Kristen Coury is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director at Gulfshore Playhouse.

As temperatures dip into what, for Naples, feels like arctic weather, I sit in front of my fire, with a hot cup of tea in my hand, and think about what the upcoming year has in store.  The New Year is a great time to reflect on past accomplishments and make goals for the future.  We’ve certainly accomplished quite a bit in 2017, faced many challenges, and have much to be proud of.  On our mainstage, we produced our first show in conjunction with a Broadway producer, Do This, and our first Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice.  In our newly-formed Teen Conservatory, we produced a full-scale production of Into the Woods with students aged 13-18.  In the schools, we partnered with the Holocaust Museum on a play about a local survivor named Sabine Van Dam.

The biggest news is, we closed on a three-acre parcel of land at Naples Square.  This will be the home where we will build our new state-of-the-art theatre and education center which will become a cultural destination at the gateway to downtown for generations to come.

2017 was a banner year, and 2018 has much to live up to, but as we slide into the final week of rehearsals for The Price, I am thrilled by how this production is coming together.  These actors are absolutely phenomenal and this play is sure to resonate with audiences from all walks of life and all ages.  Basically, if you’ve ever been a child, or a parent, or a sibling, or a spouse, there will be something in this play that will speak to you. There are other things brewing. We will be choosing our architects soon. We will be finalizing the 18-19 season in the next couple of weeks.  Our “New Years resolution” for programming is “each play needs to be a play (or musical) they’re still thinking about when they wake up the next day.”  I’ll check back with you a year from now to see how we’re doing!

In the meantime, I hope you’ve accomplished much you are proud of and have great goals ahead of you.  What else is a New Year for?

Wishing you all a happy, healthy New Year filled with love, light, and understanding.