Palm Beach Theater Guild Events for November: |
Friday, November 7th "Should the Royal Poinciana Plaza and Playhouse be land-marked and what use can we make of them?" A panel discussion moderated by former Public Broadcasting Host Paul Noble including Tim Frank, former town planner, Bonnie Dearborn, former administrator of the Bureau of Historic Preservation, State of Florida, Doug Hulse, Palm Beach Theater Guild, and Bradford Kenney, Executive Artistic Director, the Ogunquit Playhouse and Artistic Advisor to the Palm Beach Theater Guild. Monday, November 10th Honoring Artistic Advisor Brad Kenney (first drink is free!) Wednesday, November 12th Vote on Land-marking at (the developers will go first, please look at their plan: It's the condominiums stupid - the first 30 condominiums in three buildings are the trade off for our theater. The developers can make more money with housing than they can with retail or services that we need in Palm Beach.
Please post your comments on our blog at www.PBTheaterGuild.blogspot.com
CONSULTANTS ON ROYAL POINCIANA PLAYHOUSE SEPTEMBER 17, 2008—PALM BEACH, FLORIDA—In response to a feasibility study presented by Webb Management Services, a New York consulting firm, to Sterling Palm Beach the new lessees of the Royal Poinciana Plaza and Playhouse, Palm Beach Theater Guild president Patrick Henry Flynn dismissed the report as containing essentially the same material and outlook that was presented to the previous developer Dawsco PB and developers Peter Cohen and Sidney Speigel in 2004. “Besides factual errors, there are three serious flaws in this study,” Flynn said, “and numerous intentional misrepresentations that are misleading.” In his leading conclusion Webb Management reported, “There is lack of demand from existing arts organizations” to rent the Poinciana Playhouse. This ignores the Performance Partners of the Palm Beach Theater Guild:
There also has been no availability of the theater to attract renters. The former and present owners have simply refused to rent the house to the Palm Beach Theater Guild and others. By far the most misleading and unprofessional conclusion of the study is that Webb Management does not even consider a regional theater being located in the Playhouse with the present capacity and configuration. This is the primary income stream projected by the Palm Beach Theater Guild in its business model. Myopically, Webb Management can only apply the regional subscription theater concept to a smaller house. The firm recommends that Florida Stage occupy the space with experimental theater that will not appeal to a general audience and was not accepted by the Town in the previous go-a-round with the developers Peter Cohen and Sidney Spiegel. Webb Management justly deserves to be chastised for discriminating against and not considering the present house as viable. “This is begging the question at best,” Flynn says. “It relies on an out-moded 1970s concept, and the town serving ordinance applies only to retail and restaurant establishments.” The study itself says that there is no agreement among the council that the theater – as a non-profit community serving entity -- falls into the Town Serving category, and further the theater maybe grandfathered. The third glaring misrepresentation of the study is that there are “a number of midsize halls” in the area with better facilities. The only “halls” in the area with 600 and 700 seats respectively are the Himmel Theater at City Place and the Gublemann Auditorium in Palm Beach which does not take rentals. In another market, the Maltz theater in Jupiter (550 seats) is thriving with the subscription season. Its business model most closely resembles that of the Palm Beach Theater Guild. “It is a reckless misrepresentation to equate the Royal Poinciana Playhouse with ‘halls’ in the area.” Flynn continues. “Webb management did not consider a change of use of the house from a theater that books-in rentals to a resident regional subscription theater. This is inexcusable and hardly objective.” “Rehashing old ideas is not going to move us forward,” Flynn adds. “We’ve already debunked many of them especially the notion that thePalm Beach Theater Guild cannot raise the money and hire excellent professional management to restore and operate the Royal Poinciana Playhouse. We count among our board members top New York theater producers and owners. What’s missing in the charts and analysis of the Webb Study is a measure of the quality that is the legacy of the RPP, and its what the greater Palm Beach community has come to expect and the Palm Beach Theater Guild is capable of delivering.” Flynn went on to say that the demographics of the greater Palm Beach community suggest that traditional Broadway musicals and plays will draw audiences that warrant a mid-sized theater of 850 seats. The Palm Beach Theater Guild executed a non-disclosure agreement with Webb Management and made that company privy to its business plans. Both our consultants had more local knowledge of producing theater, and producing in the Royal Poinciana Playhouse than any one in the Webb Management group. “Smaller space requirements can be accommodated by our designers, but let’s not be short sighted and miss the unforgettable, general audience shows and theater that the RPP can draw and accommodate. We don’t want to give up extra seating capacity. It is not economical to do so” said Flynn. Feasibility Study Questions Palm Beach Theater Guild's Plan for Restoring Royal Poinciana Playhouse The Palm Beach Theater Guild probably shouldn't manage the Royal Poinciana Playhouse, even if the building is restored, according to theater consultant Duncan Webb's report on the feasibility of reopening the playhouse. "The guild's efforts are well-intended," said Webb's report, which was released Tuesday. "But the plan is too risky and their business planning work is far from complete." Webb's report was commissioned by Sterling Palm Beach, the investor group that assumed control of the Royal Poinciana Plaza in April. "In effect, Duncan Webb simply repeated his previous study for another developer," he said. "He is less direct, but he is on the same track — that is, build a smaller house for Florida Stage." Flynn said he sent e-mails to 1,000 recipients Tuesday to solicit input for the guild's response to the report. Webb produced a study in 2004 for J.F. Brennan Design/Build LLC and The Dawsco Group, which then had a contract with the plaza's owners to develop the site. In that study, he questioned the viability of an 878-seat playhouse. The report proposed reducing the number of seats to between 250 and 350 and presented two options: a multi-use facility that would be managed by an experienced operator or a new home for Florida Stage. Sterling Palm Beach would retain ownership of the property under either scenario. The guild released a feasibility study in April estimating that it would cost about $3.8 million to upgrade and repair the 1957 playhouse, which has been shuttered since 2004. The group proposed starting a nonprofit theater company that would produce shows and rent the space to other users. Webb's report is skeptical about the guild's low construction estimates and wary of starting a new producing organization in "a well-developed and competitive theater market," especially when the guild has "no internal skills and resources in the production of theater." Furthermore, an 878-seat theater is not financially viable, Webb says. Flynn said he stands behind the guild's construction estimates and criticized the recommendation to reduce the number of seats. "We need the 800 seats," he said. Flynn said the guild has a strong board and could hire experienced management. He contested Webb's assertion that there wasn't enough demand from existing arts groups to rent the theater. Errors in the Webb Report Page 2 - The report states “a particular challenge has emerged as a group of local citizens are promoting the idea of land-marking the Plaza and Playhouse.” WRONG - The landmarks status was voted on unanimously after careful study by the Landmarks Preservation of Palm Beach. Page 11 – “The organization (Palm Beach Theater Guild) does not have paid staff…” WRONG. Page 18 – CONCLUSIONS: “There is a lack of demand from existing arts organizations interested in renting the Playhouse in its current shape and capacity.” WRONG.
