In the midst of its biggest and most critical annual production, Orlando’s Renaissance Theatre has been shut down by the city over fire-code violations, calling into question whether the theater will be able to bounce back from the resulting financial losses.
Bright orange “Condemned” signs, with “Fire Safety” handwritten on them, are posted at the theater, a converted warehouse at the corner of Princeton Street and McRae Avenue, near Loch Haven Park and AdventHealth Orlando. Donald Rupe, the theater’s director and co-founder, said his organization is doing everything it can to reopen the venue as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, other entertainment businesses in town have stepped up to help, with the theater’s immersive vampire-themed production of “Nosferatu” — the nonprofit’s most important revenue generator of the year — moving in a modified format to The Plaza Live for a couple of performances.
“We’ve had a lot of people reach out to us,” Rupe said.
But temporary assistance doesn’t eliminate the cloud hanging over the theater’s long-term viability.
“Nosferatu” is the nonprofit’s most crucial production each year. The Ren invests about $500,000 in it, and its revenue is key to funding the smaller shows that follow for the rest of the season. Last year, about 6,000 people saw the show, which runs in the leadup to Halloween, and “this year would have far surpassed that if sales had continued,” Rupe said.
In a news release, theater marketing director Abby Cash said the shutdown of “Nosferatu” would have “devastating financial repercussions.”
Since its establishment in 2021, the theater has relied principally on the financial backing of co-founder Chris Kampmeier. That year, he purchased the 15,468-square-foot warehouse north of downtown Orlando for $4.8 million to give the new theater company a home. An engineer who helped develop digital-payment company Square, Kampmeier has since been the lead donor for renovating the space and mounting multiple productions, including “From Here” — an Orlando-based story set on the weekend of the Pulse nightclub shooting that ran off-Broadway in 2024.
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“We were about to be, for the first time, financially stable,” Rupe said. “And now we’ve spent all that money and we’ve lost all that potential revenue.”
The theater is now spending additional money to tear down its elaborate set for “Nosferatu,” which is how the nonprofit ran afoul of the city’s code enforcement officers.
“Nosferatu” is a walk-through experience, in which guests move through the theater on an immersive two-story structure. But what theater officials saw as a large set, Rupe said, city officials regarded as construction that needed permitting. He understands why that might have happened.
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“It didn’t look temporary, it didn’t look like a traditional theater set,” he said of the large, walk-through structure.
A delegation from the city arrived Sept. 19, Rupe said, in part because of the theater’s annual fire inspection. “Nosferatu” has run in the theater each fall since 2021, and never failed an inspection before.
“We’ve never received any negative feedback,” he said.
Officials also told him the city had received an anonymous complaint that the production featured fire dancers, which Rupe agreed to remove from the show. But the inspection then branched out into other areas, including the theater’s original construction classification and the theater’s occupancy and use permits.
“It all snowballed,” Rupe said.
Built as a warehouse, the building carries a 2B classification, meaning that large structures inside — such as a two-story stage — cannot be made of combustible material, such as the wood used by the Ren, even though the structure has a sprinkler system, Rupe said. The Ren team was unaware of such a restriction, as theaters traditionally use wood and other combustibles to build sets.
The inspection report, obtained by the Sentinel from the city, cites the theater for failing to post occupancy limits for rooms to prevent overcrowding; blocking and coming too close to sprinklers with the “Nosferatu” construction; using temporary electrical wiring; and failing to provide enough exit signs, emergency lighting and fire extinguishers in the walk-through area, referred to in the report as a “maze/fun house.”
City spokeswoman Andrea Otero said the “Condemned” signs indicated the building was currently uninhabitable, not that it was beyond repair. “Fixing the concerns to make the building inhabitable will lift the condemnation,” she said.
The theater also was found to be operating under permits originally granted to Orlando Ballet, the building’s previous tenant, which had housed classrooms there before the construction of nearby Harriet’s Orlando Ballet Centre. Those permits need to be updated, Rupe said.
Although Rupe was taken aback by the speed at which the city acted — officials arrived with orders to vacate and the staff was given 90 minutes to collect their things and leave, he said — since then, city employees have been extraordinarily helpful.
“I don’t blame them,” Rupe said. “I think they have to take complaints very seriously, especially in a post-Pulse world. And, of course, we want our building to be safe.”
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The city expedited a permit to allow theater staff to re-enter the building and begin demolishing the “Nosferatu” set, which is about 85% removed from the building, he said.
“They are not slowing down the process,” Rupe said of city officials. “In fact, they are greatly speeding it up.”
Other entities have stepped up to help, including architecture firm Baker Barrios and general contractors Albu and Associates. More than $20,000 has been raised from about 200 donors to help compensate performers and staff counting on the income from “Nosferatu.” The theater will continue to pay staff and performers as long as it can, Rupe said.
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The Plaza Live, at 425 N. Bumby Ave., hosted a special “touring version” of the show on Sept. 27 and will host another performance Oct. 4 (tickets at rentheatre.com). The organization is not charging the Ren rent, asking only that the nonprofit covers the cost of the labor to operate in the venue, an offer Rupe called “so kind and generous.”
“For us, it really comes down to community. We believe strongly that the arts are stronger when we support one another, especially in times of challenge,” said Plaza Live general manager Megan Kelley. “Stepping up felt like the right thing to do. If our support gives The Renaissance Theatre the breathing room they need to keep creating and inspiring, then we’ve all benefited.”
The Beacham Group, which owns The Social at 54 N. Orange Ave., has provided that club for “Off the Record Wednesday,” the Ren’s weekly drag-themed entertainment show. And Creative City Project, which presents the annual Immerse festival in downtown Orlando, and The Memoir Agency have loaned the equipment needed to take “Nosferatu” on the road.
“We created a little saying during all of this, and it’s this: ‘The Ren isn’t just a place — it’s you.’ And we’ve seen our patrons, community and staff step up and show us that the Ren is so much more than just a building,” Cash said. “Though, admittedly, we do really miss our building.”
But even with the support, it remains to be seen if the Ren can reopen in time this Halloween season to recoup some of the “Nosferatu” revenue vital to its future.
“We’re doing everything we can, but the parts that are out of our hands are out of our hands,” Rupe said. “I remain optimistic. It’s the only option.”
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