David A Straz JR Center

Arts programming:during fiscal 2009/2010, the Center received the largest philanthropic gift made to A cultural institution in the Tampa Bay area. The donation is dedicated in its perpetuity to benefit the Performing Arts Center and its programs. In recognition of this generous gift from the David A. Straz, JR. foundation, the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center was renamed the David A. Straz, JR. Center for the Performing Arts (aka "the Straz Center"). (continued on schedule o)the Straz Center for the Performing Arts is the Tampa Bay area's premier venue, independent presenter, producer, educator, and economic catalyst for the Performing Arts and is considered the largest Performing Arts complex south of the kennedy Center. The Straz Center books touring broadway shows and is one of the most successful single-week markets and largest Performing Arts Center in the nation. When our stages went dark in march 2020, we never imagined it would be such A long road to reopening. Blockbuster musicals, thoughtful singer-songwriters, full-throated opera performances, laugh-out-loud comedians, and hyper-talented patel conservatory students eager to become the next generation of performers, were all brought to an unprecedented and unsatisfying abrupt end. Committed to getting back fully to the business of entertainment and education, we took steps immediately, seeking government assistance and assertive fundraising, to be ready to reopen our doors when it was safe to do so. Thanks to our dedicated staff, the generosity of our donors, and the assistance of the various city, county and federal covid funding we were able to mitigate, stabilize and are now back on our stages and moving forward.our three years of patience was rewarded with our full season return from the start of our 21/22 fiscal year and we are now thriving. Our staff has fully returned to the Straz campus, our 21/22 broadway season brought out crowds to see our old favorites and to discover new ones. Once again we have our morsani hall crowd thrilled to see A broadway spectacular, A jaeb theater audience enjoying something left of Center, and our patel studios full of young actors, dancers and musicians.our jaeb cabaret theater rocked with little shop of horrors and roared with laughter at avenue q and our patel conservatory is filled to the brim with the next generation's performers.we held 1,200 performances and events, served by 770 annual volunteers dedicating over 53,000 service hours. We extended our outreach to the community in providing 15,900 complimentary tickets.our 21/22 fiscal year also included the transition and retirement of judy lisi's final year as president and ceo of the Straz Center. The year reflected the culmination of judy's 30 years of hard work and leadership through its most successful seasons, the closed doors of covid and our emergence from the pandemic.during her tenure, the Straz became one of the most formidable Performing Arts centers in the nation. The relationships judy built with the new york theater community made the Straz the broadway of the south. Dance, comedy, theater, lecture, pop and classical music, and, of course, opera also flourish at the Straz. Her commitment to Arts education shines in the bright faces of our students attending the patel conservatory and her legacy forever grows through Straz outreach programs in area schools and underserved communities. Judy, whose focus on issues that impact all sectors of our community, launched the Straz's inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (i.d.e.a.) Initiative. I.d.e.a. Nurtures an organizational culture that advocates welcoming inclusivity of all, equity and belonging on our campus and beyond. From our board of trustees, staff, students, donors, outreach recipients and the countless who grace our stages and sit in our theaters - we are forever grateful for judy's guardianship and remain committed to her vision for the straz.greg holland was appointed by the Straz Center's board of trustees as the Straz Center's new president and ceo as of october 1, 2022. Greg is A highly experienced professional and leader in the commercial aspects of the Performing Arts industry. He is excited to build upon the upon the sound organizational foundation that judy built and is looking forward to the community to joining the Straz Center moving into A bright and wonderous future.the Straz has A firm commitment to both community engagement and diversity. I.d.e.a. Continues to make the Straz A strong evolving cultural institute with its culture and identity. Our audience development initiatives steer our efforts towards the greatest community impact in the welcoming and inclusion of all. For the 21/22 season, we continued our focus on community access and welcoming and including all. This includes an advisory committee, staff training and voices of the community town halls, Arts legacy remix series, focus on board diversity commitment and hr initiatives to extend our reach to A wide reach of candidates from various sources.in 21/22 our cultural institute program increased intentional representation of bipoc artists on our stages and invited everyone to discover the richness of diverse cultural contributions. More than 120 bipoc artists brought more than 10,000 people together to celebrate and explore bipoc artistry through more than 25 performances, master classes, and community conversations comprising our 21/22 cultural institute program. In addition, we also hosted seven monthly voices of our community town hall events to provide A welcoming space for sharing stories and experiences with topics ranging from behind-the-scenes professions in the Arts to the evolution of the dynamic artistic and social power of spoken word, hip hop and reggae, the works of playwright august wilson, juneteenth commemoration, and much more. More than 6,000 virtual audience members participated in and contributed to these discussions.we continued offering our Arts and health offerings of lecture series, adult classes, and programs for veterans. Our Straz salutes represents our commitment to veterans, first responders and their families including: tickets for veterans and their families, outreaches taught at macdill afb, military event nights, Straz salutes artwork on the riverwalk and military related performances on our stages. The transformative power of the Arts as A healing modality is tapped through comprehensive programming for hospitalized and isolated military veterans transitioning to community life, and their caregivers and families. Straz salutes artmaking, discussions, professional and student performances, and public events also help celebrate Tampa Bay's unique military community.

