St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Infobox Theatre
name = St. Augustine Amphitheatre

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image_size = 200px
caption =
address = 1340 A1A S # C
city = St Augustine, Florida
country = United States
designation =
latitude = 29.87473
longitude = -81.28506
architect =
owner = St. Johns County Parks & Recreation departmentcite web |url=http://www.eujacksonville.com/pages/08-30-07/staugustineamphitheatre.htm |title=everything old is new again - the new history of the st. augustine amphitheatre |accessdate=2008-09-07 |author=Bosworth, Jon |date=2007-08-30 |publisher=EU Jacksonville]
capacity = 3493 [http://www.staugamphitheatre.com/specs.php St. Augustine Amphitheatre - Venue - Specs] ]
type =
opened = 1965cite web |url=http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Entertainment/Music/entMUS01082108.htm |title=Amped at the amphitheatre |accessdate=2008-09-07 |author=de Yampert, Rick |date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Daytona Beach News-Journal Online] cite web |url=http://www.ocala.com/article/20080822/LIVING05/570971/1027&title=St__Augustine_gets_amped |title=St. Augustine gets amped |accessdate=2008-09-07 |author=Reinink, Amy |date=2008-08-22 |publisher=Ocala Star Banner]
yearsactive = 1965 - present
rebuilt = 2001 - 2007, Fred Halback and Les Thomas [http://www.halback.com/html/Parks.html St. Augustine Amphitheatre - Halback Design Group, Inc.] ] cite web |url=http://staugustine.com/stories/102101/opi_229105.shtml |title=Editorial: St. Augustine Amphitheatre plans reflect labor of love |accessdate=2008-09-07 |author= |date=2001-10-21 |publisher=The St. Augustine Record]
closed =
othernames =
currentuse =
website = http://www.staugamphitheatre.com/

The St. Augustine is a venue for outdoor concerts and other large gatherings on A1A in St Augustine, Florida, United States. The Amphitheatre seats 3,493 persons, and is managed by the St. Johns County Parks & Recreation department.

History

The Amphitheatre was built in 1965 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine. The land was originally part of Anastasia State Park. The amphitheatre itself was constructed in one of the old coquina quarries (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) used to supply building materials for St. Augustine and the Castillo de San Marcos.cite book |title=Birding Florida |last=Rapoza |first=Brian |authorlink=Brian Rapoza |year=2007 |publisher=Globe Pequot |location= |isbn=9780762739141 |pages=31 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=o0pI6cHteAkC&printsec=frontcover#PPA31,M1 ] cite book |title=The Book Lover's Guide to Florida |last=McCarthy |first=Kevin |authorlink=Kevin McCarthy |year=1992 |publisher=Pineapple Press |location= |isbn=9781561640218 |pages=79 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=H4xcm2ifQLQC&printsec=frontcover#PPA79,M1 ] cite web |url=http://www.floridastateparks.org/anastasia/Quarry.cfm |title=Quarry Historical Site |accessdate=2008-09-07 |work=Anastasia State Park |publisher=Florida Online Park Guide]

The Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paul Green was commissioned to write a play to be performed at the Amphitheatre. The result was "Cross and Sword: A Symphonic Drama of the Spanish Settlement of Florida", [http://www.ibiblio.org/paulgreen/bibliography.html Paul Green Bibliography] ] a musical reenactment of the first years of St. Augustine's existence. It was designated the official state play in 1973 by the Florida Legislature. [http://www.flheritage.com/facts/symbols/symbol.cfm?page=2&id=21 Florida State Symbols - The State Play: Cross and Sword] ] The play ran until 1996, when budget constraints ended its more than 30 year run.cite book |title=A Guide to Historic St. Augustine, Florida |last=Rajtar |first=Steve |authorlink=Steve Rajtar |coauthors=Kelly Goodman |year=2008 |publisher=The History Press |location= |isbn=9781596293366 |pages=52-53 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ZyrHSTZUw0cC&printsec=frontcover#PPA52,M1 ]

The amphitheatre was used infrequently during the following years, though it did host a free summer Shakespeare Festival from 1997 to 2003.cite web |url=http://www.staugustine.com/stories/081602/com_915738.shtml |title=Art thou ready for 'Much Ado About Nothing'? |accessdate=2008-09-07 |author= |date=2002-08-16 |publisher=The St. Augustine Record] cite web |url=http://staugustine.com/stories/111502/com_1102307.shtml |title=Atlantic Shakespeare Company to present musical fund-raiser |accessdate=2008-09-07 |author= |date=2002-11-15 |publisher=The St. Augustine Record] In 2002, St. Johns County acquired the property and the following year began an 8.7 million dollar renovation. The upgraded facility reopened in August 2007, which includes a fiberglass tensile canopy over the main stage. [http://www.co.st-johns.fl.us/BCC/Parks_1_Recreation/Amphitheatre/Index.aspx St. Augustine Amphitheatre - St. Johns County Government Gateway] ]

References