Winter Garden Theatre shuts down, but students’ show will go on, city says

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Updated  October 18, 2024 9:16pm EDT
FOX 35 Orlando
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Show will go on at Winter Garden Theatre

Earlier this month, FOX 35 News reported that the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden was closing its doors for good, citing "financial challenges" as the reason for the abrupt shutdown.

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. - Earlier this month, FOX 35 News reported that the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden was closing its doors for good, citing "financial challenges" as the reason for the abrupt shutdown.

The closure came as a shock to students preparing for their production of Disney's The Little Mermaid. 

Always, the show must go on – and students working on that show will get their moment under the lights afterall. 

Parents were stunned when they arrived at the theater on October 2 to find the doors locked and a "closed" sign displayed.

"It made the kids truly devastated. They had been working since August, and they had already put so much time and effort into it," said Jennifer Scraper, a parent involved with the production.

"I also know that all of the directors and the people involved with it were truly devastated and heartbroken as well."

Faced with the sudden closure, parents quickly organized to find a new rehearsal space.

"As a parent, I just said, well, we need to fix this," Scraper said.

"Several other parents stepped up and offered to help. The directors, choreographers, sound team, and everyone involved were willing to step in, even though none of them were getting paid for it. We all reached out to different places to find spots to rehearse and continue."

Funding the production has become the next challenge.

"That’s still the next hurdle—even though we have a place to perform, there are still a lot of costs," Scraper added.

The production will take place at the Garden Theatre, as originally planned, as the theater is owned by the City of Winter Garden. However, it will not have the support of the nonprofit organization that managed the venue before it closed. 

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the costs. They have a goal of $18,000. Nearly $9,000 has been raised, as of Saturday morning. 

Performances of The Little Mermaid are scheduled for October 24 through October 27.

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