Asolo Rep and The Sarasota Ballet Announce Completion of New Seating

Asolo Repertory Theatre and The Sarasota Ballet proudly announce the completion of brand new seating in the Harold and Esther Mertz Theatre, the main performing space for Asolo Repertory Theatre and the home of The Sarasota Ballet. Located in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, which is also home to the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, the exquisite Mertz Theatre is one of Sarasota’s most populated and significant cultural venues.

This installation was completed in August, with the comfortable new seating ready for Asolo Rep and The Sarasota Ballet’s highly anticipated fall seasons. Capacity has increased from 503 to 535 seats, with most of the new seats added to the orchestra section of the theatre. Aisle lighting was also added for increased safety and visibility for patrons. The new layout also allows for an improvement in sight line clarity and an increase in ADA seating at a variety of price points. 

The seats, manufactured by Irwin Seating, are a replica of those in the historic New Amsterdam Theatre, the oldest operating theatre on Broadway, and reflect the style and aesthetic of the Mertz. The installation was funded by Florida State University and championed by Sally McRorie, the university’s Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. 

The Mertz, which was originally an opera house built in Dunfermline, Scotland in 1903, has served as Asolo Rep’s performing space since 1990 and The Sarasota Ballet’s since 1996. 

“We could not be happier with the outcome of this summer’s tremendous undertaking and the vast improvement to the Mertz Theatre, which now looks and feels like a brand new space,” said Linda DiGabriele, Managing Director of Asolo Rep. “I cannot wait for the community to experience our newly renovated home this fall at the Sarasota Ballet and Asolo Rep’s fall seasons.”