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In the midst of its biggest and most critical annual production, Orlando\u2019s Renaissance Theatre<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Bright orange \u201cCondemned\u201d signs, with \u201cFire Safety\u201d 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\u2019s director and co-founder, said his organization is doing everything it can to reopen the venue as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, other entertainment businesses in town have stepped up to help, with the theater\u2019s immersive vampire-themed production of \u201cNosferatu\u201d \u2014 the nonprofit\u2019s most important revenue generator of the year \u2014 moving in a modified format to The Plaza Live for a couple of performances.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of people reach out to us,\u201d Rupe said.<\/p>\n But temporary assistance doesn\u2019t eliminate the cloud hanging over the theater\u2019s long-term viability.<\/p>\n \u201cNosferatu\u201d is the nonprofit\u2019s 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 \u201cthis year would have far surpassed that if sales had continued,\u201d Rupe said.<\/p>\n In a news release, theater marketing director Abby Cash said the shutdown of \u201cNosferatu\u201d would have \u201cdevastating financial repercussions.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a> 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 \u201cFrom Here\u201d \u2014 an Orlando-based story set on the weekend of the Pulse nightclub shooting that ran off-Broadway in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the past year, the theater \u2014 lauded for its focus on original works<\/a> and creative approaches to staging productions \u2014 has been making strides toward becoming fiscally self-sufficient<\/p>\n In 1st year, creative Renaissance Theatre has shaken up Orlando\u2019s arts scene | Commentary<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe were about to be, for the first time, financially stable,\u201d Rupe said. \u201cAnd now we\u2019ve spent all that money and we\u2019ve lost all that potential revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n The theater is now spending additional money to tear down its elaborate set for \u201cNosferatu,\u201d which is how the nonprofit ran afoul of the city\u2019s code enforcement officers.<\/p>\n \u201cNosferatu\u201d 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.<\/p>\n Organizers postpone inaugural Orlando Waitlist Theater Festival<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t look temporary, it didn\u2019t look like a traditional theater set,\u201d he said of the large, walk-through structure.<\/p>\n A delegation from the city arrived Sept. 19, Rupe said, in part because of the theater\u2019s annual fire inspection. \u201cNosferatu\u201d has run in the theater each fall since 2021, and never failed an inspection before.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve never received any negative feedback,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s original construction classification and the theater\u2019s occupancy and use permits.<\/p>\n \u201cIt all snowballed,\u201d Rupe said.<\/p>\n Built as a warehouse, the building carries a 2B classification, meaning that large structures inside \u2014 such as a two-story stage \u2014 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cNosferatu\u201d 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 \u201cmaze\/fun house.\u201d<\/p>\n City spokeswoman Andrea Otero said the \u201cCondemned\u201d signs indicated the building was currently uninhabitable, not that it was beyond repair. \u201cFixing the concerns to make the building inhabitable will lift the condemnation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The theater also was found to be operating under permits originally granted to Orlando Ballet, the building\u2019s previous tenant, which had housed classrooms there before the construction of nearby Harriet\u2019s Orlando Ballet Centre. Those permits need to be updated, Rupe said.<\/p>\n Although Rupe was taken aback by the speed at which the city acted \u2014 officials arrived with orders to vacate and the staff was given 90 minutes to collect their things and leave, he said \u2014 since then, city employees have been extraordinarily helpful.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t blame them,\u201d Rupe said. \u201cI think they have to take complaints very seriously, especially in a post-Pulse world. And, of course, we want our building to be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n Lots of talent in boisterous \u2018The Wiz,\u2019 but not much heart | Review<\/a><\/p>\n The city expedited a permit to allow theater staff to re-enter the building and begin demolishing the \u201cNosferatu\u201d set, which is about 85% removed from the building, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are not slowing down the process,\u201d Rupe said of city officials. \u201cIn fact, they are greatly speeding it up.\u201d<\/p>\n Other entities have stepped up to help, including architecture firm Baker Barrios<\/a> and general contractors Albu and Associates<\/a>. More than $20,000 has been raised from about 200 donors to help compensate performers and staff counting on the income from \u201cNosferatu.\u201d The theater will continue to pay staff and performers as long as it can, Rupe said.<\/p>\n Orlando\u2019s \u2018Ren\u2019 Theatre pushes boundaries to make its artistic mark<\/a><\/p>\n The Plaza Live<\/a>, at 425 N. Bumby Ave., hosted a special \u201ctouring version\u201d of the show on Sept. 27 and will host another performance Oct. 4 (tickets at rentheatre.com<\/a>). 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 \u201cso kind and generous.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor 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,\u201d said Plaza Live general manager Megan Kelley. \u201cStepping 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\u2019ve all benefited.\u201d<\/p>\n The Beacham Group, which owns The Social<\/a> at 54 N. Orange Ave., has provided that club for \u201cOff the Record Wednesday,\u201d the Ren\u2019s 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 \u201cNosferatu\u201d on the road.<\/p>\n \u201cWe created a little saying during all of this, and it\u2019s this: \u2018The Ren isn\u2019t just a place \u2014 it\u2019s you.\u2019 And we\u2019ve seen our patrons, community and staff step up and show us that the Ren is so much more than just a building,\u201d Cash said. \u201cThough, admittedly, we do really miss our building.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u201cNosferatu\u201d revenue vital to its future.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re doing everything we can, but the parts that are out of our hands are out of our hands,\u201d Rupe said. \u201cI remain optimistic. It\u2019s the only option.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow me at facebook.com\/matthew.j.palm<\/a> or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com\/entertainment<\/a> or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n