HISTORY:
Anyone who’s ever been to a performance at the Rep has commented on our wonderful building. The Arcade Theatre, as it’s called, was built in 1908 and proudly displays all the charm and splendor of early Florida. Originally used as a Vaudeville house, this was the very auditorium where Fort Myers resident Thomas Edison saw his first films, along with his friends Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone.
As movies became more popular, The Arcade was converted into a dedicated movie house and a wall was put up to divide the great proscenium stage in half in order to create two screening rooms. By 1989, the once grand theatre had fallen into severe disrepair, and appeared on the brink of its final curtain call.
Realizing the historical and aesthetic value of this building, the City of Fort Myers and famed ballet and film star Mikhail Baryshnikov organized a benefit in 1991. With the money raised, the Arcade was completely restored and the City of Fort Myers was able to rent it out to local organizations — one of which happened to be the Florida Rep. Thanks to the generosity and vision of the City, the Arcade became the permanent home of the Florida Repertory Theatre in 1998.
Mission Statement:
Florida Rep is committed to providing a first class regional theatre for Southwest Florida; to creating, nurturing and developing an ensemble of theatre professionals who will develop long term relationships working on a wide variety of plays; to helping improve the quality of life in our community through all the arts; and to making the arts, especially theatre-accessible to all.
