JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In a testament to resilience and community support, Players by the Sea in Jacksonville Beach is set to stage performances of the musical Waitress this weekend, starting Friday night. The shows will take place at the Ritz Theatre and Museum in Downtown Jacksonville, following a fire that forced a closure of the theater’s original venue.
Despite the challenges, the theater community rallied together to ensure the show would go on.
RELATED: Water damage inside Players by the Sea Theatre forces suspension of operations after fire breaks out
Jereme Raickett is the theater’s artistic director.
“As we were in production, our facility was hit by a significant fire that caused a lot of water damage and putting us out of the space for rehearsals and even our normal operations.” Raickett said. “And so, it really threw a bit of a wrench in the process.”
Equally stunned was Bradley Akers, the theater’s managing director.
“It’s a safe place to experience something magical,” Akers said. “And when that’s taken from you, it’s a shock, it’s a total shock.”
The Ritz Theatre and Museum stepped in to offer its space for the performances, allowing the production to continue. Raickett and Akers expressed their gratitude for the support and highlighted the historical parallels between the two theaters. According to Akers, in addition to this recent fire, Players by the Seas experienced a serious fire in the 1970s at its former location.
“It’s an interesting parallel,” Akers noted. “The building that was here, the Ritz, was ravaged by the fire in 1901, so I think it’s interesting that our experiences are paralleling each other.”
As opening night approaches, Raickett and Akers are focused on the future. An emergency relief fund will be announced opening night to aid in the theater’s rebuilding efforts.
“By launching the fundraiser here that evening, with everybody in the room, we’re able to make sure that everyone’s part of this story and part of this relief story,” Akers said. “It’s going to help with operations, with remediation, it’s going to be helping with so many critical things.”
Discussions are underway about expanding connections beyond the beaches community.
“We do hope to get back in our space as soon as possible,” Raickett said. “But how can we keep this going? How can we connect outside of just the beaches community? I think we represent Jacksonville. “
Despite recent setbacks, Players by the Sea remains committed to its mission of enriching the Jacksonville community through theater.
“With this moment for us, is now saying, ‘How can we continue to give back to Jacksonville as a whole’? That’s our purpose,” Akers emphasized.
Performances of Waitress will be:
- May 16 at 8 p.m.
- May 17 at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.
- May 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Anyone who bought tickets during the original scheduled run and needs help with a refund can email info@playersbythesea.org .
Click here to buy tickets.
