City Theatre is celebrating 30 years of making theatre accessible in community spaces and to commemorate the anniversary they are returning to where it all began: Key Biscayne. 

In 1996, Key Biscayne residents Susan J. Westfall, Stephanie Norman, and Elena Wohl established City Theatre. Today the program calls the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts’ Carnival Studio Theatre home, but continues its dedication to the development of new work. 

“It all started for love and a passion for new plays and short plays. Here we are 30 years later and the Village of Key Biscayne has brought us back for free programming for the community where everything started,” Executive Director Gladys Ramírez said  Tuesday. “It’s a great full circle moment for us to share these five events between January and May with the community.”

The 30th anniversary programming will kick off at 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Village Hall Turtle Fountain with a City Reads event. The evening, themed New Beginnings, will begin with a 30-minute reception followed by readings of short plays by professional actors, live music, and a moderated audience conversation.

The other City Reads events will take place on February 14, March 14, April 11, and May 9 but those locations have not yet been announced. 

All programming is free and open to the public. 

“Key Biscayne is where City Theatre began,” said Margaret M. Ledford, Artistic Director of City Theatre, in a statement. “Celebrating our 30th season here feels both meaningful and fitting. City Reads is about bringing people together around stories, and there’s no better place to begin than the community that made this work possible.”

City Theatre made the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts’ Carnival Studio Theatre its home stage in 2007. Since then, it has produced Black Santa by Aaron Mays In 2024, La Gringa by Carmen Rivera in 2023 and What The Constitution Means To Me by Heidi Schreck In 2022 as part of the Arsht Center’s Theatre Up Close Series.

In 2022, Ledford and Ramirez won the Remy Awards Pioneer Award, which honors individuals who have taken the lead and contributed substantially to the health, growth and development of the South Florida theater community. 

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All the 30th anniversary City Reads events are free, but advanced registration is required by visiting citytheatre.com.

The Key Biscayne Independent and Liberty City Independent receive support from the Press Forward program at the Key Biscayne Community Foundation for community cultural, arts, and event coverage. The KBI and LCI are solely responsible for all content.

Jessica De Leon is a general assignment reporter at the Key Biscayne Independent.