History of GableStage
Founded in 1979 as Florida Shakespeare Theatre, GableStage originally performed the plays of Shakespeare in repertory, using the outdoor Casino Gardens at Vizcaya. From 1987 to 1992, Florida Shakespeare Theatre was housed in the Minorca Playhouse in Coral Gables, until it was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew. But the theatre’s mission could not be destroyed, and it continued to produce at the Carousel Theatre in Coral Gables in 1993 and 1994. In 1998, the theatre moved to its current home, the historic Biltmore Hotel, and became GableStage.
Since 1998, GableStage has been producing quality theatrical productions that encompass themes and ideas relevant to the multicultural South Florida community at Coral Gables’ historic Biltmore Hotel. GableStage is the recipient of 64 Carbonell Awards, a prestigious South Florida theatre award, with over 200 nominations and received the Ruth Forman Award for major advancements in the South Florida theatre scene.
GableStage is one of the longest-running and most highly acclaimed theater companies in South Florida striving to present the most vital and cutting edge works of contemporary playwrights worldwide (currently over 100 successful productions). Currently, six plays are mounted annually at the Biltmore Hotel location, and productions are regularly transported to area performing arts venues such as the Lyric Theatre, the Joseph Caleb Auditorium, and The Seminole Theatre in order to engage a larger audience and outreach to the community. In addition to community outreach, GableStage works directly with the Miami-Dade Public Schools’ Cultural Passport Program to provide unique cultural access to schools, students, and teachers through school tours and/or attendance at a GableStage production at an offsite venue. Study guides are provided prior to the performances to provide in-depth knowledge for students. Following the performance, a talkback is administered to engage the students and teachers in a conversation about what they experienced. All programs are offered free-of-charge.
GableStage has been approved to become the theatre-in-residence at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in conjunction with Miami-Dade County and Florida International University. After a public presentation at Ransom Everglades in December 2016, we are in the design stages with Miami-Dade County, AMS Consulting, Fisher-Dachs, Arquitectonica, and FIU. For official notices on the project, check the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs website.
GableStage is proud to be a member of the thriving South Florida theatre and business community. We are members of Theatre Communications Group, Theatre League of South Florida, Americans for the Arts, Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce, Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, and the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber Commerce.
Mission Statement
The mission of GableStage is to provide South Florida audiences with theatrical works of artistic excellence that confront today’s issues and ideas.
For questions or further information e-mail us at contact@gablestage.org.