From the President/CEO
and Chairman of the Board
Dear Straz Friends,
Since The Straz opened its doors
30 years ago, a mind boggling
16 million guests have seen
nearly 30,000 performances.
And if you ask those guests
what they love about The Straz,
you’ll get a million different
answers.
That’s because people come
with th eir hearts and minds wide
open to experience emotions
and dreams, shared by talented
artists, writers, photographers,
musicians and dancers who
want nothing more than to thrill
their audience.
The incredible and generous
support of our donors gives
us the ability to bring national and international
artists of the highest quality to Tampa Bay area
audiences, fund our education and outreach
programs and assure our theaters remain state-ofthe
art facilities.
JUDITH LISI
President/CEO
GARY SASSO
Chairman
Here are just some of the things donations made
possible in 2017:
• 45 extraordinary partnerships with community
organizations, providing outreach activities
to families and children who might otherwise
never have a chance to be inspired by the arts.
• Scholarships to young people who discovered
their creative potential when they participated in
the dance, theater or music training curriculum
at the Patel Conservatory.
• Ticket subsidies that ensure our performances
are available for everyone.
• Improvements to our backstage areas, including
dressing rooms which had not been updated
since the building was constructed 30 years ago.
• New seating in our theaters, a project to be
completed in 2018.
As we move further into 2018, we will continue
to reimagine The Straz for a new generation
with a Master Plan that will, once again, forever
change the Tampa Bay’s cultural landscape. This
new project has the same breathtaking vision
that the original plan to build the Tampa Bay
Performing Arts Center had in the first place.
Thank you for your faith in us. The Straz
is a treasure and we appreciate your shared
commitment to care for our facility, our programs
and our vision to prepare for future generations.
David A. Straz, Jr. Center
for the Performing Arts
Board of Trustees
Allison Adams
Johnny Adcock
R. Troy Atlas
Yvonne Yolie Capin
Santiago Corrada
Theodore J. Couch, Jr.
Victor Crist
Gina d’Angelo
Douglas J. Dieck
Jeff Eakins
Jonathan Ellen
Ignacio A. Ferras, III
Michele M. Freedle
Tampa Bay
Performing Arts Center Foundation
Board of Directors
A.D. “Sandy”
MacKinnon, Chairman
R. Kent Bailey
Don DeFosset
John Jaeb
Helen Kerr
Jack Kirkland
Judith Lisi
Frank L. Morsani
Frank J. Rief, III
Gary Sasso
Hinks Shimberg
Martin L. Silbiger
William E. Starkey
David A. Straz, Jr.
Susan Sykes
Bill West
Jerry Williams
The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts
is owned by the City of Tampa and operated by
the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.,
a not-for-profi t organization.
MAYOR
Bob Buckhorn
TAMPA CITY COUNCIL
Yvonne Yolie Capin, Harry Cohen, Guido Maniscalco,
Charlie Miranda, Frank Reddick, Mike Suarez,
Luis Viera
Ryan Freking
Judy L. Genshaft
Jeffrey Gibson
Gordon Gillette
Bill Goede
Terry Igo
Don E. Jones, Jr.
Kasey Shimberg Kelly
Jack Kirkland
Scott Kizer
Marty Lanahan
Zena Lansky
Barry Levine
A.D. “Sandy” MacKinnon
Gene Marshall
Mildred Mathias
Gene McNichols
Steven H. Mezer
Frank L. Morsani
Vera Muzzillo
Rick Nafe
Erika Noonburg-Morgan
Robert Norman
Adam Palmer
Pallavi K. Patel
Jake Raburn
Royce W. Reed
Dennis R. Rogero, Jr.
Alfred Rogers, Jr.
Ann McKeel Ross
Gary Sasso, Chairman
David Scher
Hinks Shimberg
Jeff Sikorske
Martin L. Silbiger
Lisa Simington
Rick Simonetti
Sharon Stein
Catherine Lowry Straz
Cindy Stuart
Chuck Sykes
Susan Sykes
Ronald Vaughn
David B. Weinstein
Bill West
Todd Wickner
PRESIDENT’S
COUNCIL
Helen Kerr
Helen Torres