Ruth Eckerd Hall Announces Zev Buffman Contract Extension

Ruth Eckerd Hall's Board of Directors announced today that Zev Buffman, President and CEO of Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc. has received a contract extension through January 1, 2019, extending his term to 7 years. The vote by the board was unanimous.

Upon joining Ruth Eckerd Hall in January 2012, Buffman announced several priorities for Ruth Eckerd Hall, including the 'near death' renovations of the Capitol Theatre, Ruth Eckerd Hall and the Murray Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall, bringing street festivals and concerts to downtown Clearwater and introducing several innovative classes and programs for students to further their career in the entertainment field.

What happened next?

• In partnership with the City of Clearwater, the Capitol Theatre closed in March 2013 and using Buffman "warp speed", was redesigned, added two adjacent 100 year-old buildings and reopened in December of the same year after undergoing a $10.7 million renovation that included:
  • Expanding the theatre's seating from 450 to 725 with brand new seats
  • Upgraded the fill rigging, lights and sound systems with state-of-the-art technology
  • Creating a larger lobby, VIP member lounge, wrap-around balcony and roof-top terrace.

In 2015, the Capitol Theatre was named the #5 venue in the world by industry trade publication Venues Today.

In 2016, industry trade publication Pollstar named the Capitol Theatre the #42 club venue in the world and within that same ranking, the only Florida venue in the Top 50. To date, the theatre has presented more than 375 performances and is the catalyst to the development of downtown Clearwater. The average attendance is 80%.

• In March 2014, the Murray (old and ever useless)Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall began and completed a $1.5 million dollar renovation which included:
  • A new ticket office, lobby and bar area
  • A variety of seven new and available seating configurations
  • State-of-the-art upgrades in lighting and sound.

The all-new Murray Theatre offers affordable, accessible, high-quality experiences to audiences of all ages. The number of performance and dinner with show activities reached 70 percent of all available dates in year one.

• Arts education programs at The Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts were expanded to include:
  • The GRAMMY Museum's Music Revolution Project. This tuition-free, four-week program developed in 2012, offers 22 talented youth, ranging in age from 14 to 19 years and from across the Tampa Bay region, the chance to engage in musical workshops, songwriting courses, mentoring sessions and record original material that they've written.
  • Students from the inaugural year of this program have begun the incredible journey of performing live for audiences in the Tampa Bay area and across the country including The Ries Brothers and 18 year-old, singer-songwriter, Ella Jet a participant of the program in 2014.
  • In 2013 an outreach program began with one Pinellas County school offering drama classes to students at no cost to the school or participating children.

• The next phase of renovation at Ruth Eckerd Hall included:
  • The recently completed total recreation of the 350 capacity Margarete Heye Great Room. The aesthetically pleasing décor includes new paint, carpets, floors and bar area, plus upgraded lights, sound and seating.
  • Extensive kitchen renovation with a new walk-in refrigerator with attached walk-in freezer, new epoxy flooring throughout the entire kitchen, a new dishwasher with FRP covered wall, four new ovens, a new tilt skillet, a new range, a new grill, new cold and hot boxes and a new wall to block noise from the entryway of the kitchen. The number of dinners and lunches served at Ruth Eckerd Hall has quadrupled in the last 3 years, now generating 300 events a year.

What's next?

The Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts:

• Continues to offer a wide variety of arts education to children of all ages
• Has recently expanded Arts in Motion & Teaching. The Teaching Without Borders is an innovative outreach program that provides arts education and technical theatre classes to students in Pinellas County schools at no cost.
• The overwhelming success of the GRAMMY Museum's Music Revolution Project for the past five years has launched GRAMMY KIDS, a pilot program in two Pinellas County schools, giving younger students from the age of 8 to 13, the same opportunity the learn a musical instrument and songwriting techniques we offer to their "elders".- the teen agers

• The next phase of renovation at Ruth Eckerd Hall included:
  • The recently completed total recreation of the 350 capacity Margarete Heye Great Room. The aesthetically pleasing décor includes new paint, carpets, floors and bar area, plus upgraded lights, sound and seating.
  • Extensive kitchen renovation with a new walk-in refrigerator with attached walk-in freezer, new epoxy flooring throughout the entire kitchen, a new dishwasher with FRP covered wall, four new ovens, a new tilt skillet, a new range, a new grill, new cold and hot boxes and a new wall to block noise from the entryway of the kitchen. The number of dinners and lunches served at Ruth Eckerd Hall has quadrupled in the last 3 years, now generating 300 events a year.

Yet to come will be:

• The expansion of the West Lobby itself, which will include a brand new Cabaret Theatre stage and dining area. Students of the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts will perform on this stage prior to the main stage performances.

