Every Penny Helps
Getting Venice Theatre Back in Full Swing
By Jim and Donna Boldt, Don’t Touch That Dial! Sponsors
If not for frost at Crystal River, we might never have landed in Venice. Donna’s grandparents moved here from Crystal River when it frosted around Easter. Her grandmother would have none of that, so they moved south in 1971. We were introduced by Donna’s dad at a business convention, married, and became property owners here in 2010. In 2018, we moved to Venice to become full-time residents.
Our family has attended Venice Theatre plays and musicals for decades. We see the theatre as a total community asset. It brings folks of all ages together for a common love. We like to sponsor shows, attend shows, and talk about the theatre every chance we get. It costs money to produce these shows. We loved last year’s Don’t Touch That Dial! production, so we decided to sponsor it this year. Every penny helps. We want our VT back in full swing.
When Ian ripped apart our beloved theatre, we were heartbroken, so we put some money towards the rebuild. Without Venice Theatre, the City of Venice would be sad…just another cute town. We gifted $1,000,000 to the theatre to jumpstart the funding. The Technical Arts Center, where sets and props are designed, constructed, painted, and stored, was nicknamed the TAC. We are very crafty and love the thought of sets being made there.
We wanted our grandkids and generations to come to know that we supported VT. Now it’s called The Boldt. We think that’s a great play on words. [Venice Theatre gratefully named its Boldt Technical Arts Center for the Boldt family.] If everyone gave something, we would be back in business. To have your name forever in the theatre, that’s a legacy.
As cooler weather returns, Venice Theatre will too, in the form of seats, lighting, sound, curtains, and the $1,000,000 Orchestra Room in the restored Jervey Theatre. Help us “Fill the Theatre” and reach $5,000,000 to close the gap and open on time in mid-2026.
As a reminder, here are some ways you may help us “Fill the Theatre”:
- Recurring monthly gift online at venicetheatre.org/donate.
- Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs at 73 years old) and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs at 70.5 years old) from your retirement account(s)
- Gift of appreciated stock
- A check and drop it in the mail to Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave W., 34285
