It’s a Sunday afternoon at St. Petersburg City Theatre and the lobby has filled with audience and cast members following the matinee production of “Little Women, The Broadway Musical.’’ Family and friends congratulate the actors, present bouquets and snap pictures.
Similar scenes have played out for decades – 10 decades, in fact. The theater, at 4025 31st Street S., celebrates its 100th anniversary next spring.
“I love absolutely everything about it,’’ says Sofi Rosales, 18, who plays Jo, the lead character in the teen production of the play. “I love that we have this bright and
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St. Petersburg City TheatreSofi Rosales started at City Theatre in kids productions at age 7. This fall, she starts in the theater program at Boston University.colorful and communal place where we can all congregate.’’
Rosales started at the theater at age 7 in the kids’ productions. This fall, she starts in the theater program at Boston University.
The play’s director and volunteer board chairwoman, Stefanie Lehmann, started at St. Petersburg City Theatre at age 13. She was drawn to stage management and directing and liked the business side of the arts as well. Lehmann says long volunteer hours at City Theatre helped her get a full scholarship in theater management at Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga. She went on to earn master’s degrees in art administration and business administration at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
She is now the associate general manager of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York.
“It’s all because it started here and it set me on a trajectory,” Lehmann says. “At 13, when I auditioned, I would have never known that it would open a door that went to another door and another door that would lead to a career that pays the bills.”
Because of the pandemic, she was able to work from home. She continues working remotely, flying up several times a year for “the big stuff.’’
“Thankfully it has allowed me to come back here,” Lehmann says. “And I spend my nights in theater here and my days in theater in New York.’’
Lehmann appreciates that City Theatre has never closed its doors.
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St. Petersburg City TheatreStefanie Lehmann (right) joined St. Petersburg City Theatre at age 13 and went on to a successful career in theater.
“We’ve been continuously operating through the pandemic, through world war, through financial depressions,” she says. “We found a way to keep going.’’
The theater features kids and teen theater programs and Mainstage, with adult actors. Mainstage productions coming up this fall and next spring are “Play On!” “White Christmas,’’ “Pride and Prejudice” and “Sister Act.’’
Rich history
It all began in 1925 as the Sunshine Players, a play-reading group formed by 20 members of the St. Petersburg Women’s Club, according to a history compiled by theater member volunteers.
A few years later, the group had grown to 50 members and changed its name to the Players Club. The players rehearsed in the garage at Tomlinson School and put on one or two-night performances at Mirror Lake Junior High. Each member sold 35-cent tickets to the group’s two or three-show season.
It became St Petersburg Little Theatre in 1933, its creed stating it exists “to afford every individual who really desires it, the opportunity for self expression in the arts of the theatre — without thought of payment.”
The theater was incorporated as a non-profit in 1937. It eventually acquired a large building at 19
th Street and Second Avenue North. Trade unions donated their work building restrooms and a stage and adding footlights. It opened its first production in the building in June 1942.
“During the war, people stationed on site would come in when they just needed a break from the Army and wanted to do a little acting on the stage,” Lehmann says. “And they would be in their fatigues and then go back out and be sent to who knows where.’’
“That was the time where the gas rations wouldn’t allow people to drive their cars in town to see shows, and they thought they’d have to cancel the show,” she adds. “They had a sold-out audience. People found a way, riding the buses or even on their bikes or whatever they did, to fill the house.’’
In 1957, the current theater was built on 3.2 acres of land. The sale of 4 percent debenture bonds to members and friends raised $60,000 toward the new home. They took out a mortgage for the remaining $40,000 it cost to build the theater. “Teahouse of the August Moon,’’ the first play there, opened on Sept. 1, 1958.
Becoming St. Petersburg City Theatre
“The name St.Petersburg City Theatre was adopted in 2011 as the ‘Little Theatre movement’ was mostly no longer a movement in the public’s awareness,’’ according to the history.
The theater has one paid employee, who runs the youth programs. All the rest are volunteers.
“I love the history,’’ says Lisa Marone, the City Theatre vice president who oversees community outreach. “I’m from Annapolis, Md., so I tell people that anything that was established in 1925 here in Florida is like 1825 to me up there.’’
She’s not surprised that it has lasted 100 years.
“It offers a creative outlet and a really supportive place to land for people that aren’t finding their strengths anywhere else,” Marone says. “And they can come and express themselves and be supported and creative and have fun and laugh, lots of laughing.’’
Marone became a theater volunteer seven years ago, after her daughter auditioned for “Elf Jr.’’
“The experience was just great, and one of the things I remember her saying was, ‘They don’t treat you like a kid,’” Marone remembers. “Now, she was 10. I loved that.’’
Her daughter wanted the lead in the play. When she didn’t get it, she cried.
“It was an amazing learning lesson,’’ Marone says. “But the friendship and the support that rallied around her – I get choked up about it now – it was just beautiful. The kids went, ‘It’s okay. You’re going to be great.’ From that experience, for her, it didn’t matter after that if she got a lead or was in an ensemble. She was a part of the group. It’s really special.’’
An educational theater
City Theatre gets most of its funding through tuition for its youth programs, Marone says.
“We pride ourselves on being known as an educational theater,’’ she says.
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St. Petersburg City TheatreLisa Marone, a vice president at St. Petersburg City TheatreThe theater offers acting and stage management classes that culminate in performances. There are also four two-week acting camps during the summer. Ticket sales and donations from members and the community also help, Marone says.
“Grant money is great, and we’ve gotten some key grants from former board members that have been grant writers, but we don’t have somebody on staff to be able to do that,’’ she says.
She says the theater was in financial trouble in 2017 and volunteers feared it would close. But donations from members and the community saved it.
“As we uncovered a lot of the materials from over the years, different notes from board meetings and things like that, we found that they went through cyclical challenges as we were approaching 2017, and the theater was going to close,’’ Marone says. “It was comforting to know that those before us had gone through the same thing, so we could come out of it, which we have.’’
For more information and tickets, go to St Petersburg City Theatre