Sanibel theater building will be razed this month, casualty of Hurricane Ian
A final curtain call comes this month for a Sanibel Island theater that has struggled in recent years to remain open.
Financial issues led to the Strauss Theater closing as a professional theater in 2019. Then Hurricane Ian in September 2022 heavily damaged the building at 2200 Periwinkle Way beyond repair.
BIG ARTS, which owns the building and is the nonprofit that oversees Strauss, announced this week that the building would be razed.
Hurricane Ian made theater 'uninhabitable'
"Major structural, safety and code issues and the significant damage caused by Hurricane Ian has made the building, formerly known as BIG ARTS Stauss Theater, uninhabitable," said a Tuesday news release from the organization, which stands for Barrier Island Group for the Arts.
When asked to provide more details, BIG ARTS replied in an email Tuesday: "Thank you for your interest in the theater property. However, we have nothing more to share at this time."
Rene Savarise, chair of the BIG ARTS Board, added in the news release: “After long and diligent analysis, it became clear that trying to renovate the existing building would be cost prohibitive. The board simply could not approve that use of donor dollars.
"BIG ARTS Board of Directors and management are plotting a new future for the property and considering a range of possibilities to address community needs that do not duplicate services and programs currently on Sanibel and Captiva."
Financial woes closed Strauss Theater in 2018
The Strauss Theater in July 2018 suspended its professional-theater program while its leaders decided what to do with the money-losing venue.
“The building will not be dark,” Lee Ellen Harder, BIG ARTS' executive director, told The News-Press in a story six years ago. "We’re not closing the doors on the theater. We’re exploring the possibilities and potential for an even more vibrant theater.”
The Strauss at the time continued struggling with financial losses as BIG ARTS board members sought was to upgrade the theater.
“While the Board of Directors voted to discontinue the theater in its current model for season 2019, it is enthusiastically committed to theater arts programming as integral to its mission to bring all the arts to our community," BIG ARTS said in a 2018 news release.
Strauss Theater's history dates back decades on Sanibel
The theater ― which has been around for more than 30 years ― has existed under various names and managers, including Pirate Playhouse, Periwinkle Playhouse, The Schoolhouse Theater and the J. Howard Wood Theatre.
BIG ARTS acquired the Strauss in 2010 with a grant from two families.
However, increased marketing and advertising costs and fewer ticket sales all contributed to the theater's downfall in the last decade.
Despite the setback, BIG ARTS in 2019 announced its 41st season and a proposed new $14 million building for the Sanibel Island arts center. The two-story building that opened in 2020 is at 900 Dunlop Road, just off Periwinkle Way, and continues to offer concerts and other shows.
Hurricane Ian forced BIG ARTS to cancel its entire 2022-23 season.
The nonprofit arts group emerged from the pandemic last fall, when it announced the 2023-24 season that included “America’s Got Talent” dancers The Silhouettes. Grammy-winning singer Judith Hill and bluegrass-based pop-funk-rock band Twisted Pine.
What's next for professional theater on Sanibel
BIG ARTS officials this week vowed to continue to do something with the property.
“The board’s and my guiding principle will be to make sure that our choice for re-visioning of the property is guided by the needs of the Sanibel and Captiva communities,” Harder said in the Tuesday news release.
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In its fourth decade, BIG ARTS provides an array of quality entertainment, arts and education programs for Sanibel and Captiva residents and visitors.
The reporting in recent years of News-Press entertainment journalist Charles Runnells contributed to this story.
Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press. Follow him on Instagram and Threads @lacrossewriter and on X (formerly Twitter) @NDN_dosborn.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Sanibel theater to be torn down this month after Hurricane Ian damage
