Brownies And Bubbly At Stageworks Groundbreaking

Stageworks will celebrate the beginning of the build out for their new theater on Wed, Jan. 27, at 4 p.m. Attendees can join Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and Ken Stoltenberg, developer of Grand Central at Kennedy, for the groundbreaking while enjoying brownies and bubbly.

"This is the year for Stageworks!" says Andrea Graham, president of Stageworks board of directors.

The donated theater space is inside Grand Central, located on the corner of E. Kennedy Boulevard and 11th Street. The 8,000-square-foot space will seat 99 and include the theater, backstage dressing rooms and lobby area on the first floor, with administrative offices and rooms for Stageworks' outreach program for at-risk children, on the second floor.

"This will be a milestone not only for Stageworks but for the downtown area," Graham says. "The new theater will show the role that the arts can play in economic development."

Once the space is completed, Stageworks will expand theater programming and provide camps and workshops for the development of new work. An added feature will be a space for art in the theater's lobby gallery.

A street party will follow the groundbreaking ceremony at 5 p.m., and a special discount for attendees will be offered at Zelda's. The event is open to the public. Graham advises attendees to wear "dirt-ready'' shoes. To RSVP, e-mail: [email protected] or call Graham at 813-784-6832 for more information or to get involved with Stageworks.

Writer: Nancy Vaughn
Source: Andrea Graham, Stageworks