Venice Theatre receives $1 million donation to pay for damage from Hurricane Ian

Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·4 min read
Donna and Jim Boldt, front row, third and fourth from left, formalized a $1 million gift to the Venice Theatre at an April 24 ceremony. The funds will go to reconstruction of the theatre after it was damaged by Hurricane Ian.
Donna and Jim Boldt, front row, third and fourth from left, formalized a $1 million gift to the Venice Theatre at an April 24 ceremony. The funds will go to reconstruction of the theatre after it was damaged by Hurricane Ian.

VENICE – Donna and Jim Boldt recently gave the Venice Theatre a $1million gift, with the money going to reconstruction of the theatre campus after it was devastated by Hurricane Ian. 

While Jim Boldt is familiar to most Venice residents as the current vice mayor of the City Council, the Boldts have deep roots in the area, with Donna the third generation in her family to call the city home.

“Giving a gift to the theatre is like giving a gift to everybody in Venice, because it benefits everyone – I love that,” said Donna Boldt, a former commodore at the Venice Yacht Club.

Already avid theatre patrons, the Boldts had frequently donated to the Venice Theatre, after talking with Eric Watters, who retired in January as the theatre's director of development.

The theatre’s current director of advancement, Camille Cline suggested that the Boldts’ established level of giving already qualified them for a theater-based naming opportunity.

Jim Boldt frequently noticed memorial benches around town on his thrice-weekly walks with their 9-year-old Goldendoodle Ziva.

“We were talking about trying to get a bench to memorialize the family and it just turned out to be bigger than that,” he said.

This architect's rendering shows Venice Theatre with a new flyloft reaching 70 feet high to replace the shorter structure that was destroyed during Hurricane Ian.
This architect's rendering shows Venice Theatre with a new flyloft reaching 70 feet high to replace the shorter structure that was destroyed during Hurricane Ian.

Donna quipped that they first thought about something simple, like the Boldt Bar – but those amenities in the theater are already spoken for, while the “technical arts center” was not and will be now known as the Boldt Technical Arts Center at Venice Theatre.

“They used to call that ‘The TAC’ and to take it from a tiny tack to a big bolt is exciting for them, apparently,” Donna Boldt said with a chuckle.

At last Wednesday’s ceremony recognizing the naming, “they literally did hand us a bolt,” Jim Boldt added.

The Boldts did not write one large check. Instead the $1 million will be paid out over several years and be used for repair of the theatre that was damaged by Hurricane Ian.

An ongoing campaign to rebuild and expand Venice Theatre

Even before Hurricane Ian destroyed the flyloft of its main stage, The Jervey Theatre on Sept. 28, 2022, the Venice Theatre was in a public campaign dubbed “The Next Act,” which was designed to fund overall campus improvements after the November 2019 purchase of the former Hamilton Building from the city of Venice.

The flyloft and main stage of Venice Theatre, in downtown Venice, was destroyed by winds from Hurricane Ian.
The flyloft and main stage of Venice Theatre, in downtown Venice, was destroyed by winds from Hurricane Ian.

That structure, now known as The Raymond Center, was converted to a 130-seat theatre, as the nonprofit continued an ambitious schedule of shows both there and at the Pinkerton Theatre, which became usable after about $3 million was spent for a complete rewiring of the facility and 266 roof patches.

Another $13 to $14 million may ultimately be required to finish and outfit the facility, with fundraising for the goals established for The Next Act and to rebuild the main stage ongoing.

"Our community is the reason this theatre has survived after the hurricane,” Venice Theatre Executive Director Kristofer Geddie said in a prepared statement after the Boldts' gift was announced. “The way people have stepped up since the day of the storm and continue to step up is phenomenal."

Third generation Venetians ... and beyond

Donna Deeks Boldt represents the third generation of her family to enjoy a home in Venice.

Jim Boldt, was vice president and owner of Wayne Pigment Corp. from 1988 through 2004 and moved to Atlanta in 2006 and worked at Deeks & Company, an Atlanta-based chemical distribution company owned by Donna’s family.

The couple has maintained a home in the city since 2010.

The Boldts have five children and six grandchildren and the thought of the continued legacy in Venice factored into their gift to a Venice institution that already spans age groups.

“I love the fact that 5-year-olds can be there and you might have a 95-year-old escorting you in as an usher,” Donna Boldt said.

“That, to me, is so vital to what Venice is,” she added. “That’s one of the memories I have, that and the ice cream store.

“So to try and continue that legacy for our kids and our grandkids and ultimately great-grandkids, it seemed like the right, easy thing to do.”

While the Boldts' donation is considered a “transformational gift” by the theatre, more donations are needed to bring shows back to the main stage.

Those interested contributing can contact Cline at 941-867-8807 or at camille@venicetheatre.net.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: $1 million donation to Venice Theatre will repair Hurricane Ian damage