1926-2026
The Edwards Theatre was the dream of Sarasota County’s native son and early notable mayor, Arthur B. Edwards, who dedicated himself to the proposition that a modern city be built on the shores of Sarasota Bay. The theatre, of Mediterranean Revival style architecture, was designed by Roy A. Benjamin to accommodate the many varieties of entertainment available at the time: silent movies, vaudeville and opera. The best offered by film and stage was featured here, through the last of the “Roaring Twenties” and early thirties, from grand opera to The Ziegfeld Follies, and minstrel shows.
In December 1936, the name was changed to The Florida Theatre. One of the most popular events held there was the world premiere of Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Greatest Show on Earth” on January 31, 1952, which had been filmed in Sarasota the previous year. Later, in the mid- fifties, a rising young singer, Elvis Presley, appeared upon the stage.
The building was purchased by the Sarasota Opera Association in 1979 and underwent a significant renovation in 2008. The Sarasota Opera is the only opera company in the world to have performed all of Giuseppe Verdi’s music over a 28-year period, culminating in the completion of the Verdi Cycle in 2016.