Renaissance Theatre Company Successfully Completes Inspections, Returns to Orlando Home

Renaissance Theatre Company is home. Earlier today, the Ren passed their final inspections and the company has returned to their beloved warehouse at 415 E. Princeton Street.

Now, it's time to move forward. To celebrate, The Ren is hosting a series of events aptly titled Homecoming Week. “It's a chance to come back home and be with one another while we work toward what's next artistically. We're starting our sixth year with a newfound appreciation of what we have, and we're looking forward to a "re-Renaissance” of sorts,” Rupe says. Homecoming Week begins on Friday night and includes events throughout the week, including a formal reception and fundraiser on March 20th. Tickets are available now at rentheatre.com/homecoming. 

In September of 2025–nearly six months ago–The Ren's Princeton location was closed unexpectedly after their annual fire inspection. The building itself was not deemed a safety hazard, but the city took issue that the lavish immersive set for the blockbuster seasonal hit show Nosferatu had not been permitted. A large part of that set remains and has now received the city's stamp of approval. The Ren had never received any previous negative feedback from their annual inspections despite those inspections occurring each year during the same production. “There's not a lot in the building or fire code that addresses immersive theatre,” Ren Co-Founder Donald Rupe says, “and we thought the same rules that apply to traditional theatre companies also applied to us. We've learned now that to produce the kind of groundbreaking immersive shows we like to do, there are a few hundred extra hoops to jump through to permit those scenic designs in advance.” 

The closure led to a change of use for the building which includes a higher occupant load. “We couldn't have done this without the generous donations of time and expertise from Matt Broffman of Broffman Advisory, Architect Jed Prest and a team from Baker Barrios Architects, and Albu and Associates, who all came in like angels and helped us when we needed help most. There are also great people at the City who really held my hand through this; Thea Walker in permitting, Sherry Gutch, and many others throughout the process.” Rupe explains, “At the end of it all, we didn't change much to the building; we already had most of what the code required. We upgraded our fire alarm to a voice system instead of an alarm (a $40,000 improvement), we extended a ramp in the front of the building, and a slew of other small changes inside the building.” 

Nosferatu is the company's most expensive annual endeavour and it's also a huge money-maker for the theatre. The financial loss is estimated at over $1,000,000. “Certainly the financial loss has been devastating, but also the loss of time together in our home, the loss of the Art, the growth we would have experienced…it's been a very difficult time personally and professionally for many of us. Most companies would not have survived this,” Development Associate Adonis Perez-Escobar remarks. He continues, “Our community really helped us bridge the gap. We're a nonprofit organization, and more than 1,400 people gave a collective $264,000 in donations. Also early this year, a donor anonymously gave an astounding $250,000 gift; these gifts not only saw us through this moment financially, but showed us that what we do really matters to people.” Co-founder Chris Kampmeier gave even more substantive support during the shutdown, keeping all employees paid throughout the 6-month break.

Throughout the shutdown, the theatre company persevered. The Plaza Live and the Beacham Group hosted performances as the company adopted a new motto: “The Ren is more than just a place…it's you.” Later, the City of Orlando's Economic Development Department granted the Ren a temporary home at the city-owned venue at 54 W Church Street, where the regional premiere of Mean Girls and events like Off the Record have welcomed more than 5,000 patrons in just four months; it's serendipitous that Mean Girls has its final three performances this weekend, closing March 15th (tickets at rentheatre.com).