Bay Street Players Receives $10,000 from Sarah George Charitable Trust

Bay Street Players of Eustis has announced it has been awarded a grant from the Sarah George Charitable Trust. The grant of $10,000 was awarded to The Players to help with the ongoing campaign to raise the $35,000 needed to reroof the historic theatre.

The State Theatre, home of the Bay Street Players, has been an anchor to the downtown historic district of Eustis, Florida since it was built in 1922. It opened under the name The Eustis Theatre, as a vaudeville theatre and silent movie house. A Eustis Historical Landmark, it is also listed on the National Register as part of the Eustis Commercial Historical District, the State Theatre was designed by Alan J. McDonough, architect of many properties within the Eustis Historic District.

“Donations from some very generous patrons and a special Raise the Roof variety show have raised approximately $8,000. This award from the Sarah George Charitable Trust is truly a blessing,” says Bonnie Swanson Executive Director of Bay Street Players. “It gets us half way to our goal. We will be doing another comedy and musical evening, called Raise the Roof, Part II, on November 3. We expect that to give us another boost. Patrons who saw the last show enjoyed it so much asked for us to do more. It’s wonderful how the whole community is working together to give this grand 90 year old building a vital future.”

If you would like more information on donating to Bay Street Players please visit us online at www.baystreetplayers.org or call 352-357-7777. Bay Street Players is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations may be tax deductible.