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What's brewing

Opening night now possible

By SUSAN THURSTON
Published July 2, 2004

After about a year making countless phone calls and touring every potential theater space in town, Levi Kaplan finally has a date.

Aug. 26.

That's the scheduled opening night of Acorn Theatre's debut performance, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.

Despite huge efforts to find the new theater company a permanent home, the group will perform at Hillsborough Community College's theater on the Ybor City campus. Kaplan finagled a hefty sponsor, Bank of America.

The fact that the group has reached this point is the result of pure grit and determination. The company formed as a nonprofit in April 2003 and expected to have a space by January.

Kaplan, 27, admits it has been a tough road, pocked with a few disappointments and closed doors.

"I WASN'T expecting it to take this long."

But he and business partner Stefan DeWilde never got discouraged. A city this size needs more theater.

Acorn initially wanted to open in the old Rialto theater on Franklin Street, just north of the interstate. The 1920s theater seemed the ideal spot, but the owner wanted far more than the appraised value, based on its location, Kaplan said.

Financially, it just didn't make sense.

Then, the company began talking with the Cuban Club in Ybor City, which has a beautiful, old theater begging for some TLC. In the end, the parties couldn't come up with a mutual plan.

"We wanted different things," Kaplan said. "We just weren't able to make it happen."

NOW, THE group has sights set on the old federal courthouse. Acorn Theatre would be the anchor tenant in a proposal submitted to the city to restore the historic building on Florida Avenue.

In the meantime, the group will get its start at HCC's theater. And if all goes as planned, it will do an outdoor performance of a comedy on the patio of Artists Unlimited in the Channel District.

The artist co-op on 12th Street hosted a fundraiser for Acorn on Friday. About 200 attended to peruse art, bid on auction items and listen to the music of Lucky Burglar. And Jaguar of Tampa gave away use of a Jag for a week.

Next week, the group is holding auditions for Death of a Salesman from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 10 at the HCC theater, at Palm Avenue and 14th Street. Auditioners should come prepared with a two-minute monologue from a classic American playwright. Callbacks will be the next day.

Those auditioning don't have to be the next Dustin Hoffman or John Malkovich, but they should have some semiprofessional acting experience. And a love for local theater.

For information, call Kaplan at 363-8652 or e-mail him at info@acorntheatre.org

THE LAST DROP: I recently heard a serviceman based in Iraq say something to this effect: "I knew it would be hard over there, but I didn't know we'd have to teach people how to be free." It kind of sums up the whole mess and makes you appreciate all that we have here. Happy Independence Day.

- Susan Thurston can be reached at 226-3394 or thurston@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 1, 2004, 11:26:08]