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A cultural center to call their own
By MICHAEL SANDLER
© St. Petersburg Times, HUNTER'S GREEN -- Graeme Woodbrook has no gripe with development. He's a businessman, too. He understands that commercial growth on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard is part of building a community. But that's not enough, he says. He would like to see some diversity in New Tampa. He wants a cultural center, complete with an auditorium and plenty of space for workshops. "Every community needs its Home Depots, Muvicos and fast food," said Woodbrook, sipping coffee at Highwoods Preserve. "I would like something a little more substantial for my children. I don't think that is very nurturing for the family environment, and certainly not for the kids." Woodbrook's vision for a New Tampa Performing Arts Center is growing. He has sold a Tampa City Council member on his idea. He has formed a committee of people from New Tampa's arts community to work with him. Now he is writing a business plan. That will give everyone an idea of the cost, which has yet to be determined. Then he will seek corporate sponsors to get the place up and running. "You have to build a concept to a point where it has enough substance and reality, where people say, "Yes, I want to be a part of that,' " said Woodbrook, an Australian-born financier who spent years working internationally for Citicorp. Though not an artist, he professes a love of all arts. And as a manager for a company that designs incentives for businesses aimed at improving employee performance, he knows how to get things done. He first thought of the idea while driving his daughter, then 13, to and from Northdale. She was acting in a play, something she could not do locally. Woodbrook lives in Hunter's Green. He attends church with Shawn Harrison, who sits on the City Council and lives in Tampa Palms. He shared his story with Harrison and said that the growth in New Tampa lacked a "locus" that would inspire children, and even perhaps a few adults. A few weeks later, Harrison called his bluff. He said the city could donate four or five acres, because the city owned two parcels in Tampa Palms designated for projects like the one Woodbrook had proposed. The city even had some money available for a puppet theater, which could be housed there. If Woodbrook was serious, the city would help. "The land can be resolved probably in the next six to eight months," Harrison said. "The group has to decide how aggressive they are going to be." Dyane Joseph is eager to help. She runs the New Tampa Dance Theater in Pebble Creek, where she teaches ballet, jazz, tap, modern dance and hip hop to nearly 400 students. The studio has about 4,800 square feet, plenty of room to practice but not exactly a real venue to perform. "We usually perform at either Wharton High School or at USF," she said. "It will give us another option. Whether it is a large facility or a small, informal setting, I'm very excited." Joseph is one of several people on the committee. Members are meeting this month to shape the concept, which is still in its infancy. Woodbrook said he hopes to have an auditorium with a stage and 500 to 700 seats, rehearsal space and classrooms. The vision may change as more people weigh in, and he is more than happy to be flexible. One thing he has yet to encounter is opposition. "I keep looking for the brick walls," said Woodbrook. "I haven't hit one yet. Maybe I'm not forcing it." To learn moreFor more information about the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, or to get involved, call Graeme Woodbrook at (813) 971-2612.
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From the Times |
