TheatreZone Celebrates 20 Years of Musicals
By Charles Runnells
‘We’re still here’: 20 years of toe-tapping musicals at Naples’ TheatreZone
They’ve been through hurricanes. The pandemic. The Great Recession.
And yet TheatreZone is still standing, bringing toe-tapping musicals to Naples every year for two decades straight.
It’s hard to believe sometimes, says actor, choreographer and associate artistic director Karen Molnar Danni.
“It seems a lifetime ago that we did our first show,” she says. “ I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, that was 20 years ago!’ Yeah, there’s been a lot of shows since then (laughs).”
It hasn’t always been easy. Running a professional theater means putting out metaphorical fires every single day, says TheatreZone’s co-founder and artistic director, Mark Danni. But it’s been worth it.
“I think back to the humble beginnings and where we are now,” he says. “We got through pandemics and all this stuff. And we’re still here and viable.”
The Naples couple is doing it again this month with the “Ghost: The Musical” — the last show of their 20th-anniversary season. The musical opens Thursday, June 5, at TheatreZone and continues through June 15.
On top of that, tickets are already on sale for their upcoming 21st season. The schedule includes a Buddy Holly musical, the stage adaptation of the movie “Grumpy Old Men” and much more (see below).
“Ghost: The Musical” is a great way to cap TheatreZone’s milestone season, Mark Danni says. Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics wrote the memorable pop-rock soundtrack. And people adore the classic 1990 movie the musical is based on — a supernatural romance starring Patrick Swayze as the ghost of a murdered banker who tries to save his wife (Demi Moore) from his killer.
“So many people love this story and love the movie,” he says. “I think we all wonder, we all hope there’s somebody watching after us. Or our (deceased) loved ones are looking after us and helping us to make decisions. I think that resonates with so many people.”
The Naples couple runs TheatreZone from Mark Danni’s second-floor office above the 250-seat G&L Theatre in The Community School of Naples — where he oversees the school’s music program and she choreographs its student musicals. The theater is located near Interstate 75 just off Pine Ridge Road, roughly 10 miles from the Lee County line. About 18 percent of their audience comes from Lee County, according to a TheatreZone publicist.
Surrounded by two decades of theater life — show posters, scripts and musical instruments crammed floor to ceiling — the couple discussed the theater they co-founded, how they got to Naples from New York City, and what’s next for TheatreZone. Here’s what they had to say.
This interview has been edited for length and readability.
TheatreZone’s first years in Naples
The News-Press/Naples Daily News: What was the theater scene like when you came to Naples? TheatreZone and Gulfshore Playhouse (another Naples theater associated with the union Actors’ Equity Association) opened at about the same time. But what was it like before that?
Mark: There was The Naples Players, and there was the dinner theater (The Naples Dinner Theatre). And that’s all there was.
You saw a need, then?
Mark: Yeah! There’s was no Equity theater. The Florida Rep was up and running (in Fort Myers), but that was it.
What were those first few years like with TheatreZone? Was it seat of your pants?
Karen: Yeah, very seat of your pants! There was only the two of us. Mark had the box-office cell phone in his pocket. And so he’d be in the middle of teaching a class. And all of a sudden, the phone rings and he’d say, “I gotta take it. Somebody’s buying tickets.”
And that’s how we had to do it, you know, because we had no staff. We had nobody.
Mark: We just did it ourselves. Within three years, I got a box-office person. Then we started getting a box-office system together, an online system. And we just slowly grew.
Life in New York City
How did you get to Naples?
Mark: Well, we were in New York City. Karen was an actor, singer and dancer. But she was also choreographing a lot.
I was a music director and a conductor. But I was mainly a musician, and I was on a lot of national tours and stuff.
You were drumming?
Mark: Yes, and then I moved up to being one of the conductors for (the national tour of) “Les Miserables” for a while. And I was sort of guided into becoming a director from the woman who maintained the American companies of “Les Miserables” (well-known director and producer Karen Carpenter, no relation to the singer-songwriter). She taught me a lot.
