Backstage Tour of the Manatee Performing Arts Center

The sisterhood of Temple Beth El in Bradenton hosted a backstage tour of the Manatee Performing Arts Center earlier this week. While I am not a member of the sisterhood or the temple in general, I was invited to tag along, and I'm so glad I got the invitation!

Janene Amick, CEO of the Florida Cultural Group, Inc. (of which the center is a part), led the tour, and she was amazing! She has been with the organization for nearly 20 years, and she knows her stuff. I learned so much during the tour that I feel like I know the ins and outs of this theater! Here are some interesting facts about the theater:

• The theater has a $2 million annual budget, which comes from ticket sales and donations. The budget covers things like contractors who help make the shows possible (people who build sets, work the tech/equipment, etc.), as well as the musicians (the orchestra pit can hold up to 30 people, but usually there are about six musicians for a show). But there are many volunteers who are very important to the shows: all of the actors are volunteers, as well as some carpenters ("Tool Timers") and costume makers ("Fabulous Fabricators"). They also have college and high school interns who help on a semesterly basis to learn more about the behind-the-scenes work of the theater, getting a true hands-on education.
• The building itself is almost completely made of concrete so that it can weather storms and hurricanes (built to last 100 years, she said!). And the orchestra pit I mentioned? It's built like a swimming pool; if the roof were to collapse, all of the water would run into the pit and be contained there. 
• There are two theaters within the building. The main one can hold 350 people (there are no bad seats!), and the other holds about 80 for a more intimate experience. In the smaller theater, they host a program called "Actions Through Acting," in which plays will focus on a particular issue. Examples include The Father, which looks at Alzheimer's (A woman in our group has a husband with the disease, and she burst into tears during this part of the presentation. We should have had a trigger warning!), Steel Magnolias focuses on diabetes, On Golden Pond is all about aging, and Death of a Salesman is about mental health. So for these shows, a representative from a local organization will talk about the respective issue, and theatergoers can ask questions and learn more. I thought the coolest one Janene talked about was how, when they were showing "Bark the Musical," the Manatee Humane Society discussed how they have a foster program for pets when their owners are in the hospital for a surgery and related recovery. That is such a cool idea! I really like how the theater is connecting live entertainment with the local community, and especially how this program provides education about the available resources for topics that would be particularly important for the older demographics of their viewers and the general area.
• The theater has several dressing rooms for the actors, including ADA-accessible ones on the first floor (which are also used as youth dressing rooms when needed). There's a laundry room for the clothes/costumes, and even showers (If an actor has just finished up with Cats, Shrek, or Wicked, that person probably wants to wash off ALL that make-up paint!). And of course there is a green room where actors get into character; I had never thought about it before, but it makes sense that dressing rooms are for physically becoming a character, while the green room is the space where actors mentally transform into their characters.
• Janene said the theater's mission it to "gather and educate." The theater rents out a lot of its space for other organizations to use. While we were there, there were scholars from Bradenton Bay High School taking class so that they could earn credits toward their high school diplomas. The Kiwanis Club was meeting in another room, too. Together, those two spaces actually make up one big ball room that can hold 300 people and has been rented out for wedding receptions, bar mitzvahs, etc. (There's even a full catering kitchen!) So this theater touches the local community in SO many ways!
• Another space to rent is the skybox, which can be rented for $1,200 and can hold 13 people. The rental includes dinner before the show, a separate open bar, and during intermission dessert and a meet-and-greet with one of the actors or the artistic director. What a fun idea for a special occasion!
• The theater offers a songwriting camp for professional songwriters, and they bring in FAMOUS speakers for master classes. Celebrities could include people like Michael McDonald from the Doobie Brothers, Sting, Smokey Robinson, and Randy Johnson (yes, the baseball player, but now he's a photographer, and some of his work focuses on the history of rock 'n' roll). 

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos I took while we were on the tour:

This is Janene on the calk-walk (which is ADA accessible, btw). She put the headset on for us, too!

They have THOUSANDS of costumes that range from military uniforms all the way to Renaissance wear. I felt like I was walking through the biggest thrift store ever. A lot of the items, including clothes, eyeglasses, housewares, etc., have been donated by community members. And you can even rent a costume from them; just ask!

These are a few signs from previous shows. They try to reuse as many of their supplies as they can.

These are the FORTY-FOUR pullies that control all the drapes, like the grand curtain but also a film screen, sheer drapes, etc.

This is where the stage director sits so he can see the full show from multiple angles on the different monitors.

This is the main theater, which includes several sizes of seats and offers a few rows with extra legroom. So accommodating!

Like all arts organizations, the theater really depends on its patrons and supporters. Janene told us about a capital campaign they are running now to build a new building next door, which would house more rehearsal spaces and classrooms (ones that are more sound-proof!). Of course they always need funds to maintain the existing theater; they will need more than $3 million in the next ~10 years to maintain things like the roof, elevators, air conditioning etc. And they hope to create an endowment which could cover some of the costs that aren't basic, day-to-day operational costs. So if you would like to support the theater, you can donate today!

I'm at the head of the table (how fitting for the youngest person there!😆)

After the tour, the group went to Caddy's for lunch. What a fun tiki spot! We were right on the water, which was beautiful. It was such a lovely way to end a fun outing. I would definitely go back to both the theater and this restaurant!