Greetings,
Since arriving in northwest Florida four years ago, I have asked this question of most anyone who will listen: Why is there no professional theatre in Pensacola? No one could give me a reasonable answer. This city is blessed with professional Opera, Ballet, and a Symphony, she deserves a professional Theatre. Residents of the greater Pensacola area shouldn’t need to travel three hours to see theatre of this quality, it should be here in our town, for all of us to experience.
Our goal is to give this city a professional theatre, performing the classic texts of Shakespeare, modern classics from playwrights like Miller, Williams and Inge, and even musicals. Our company will bring these important stories to life, in an intimate venue where the focus is not on spectacle, but on the words, the emotion, and the power unique to live Theatre. Our vision is that the audience will leave our performances not just entertained but enlightened, not just amused but affected, not just pleasantly surprised, but profoundly transformed; our city deserves no less.
Our young people need a place where they can not only watch professionals at work, but practice their craft right alongside them. The Pensacola Shakespeare Theatre will bring together a collection of artists eager to share their craft with our audiences, as well as with Pensacola’s students in much needed, but sorely missing apprenticeship and internship opportunities. Our young actors, designers and directors need this important resource right here in their own backyard, not hours away in Alabama or south Florida.
We don’t see ourselves in competition with other theatre venues in Pensacola; rather we feel that we can enhance, in a very significant way, the cultural landscape that already exists in our city. Our plan is to occupy the summer months, when tourism is at its peak, but fewer offerings from the local arts organizations exist. Like Montgomery, Orlando, and Sarasota before us, I believe the addition of a professional theatre will increase our town’s visibility, and give tourists just one more reason to visit Pensacola.
The Pensacola Shakespeare Theatre represents the dreams and passions of a solid and growing core of believers. We are residents, business owners, teachers, investors, and administrators who believe that our city will embrace this bold and exciting new venture. I hope you will join us in making the dream of The Pensacola Shakespeare Theatre a reality.
Kevin P. Kern
