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Masque Theatre May Lose Its Home

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BY JOYCE McKENZIE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 25, 2008

TEMPLE TERRACE - Supporters of Masque Community Theatre have found themselves in the midst of two real-life dramas, one for which they are grateful and another that is causing them major concern.

On June 17, the city council approved the theater's request for a $3,000 civic improvement matching grant it used to purchase drywall, studs and insulation to construct a floor-to-ceiling portable partition to separate the rear section of the building into two sections. Its purpose is to close off an area that houses one of the theater's malfunctioning air conditioners from the space in which the air conditioning unit works and where the Toast of Tampa show chorus and The Academy, a men's barbershop choral group, hold their weekly rehearsals.

Joe LoPinto, president of the board of directors for the nonprofit theater group, said the wall was a relatively inexpensive alternative to purchasing a new air-conditioning unit for the city-owned building on North 56th Street in the downtown redevelopment district. Considering Masque collects revenue from the choruses and a church group that meets there on Sundays and it pays the city $1 a month to rent the facility, the partition made good sense.

"We made it so it can be taken down and used elsewhere after the city sells the land and the time comes for us to vacate the building," said LoPinto, who noted that because of several delays in the redevelopment agreement process he surmised the theater would remain in the home it has occupied since 2004 at least until the middle of 2009.

But he recently received an e-mail from Mike Marshall, the city's redevelopment director, informing him that the master developer of the city's redevelopment project, a partnership of Ram Development Co. and Pinnacle Realty Advisors, wants possession of the building by the end of the year to accommodate a pending tenant.

LoPinto was shocked, especially because he is familiar with No. 14 on the 21-point Downtown Redevelopment Framework document approved by city council in September 2005.

It reads: "The community arts center to remain on site until a permanent home is constructed at a site not yet determined."

Temple Terrace resident Virginia Grissom, a single mother of three daughters involved with the theater, called the potential closing of Masque a "travesty."

"It would be devastating. ... I can't imagine not having it," she said. "My girls have learned everything they know about theater from Masque, and it's affordable to me as a single parent."

Nicu Brouillette of Tampa Palms, a soon-to-be senior at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, has taken on lead roles in three productions at Masque, including Gaston in Disney's 1991 classic "Beauty and the Beast."

"What I've really enjoyed is the people," said Brouillette, 17, who hopes to pursue a college major in theater. "I've spent three summers in a row there, and it's been awesome."

LoPinto encourages Masque enthusiasts to attend the 5 p.m. Tuesday meeting in the council chambers at city hall.

City Manager Kim Leinbach said that unfortunately much has changed since the redevelopment framework document was put in place.

"We'll certainly try to work with them, but today we're facing a much different economy," he said. "I think our city officials have shown our support of the theater by renting the space to them; and remember we're looking at an arts and education center on a much larger scope. But at this juncture, we don't know if that will even happen."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Meeting to discuss the future of Masque Community Theatre

WHERE: Council chambers at Temple Terrace City Hall, 11250 N. 56th St.

WHEN: 5 p.m. Tuesday

INFORMATION: E-mail masque@masqueonline.net.

Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 865-4849 or jmckenzie@tampatrib.com.

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