Bill Hirschman of Florida Theater On Stage reports on new developments on the Coconut Grove Playhouse Revival which would include a partnership between FIU and Gable Stage.
The Miami-Dade County Commission faces a decision Tuesday that could make or break the resurrection of the historic Coconut Grove Playhouse as deadlines close in.
With discussions still underway on deal-killing debts, the commission will consider in its last meeting of the year whether to authorize the mayor to incur no more than $120,000 of expenses to seal outstanding deals before a Jan. 15 drop dead date, an agenda shows.
Jan. 15 is the deadline set by the current Playhouse owner – the state of Florida – for the title to be cleared of all encumbrances. If that occurs, the state would enter a 50-year renewable lease with the county. If not, the state can put the property on the auction block where commercial developers could bid on the sought-after property in the Grove business district.
The county wants to join with Florida International University and GableStage to create a professional theater and educational complex at the site. The nationally-renowned Playhouse’s non-profit board of directors shuttered the building in the spring of 2006 during its 50th season amid a mountain of debts.
Read the rest HERE.
Connect with FIU Theatre!
Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | YouTube
theatre.fiu.edu | Tickets & event info: wpac.fiu.edu
