for the $37,000 venue took place on August 14, 1937, and opening night on January 18, 1938, included a spirited black-tie party and performance of the comedy Boy Meets Girl – with the sparkling semi-elliptical lobby decorated with flowers and palms. With renewed energy and high demand, membership numbers for that year were raised to seven-hundred and fifty, with annual dues of $6. playhouse was also funded by Swisher and Mrs. Harold K. Smith, Sr. THEATRE JACKSONVILLE A TIME OF GROWTH As momentum continued during subsequent decades, Theatre Jacksonville added a dramatic instruction summer school, workshop productions, a Saturday matinée, a children’s theatre course, a junior theatre course for high school students and a Shakespeare festival. In the mid-1950s, with the number of subscribers well over three-thousand, the Little Theatre building was enhanced with air-conditioning and a two-story addition that had dressing rooms, offices and a rehearsal hall. Benefactor Carl Swisher funded the addition with an interest-free loan. The 1960s brought new seats, upgraded stage lights and new sound system, and a redecorated lobby and ladies’ lounge. In addition to a Golden Anniversary dinner at the Sheraton Hotel, the 50th season also featured The Sound of Music , with one of the Von Trapp daughters acting as a consultant and attending performances. A new roof for the In 1969, because it was not so “little” anymore and to reflect the increasing influence the organization had on the entire community, the Little Theatre of Jacksonville became Theatre Jacksonville. Mayor Hans Tanzler pronounced it the official theatre of Jacksonville in a proclamation. In the 1980s, with subscriber prices at $30 per year, Theatre Jacksonville introduced Sunday matinées and began offering performances for the hearing impaired, for which it was recognized by the Florida secretary of state. The building also received another roof replacement and an addition containing a first floor ladies’ bathroom and lounge and storage and rehearsal space upstairs. In 1991, the historic playhouse was named to the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1994, it was granted a local historic designation by Jacksonville’s Bureau of Historic Preservation. A $500,000 facility maintenance endowment was funded by Harold K. Smith in 1997, and the playhouse was subsequently named in his honor. Renovations completed over the next several decades included a theatre façade renovation in 2000, new auditorium seating in 2005, renovations of both lobbies in continued next page ARBUS 27
Arbus Magazine September/Oct. 2019: Page 27
