“We just came from City Council with great news!” shares Kristofer Geddie. “Venice City Council just approved a $125,000 matching gift for Venice Theatre.”
The City of Venice has a long-standing working relationship with organizations, such as VABI, Venice MainStreet, and now the theatre, that provide support to the City’s core service delivery profile. Venice Theatre holds a special place in the community that has fostered it, and which it continues to foster every day. A local business enterprise with extraordinary local support and a successful business model, it stands alone in the magnitude of its impact, matching our community’s growth nearly stride for stride over the decades. As the City benefits from the taxing value of the theatre’s success, it also considers the theatre a major economic driver of its acclaimed downtown area, supporting restaurants and shops and all manner of tourist businesses and their families. And it has a massive cultural effect. Like Venice Area Beautification, Inc., it enhances the soul of the city by bringing the heart of the arts of Sarasota County within walking distance to thousands of Venetians, their neighbors, and guests. Like Venice MainStreet, it promotes the City of Venice on a local, statewide, and national scale, drawing 85,000 patrons yearly in the 2019–2020 season, and now with 28 percent first-time patrons in its reduced capacity. Venice Theatre contributes services germane to the City’s mission and business plan.
Phase II of the Jervey Theatre restoration has been funded and soon U.S. Steel will appear in VT’s lumberyard. Join the City of Venice’s Match and play your part by donating any amount. Give $7,500 and name a seat for your Valentine. You will help to ensure that our 432 seats, as well as lighting, sound, curtains, and all the finishing touches, complete Phase III.