And so I told (my wife) Karen, when I decided to stop touring, I said, “I’d like to try directing.” And so I looked around for places looking for a director and started working with (my wife) Karen — Karen was my choreographer — and I sort of got bitten by the bug. Because of my connections, I started getting jobs.
Moving from New York City to Naples, Florida
Mark: We had a vacation home down here (in Naples) that we bought in 1999 when I was on the national tour of “Fame” and we played Artis—Naples (then known as The Philharmonic Center for the Arts).
A friend of a friend (Dallas Dunnagan) had just taken over the artistic director job at this community theater down there (The Naples Players), and they were hiring directors and choreographers. So we went and met with her. And she hired us to do their big March production of “Oklahoma!”
We were about to have a baby (their first son, Luke). And it was fortuitous because my son was born two weeks to the day after 9/11. And that stifled a lot of work. And we didn’t realize until we got here: New York was such a sad place at the time. We love New York, but it was such a relief to get away from the sadness.
As we’re down here working on “Oklahoma,” the head of admissions here at the Community School just fell in love with me and kept saying, “Hey, we want to expand our arts and athletics. You need to create a theater program for our school.”
And I said “I’m not moving here, but thank you. I like New York.” But he kept persisting and then he goes, “Hey, why don’t you come take a look at it?”
And so we came over here. Karen had Luke in a stroller. And he shows us a little theater (the same theater that would eventually become TheatreZone’s home). And I was like, “Yeah, thanks.” But, you know, I really was not going to move here.
But then this one, the smart one (motioning to Karen) —
Karen: (Laughs) It’s all my fault!
Mark: She says, “What if you go back to them and say you’ll start that theater program for them if they’ll let you start your own Equity, professional theater company in residence?” There was no Equity theater here or anything.
So I came back, and I talked to the head of the school. And next thing you know, it was a whirlwind.
Karen: We’re moving here.
Mark: And it’s a good thing because that was in February. And in March, Karen realized she was pregnant (again). And in June, we found out it was twins.
So it would’ve been tough in our little one-bedroom in New York City!
Getting TheatreZone off the ground at The Community School of Naples
What happened after that?
Mark: We took about three years, got the high school program up and running (in the 2002-2003 school year). We had three kids in diapers.
And then we started looking for how to incorporate (as TheatreZone). We incorporated in 2005 and got our nonprofit status. And then we did our first real show in March of 2006.
We brought in Gary Sandy — who was from (the TV show) “WKRP in Cincinnati” — to star as Max in (the musical) “Mack and Mabel.” And then the next year, we did four shows.
And that started the whole thing.
I imagine that, at home, you must be constantly talking about TheatreZone. Is that right?
Karen: We plan the seasons together and come up with the shows.
Mark: Some people used to say, “How do you work with your wife?” I’m like, “We spent so many years away from each other (touring the country and sometimes the world — but never on the same show together). I mean, AWAY from each other.
Those last three years, when I went from “Phantom” to “Les Miz” to “Fame,” it was almost four years consistently that I was away. And then often she was away.
And we’d see each other, and we’d just enjoy being able to collaborate together.
The family business
You have a full staff now at TheatreZone and you’re doing a lot more shows. What else has changed in the last two decades? How many kids do you have now?
Mark: Three. We had three when we moved here — well, one and a pregnant wife. But we had three when we started TheatreZone.
Karen: Now they’ve all just graduated college.
Wow, that’s amazing!
Mark: And they’re all in the business. Despite trying to get a dentist or a lawyer in there (smiles).
I was going to ask if your kids were interested in theater.
Mark: Well, we didn’t sugarcoat it, you know. We didn’t want them to think this was the easy way, just because they grew up with it.
At one point, my daughter cried during her sophomore year: “(In a sobbing voice) I didn’t get a lead in the music club!” And I’m like, ‘You’re damn right! You know, I’m not just gonna hand it to you because you’re my daughter.”