RIGHT ANSWER: Since 2006, the Palm Beach Theater Guild has offered to Mr. Spiegel, Mr. Cohen and Mr. Kosoy to lease the Playhouse. We have found demand from our Performance Partners (Ballet Florida, Palm Beach Symphony, Palm Beach Opera, Palm Beach Principal Players, Palm Beach Atlantic University, the PlayGround Theatre). There is also numerous others for single events, co-productions, in addition to a regional theater season and summer musical for a general theater. There is a bountiful rental demand for a historic and already branded theatrical house – The Royal Poinciana Playhouse. The Webb Study does not address the Poinciana Playhouse transitioning from a booking house to a regional theater. We believe this is conscious and egregious omission. “There is unproven demand for presenting activity at that capacity, and the departure of Clear Channel is testament to that challenge.” HALF RIGHT, HALF WRONG. RIGHT ANSWER: All demand is unproven. The closest example we have to the business model of the Palm Beach Theater is the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, which is very healthy and operating with 550 seats. WRONG ANSWER: The departure of Clear Channel was occasioned by two factors. One the house was too small – not too large for Clear Channel. Secondly, Clear Channel had very little product or content (mostly straight plays) to program in the house. Finally as a chain Clear Channel could not develop local demand for rentals or local demand for programming, it was not part of their scope. We particularly fault Duncan Webb as a professional for this kind of nonsense.
“The capacity is too large to be supported by local audiences.” WRONG. RIGHT ANSWER: There is nothing that can support this assertion that is without merit. Our marketing studies for subscription audiences and single tickets prove the contrary.
“There are a number of mid-size halls in the regional market with better facilities and the resources to compete for audiences and programs.” WRONG and FALSE. RIGHT ANSWER: The are only one mid-size “HALL” in the area and that is Himmel Theater (600) at City Place (Please note spelling.) The other mid-size theaters are the Maltz in Jupiter (550) and the Four Arts Gublemman Auditorium (700). The use of the word “HALL” for a comparison is very unprofessional. The Himmel “Theater” (a converted Methodist Church) is not remotely comparative to the Royal Poinciana Playhouse. The Maltz in Jupiter has its own regional subscription season and is doing very well. The Gublemman Auditorium is not for rent.
The report recommends that an existing non-profit take over the Royal Poinciana Playhouse. We have an existing non-profit named Palm Beach Theater Guild. Ideally the report recommends that a non-profit be formed for this purpose. This is why (to Save and Operate Royal Poinciana Playhouse) the Palm Beach Theater Guild was formed. In effect Duncan Webb simply repeated his previous study for another developer. He is less direct, but he is on the same track – that is build a smaller house for Florida Stage. CONTACT Patrick Henry Flynn Lenna Warner The developers already have a viable option on the table, Flynn said. "Why don't they just take our offer?" he said. "It's risky no matter who does it, but we are willing to pay for the risk."
Click below to see Our Plan for the Theater The Celebrity Room Ceiling Mural by Robert Bushnell The mural is 45 feet long by 30 feet wide and is titled " Venetian Festival," although some liked to call it the scene of a Venetian carnival. It was depicted in early Royal Poinciana Playhouse programs, including those of 1963 and 1967. It took artist Robert Bushnell two years to complete. Images were painted with oils onto four panels and then installed by artisans from New York. It was unveiled in 1957. It contained portraits of 125 international stars of stage and screen, a few internationally famous people, and local Palm Beach luminaries such as John and Jane Volk, Frank Hale, Paul Crabtree and Lilly Pulitzer. Some claim that President Kennedy was a later addition. Mural portraits included Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Helen Hayes, Mary Martin, Fred Astaire, Tallulah Bankhead, Katharine Cornell, and Yul Brynner.
Richard Kleid – 588-7631 - Kleid561@aol.com Palm Beach Theater Guild, Inc. www.PBTheaterGuild.org ● 561-651-1015 for more info, e-mail us at: info@PBTheaterGuild.org
See the article in Quest Magazine Palm Beach Theater Guild in Quest Magazine (Printable PDF) Quest Magazine on PBTG (January 2008, Page 152)
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VIDEOS: Theater Inspection Walkthrough (May 22, 2007) |
