Straz Center Will Break Ground on Expansion Project

Straz Center will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the Master Plan expansion on April 7 at 10am. Participants are scheduled to include Mayor Jane Castor, Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen, Tampa City Councilwoman and CRA Board Chair Gwendolyn Henderson, Lead Architect Paul Westlake of DLR Group and Straz Center President and CEO Greg Holland, among others. There will be a performance from Disney’s The Lion King at the ceremony.

The plan includes increasing space by more than 30% for arts education programs, the
demand for which currently exceeds availability in the Patel Conservatory, leveraging the riverfront location, providing improved access to the campus from the Riverwalk and additional outdoor space for free programming and special community programs, and re-imagining and expanding hospitality options for diverse patron experiences.

With the investment in this expansion, Straz Center will inspire a new generation of arts patrons with a 21st-century performing arts experience. It will provide additional community outreach that will educate an even greater cross-section of Tampa’s aspiring actors, dancers and musicians while making our performances accessible to any Tampa citizen, regardless of income. It firmly positions Straz Center among the world’s elite cultural institutions and unites the world in a shared vision of Tampa as a rising cultural and economic powerhouse.

For more information about Straz Center for the Performing Arts and its upcoming events, visit www.strazcenter.org.