Monday, April 8, 2013

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe buys Sarasota theater

  After 14 years, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe finally has a place it can call home. WBTT announced Monday that it has purchased the site where it has been performing for the past three years. It's two buildings, totaling almost 28,000 square feet, on two acres at 1646 10th Way, Sarasota.
   WBTT has been using just a third of one building until now. A statement from the company says the second building will be used for set construction, rehearsals and storage for costumes and scenery. Eventually the combined space will also house educational programs and administrative offices.
Nate Jacobs of WBTT
The company has been producing plays at that site for the past three years. Before that, it performed wherever it could find available space.
   "In four short years, we have gone from living season-to-season and not knowing what tomorrow would bring, to having one place to call home and being able to own it," said Nate Jacobs, WBTT's founder and artistic director. "WBTT can now grow its roots among the giants in the Sarasota cultural community.”
   The next production at WBTT is "It Ain't Nothin' but the Blues," a musical revue that traces the development of the blues in America, opens Friday and  runs through May 12. For more information on WBTT, visit the website at www.wbttroupe.org, follow on Facebook or call 941-366-1505.

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