BUILDING A REPUTATION

Fall 2005

Associate Artistic Director & Ensemble Member, Jason Parrish, starts his career at Florida Rep as part of the ’05-’06 Acting Intern Company.

Fall 2006

Florida Rep commissions a new play for young audiences about the life of and impact of Thomas Edison by Kathryn Schultz Miller, Thomas Edison: Fire of Genius as part of its touring program.

January 2009

In the midst of the great recession, Terry Teachout of The Wall Street Journal visits Florida Rep and gives Dancing at Lughnasa a sterling national review, telling readers nationwide to “make haste to Fort Myers where the weather is warm and the theatre ne.” Audiences do, and combined with a major individual donation, the sales help to keep the theatre a oat into 2009.

Teachout, who died in 2022, visited Florida Rep nine consecutive seasons. His reviews helped to elevate Florida Rep’s national pro le for a decade. Florida Rep is forever in his debt.

Fall 2007

The 10th Anniversary Season opens with a co-production of Romeo & Juliet with the Classical Theatre of Harlem. With support from the Foundation for Lee County Schools, Florida Rep o ers the production free to nearly 5,000 high school students.

Winter 2007

Florida Rep is one of the rst regional theatres to produce Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire after its Broadway run – and just before it snagged the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Terry Teachout

Best-selling Author, Playwright & Drama Critic 1956 – 2022

YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO TO BROADWAY, OR TO NEW YORK, TO SEE A FIRST-RATE SHOW. YOU CAN DO IT RIGHT WHERE YOU LIVE, WHEREVER YOU LIVE.”

–Terry Teachout to the American Theatre Critics Association, 2012

Fall 2009

The Santaland Diaries adapted from David Sedaris’ sardonic short story is the rst production to take the stage in Florida Rep’s Studio – a makeshift performance venue in the theatre’s rehearsal hall. The show is revived as a holiday event for six consecutive seasons.

Fall 2012

With funding from Arthur M. Zupko, renovation on the ArtStage Studio Theatre is completed and opens with Camping with Henry & Tom. Three full ArtStage productions followed in the 15th Anniversary Season: The Santaland Diaries, Time Stands Still, and The Fantasticks.

Spring 2015

Chosen from the PlayLab Festival, Florida Rep produces its rst World Premiere as part of its professional season, Split in Three by Daryl Lisa Fazio.

Winter/Spring 2011

The 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow & John Buchan takes the stage as a co-production with Orlando Shakespeare Theatre and breaks attendance and revenue records.

Under the leadership of Education Director Rachael Endrizzi, the Conservatory Program debuts for advanced-level young people.

Inaugural productions are 13 the Musical and Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.

Winter/Spring 2014

2014 starts strong with another rave review in The Wall Street Journal for the American classic, Arsenic & Old Lace, local critical acclaim with the hard-hitting Pulitzer Prize-winner Clybourne Park, and the inaugural PlayLab Festival of New Works.

Fall 2016

Produced in the aftermath of a contentious election season, Best of Enemies by Mark St. Germain becomes a sell-out hit in the ArtStage Studio. Its message of nding common ground struck a nerve

Fall 2017

The 20th Anniversary Season’s September opening moves ahead despite Hurricane Irma shutting down rehearsals and previews for Outside Mullingar, a touching Irish love story.

Winter 2019

Fences is an artistic high water mark as the rst play the theatre produced by the consequential American playwright, August Wilson.

Musicals Tenderly and Million Dollar Quartet break attendance and box o ce records in Florida Rep’s 21st Season.

Doublewide by Steven Spotswood is produced as a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, after its reading in the 2016 PlayLab Festival.

Scan for details about highlighted production photos on this timeline and program cover.

Fall 2018

Longtime Ensemble actor & director, Greg Longenhagen is named Artistic Director in the theatre’s 21st season.

The Education Department commissions an adaptation of the bestselling novel Refugee for its Touring Theatre Series, and hosts authors Eric Coble & Alan Gratz for its world premiere production.

Spring 2019

Thanks to a transformative gift from a group of dedicated donors, Florida Rep purchases the Historic Arcade Theatre, the Bradford Building block, and the adjacent parking lot in Downtown Fort Myers.

Fall 2019

Alabaster by Audrey Cefaly opens a record-breaking 11-theatre National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere in the ArtStage Studio Theatre.

Winter 2020

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder sets new attendance records and is the last production to open and close as scheduled before COVID-19 shuts down the entertainment industry.

Florida Rep’s virtual gala raises a record-breaking amount from generous donors in the wake of COVID pandemic shut-downs.

Fall 2022

Hurricane Ian strikes SWFL submerging theatre spaces in 4’ of water which damages o ce and rehearsal spaces, ArtStage Studio and the Historic Arcade Theatre.

Spring 2022

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story sets box o ce records during its sensational 5-week run with audiences dancing in the aisles.

Fall 2020/ Winter 2021

The theatre creates countless virtual o erings to keep audiences engaged and artists employed during pandemic closures.

Under Greg Longenhagen’s leadership, Florida Rep opened an outdoor series, and used its outdoor stage for professional and Conservatory productions into the spring of 2021.

Fall 2021

The ArtStage Studio opened to in-person performances after 18 months with a world- premiere cabaret, Let’s Fall in Love, a salute to Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr, and more.

West Side Story opens on the Arcade stage as the rst coproduction between Florida Rep and its Conservatory Program. A cast of over 40 teens and professional actors brought the American classic to life.