Venice Theatre Receives $250,000 Pledge

Last year, when Dr. William H. Jervey, Jr. learned of Venice Theatre’s urgent need for space, he offered to help the theatre obtain its new Arts Education Building. The building located at the north end of the theatre’s parking lot (formerly known as The Hamilton Building) was purchased in November 2019, enabling Venice Theatre to expand classroom and rehearsal spaces and enhance its educational programs for all ages.

A few months later, in January 2020, Jervey publicly pledged one million dollars to match community support of Venice Theatre’s Next Act Capital Campaign. The local philanthropist’s generosity gave the theatre a big boost and launched the public phase of the $2.5 million campaign. Venice Theatre is the second-largest community theatre in the country and the heart of the arts in Sarasota County. The theatre’s expansion and improvement of its production and education campus are necessary to support its mission to make a dramatic impact on all stages of life.   

In April, during the 2020 Giving Challenge hosted by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation, Jervey offered that his million-dollar match provide for the theatre’s greatest needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic rather than restricting it to the capital campaign. The community rose to the challenge and the theatre raised the nearly quarter of a million dollars he promised to give at the end of the final fiscal quarter. 

Last week, Venice Theatre received the $192,300 Giving Challenge check from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The theatre’s successful participation in the Giving Challenge cannot be measured by dollars alone. Four hundred ninety new donors were added to its rolls, an increase of 40% over the 2018 Giving Challenge. Venice Theatre ranked number two in unique donors and came in number eight overall out of 686 organizations. And, not shown on the Giving Challenge “leaderboard” is an additional $5,537 raised from donor checks and additional matches from theatre board members Laura Kopple, Mark Nehiba, and Lynn Crandall.

On June 30, 2020 Dr. Jervey handed Murray Chase the full $250,000—from a good six feet away on the stage of The Jervey Theatre (see photo). Chase says, “We are incredibly grateful to him for his continued match challenge to the community to keep Venice Theatre vibrant and able to adapt to the changing needs of our audiences, students, performers, volunteers, and staff. Now is the time to help the theatre reach the next goal. We need an additional $100,000 to secure the next match by September 30, 2020.”

Venice Theatre asks the community to help students expand their horizons and to connect to Venice Theatre by playing its part today. Gifts are tax-deductible and donors may visit VeniceTheatre.org/NextAct to make their commitments. Questions about the campaign may be directed to Camille Cline, Deputy Director of Development, at camille@venicetheatre.net or Eric Watters, Director of Development, at ericwatters@venicetheatre.net.