SMT employed hundreds of actors, dancers, directors, designers, marketers, painters, seamstresses, carpenters, electricians, craftsmen, etc. These people now no longer have jobs. Additionally, all of the associated community revenue is lost.

Theatre lovers often traveled 4 or 5 hours to come to SOT. There productions were that good. Just a short while ago the theatre hosted one world premier and on US premier in the same season and people traveled from all around the world to come to Daytona and see the plays.

Before you start nonchalantly insinuating that the theatre never really did much for the community, think about where their hundreds of employees and thousands of audience members spent their money. That’s right, right here in Daytona. At the hotels, the restaurants, the antique shops, the book stores, and maybe even the places you work. Researchers have shown time and time again that for every dollar you spend on a theatre seven to twelve dollars will come back to the community. If the quality of their work was half as good as it was their continuance would be valuable even for that reason.

This theatre holds a very special place in my heart and you’d be hard pressed to find another with as much, heart, compassion, or success as this one. My dream is to see the Seaside Music Theatre resurrected from it’s untimely ashes. I’m just not sure if anyone is big enough for the job.