Galleria
Ruth Eckerd Hall in a partnership with the
City of Clearwater.
Eight O’Clock Theatre,
105 Central Park Drive, Largo,
(727) 587-6793. The award-winning Eight
O’Clock Theatre continues its long history
of presenting high-caliber entertainment
in the Central Park Performing Arts
Center. They honor the tradition of
combining top-notch performers with
state-of-the-art lighting, sound, sets and
performances. All their shows offer a
glimpse of the talent we are fortunate to
have here in the Tampa Bay area.
Francis Wilson Playhouse,
302 Seminole St., Clearwater,
(727) 446-1360. This quality community
theater has been in operation since 1930.
Each season, the 182-seat theater presents
a new show every month. The venue is
available for a nominal fee to nonprofit
organizations that wish to enjoy a
performance exclusively for their group,
while fundraising through the sale of
tickets to the play.
freeFall Theatre Company,
6099 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg,
(727) 498-5205. Since opening in January
2011, freeFall Theatre has quickly become
one of the most acclaimed and awardwinning
theater companies in Tampa Bay.
The mission of freeFall Theatre is to pursue
art’s greater purposes and the transformative
power of theater – as a builder of
community, a source of upliftment, and a
builder of cultural legacy. They present a
varied range of classical and new works that
are bold, daring, and diverse.
The Palladium at St. Petersburg College,
253 5th Ave N., St. Petersburg,
(727) 822-3590. Built in 1925 and on the
National Register of Historic places, the
award-winning Palladium Theater is a
performing arts center offering two stages
– Hough Hall, an acoustically perfect 850-
seat concert hall, and Side Door, the 175-seat
nightclub. The Palladium presents diverse
performances from internationally known
artists to emerging talent (blues, jazz, dance,
opera, rock, chamber, comedy and more). It
is located four blocks from the waterfront in
downtown St. Petersburg. Parking is free.
Ruth Eckerd Hall,
1111 McMullen Booth Rd., Clearwater,
Box office (727) 791-7400; Business
office (727) 791-7060. The hall hosts
The Florida Orchestra and national and
international artists and performances,
including Broadway, classical, dance, pop,
comedy and affordable family theater.
The Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts
Institute offers classes in the visual and
performing arts for students of all ages.
Sarasota Opera,
61 Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, (941) 366-8450.
Opera lovers appreciate this beautiful
opera house and the first-class
performances of its company. English
translations are projected above the stage.
Stageworks Theatre,
1120 E. Kennedy Blvd., Grand Central at
Kennedy, Ground Floor West Building,
Tampa, (813) 251-8984. This theater’s
mission is “to provide the highest quality
professional theater, which respects, ignites
and celebrates the human spirit while
challenging the thresholds of intolerance and
insensitivity.”
St. Petersburg Opera Company,
2145 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg,
(727) 823-2040. Under the leadership of
Artistic and Executive Director Maestro
Mark Sforzini, the St. Petersburg Opera
Company brings fully staged professional
opera productions to our community with
live orchestra, grand opera, Broadway
shows, holiday programs and more.
Straz Center for the Performing Arts,
1010 N. MacInnes Pl., Tampa,
(813) 229-STAR (7827). The Center hosts
The Florida Orchestra and the Tampa Bay
Broadway Series, as well as many other
theatrical and dance productions in its four
outstanding performance spaces. 9
MARCH/APRIL 2021 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 133