Editorial: Planned cultural center a welcome addition for today's Palm Beach

Palm Beach Daily News Editorial Board
·3 min read

It's good to see that excitement is building for the cultural center that will be the centerpiece of the project to redevelop the Royal Poinciana Playhouse.

The Innovate, a nonprofit chaired by Palm Beacher Avie Glazer, whose family owns the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will operate the programming for the center, which is expected to open in spring 2025.

A new cultural arts center, as shown in this rendering, will be the centerpiece of the redeveloped Royal Poinciana Playhouse site.
A new cultural arts center, as shown in this rendering, will be the centerpiece of the redeveloped Royal Poinciana Playhouse site.

Glazer and his wife, Jill, held an event last month at their home that brought together people to exchange ideas and explore ways to aid the growth and success of the new waterfront cultural arts center, the couple said in a statement.

"To bring this vision to life, we've collaborated with outstanding architects, consultants, and theater specialists," Avie Glazer told guests at the April 25 event. "Our goal is to enrich the quality of life in Palm Beach. We offer many ways for individuals and businesses to play a role in this transformative project. Our aim is to connect with — and give back to — the entire Palm Beach community. We want to engage residents of all ages, and with a variety of interests.”

Michael Pucillo, Melissa Ceriale and Jill Glazer (from left) attended an event at Glazer and her husband Avie's home to support The Innovate, a new waterfront arts and cultural center that will open next year.
Michael Pucillo, Melissa Ceriale and Jill Glazer (from left) attended an event at Glazer and her husband Avie's home to support The Innovate, a new waterfront arts and cultural center that will open next year.

As planned, the 24,000-square foot multipurpose space — featuring a 400-seat jewel box theater — at 70 Royal Poinciana Plaza will host year-round performing arts, educational outreach and community and social programming.

The Glazers recently launched the "Take a Seat" campaign, which encourages members of the community to demonstrate their support for the center by underwriting a theater seat. The cost is $5,000 and includes an inscribed brass seat plaque that can be placed in a location of the donor's choice.

In addition to the new cultural arts center, the redeveloped playhouse site will include Tutto Mare, a fine dining eatery, which won Town Council approvals in December.

The Royal Poinciana Playhouse site appears poised to be an entertainment hub for Palm Beach. This is a far cry from the long-vacant venue that had loomed as a blot on the area.

Last year, outrage surged because many thought the developer, Massachusetts-based WS Development, had demolished too much of the original playhouse building, a town landmark. And while we wished there had been more communication in that process, we knew the future had to be better than the vacant shell the theater had become.

Support for the center also is happy news for the area's performing groups such as the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, which could find The Innovate to be a good venue for its concerts. Auditoriums designed specifically for the performing arts are too rare in South Florida for all the groups that could use them, so the new theater will be a much-needed addition to our entertainment life.

A local cultural center is welcome given how much the growth here and across the bridge in West Palm Beach is driving the demand for more offerings. We do not expect The Innovate to replace the wonderful Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, but it will be nice for residents to have a venue close by.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Editorial: Cultural center a welcome addition for today's Palm Beach