|
Kristen Coury has a dream. A recent transplant
from New York City, she dreams of a vital, thriving theater
scene in Naples, one that runs the gamut of theater experiences
she knew and loved in the Big Apple. Moreover, she aims to
create a professional theater company that will happily reside
in the core of that lively scene.
“I’ve spent my life working in theater
in London and New York,” says Coury, founder and producing
artistic director of the Gulfshore Playhouse. “The idea
for the Gulfshore Playhouse came about because my husband
and I fell in love with Naples and decided to move here. There
is wonderful community theater and dinner theater here. You
have the Phil bringing in touring companies. But coming from
New York, I could see that something was missing in the middle.”
That middle ground is where Coury plans to
position the Gulfshore Playhouse. She envisions the company
as a professional regional theater, akin to Florida Rep, the
Asolo and Coconut Grove. This will be a theater where patrons
can see Equity actors, from Florida and around the country,
performing plays that aren’t available at the other theaters
in town, plays that are new or perhaps lesser known.
“Live theater is what keeps our imaginations
humming,” Coury notes. “It’s what speaks to
the soul and what drives the human chord within each one of
us.”
In lesser hands, the Gulfshore Playhouse could
well be an improbable dream. But Coury brings a wealth of
experience to this task. She has directed films and musicals,
worked with Walt Disney Theatrical Productions and Andrew
Lloyd Weber’s Really Useful Company, taught workshops
in acting and directing, planned theatrical benefits and is
currently writing two screenplays.
Her skills helped her launch the Gulfshore
Playhouse’s fund raising campaign with gusto. Last October,
she presented 3 Men and a Diva, starring Carol Lawrence, Johnny
Rodgers, Jim Caruso and Brian Lane Green, at the Sugden Community
Theatre. “The response was nothing but really positive,”
Coury reports. “We had about 295 people there, and they
gave (the performers) two standing ovations. We raised about
$10,000. The show came about through my knowing people who
know people. It was really the first time that show came together
– and now it may go on to other places. So we’re
already starting our little legacy.”
Building that legacy, Coury admits will take
time – and a theater to call Gulfshore’s own. The
next year or so will be difficult, as she looks to build the
company (and perhaps a theater) from the ground up. Right
now, she is the company Everywoman, doing the marketing, accounting,
goal setting, sponsorship solicitation and writing the thank
you notes. She’s also touring properties and meeting
with contractors, to explore possible locations for Gulfshore’s
theater. In her “spare” time, she is trying to schedule
events for every month, at various different venues, to keep
Gulfshore on everyone’s mind and to keep them enthralled
by the possibilities.
“So far everyone seems really excited
about the idea,” Coury says. “I’ve had lots
of wonderful sponsors, and they’re saying they’re
not doing it for the publicity but for the community. People
are excited about improving and beautifying and enriching
their community. This is an idea whose time has come. I really
believe that.”
Spurred by that sense of community, Coury plans
Florida Stories, an evening of scenes, monologues and stories
written by Southwest Florida residents for sometime this spring.
“The goal is to make an occasion for members of the community
to stop for a moment and reflect on their own lives, to express
themselves and to take the time to allow more creativity into
their lives,” she explains. “This way, we continue
to bring new works to Naples and keep the community, young
and old, involved.”
Coury is the first to admit that she has a
long way to go before her dream is fully realized. But she
sees the Gulfshore Playhouse as her own special gift to the
community, a chance to show her love for her new home. And
the response she has encountered is enough to keep her shaping
that dream into reality. “People’s responses have
been so gratifying and refreshing,” she says. “They
give me the energy to do what I hope to do.”
To find out more about the plans for and
events of Gulfshore Playhouse and/or to get involved in its
campaign, visit www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org or call Kristen
Coury at 398-3143.
|
