In the 21 years since the Royal Poinciana Playhouse closed its doors, several groups have tried unsuccessfully to bring the former jewel box performance space back to life.
Now, however, on the site of the dormant theater, a much-redesigned multi-purpose arts center in Palm Beach is under construction, poised to launch by the end of this year.
The difference this time? Jill and Avie Glazer, Palm Beachers since 2002, who have bankrolled the project in excess of $15 million (of an estimated $30 million total cost) and will oversee the operation of the complex as co-chairmen of the board of the renamed Glazer Hall.
Asked how their involvement in the revitalization of the Royal Poinciana started, Jill Glazer says, “My husband came home one day, pre-COVID, 2019, and said, ‘You know, I’m tired of this building just sitting empty. We should do something about it.’”
That began an extended journey of working with architects, the town council and construction crews to create what will be the first new non-profit operation in Palm Beach in over 60 years and the only waterfront performing arts center on the island.
“And so we just decided to do this, to do this for our community,” says Glazer, whose husband’s family owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team. “Did we expect it to be five-and-a-half years at this point that we would be doing this? No, but it’s given us time to figure out what we’re doing. I’ve learned a lot about sprung floors and acoustics and film and dance and, you know, all kinds of music.”
For while the Royal Poinciana mainly presented touring theater productions, Glazer Hall intends to bring in a wide variety of the arts, from live music to family programming to film to dance to comedy acts to onstage interviews.
To do so, Glazer Hall needed a veteran booker with nationwide contacts. It found her in Allison Stockel, a former chief executive of the 500-seat Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, Conn.
Stockel had stepped down from the Ridgefield position a few years ago, expecting to retire to Palm Beach County, largely because of her husband’s avid golf habit. But soon after arriving in the area, a friend insisted that she meet Jill Glazer and learn about her evolving arts center project, then called The Innovate.
“I really thought I’d be retired, and they absolutely reeled me back in,” says Stockel. “But what I’ve been telling everybody, it’s for a great reason. I would never come out of retirement unless it was something special. The only reason I changed my mind is because I did a walk-through with Jill in the theater, and I was like, wow, this is something special.”
The auditorium of Glazer Hall has been made more intimate, downsized from an 800-seat capacity to 400 state-of-the-art retractable seats, geared to accommodate a variety of configurations.
“The concept of it is to be a true performing arts center and to offer all aspects of the performing arts,” says Glazer. “I think our mantra and our request of all the theater consultants that we had, to the architects, was to make it as fluid, as multi-purpose, as possible. So I think the theater consultants were a little challenged, because they realized we were serious, that we wanted to have all the different arts available. So flexibility was a big, big priority.”
While the auditorium capacity has been reduced, the lobby has been doubled in size and improved aesthetically by the creation of a wall of windows overlooking the Intracoastal.
In addition, there will now be a 1,200-square-foot second-floor private event space, available for pre-show dining, receptions and corporate gatherings. “The space is going to be available for rentals, but it’s not our priority,” Glazer notes.
“I mean, our priority is to be a cultural arts center, a performing arts center.”
Still, rentals will generate a welcome influx of income, as will the availability of individual memberships, scaled from $2,500 to $100,000, which bring a host of perks — from advance notice of events to artist meet-and-greets — and corporate sponsorships from $25,000 to $100,000.
Currently, Glazer Hall has attracted 150 members, has contracts for 300 of its seats in a name-a-seat campaign and commitments for 30 of the hall’s various naming opportunities.
Executive director Stockel has already signed up some acts for the hall’s inaugural season, but she is reticent to announce them yet because the members have not yet been notified. That is likely to happen in the next few weeks, with a public announcement of many of the season’s events due in August.
However, because of a family tie, she concedes that one A-List booking is highly likely. Stockel is the niece of Allan and Sandy Jaffee, the original managers of New Orleans’ iconic Preservation Hall and its jazz band, which a cousin now runs. So she is willing to concede the high likelihood of the renowned touring jazz combo stopping off and performing at Glazer Hall this season.
Whatever ends up on the revitalized hall’s line-up, the enthusiasm of the Palm Beach community is undeniable.
“People are happy, people are excited,” says Glazer. “People are talking about Glazer Hall, they stop and thank us. I mean, my kids joke that we can’t go out with them to a restaurant now, because everyone comes over to talk about it.
“People want to be involved, they want not just to go to a show. For instance, there are a lot of people on the island that are very involved in film, and how wonderful that we have that, and why not tap into that? I think it’s a very unique opportunity that you don’t get in most places, that we are absolutely going to utilize in some way, shape or form,” says Glazer.
Still to be determined is when and how Glazer Hall will open.
“We’re probably looking at a phased opening,” explains Glazer. “Opening with some small things, maybe in the lobby. But we also want to have a grand opening, a gala, that would probably be later in the first quarter of ’26.
When exactly? “We’re working diligently to figure that out,” says Glazer. “First of all, we want to get somebody great so it’s going to be when the artist is available. We don’t have our date locked in yet, because it’s all like pieces of a puzzle, but we’ll have that information soon.”
Glazer Hall is an undeniably ambitious undertaking, full of challenges that will keep presenting themselves. While the Royal Poinciana Playhouse only operated during the winter months, reflecting the exodus of the Palm Beach community during the summertime, the Glazers have announced their intention to offer a variety of entertainments all year round.
“That was a commitment of my husband and myself to the town,” says Glazer. “I mean, Palm Beach isn’t necessarily the same as it was. People are here year-round now. Will it be as heavily programmed outside of the winter months? Probably not. But, yeah, we are committed to being a year-round theater.”
The Glazers and Stockel acknowledge that they are likely to make mistakes in the days ahead, but they are eager to complete construction, turn on the lights, open the doors and invite the community to partake of their labor of love.
The success of Glazer Hall will be measured by ticket sales, says Stockel, “but also by feedback from the people. And we’re open to feedback. You know, if people want to see more of something or less of something, then we’ll hear them and we’ll and we’ll adjust it and tweak it for the next season. As Jill said, this is our first season, and there’s definitely going to be a learning curve. But I think we have a good grasp on having a very successful season based on all the talks that we’ve been having with people in the town.
“I think we’re at the point where it’s dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s, finishing up the interior and the audio and getting all the tech stuff done,” says Stockel. “I think the worst is over. There are challenges ahead in running a venue but I think that we’re kind of in a good spot, you know?”
GLAZER HALL, 70 Royal Poinciana Way, Suite P70, Palm Beach. For more information, send an email to contact@glazerhall.org or call 561-576-7860.
Editor’s note: This was Hap Erstein’s final story. He died July 5 of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 76.