• The Cabaret seating area will enable up to 250 guests to drink, dine and be entertained. It will extend their Ruth Eckerd Hall Experience and enable guests to arrive early for an ideal "one Stop Shop" .

• The amazing growth of Ruth Eckerd Hall memberships justified the enlarging the members lounge into a split level all glass space.

• The 33 year-old orchestra shell will be completely replaced by the latest version and continue to preserve the amazing acoustics of the Hall,

• New sound equipment, floors, painting, along with upgrades in the West and East Galleries.

Future plans call for the conversion of the entire 37-acre Ruth Eckerd Hall property into a full art park, which will include a sculpture garden, a new lake-front restaurant, chalk arts, fine arts and music kiosks. Tours of the art park and the new indoor facility will be offered daily.

Recently, Buffman shared proposed plans to the City of Clearwater to increase public usage of the landmark Coachman Park waterfront and marina. In partnership with the city, he proposed for building a new band shell / pavilion that should include:

• Comfortable seating capacity for 5,000, VIP seats, boxes and reserved seats under a stunning fabric roof plus additional lawn seating for a total planned capacity of 8,500
• Adding state-of-the art video and sound systems for lawn guests as well as for the unique boaters anchored in the marina directly next to the park.
• In addition to hosting concerts by dynamic artists and attractions for all ages, the park will also host multiple youth and athletic events including Olympic style opening and closing ceremonies for the numerous visiting young athletes and their families
• County wide graduations, as well as host the dozens of hotels nearby for mega conventions and meetings that require performance space of thousands rather than 800 people currently the largest existing ballroom space in Clearwater Beach.

Buffman has produced more than 40 Broadway shows and 100 National Tours. His many Broadway hits include Andrew Lloyd Weber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for its first run on Broadway. He also introduced Elizabeth Taylor in her Broadway debut of The Little Foxes, Dustin Hoffman in Jimmy Shine, Angela Lansbury in Blyth Spirit (winning her a fifth Tony Award) and the official Broadway revivals of OKLAHOMA!, West Side Story, Brigadoon and Peter Pan.

Buffman has earned 29 Tony Award nominations and won the New York Drama Critics' award for Best Musical Producer. He has also served as President and CEO for many first-class performing arts centers including seven in Florida alone. Beyond performing arts, Buffman co-founded and became the first General Partner of the NBA's World Champion Miami Heat.

Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, owned by the City of Clearwater, manages and operates 2,200-seat Ruth Eckerd Hall, the 200-seat Murray Theatre, the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts, the 750-seat Capitol Theatre and Ruth Eckerd Hall On The Road. Our mission is: Changing lives through the performing arts.

Ruth Eckerd Hall was named #10 theater venue in the world and within that same ranking #6 in the United States, by industry trade publication Pollstar in 2016. Designed by the prestigious Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Ruth Eckerd Hall is known for its fantastic sightlines and near-perfect acoustics.

The Capitol Theatre, located in downtown Clearwater's Cleveland Street District, was constructed in 1921 and is one of Florida's oldest operating theaters. In 2016, industry trade publication Pollstar named the Capitol Theatre the #42 club venue in the world and within that same ranking, the only Florida venue in the Top 50. In 2013, the theater underwent a complete $10 million renovation and is the catalyst for downtown development.

The Murray Theatre, located at Ruth Eckerd Hall, originally opened in 2003 as part of an education expansion of the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts. Through the generous support of Ray and Nancy Murray, a state grant and Capital Campaign donors, a $1.5 million renovation was completed, which includes state-of-the-art lighting and sound and a one-of-a-kind hand-painted mural depicting music, theater and dance. The Murray Theatre offers affordable, accessible, high-quality experiences to audiences of all ages.

The Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts is one of the largest providers of arts education and outreach in the nation. Reaching more than 35,000 students annually and providing over 80,000 hours of high-caliber arts experiences with programs encompassing three distinct arts education divisions: presenting, community engagement and outreach and instruction in jazz, dance, drama, instrumental music, musical theater, voice and technical theater. Each division reaches students of all ages and abilities on the Ruth Eckerd Hall campus and off-site in local schools, hospitals, community centers, specialty residences and other arts centers throughout the Tampa Bay area and the State of Florida.

Ruth Eckerd Hall On The Road books and produces a number of off-site events including Friends of Music Member Appreciation Concerts, Blast Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays Summer Concert Series, the Clearwater Jazz Holiday and events in other partner venues including the Palladium, the Tampa Theatre and the Amalie Arena. In 2016, industry trade publication Pollstar named Ruth Eckerd Hall On The Road #34 in the world and #19 in the United States of concert promoters.

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