Apr 13, 2006 4:59 pm US/Eastern
Coconut Grove Playhouse Clings To Life
by Lisa Petrillo
COCONUT GROVE (CBS4 News) ―
Future shows of a play featuring Lucie Arnaz could be in danger if a Coconut Grove landmark can't find enough money to operate.
The Coconut Grove Playhouse, a 50-year-old institution in this once bohemian part of Miami, runs the risk of shutting down because of financial problems. Wednesday, a sign on the door of the historical theater read "Building closed until further notice". Employees were complaining that their paychecks had bounced the playhouse had not paid its liability insurance.
Thursday the board of directors met to decide on the theater's future. Arnaz's play "Sonia Flew" is safe – for now. It will begin next Friday and run for two weeks. The board will later assess what it will do with the third planned week of the show. Arnaz herself was at the meeting.
The future of the playhouse itself remains uncertain.
Shelly Spivack, chair of the playhouse board of directors, says the theater has been battling operating in the red for a long time.
''The playhouse for years has had tremendous financial issues,'' Spivack told our news partners at the Miami Herald. ``That is not a secret to anybody. We, the executive committee, have no desire to shut the playhouse down, nor to not perform the play.''
Actors for "Sonia Flew" were rehearsing the play off-site, as the building had been shuttered.
Arnaz started a fundraising campaign, seeking contributions from the wealthier members of Miami's Cuban community.
''This is a major financial crisis,'' Arnaz said in a letter. ``We desperately need your help and we need it fast.''
Bacardi USA was one of the first contributors as well as Arnaz herself.
With an annual budget of $5.9 million, the theater has been counting on getting money from the county for help, but delays and disagreements over budgeting has prevented them from getting these funds.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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