ORMOND BEACH – Nine months after a fire damaged the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center, the venue will reopen next month with a musical show telling the story of a little orange fish with white stripes trying to find his way home.
Finding Nemo, a production from local Children’s Musical Theatre Workshop, will start a series of shows for the holiday season and beyond, feeding a love of the arts, said center coordinator Austin Branning.
Other shows include Under the Mistletoe and Nutcracker by Ormond Ballet and Victor Wainwright and the Train.
“People have been missing the theater in this area, this community has been longing for this center to be open,” Branning said.
It has been a long road back for the center. In March a small fire destroyed the newly renovated interior of the place requiring new drywall, carpets and some seats.
The reconstruction of the arts center began in May, for which the Ormond Beach City Commission allocated $626,297.
Branning said the renovation, the fire that followed, and COVID-19 have been setbacks that have not allowed the performing arts center to open for a full year of operation since 2020.
“So, now is the time that we are trying to market ourselves to better get ourselves out there, so that people come hang out with us, to have a good time, to see some live theatre or live performances of any variety that they want to see,” Branning said.
The renovation before March’s fire was a seven-year process that cost nearly $2 million, and gave the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center a new, modern look, bringing back a beloved spot for locals and visitors.
After the renovation was completed, the center only conducted five shows before the fire.
The center’s box office opened Nov. 5.
The Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center has an occupational capacity of 554, Branning said.
“The building will actually be completely open for the first time on the night of the first performance, Finding Nemo, Dec. 6,” Branning said. “We are looking to make a comeback.”
The Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center has provided residents a place to enjoy all types of entertainment since its inauguration in 1991.
Finding Nemo, Kids & The Spongebob Musical: Youth Edition will be performed Friday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 8, at 1 p.m.
Ormond Ballet Presents Under the Mistletoe & Nutcracker will be presented on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3 p.m.
The center is located at 399 N. U.S. 1 (corner of U.S. 1 and Wilmette Avenue). Call 386-676-3375 for tickets or visit the website: https://www.ormondbeach.org/267/Performing-Arts-Center