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Seminole council member wants plays held at park

By ANNE LINDBERG
Published August 27, 2006

SEMINOLE - Council member John Counts envisions actors emoting on stage at Seminole City Park, playing to a happy crowd of city residents.

Counts got the idea this past spring from a man he met while campaigning. Counts said plays would be a "great addition to the programs we already have out there."

So he broached the topic with other council members, who thought that "Shakespeare in the Park" sounded like a grand idea.

But ultimately, the cost of such an endeavor will determine whether it's to be or not to be.

The estimated cost of putting on a full-fledged Shakespeare production range from $100,000 to $150,000, said Jim Sheets, head of the city's Recreation Department.

The ballpark price, he said, came from American Stage in St. Petersburg, a professional group.

Part of the cost would be the construction of a larger stage because the one at the bandshell, 7464 Ridge Road, is not big enough. Other costs would go to pay the professional actors.

But Counts said staff members took his request to look into it too literally. He referred to St. Petersburg's annual "Shakespeare in the Park" simply to convey the essence of his idea, which was really "Plays in the Park." Shakespeare, he said, was a bit more ambitious than he intended.

So now Counts has contacted the St. Petersburg Little Theatre, the state's oldest community theater that is largely run by volunteers.

"I'd love for them to come in and bid and say here's what we can do," Counts said. "There's a lot I think we can do with it."

Deborah Kelley, executive director of the St. Petersburg Little Theatre, said the group's board is considering the idea. There's an arts renaissance going on in Pinellas County, she said, and "we want to be part of that."

The theater already has a full plate, she said, with six stage productions and five youth productions each year, which can be labor intensive.

Kelley was not sure when the theater board would decide whether to make a proposal to Seminole.

Seminole is not the only mid-Pinellas city interested in providing plays for area residents.

Pinellas Park bought a church a few years ago and is considering turning the auditorium, which already has a stage, into a multiuse performing arts center, said Tim Caddell, the city spokesman.

Caddell envisions plays, concerts and small trade shows. Pinellas Park has begun minor renovations to make the transition.

[Last modified August 26, 2006, 20:43:36]