FPTA Beginnings and Now:  The executive artistic and management staffs of nine (9) Florida nonprofit, professional theatre companies met April 15, 1981, in Tallahassee at the invitation and initiative of Sherron Long,  a previous Florida Division of Cultural Affairs' staff member.  Later that same year in 1981, Ms. Long brought together on June 13 in Gainesville, July 18 in Sarasota, and September 18 back in Gainesville, professional nonprofit theatre company representatives.  In attendance were Lach Adair, G. David Black, Dean Richard G. Fallon, Rick del Greco, Richard Hopkins, David Levenson, Kerry McKenny, Richard Neely, Bobbie Siefer, Dan Shay, and Jim Wachter.  These initial meetings provided times to discuss and finalize the needs of a group of Florida's not-for-profit, professional theatre companies and formally establish the Florida Professional Theatres Association (FPTA).

Since its founding in 1981, Sherron Long has managed FPTA's many projects and services for over forty-two years until her retirement in 2023.  A transitional FPTA executive team headed by Jason Parrish (Florida Repertory Theatre); Stephanie Lynge (Hippodrome Theatre); Summer Dawn Wallace (Urbanite Theatre); Rommel Arellan-Marinas (Fantasy Theatre Factory); Jon Moses (Riverside Theatre); and William Hayes (Palm Beach Dramaworks) meet regularly now to put into place new organizational structures to allow FPTA to continue to meet its existing and developing services.

Initial Statement of Purpose:  The nonprofit, professional theatre industry is growing in Florida, both in number and size.  The specific needs of the nonprofit, professional theatre companies (i.e., budget, contracts, casting, design, technical, audience development, and subscriptions) differ from the community, educational, and commercial (for profit) theatre companies.

The primary purpose is to have the mechanism for the regular exchange of views on the profession of theatre and the needs and goals of the individual theatre companies.  In addition, we want to formulate ways and means of helping strengthen the quality of production and to make our work available to a larger number of the citizens of and visitors to our State.  It is our intent, where feasible, to participate in mutual auditions for artistic and technical personnel and in the exchange and sharing of scenery, properties, and costumes.

We wish to be a consulting resource to our member theatres and to emerging organizations in the areas of management, development, subscription, and operations.

In essence, FPTA seeks to make communications and cooperation a viable and functional reality in strengthening and developing the non-profit, professional theatres in Florida.

Original Mission Statement:  The Florida Professional Theatres Association's mission is to develop and foster a strong, statewide network of nonprofit, professional theatre companies, theatre professionals, and theatre audiences who, together, create an environment where theatre as an art can qualitatively grow and take creative risks; and theatre professionals can be recognized, respected, and compensated for their professional talents and abilities.  This cooperative spirit and effort assure the highest quality in theatre productions which have the capabilities of educating, stimulating, challenging, and entertaining a wide diversity of Florida children, adults, and tourists.

Important Update About the Status of FPTA in 2023:  The COVID-19 pandemic had and continues to have major impacts on FPTA and Florida's professional theatre community.  Since Sherron Long's retirement, a transitional leadership team is re-imagining and developing the next steps needed for FPTA to move forward and help meet the needs of Florida's professional theatre community.  New goals, strategies, membership criteria, mission, etc., are being discussed and developed now.  Once finalized, this information will be posted and shared on this website.

Projects/Events Over the Years:
(all were and are dependent upon available funding to FPTA; and the capacity, cooperation, and priorities of FPTA's theatre partners):

  • 39 annual statewide professional theatre auditions for Equity and professional Non-Equity actors and the companies that want to audition and possibly provide them contracts for upcoming productions -- FPTA had planned a big 40th celebration of this annual event in 2020, but it had to be canceled due to COVID-19;
  • created and maintain a statewide database/directory of theatre professionals (actors, directors, designers, choreographers, administrators, etc.) who can register for free and post their professional résumé, sample audition videos, etc.   Florida professional theatre companies' staff members have access to this database to assist them in securing qualified theatre professionals for upcoming productions and their companies.
  • conduct monthly face-to-face conference calls among Florida professional theatre companies' staff members
  • conducted 3 statewide EDI listening conversations to share and strengthen equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives throughout Florida's professional theatre community
  • various discounts throughout previous years for both company and individual FPTA members
  • 3 artistic directors' workshops/planning retreats
  • 1 managing directors' workshop/planning retreat
  • 2 major statewide professional theatre conferences (Boca Raton in 1986 and in St. Petersburg in 1988)
  • Marketing, educational, technical, development, box office, stress management, etc. workshops and networking sessions
  • 30 years of providing various professional workshops for actors
  • 1 professional directing workshop for Florida high school drama teachers in cooperation with the Florida Association for Theatre Education
  • Face-to-face networking meetings throughout the years at various professional Florida theatre companies
  • 2 television specials on professional theatre in Florida in cooperation with Palm Beach County PBS station
  • 1 management workshop for professional theatre and dance companies in cooperation with the former FEDAPT
  • 1 statewide professional theatre critics' symposium
  • establishment of the Fallon Award, Vic Award, and Brad Award presented at FPTA's annual statewide auditions, workshops, and job placement opportunities
  • various statewide directories -- both in print and online
  • member companies' seasons -- in print and online
  • ongoing communications -- both in print and online
  • individual memberships for theatre professionals (being revised and available soon)
  • clearinghouse of information on Florida professional nonprofit theatre companies

Membership Losses and Companies' Resiliency:  FPTA and many Florida communities have unfortunately experienced the loss of a number of professional, not-for-profit theatre companies since 1981 for various reasons.  Examples of companies that provided excellent and diverse theatre experiences to their communities and are missed include Coconut Grove Playhouse, Seaside Music Theater,  Caldwell Theatre Company, Florida Stage, The Playmakers, River City Playhouse, Ruth Foreman Theatre, South Florida Theatre Company, and others; however, this industry -- throughout Florida -- continues to grow and demonstrates amazing resiliency. Even during and after the worst period of the Covid-19 pandemic that had Florida theatre companies' physical doors closed, creative programming continued  behind closed doors.   The doors are now back open to Florida's professional theatre companies; and these companies continue to network, share, plan, learn, and grown in strength from each other.

Ever-Assessing and Evolving:  FPTA strives to constantly adapt to meet the needs of the ever-changing Florida professional theatre industry when capacity and funding are available to it.  FPTA's main source of funding has been earned through its annual statewide event of professional auditions for both Equity and non-Equity actors, networking, and workshops.  The last FPTA annual statewide event was in 2019 at Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach.  The impact of COVID-19 stopped the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 statewide annual events; thus, temporarily ended FPTA's main source of funding support.  Plans are underway to reinstate this annual statewide event in 2024.   FPTA does not apply or seek money from competing funding sources that its member theatres also apply to for support.   FPTA's newly established transitional leadership team (see above) is addressing these funding challenges now.

Continue to Connect and Engage in Professional, Live Theatre Throughout Florida:   Please learn about, visit, and experience exemplary and diverse professional theatre programming throughout Florida.  FPTA's made it easy for you to explore here on this PDF document where these theatres are regionally located in Florida and directly link to their websites to explore their current programming and other opportunities for both audiences and theatre professionals.  A new 2023 statewide professional theatre directory is being developed now and will replace the 2020 PDF and online directory.