The Players Receives $10,000 Inaugural Gift From Lakewood Ranch Community Fund

The Players Centre for Performing Arts has recently received the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund's inaugural "Signature Grant" of $10,000 toward its exciting new "Theatre in the Field" program - a unique and immersive outdoor theatre experience. The first Theatre in the Field production is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow premiering October 27 and 28, 2017 on the grounds of the Sarasota Polo Club.

"We are thrilled and honored that the board of the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund has stepped forward to support our programming in The Ranch," said Michelle Bianchi, Managing Director/CEO of The Players Centre for Performing Arts. "We may not have bricks and mortar yet at our new location in Waterside Place at Lakewood Ranch, but that's not stopping us from bringing live theatre to the community."

Last year, The Players Centre for Performing Arts announced its plans to relocate from downtown Sarasota to the Waterside Village of Lakewood Ranch. The current theatre site, located in downtown Sarasota, is for sale and a $30 million capital campaign to build the multi-theatre complex is currently underway. The new theatre will feature a 480-seat main stage auditorium with balcony seating, a 125-seat black box theatre, a 100-seat cabaret theatre with dining, and will house the main campus of The Arnold Simonsen Players Studio, the education arm of The Players.

"We are excited about creating relationships with our new neighbors and we aren't waiting for our new theatre to be built to start creating art," said Jeffery Kin, Artistic Director for The Players Centre. "We are working now to create the foundation for many theatrical experiences to come, from our STAR (Storytelling Theatre At the Ranch) reading program to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and two more events in Lakewood Ranch that are still in the works. It's amazing how our theatrical family is growing so rapidly. Thank you Lakewood Ranch Community Fund for making dreams become reality."

The Lakewood Ranch Community Fund was established in 2000 as a donor-advised fund under the umbrella of the Manatee Community Foundation. The fund was developed to serve the people and interests of the Lakewood Ranch community and allow donor-allocated funds to stay in our region, serving a variety of charitable interests, from health and human services to arts and culture.

"The Lakewood Ranch Community Fund is proud and thankful to be a part of the support of The Players Centre's relocation to the Lakewood Ranch community, a move that will enrich this community with an outstanding cultural venue for all to learn and enjoy," said Christopher Romine, current President of the Fund.

The Players Centre for Performing Arts has been the creative home of Sarasota's theatre artists since 1930. It continues to provide a unique and diverse, volunteer-driven theatrical experience for the area's exceptional volunteer actors to join with professional directors and design teams to share their talents with the local community and with visitors drawn to the area by the city's artistic climate.

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