St. Augustine Amphitheatre
| St. Augustine Amphitheatre | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Address | 1340 A1A S # C |
| City | St Augustine, Florida |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 29°52′29″N 81°17′06″W / 29.87473°N 81.28506°WCoordinates: 29°52′29″N 81°17′06″W / 29.87473°N 81.28506°W |
| Owned by | St. Johns County Parks & Recreation department[1] |
| Capacity | 4092[2] |
| Opened | 1965[2][3][4] |
| Years active | 1965 - present |
| Rebuilt | 2001 - 2007, Fred Halback and Les Thomas[5][6] |
| www.staugamphitheatre.com | |
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The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is a venue for outdoor concerts and other large gatherings on A1A in St Augustine, Florida, United States. The Amphitheatre seats 3,493 persons, and is managed by the St. Johns County Parks & Recreation department.
[edit] History
The Amphitheatre was built in 1965 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine.[2][3][4] The land was originally part of Anastasia State Park.[1] The amphitheatre itself was constructed in one of the old coquina quarries used to supply building materials for St. Augustine and the Castillo de San Marcos.[7][8][9]
The Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paul Green was commissioned to write a play to be performed at the Amphitheatre. The result was Cross and Sword: A Symphonic Drama of the Spanish Settlement of Florida,[10] a musical reenactment of the first years of St. Augustine's existence. Cross and Sword was designated the official state play in 1973 by the Florida Legislature.[11] The play ran until 1996, when budget constraints ended its more than 30-year run.[3][4][12]
The amphitheatre was used infrequently during the following years, though it did host a free summer Shakespeare Festival from 1997 to 2003.[13][14] In 2002, St. Johns County acquired the property and the following year began an $8.7 million renovation.[3][4] The upgraded facility reopened in August 2007, which includes a fiberglass tensile canopy over the main stage.[15]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Bosworth, Jon (2007-08-30). "everything old is new again - the new history of the st. augustine amphitheatre". EU Jacksonville. http://www.eujacksonville.com/pages/08-30-07/staugustineamphitheatre.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ a b c St. Augustine Amphitheatre - Venue - Specs
- ^ a b c d de Yampert, Rick (2008-08-21). "Amped at the amphitheatre". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Entertainment/Music/entMUS01082108.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ a b c d Reinink, Amy (2008-08-22). "St. Augustine gets amped". Ocala Star Banner. http://www.ocala.com/article/20080822/LIVING05/570971/1027&title=St__Augustine_gets_amped. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ St. Augustine Amphitheatre - Halback Design Group, Inc.
- ^ "Editorial: St. Augustine Amphitheatre plans reflect labor of love". The St. Augustine Record. 2001-10-21. http://staugustine.com/stories/102101/opi_229105.shtml. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ Rapoza, Brian (2007). Birding Florida. Globe Pequot. pp. 31. ISBN 9780762739141. http://books.google.com/books?id=o0pI6cHteAkC&printsec=frontcover#PPA31,M1.
- ^ McCarthy, Kevin (1992). The Book Lover's Guide to Florida. Pineapple Press. pp. 79. ISBN 9781561640218. http://books.google.com/books?id=H4xcm2ifQLQC&printsec=frontcover#PPA79,M1.
- ^ "Quarry Historical Site". Anastasia State Park. Florida Online Park Guide. http://www.floridastateparks.org/anastasia/Quarry.cfm. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ Paul Green Bibliography
- ^ Florida State Symbols - The State Play: Cross and Sword
- ^ Rajtar, Steve; Kelly Goodman (2008). A Guide to Historic St. Augustine, Florida. The History Press. pp. 52–53. ISBN 9781596293366. http://books.google.com/books?id=ZyrHSTZUw0cC&printsec=frontcover#PPA52,M1.
- ^ "Art thou ready for 'Much Ado About Nothing'?". The St. Augustine Record. 2002-08-16. http://www.staugustine.com/stories/081602/com_915738.shtml. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ "Atlantic Shakespeare Company to present musical fund-raiser". The St. Augustine Record. 2002-11-15. http://staugustine.com/stories/111502/com_1102307.shtml. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ St. Augustine Amphitheatre - St. Johns County Government Gateway
