The performing arts scene in Tampa Bay continues to evolve into something bigger, better and more influential each year. But tectonic shifts don't happen without incremental changes, good, bad and otherwise. • This year brought big infusions of cash, hungry audiences and leadership mix-ups that will ripple into 2015 and beyond. Here are 10 of the most noteworthy moments in Tampa Bay's performing arts scene this year. — Stephanie Hayes, Times Performing Arts Critic
The Florida Orchestra finds a match
When former Florida Orchestra conductor Stefan Sanderling left his post in 2012, it sent the orchestra into an unexpected search for a replacement. Hiring a music director is not done through a typical job interview, but rather a long-term dance in which guest conductors visit and test chemistry with musicians. Orchestra leaders found a spark much earlier than they expected, and over the summer extended the offer to British conductor Michael Francis, 38, who leads the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden. He begins his three-year contract with the orchestra in 2015.
Arts groups catch a windfall
In an election year, causes close to voters' hearts tend to fare better than usual. This year was no exception when Gov. Rick Scott approved $53.6 million in grants for Florida arts and culture organizations. The June infusion was the biggest state boon for the arts in more than a decade, with more than $5 million being spread across organizations in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, everywhere from the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts to American Stage Theatre Company in St. Petersburg to Bits 'N Pieces Puppet Theatre in Dover.
'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' … again … and again …
Freefall Theatre in St. Petersburg is known for taking innovative approaches to shows, occasionally immersing the audience right into the action. Artistic director Eric Davis took this track in August with his production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the stage adaptation of Ken Kesey's tale of life in a mental institution. Guests sat among Chief Bromden and Randle McMurphy, and the results were so unsettling and enticing that Freefall extended the run, selling out show after show with would-be ticket holders sitting on a waiting list through mid September.
Jobsite Theater gets national cred
Just like running for office, sometimes getting close to a win is half the battle for next time. Jobsite Theater, the resident theater company of the Straz Center in Tampa, got a taste of national notoriety when it was one of 40 finalists to be named a 2014 American Theatre Wing National Theatre Company (the organization that created and distributes the Tony Awards). Jobsite didn't make the cut for the final prize, but becoming a finalist for this prestigious $10,000 grant proved the company is on the way up.
Tampa Bay Theatre Festival is born
While attending the Gasparilla Film Festival, Rory Lawrence wondered why Tampa Bay didn't have a similar event for the live theater. The Tampa actor and producer participated in festivals in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta to figure out how they worked, and in August hosted the first ever Tampa Bay Theatre Festival. The weekend included original plays, parties, competitions and workshops led by talents including Tasha Smith, star of Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? All signs point to the festival becoming an annual event, so it's one to watch.
Ruth Eckerd Hall gets in shape
Ruth Eckerd Hall always draws in big tours, but it also needed a proper place for smaller shows. In November, construction started on the new Murray Studio Theater, a small space named for late donor Ray Murray and his wife, Nancy. Ruth Eckerd CEO Zev Buffman said the plan is for small acts to cycle in and out of the 150-seat space, and for Hat Trick Theatre to take up a permanent residence. The Murray is phase two of a three-part plan Buffman calls the Ruth Eckerd Hall Experience, which includes the finished renovation of the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater and forthcoming work on Ruth Eckerd's lobby and a cabaret theater.
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Explore all your optionsAmerican Stage starts a new chapter
Tampa Bay's largest and oldest producing theater company is in the hunt for a new head honcho after the May departure of Todd Olson. Olson, now executive director of the Columbia Festival of the Arts in Maryland, had led American Stage for 11 years, raising its profile and overseeing the company's transition into a new state-of-the-art theater space in downtown St. Petersburg. American Stage's director of education, Meg Heimstead, took over as interim artistic director when Olson left, but has said she has no plans to do the job permanently. The national hunt is on for someone with both artistic vision and business know-how.
'Disenchanted' bites the Big Apple
It's always heartening to see local talents make it to bigger platforms. Count the stars of Disenchanted among them. The musical comedy cabaret detailing the fractured epilogues of Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas, the Little Mermaid and more had a successful run at the Straz Center in the spring before getting picked up off-Broadway in New York. Several Tampa Bay and Orlando performers made the cast for Disenchanted's run through January at the Theatre at St. Clement's, including actors Alison Burns, Lulu Picart, Michelle Knight and music director Michael Raabe.
A decade of art for Studio@620
In June, the Studio@620 celebrated 10 years as St. Petersburg's premiere venue for, well, anyone and anything. The nonprofit enterprise is led by Bob Devin Jones, known for saying yes to young and untested performers and artists when all others say no. In 2004, Jones and Dave Ellis founded the space as a place for the community to have discourse and heal. Since then it has hosted everyone from the Dundu Dole Urban African Ballet to Yevgeny Yevtushenko to John Hope Franklin, plus countless unknown names. It was even the birthplace of Freefall Theatre.
'Jesus Christ Superstar' supreme fail
They can't all be winners. After a massive public relations campaign, buzz was high for a touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar, set to hit Tampa's Amalie Arena in June. It promised a strange mashup of celebrities, including JC Chasez from 'N Sync, Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child, Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols (all pictured) and Brandon Boyd from Incubus. But it all fell apart when the entire tour was canceled at the last minute, reportedly due to low ticket sales. Maybe it was an important reminder for the hardworking local theaters here operating on shoestrings and still drawing in crowds. All the money in the world can't buy a hit.
Contact Stephanie Hayes at shayes@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8716. Follow @stephhayes.