WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Anonymous donors are stepping up to help fund the arts in Polk County after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed funding arts and cultural grants in the state’s budget.
Theatre Winter Haven, for example, $145,000 in expected funding from the state. Now, though, $35,000 in anonymous donations are helping to offset the loss.
Theatre Winter Haven's assistant technical director Kadesh Lewis said there was inspiration to be found, even while laser-cutting plywood.
“It makes me be very creative in many ways,” Lewis said. “Like, I get to be here in the shop. I’m actually an actor, too, so I get to be on stage and do basically anything I want to, and that’s just keeps the creativity flowing.”
Kadesh wears a lot of hats, and helping design and build sets in Theatre Winter Haven’s shop is part of his job.
“You can tell that everybody here really just loves being here, loves the energy that brings in,” Lewis said. “And it just kind of brings a joy to everybody. And it’s hard to, you know, just live without that.”
DeSantis’ decision to veto money in the state budget that would fund arts grants was concerning for some in the Polk County arts community.
“I think many people who come to a theater don’t recognize the scope of an operation that it takes to do the shows, such as we do,” said Dan Chesnicka, Theatre Winter Haven’s executive director.
Chesnicka said the vetoed grant money could potentially impact the theater's ability to do non-revenue-generating outreach programs for senior citizens or children from lower income backgrounds.
But now, even though the theater lost about $145,000 from the grants, it’s gaining $35,000 back through anonymous donations.
“To have that $35,000 given back to us has really put some wind in our sales,” Chesnicka said.
He said it’s just part of a donation that’s going to numerous arts organizations in the county.
With the new funding, Chesnicka said the theater can afford to pay the royalties that come with bringing a popular show to the theater.
“It’ll really be helpful in going toward that,” he said. “And it’ll ease the pain of running a whole season knowing we have some money up front, and that we can count on, means a world of difference.”
Chesnicka said they still plan on doing other things to cut costs, like digitizing show programs and cutting back on their marketing budget, all the while making the promise that money will not be taken from the stage productions.
“We will never stop,” Chesnicka said. “And we will keep going, and we will find ways to serve this community come hell or high water.”
All this comes as Theatre Winter Haven plans on taking over the Historic Ritz Theater in the city’s downtown.
Chesnicka says they’ve also secured a partnership with Bond Clinic to give away unused tickets for future shows to patients.