The Winter Garden Theater will close, but the students’ show will go on, the city says

WINTER GARDEN, Florida – Earlier this month, FOX 35 News reported that the Garden Theater in Winter Garden would be closing its doors permanently, citing “financial issues” as the reason for the abrupt closure.

The closure came as a shock to students preparing for their production of “The Little Mermaid.” Despite the setback, the show goes on.

Parents were stunned when they arrived at the theater on Oct. 2 to find the doors locked and a closed sign.

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“It really devastated the kids. They had been working since August and had already put so much time and effort into it,” said Jennifer Scraper, a mother involved in the production. “I also know that all the directors and people involved were really devastated and heartbroken.”

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Given the sudden closure, the parents quickly organized a search for a new rehearsal room. “As a parent, I just said, well, we have to fix this,” Scraper said. “Several other parents came forward and offered to help. The directors, choreographers, sound crew and everyone involved were willing to step in, even if none of them were paid. We all reached out to different places to find places to rehearse and move on.”

Financing production has become the next challenge. “That’s still the next hurdle – even though we have a place to perform, there are still high costs involved,” Scraper added.

The production will take place at the Garden Theater as originally planned, as the theater is owned by the city of Winter Garden. However, it will not receive the support of the nonprofit that managed the venue before it closed.

A GoFundMe page was set up to cover the costs and the fundraising goal was about half reached.

Performances by The Little Mermaid are scheduled for October 24th to 27th.

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