Maltz Jupiter Theatre Announces $5 Million Matching Challenge Grant

Philanthropists and founding board members Milton and Tamar Maltz have announced an exceptional gift to help fund the Maltz Jupiter Theatre's $32 million expansion plans: a $5 million matching challenge grant through The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation.

The Foundation will match any new donation made to the Theatre's Believe capital campaign dollar-for-dollar. When the Theatre reaches $5 million, this generous match - added to the existing $14 million raised to date - will bring the total Believe capital contribution level to $24 million.

"We feel privileged to continue our support of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre and its bright future," said Milton Maltz, founder and chairman emeritus of the Theatre's board of directors. "We wanted to do something that would encourage the rest of the community to join us by investing in this wonderful cultural institution and all that it can become."

With an ambitious fundraising campaign currently underway, the not-for-profit Theatre has proposed an exciting expansion that will improve production facilities within the next five years. Under the current plan, the Theatre's improved stage will be ten feet deeper and six feet wider on either side, enabling the Theatre to qualify for pre-Broadway and national tours. A third-floor rehearsal studio will provide actors with a view, and residents will have the opportunity to see actors working and rehearsing.

The expansion will also benefit local children and those looking for first-class educational opportunities. The Theatre's popular Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts will double in size, allowing students the opportunity to receive a high-quality, dynamic arts education in state-of-the-art facilities.

A proposed 199-seat second space will also provide the opportunity for programmatic diversity, giving the Theatre fresh possibilities for new and exciting offerings year-round, including a film series, new and alternate plays and musicals, museum exhibits and other innovative presentations. Also new will be Scene, an innovative VIP pre-show supper lounge where guests can dine and be entertained prior to a show.

"We are so grateful to Milton and Tamar Maltz for directing funds from their foundation for a significant gift to the Maltz Jupiter Theatre's dreams," said Suellen Mann, the Theatre's director of development. "Their generous contributions through the years have left a lasting impact on the community and the arts. This is an incredible opportunity for others to donate, knowing their new contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar."

Once this matching donation is fulfilled, the Maltz family and their Foundation will have donated over $20 million to the Theatre since its founding, including a historic three-to-one matching fundraising challenge in 2012 that helped the Theatre secure a $10 million endowment to ensure that the Theatre continues in perpetuity.

Designed by Currie Sowards Aguila Architects, the expansion's proposed layout will double the square footage of the building without impacting the 617-seat audience chamber's intimacy.

Completed in three "acts" or phases of construction, the Theatre is set to begin its first phase - Act I - this April. This will include improvements to the parking lots, adding 30-40 parking spaces and bringing power to the building a year in advance of its next phase, Act II. As soon as the $5 million gift is matched (bringing the Believe capital contribution level to $24 million), the Theatre will be ready to start Act II, which will encompass resizing its stage to be comparable with a Broadway stage and completing its three floors of planned production facilities. Act III - completed once the remaining money has been raised - will include the creation of the second space and doubling the size of the Conservatory.

"We are so excited about the endless possibilities for the Maltz Jupiter Theatre," said Andrew Kato, the Theatre's producing artistic director and chief executive. "This generous matching gift challenge from Milton and Tamar Maltz through The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation will bring us even closer to reaching our goals of producing the next Broadway-bound hit musical right here in South Florida. Soon, patrons won't need to travel to be among the first to see the next Hamilton: An American Musical or Disney Frozen: The Broadway Musical."

Since its inception in 2004, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre has become one of the Florida's preeminent professional theatres, committed to artistic excellence, production and education through its collaborations with local and national artists. As the state's largest award-winning regional theatre, the Theatre boasts a subscription base of more than 8,560 and has world-class classroom facilities in support of its Conservatory, which serves more than 600 students per year.

For more information about the expansion, visit www.jupitertheatre.org/believe. To make a matching gift, contact Suellen Mann, director of development, at (561) 972-6124 or smann@jupitertheatre.org.

About the Maltz Jupiter Theatre
The not-for-profit Maltz Jupiter Theatre has become one of Florida's preeminent professional theatres, committed to production and education through its collaborations with local and national artists. Currently the state's largest award-winning regional theatre, the Theatre draws 100,000 people annually, serves a subscription base of more than 8,560 and has world-class classroom facilities in support of its Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts, which serves hundreds of youth and adults. The Theatre is a member of the prestigious League of Resident Theatres and has earned numerous Carbonell Awards, South Florida's highest honor for artistic excellence, including the prestigious Bill Von Maurer Award for Theatrical Excellence. For more information about the Theatre's upcoming shows and Conservatory, visit www.jupitertheatre.org or call the box office at (561) 575-2223.