Gulfshore Playhouse Names Top Construction Expert Tony Panzica Chair Of Building Committee For Capital Campaign

By: Mar. 05, 2019
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Gulfshore Playhouse Names Top Construction Expert Tony Panzica Chair Of Building Committee For Capital Campaign

Gulfshore Playhouse, Naples' premier professional regional theater, has named Tony Panzica as chair of the building committee for its Next Stage Capital Campaign. Currently on the board of Gulfshore Playhouse, Panzica boasts an extensive background in arts-related construction projects and board service.

As president and CEO of Ohio-based Panzica Construction, he has overseen a major renovation and expansion of the Cleveland Museum of Art, working with world-class architect Rafael Viñoly on the transformative project. He also spearheaded a renovation of Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Orchestra, for which his firm worked in detail with the orchestra's conductor and sound engineers to improve the site's acoustics.

Panzica has served on the board of directors for the Cleveland Play House, including during its capital campaign, and also worked on the renovation of the Playhouse Square theatre district in Cleveland, where one of the Cleveland Play House's performance spaces, the historic Allen Theatre, is located. He has been a member of the board of trustees for Arts Cleveland and has served on boards and committees for a number of other organizations over the past 42 years, including Kent State University, Ursuline College, and the Greater Cleveland Partnership. He holds a B.S. in civil engineering from Purdue University and is leading Panzica Construction's expansion into the Florida market.

"Tony's background in both the construction industry and as a supporter of the arts makes him the perfect choice to chair our building committee for the Next Stage Capital Campaign," said Kristen Coury, producing artistic director and founder of Gulfshore Playhouse. "The insight he will be able to offer from his past projects in Cleveland and his experience with fundraising efforts at the Cleveland Play House will be invaluable to Gulfshore Playhouse as we move into our next phase."

Anticipated plans for the new Gulfshore Playhouse include two new theatres and an education center on a three-acre parcel at the corner of First Avenue South and Goodlette-Frank Road, which will extend the core of downtown Naples to the east of Fifth Avenue. Plans include a mainstage proscenium theatre with sloped stadium seating for 350, which will be used for large-cast musicals, classics, and world-premiere comedies and dramas. It will also include a separate Studio Theatre, a grand lobby with welcoming bar, lush gardens, and an exclusive patron lounge. An education wing will feature rehearsal rooms, classrooms, and space for children's theatre events. The complex will support the expansion of Gulfshore Playhouse's theatrical programming and its educational offerings, including education programs focused on pre-professional theatre training in acting, voice, and movement and in-school and after-school education programs.

Gulfshore Playhouse is passionately committed to enriching the cultural landscape of the region by producing professional theatre to the highest artistic standards and providing unique educational opportunities to diverse groups of people in a spirit of service, adventure, and excitement. The Playhouse's work is inspired by a belief in the magic of theatre to expand the imagination, challenge the senses, provoke discussion, and revitalize in audiences an understanding of their common humanity. This belief drives the care with which Gulfshore Playhouse treats its artists, audiences, students, staff, and members of the greater community.

For more information about Gulfshore Playhouse and the Next Stage Capital Campaign, visit www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org or call 239-261-PLAY (7529).



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