Hurrican Milton Destruction at St. Petersburg City Theatre Theatre

Like so many in our Tampa Bay community, this hurricane season has not left us unscathed. As we were counting down the final months until 2025 and our 100th anniversary, Hurricane Milton blew in and blew the roof right off our beloved community theater. But this one-hundred-year storm is no match for our one-hundred-year organization. You will see from the video here that our building was deeply affected and critical repairs are rapidly needed; a large portion of our roof was peeled off, allowing significant water into the venue. Even so, St. Petersburg City Theatre has long stood as a sanctuary to all members of our community, and we have absolute faith that our incredible volunteers will help us recover and restore the magic of live theater. 

We are making every effort to ensure the brave girls, lost boys, and pirates of our Fall Youth Camp production of Peter Pan Jr. can continue as scheduled, as well as our December Mainstage Musical, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. We believe now, more than ever, we need a place to come together and forget our troubles. As the White Christmas song goes, “Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore…Blue days, all of them gone. Nothing but blue skies from now on.”

WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
*Volunteer with Us: We're seeking individuals to assist with immediate clean-up and minor repairs on Saturday, October 19th from 9:00am-3:00pm. Details are in the Facebook event post here. Whether you can lend a hand for a couple hours or help organize efforts, every bit counts! If you would like to volunteer your time in other ways, please reach out by commenting below. 

Donate Today: Your contributions will directly fund our recovery efforts. No amount is too small, and every single dollar will help us. We unfortunately do not have hurricane coverage in our insurance policy so will be paying for all repairs and replacements from donations. All donations over $100 are recognized in every show program. Please CONSIDER DONATING TODAY at: https://stpetersburgcitytheatre.givingfuel.com/annual-donations

You can also click on the donate header our website www.spcitytheatre.org to learn about other ways to give, including the centennial brick and seat plate fundraisers, legacy gifts, and in-kind donations.

Offer Consultation or Referrals: If you have a specific skill, trade, or piece of equipment that may help with our current challenges, please reach out. In the **immediate**  term, we need to get a temporary tarp/cover on the roof to prevent further leaks and a large capacity roll-off dumpster to collect debris and damaged items for disposal. We would welcome referrals or recommendations of trusted vendors that could assist ASAP, especially any that may offer discounts to a local nonprofit. We will happily post and share about any companies who come to our aid. After we ensure we’ll be dry, we will need to repair/refinish the stage surface, clean the auditorium carpets and stage curtains, test our theatrical systems to ensure everything is safe and functional, and much more. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any abilities or information that might be of assistance in the difficult time. 

Thank you for your support. For our numerous members, volunteers, students, and audience members who are facing their own losses from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, our hearts are with you and we are so sorry that you are going through this.  

For many this theater is a home, and its members are family. We refuse to close our doors when there are so many people in need of a place to find joy in gathering, growing, uniting, and inspiring each other. We will rebuild and continue to serve our Tampa Bay Area, an example to the power of a diverse and passionate community connected through the arts!