Arts education programming:arts education is A top priority at the Straz Center. Through its patel conservatory, Arts education is comprised of age-appropriate performances on its main stages, A sequential classroom curriculum in dance, theatre and music provided in the patel conservatory, and outreach initiatives designed to reach those in the community who would otherwise be unable to attend on-site activities. (continued on schedule o)patel conservatory continues to provide the finest Performing Arts training in an inspirational setting by giving students the tools to dream, reach, discover and create the Performing Arts, integrate them into everyday life and contribute to the community. The conservatory is an accredited school through the southern association of colleges and schools council on accreditation and school improvement. The conservatory is now in its tenth year of accreditation and currently in process of renewing its accreditation through 2029. At the north end of the Straz Center's campus, the patel conservatory's three-story, 45,000 square-foot facility offers more than 120 Performing Arts classes in dance, theater, and music for students of all ages and experience levels. The curriculum is designed to provide introductory classes for the culturally curious and progress to pre-professional training for the serious Performing Arts student.to us, Arts education is not about making new professional artists. It's about giving young people the chance to develop competencies that will help them succeed in school, work, and life; to grow into good citizens and good neighbors; to dream and achieve better futures.the patel conservatory continues to flourish with high enrollment, great attendance at our professionally produced productions and strong diversity among students from pre-k to golden age. Curriculum includes sequential instruction in music, dance and theater, vocal Arts, musical theater, playwriting, improvision and storytelling.placing Arts education within reach of all Tampa Bay students is something we can't do without community donors and support. This year, with your help, over 3,000 patel conservatory enrollments were served in on-site classes, camps, intensives, and workshops in over 163,400 instruction hours. In addition, over 31,400 regional and national students visited and participated in events or classes at our campus.performance opportunities are an important part of Arts education. Patel conservatory students stepped onto Straz Center stages to showcase their skills in over 25 student productions throughout the school year, gaining valuable experiences that reflect professional applications. Scholarships:since our scholarship launched in 2007, millions of dollars have been awarded to deserving students with limited resources - many through endowed scholarship funds established through planned estate gifts. We awarded 344 scholarships totaling $248,000 to help students access the training they desire...all thanks to our donors.selected advancing students were also invited to perform alongside professionals in Arts legacy remix and other performances on our outdoor riverwalk stage. The Straz Center also links students to opportunities to stretch their wings and earn scholarships, by hosting events like youth america grand prix international ballet competition finals, Florida thespians festival, and regional broadway star of the future awards.arts education partnership program:we also delivered patel conservatory dance, music and theater curricula and other Arts learning experiences to 1,562 Tampa Bay students in 45 schools and neighborhoods lacking in Arts offerings through our Arts education partnerships program. Patel conservatory and partnership students also participated in master classes and workshops with professional touring artists, including complexions contemporary ballet; attended dress rehearsals of opera Tampa productions; and received more than 400 tickets to attend select study-related performances on Straz Center stages.

Facility services:facility services include operations involved in the presentation of Performing Arts to the community and the utilization of all available resources to ensure continued financial stability.these operations are responsible for both front-of-house and back-of-house functions for five theaters and A 335,000-square-foot complex. (continued on schedule o)operations is also responsible for food and beverage (with three on-site restaurants plus catering), maintenance and cleaning, facilities, house management (including 700 volunteers), security and grounds as well as production support through lighting, sound, load-ins, load-outs and staging. Operations is responsible for maintaining A 36-year-old building, as well as A 15-year-old conservatory with 20 studios. Expense base also includes depreciation expense of $1,658,887 for the amortized cost recognition of property, equipment, and leasehold improvements.