PONTE VEDRA, Fla. — The Ponte Vedra Concert Hall’s new stage is almost set for showtime.
The venue is reopening on the first night of August after 14 months of being closed for construction. The concert hall says it went through $12.9 million worth of renovations, including:
- Addition of a 2nd-floor balcony
- 25% capacity increase (1135 in total between seats and standing room)
- 1st and 2nd floor terraces
- Expanded stage area
- Upgraded projection and lighting systems
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“It’s going to be a great space to come and see a show,” said Mike Livingston, the senior productions stage manager for the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall.
Livingston gave Action News Jax a tour of the newly renovated concert hall a day before its reopening. He said the building, which was a church before a concert hall, went through 14 years of shows before closing for the upgrades.
“We pushed that building to the limits, you know, with bubble gum and duct tape holding it together,” Livingston said.
One of the other significant changes is the expanded lobby and addition of a Kookaburra coffee shop at the box office to the left of the entrance.
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Once inside, there is a display of 170 out of 360 total individual, signed posters, Livingston says came from bands who have performed inside the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall before the renovations.
“This isn’t the symphony hall. This isn’t the Florida theater. This is the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. This is for everybody,” Livingston said.
There are changes for the artists and other performers, too. Livingston tells Action News Jax there are now dressing rooms and a green room on both floors of the building, after only having one dressing room in the original building.
There is also private balcony seating specifically for those, such as family members of those performing at the venue, St. Johns County commissioners, and St. Augustine city leaders.
The concert hall reopens on August 1st with a show planned for 8:30 p.m. You can find all of the scheduled shows at the link here.
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