FST secures $2 million gift and state grant for new building project

Florida Studio Theatre has received a major gift toward its plans for a new arts plaza that will include three theaters, a parking garage, actor housing and rental units for other artists.

Just three months after it announced the $4 million Maier Match Challenge, the theater has received a gift of $2 million from Cheryl Gorelick and Jake Ziegler.

With the challenge set by Ed and Susan Maier, the gift is doubled to $4 million. The Maiers established a one-to-one matching fund of $4 million to raise enough money to name the new plaza for Dennis and Graci McGillicuddy, longtime supporters of the theater. The match is available through April 2025 or until the $4 million is raised.

The $2 million gift was announced shortly after officials confirmed that FST will also receive $1 million from the state of Florida to support creation of new workplace housing in the project.

The theater said it has now raised $41 million of the $46 million needed for the first phase of the project, which includes construction of the eight-story building, the opening of the parking garage and three stories of artist housing. Artistic Director Richard Hopkins has said that parking and housing are two of the biggest issues the theater faces. Three new theaters, dressing rooms, a bar and lounge, and other amenities will be added in the second and third phases of the project.

The Maiers, who had previously committed $2 million for the project and will have a cabaret theater named for them, said they wanted to create a “circle of friends” who supported the idea of naming the building for the McGillicudys. Dennis McGillicuddy has long been president or chair of the theater’s board of directors. Graci McGillicuddy is active in numerous charities and is the former chair of the Florida Arts Council.

So far the match has generated $2.6 million in gifts, the theater said.

The building was originally expected to be called the Mulva Arts Plaza in recognition of more than $6 million in donations from Patrick and Mary Mulva. They announced in April that because they were moving back to Dallas for family issues, they were turning back the naming rights to FST after fulfilling their financial pledge.

Gorelick joined the FST board of trustees in 2023 just a year after she and Zeigler moved to Sarasota. In a statement, Hopkins said they are “invaluable supporters of the theater. From the moment they walked in the door, they asked insightful questions, engaged deeply and sought to understand our goals. They indicated they would support the project, but I was stunned and humbled when they came in with a leadership gift.”

State support for FST building project

Managing Director Rebecca Hopkins acknowledged the efforts of State Sen. Jim Boyd and State Rep. Fiona McFarland for securing the $1 million in state funds and Gov. Ron DeSantis “who recognized the importance of this project in supporting workforce housing for arts workers in this region.”

In a statement, Rebecca Hopkins said that “arts and culture have a major economic impact on this region and represent more than 6,300 jobs in Sarasota and Manatee alone as of 2022. Affordable housing for our workers has become a crisis and this project is working to become part of the solution.”

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Though DeSantis vetoed most arts funding in the new state budget, funds for the FST plaza were included in commerce department allocations.

McFarland said, “While I’m disappointed we’ll miss out on roughly $1.4 million of arts and culture grants this year (in Sarasota County), I am proud of the $1 million to Sarasota for Florida Studio Theatre’s workforce housing project.”

And in a statement, Boyd described the arts as “essential to our community” and said the FST project “offers housing and employment as well as reaching new theater audiences.”

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: FST nears goal for first phase of downtown Sarasota building project