Art v Commerce
I've spent 11 years now with Jobsite trying to strike that elusive “balance” in producing theater. Not the cut-and-dried balance of: comedy, drama, classic, musical, holiday show and then your little arty piece. A balance between what we think people here will readily buy into (read: things that will actually sell tickets), and things that we might be able to challenge them with (read: things we think that are awesome but not too far gone). Between shows that appear recognizable for whatever reason on the surface and shows that are likely a lot more obscure. Between Capital-A Art and What's Going to Move Tickets. They're not typically the same thing, even if we think in advance the

Giving thanks for 2009
It’s mid-November and we're all smack-dab in the middle of the season for gratitude, of giving thanks for all that we have.Jobsite is very thankful for the year we've had. To start 2009 with the smash hit Picasso at the Lapin Agile (the #1 attended show we've produced on our own) and end it with Night of the Living Dead (#2) was a major success for our company, and hopefully those are numbers that we will continue to build on each and every year. To have been offered a long-term deal by TBPAC, just yesterday renamed the David A. Straz Jr. Center

A Very Special Friday the 13th at Night of the Living Dead!
I get an email yesterday around 5:30 from Rachel Lisi in the TBPAC Ticket Office. Apparently someone has anonymously called in and told them that Marilyn Eastman, the actress who originated the role of Helen Cooper in Romero's film of Night of the Living Dead will be coming to the show.We were all a bit dubious. What are the odds? We'd already had Romero's ex-wife at our preview.Rachel, the wily detective she is, finds out there is in fact a John Eastman who has purchased five tickets to the performance. A bit later, a woman calls claiming to be Mrs. Eastman's daughter and says that Marilyn wo

Jobsite hosts food drive for final weekend of Night of the Living Dead
Jobsite Theater, the independent resident theater company at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, will host a food drive to benefit the food bank at Metropolitan Ministries for this final weekend of their smash hit Night of the Living Dead. With the holidays right around the corner, Jobsite hopes to help make a difference to Bay area families in need during what's been for many a very challenging year.Patrons may bring two canned goods or other non-perishable food items within 90 minutes of curtain and receive a $10 ticket to see Night of the Living Dead on 11/12 at 8p, 11/14 at 8pm or 11/15 at 4pm. This offer is not valid on the 11/13 8pm perform

Halloween gone, NOTLD shuffles on
Even though Halloween is now a fading memory, Jobsite Theater's production of Night of the Living Dead is still shuffling on strong like a zombie looking for brains with eight more performances remaining.Originally slated to close this Sunday, Nov. 8, we extended the run during opening week through a new close date of Nov. 15, giving us an opportunity to close on another ill-omened date that shares a name with another iconic horror film - Friday the 13th.Jobsite is very excited to have sold 98% of all available tickets from the first two weeks of the run, including seven completely sold out shows.