Gulfshore Playhouse cuts season short

Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples recently had to lay off 21 employees, send its nine education interns home, and cancel the last two productions of its current season. Now a group of eight core staff members representing various departments at the theater are working from home at reduced pay to keep things afloat. 

“It’s generally devastating to everyone,” says Kristen Coury, Gulfshore Playhouse’s founder and producing artistic director. “But if we’re going to act as if — and we are — we have to keep getting ready for next season at least, and potentially for our summer productions. So we’re having Zoom meetings like crazy and trying to plan for something in our future we have no control over right now.”

Coury, the theater’s board chair, and other leadership staff have been in constant communication to make these decisions. And some things were decided for them, like when the city of Naples closed the Norris Center, Gulfshore Playhouse’s city-owned performance venue.