History

Florida Stage is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) professional theatre that produces contemporary works by both established and emerging playwrights. The theatre was founded as the Learning Stage in 1985 by award-winning actor/ director Louis Tyrrell.

In 1987, as Theatre Club of the Palm Beaches, the theatre began producing plays for mainstage audiences at the Duncan Theatre Second Stage on the campus of Palm Beach Community College. In 1991, the company moved to a new 250-seat space in nearby Manalapan and became Pope Theatre Company. In September of 1997, to begin its second decade, the company took its new name, Florida Stage.

As the southeast's only theatre dedicated to producing exclusively new and developing work, Florida Stage is recognized both locally and nationally as a leader in its industry. We have world premiered over 15 plays, including works by renowned playwrights William Mastrosimone (Benedict Arnold), Peter Sagal (What to Say), Nilo Cruz (A Bicycle Country) and Lee Blessing (Black Sheep). Our summer musical series world premieres include this summer's Heaven Help Us! The Swingin' New Rat Pack Musical, I Love a Piano, Beguiled Again, the Rogers and Hart review, and the smash hit, At Wit's End.

The company is consistently nominated for the South Florida Theatre Critics' Carbonell Awards; in 2001 Florida Stage productions received 22 nominations, including Best New Work, Best Musical and Best Production of a Play.

The home of Florida Stage since 1991, our beautiful facility in Manalapan's Plaza del Mar is nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracostal Waterway, just across the street from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Our intimate, 250-seat, three-quarter thrust auditorium is designed to maximize the quality and impact of your theatre going experience. The theatre also features the Sennheiser Infrared Hearing System and a lift to the upper level lobby and wheelchair seating for those patrons needing special assistance. Convenient, free, lighted parking at the Plaza ensures all you expect from an evening of professional theatre at its best.

Florida Stage operates under an Agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.