Pictured: Marcel Maslowski, president and director of design for FG+M.

The Stage at Payne Park LLC (The Stage), a wholly-owned subsidiary nonprofit organization of The Players, Inc. with a mission to remodel the existing Payne Park auditorium for its new home, has selected Fleischman Garcia Maslowski (FG+M) Architecture to lead the design process for its new location at 2100 Laurel St. in Sarasota. The Stage has also hired Stages Consultants to serve as the project’s theatre, AV and acoustics consultant, and will be led by theatre consultant Alec Stoll, ASTC, and acoustician Damian Doria, FASA. Stoll has played integral roles in the programming, planning, design and construction of more than 250 academic, professional and community venues, as well as historic renovation and restoration projects. He will help oversee design and construction of the new facility.mThe Stage is also currently looking for a general contractor, executive director and advisory committee members. The organization has started the major conditional use permitting process with the city of Sarasota, which will take approximately four to six months. A community workshop will be held on September 11, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the municipal auditorium in Payne Park to gather input from neighbors and community stakeholders. Construction is expected to start in March 2024, with an estimated completion slated for summer 2025. The Stage will also host a focus group and design charrette on August 29 from noon to 3 p.m. to update the consortium of performing arts organizations on the progress, tasks ahead and to understand the varying requirements of each organization for inclusion in the design for the new facility.

Pictured: Marcel Maslowski, president and director of design for FG+M.