, generates 100,000 hotel room nights a year, and has 110 full-time and 250 part-time employees. Attendance runs on average 600,000 guests per year. In 2009, the Straz Center officially began a new program entitled the "Broadway Genesis Project," which presents premieres of musicals and

plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

that might move to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. In 2018 the Straz Center went under an extensive multi-million dollar renovation that included new wood floors on the stages, new cooler LED lighting, and improved dressing rooms for performers. Judith Lisi was the chief executive officer for 30 years through September 2022. Starting October 1st, 2022, The New CEO is Greg Holland.

Venues and facilities

The performing arts complex consists of five distinct theaters, a rehearsal hall, retail shops, on-site restaurants and banquet facilities. The five individual theaters are Carol Morsani Hall (2,600+ seats), Ferguson Hall (1,042 seats), the Jaeb Theater (292 seats), the TECO Energy Foundation Theater (250 seats and the Shimberg Playhouse (130 seats). With the Patel Conservatory, the Straz Center has added for its extensive education programs. The Conservatory features 20 studios, including two dance studios with

sprung floor A sprung floor is a floor that absorbs shocks, giving it a softer feel. Such floors are considered the best kind for dance and indoor sports and physical education, and can enhance performance and greatly reduce injuries. Modern sprung floors are ...

s, a sound/lighting laboratory,

technical theater Stagecraft is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing and rigging scenery; hanging and focusing of lighting; design and procurement of costumes; make-up; stage management; audio engineering; and p ...

workshop, rehearsal hall,

costume shop A costume shop is a space where costumes for theatrical or film productions are designed, built, and stored for the company or production. Costume designers, builders, seamstresses, and stitchers work in costume shops. The shops themselves can v ...

, isolation/sound booth, black box theater and media arts/TV studio. During 2007/2008 the Conservatory served nearly 60,000 students with 2,948 classes, workshops and performances. In 2017, the Conservatory delivers outreach arts education services to 45 partnering schools and agencies in four counties.

Carol Morsani Hall

The centerpiece of the complex which seats over 2,600. The hall's proscenium is high with a playing depth of and a total stage width of . When combined with an 11-story high backstage area, the enormous Carol Morsani Hall onstage and backstage areas easily accommodate major productions of Broadway musicals, presentations by

Opera Tampa Opera Tampa is an American opera company located in Tampa, Florida, where it is resident company at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. History Opera Tampa debuted in 1996 with its first production, ''Madama Butterfly''. Since then, the co ...

, ballets and multi-genre concerts. A 42-ton concert wall can be lowered for the orchestra and choral performances. The traditional horseshoe-shaped auditorium has continental seating on four levels: orchestra, mezzanine, balcony and gallery. Excellent

sightline In architecture, sightlines are a particularly important consideration in the design of civic structures, such as a stage, arena, or monument. They determine the configuration of such items as theater and stadium design, road junction layout ...

s combine with acoustics.

Ferguson Hall

Suited for plays, pop concerts and dance events, with a wide by high proscenium, a total playing depth of and a total stage width of , plus

orchestra pit An orchestra pit is the area in a theater (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform. Orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music (such as opera and ballet) or in cases when incide ...

and concert wall.

Jaeb Theater

The 292-seat Robert and Lorena Jaeb Theater is named for the Jaebs, whose gift to the Capitol Fund Drive in 1985 helped establish the endowment fund for the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. The Jaeb Theater's stage is wide by deep. The audience area can be configured to stadium or cabaret seating for plays or cabaret shows, as well as recording sessions, television productions, seminars and business meetings.

TECO Energy Foundation Theater

The

TECO Energy TECO Energy Inc. is an energy-related holding company based in Tampa, Florida, and a subsidiary of Emera Incorporated. TECO Energy has several subsidiaries: Tampa Electric Company, which provides electricity to the Tampa Bay Area and parts of C ...

Foundation Theater dominates the west end of the first floor of the Patel Conservatory. The room is two stories of open space with glass walls and windows on two sides. Blackout curtains convert the rehearsal space into a performance space. There is no permanent stage and all furnishings are portable for flexibility.

Shimberg Playhouse

The 130-seat Hinks and Elaine Shimberg Playhouse is located between the Center Store and the Jaeb Theater.

Events, resident companies and constituents

Annual events include the Broadway Ball, Best of Tampa Bay, Eggstravaganza, and a facility-wide Open House in the fall. The venue also is the annual host of the

Broadway Theater Project The Broadway Theatre Project is an intensive training program held on the campus of the University of South Florida, USA, for high school and college-aged students who want to hone their skills in musical theatre. It was founded by the Tony Award w ...

and

International Thespian Society The International Thespian Society (ITS) is an honor society for high school and middle school theatre students. It is a division of the Educational Theatre Association. Thespian troupes serve students in grades 9–12; Junior Thespian troupes s ...

’s Florida State Thespian Festival. The center is the home to these resident companies: *

Jobsite Theater Jobsite Theater is an American professional theater company incorporated in 1999 and located in Tampa, Florida, United States. They are the resident theater company of the Straz Center for the Performing Arts (formerly Tampa Bay Performing Arts Ce ...

*Next Generation Ballet Straz Center has housed, and continues to house, a number of constituent organizations, including: *Patel Conservatory Youth Theater Company *Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet *Patel Conservatory Jazz Ensemble *Crescendo *The Florida Orchestra *GMI Music *Gulf Coast Youth Choirs *Heralds of Harmony *Lyric Opera Theatre * mad Theatre of Tampa (2014-2015 Best Community Theater Company from broadwayworld.com) *The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay *Spanish Lyric Theater *Tampa Bay Gay Men's Chorus *Tampa Bay Children's Chorus *Tampa Bay Symphony *Tampa Oratorio Singers *Toast of Tampa *University of South Florida, Department of Music

References

{{Authority control Theatres in Tampa, Florida National Performance Network Partners Performing arts centers in Florida Event venues established in 1987 Landmarks in Tampa, Florida Music of Tampa, Florida Music venues in Florida 1987 establishments in Florida Concert halls in Florida