Maltz Jupiter Theatre Is Good To Go On Five-Year Expansion That Would Double Its Conservatory’s Size

Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s plans to expand over the next five years now have the town’s OK.

On Oct. 20, the nonprofit regional theater gained unanimous approval from the Jupiter town council to improve its production facilities. The renovation’s start date will depend on the success of the theater’s fundraising efforts.

The theater last underwent a $2.5 million expansion in 2013. This five-year expansion plan was determined to be the theater’s logical next step.

“We’re constantly evaluating what the theater can become for the town,” Producing Artistic Director Andrew Kato said.

Maltz Jupiter Theatre will remain open during the extensive renovation process.

One primary area of reported $25 million improvement will be to double the size of the theater’s conservatory, in the hopes that Maltz Jupiter Theatre can offer area students greater opportunities.

“I think that we already have a strong national reputation for treating our artists well, but the facilities, especially backstage for the school, are completely underserved,” he said.

Kato emphasized that while the square footage of the building will double, the theater itself will remain intimate.

“The intimacy has worked for us,” he said. “It is one of the elements that make our theater so attractive.”

The theater’s stage will see improvements, too, as the entertainment venue sets out to make its stage 10 feet deeper and 6 feet wider in order to host pre-Broadway and national tour performances.

In addition, Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s plans call for a third-floor rehearsal studio, where residents can see the actors prepping. 

Finally, the theater hopes to add a second space for additional programming that would attract visitors during the off-season. Maltz Jupiter won’t be calling it a black box theater, however, because Kato expects it to be much more than that.

“We want to be more creative with how we use it,” he said.

Kato listed film and lecture series, museum exhibits, dinners and even a haunted house in October as ways the future space could be used. 

“Anything that you can think of that requires a large area that can be a benefit to the community,” he explained. “We want to program it so that we’re doing exciting things all year round.”

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