How do you feel about that — your kids going into the entertainment business?
Mark: I just want them to follow their passions, you know.
Karen: We just want them to be happy.
A musical ‘lives and breathes” with a live band
What else has changed with TheatreZone?
Mark: I think our quality, of course, has grown as we’ve been able to hire more staff. We were trying to do things on shoestrings in the beginning.
Karen: We’ve purchased a lot of lighting equipment, sound equipment. That’s enhanced a lot.
Mark: We’ve always used live musicians. Now we max them out to what we can fit (onstage). We started with four. Now I have seven — maybe eight if we can fit them.
And that’s very important for you, right? You always have a live band.
Mark: Always. It’s not just because I’m a musician, I don’t understand a live show without live music. I mean, that’s part of it.
I don’t want to see a ballet with canned music. To me, that’s part of the experience. It lives and breathes by having a live band.
Karen: And our budgets have increased, thank God!
What’s your budget?
Mark: Oh, it’s about a million.
How much was it at the start?
Mark: Oh — a thousand? (laughs). I mean, seriously, my first donation came from the president of the board of the school at the time, and it was $1,000. And I’m like, “We can actually put on a show! (laughs)”
So our production values have grown a lot.
TheatreZone’s 21st season: Buddy Holly, ‘Grumpy Old Men’ and more
Now you’re about to start your 21st season in Naples. What are you excited about?
Mark: You know, it’s really about trying to keep a finger on the pulse of your audience. And our audience, right now, really loves late ‘50s, early ’60s stuff. That’s one of the reasons I picked “The Buddy Holly Story” (for the 2025-26 season). Our people love that era.
The one that I’ve been hearing such a reaction to is “Grumpy Old Men: The Musical.” When I announced it (to my theater audiences), people started cheering. So they’re loving that.
I’m very excited about “Gutenberg! The Musical!” That ran (in New York City) with Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells – they were the original guys in “Book of Mormon.” And (in “Gutenberg!), they’re the greenest, most amateurish people who have written a musical about Gutenberg, the invention of the printing press.
The two of them were so hysterical. And it’s just the two of them. And it was so fun.
And I happen to have two fan favorites (at TheatreZone): Adolpho Blaire and Larry Alexander. And so I said to them: “I want to apply for the rights to this. The only way I’m doing this is if you two will sign on to do it.”
They agreed to do it. And audiences are going to love them.
I’m excited about it just talking to you!
Mark: Oh, it’s just funny upon funny!
And then we’re doing “Oliver!” for our Golden Age people. And then there’s the (annual) holiday show, of course.
TheatreZone’s future in Naples
And finally, where do you see the theater going? What’s the future look like for TheatreZone?
Mark: I mean, it’s hard to say. We’re happy here. While it’s an intimate space — and at times challenging for us [due to space limitations in the 250-seat theater] — what I’ve learned over the years is how special it is for the audience to sit in there. You’re really part of it when you’re in there.
Karen: Because you’re so close.
Yeah, it’s a great space.
Mark: So I don’t want people to lose this experience. People have said to me, “I always feel good when I leave here.” This is a special place, and I started realizing that’s because of how it’s laid out.
What we used to think were limitations weren’t. And we’ve really sort of figured it out. And I have good designers who have figured out how to make things work in our space.
Karen: We do have different ideas floating around about how to how to expand a little bit. Like doing more concerts, or maybe doing a festival of new works over the summer.
But no plans to move to another theater or anything like that. A bigger theater?
Mark: Listen, we’re open to that. I’m not saying “no” by any means. But if I do move, I want to make sure I create a special atmosphere like here. You don’t want to lose the magic.
Are you excited about the future of TheatreZone?
Karen: Oh my gosh, yes! I mean, we love what we do.
Mark: You know, sometimes you don’t appreciate it. And it’s actors who have said to us several times, “Do you realize what you’ve done here and that you’re sustainable and that you’re doing it?”
And it’s nice, because we don’t (realize). And it’s good for somebody to point that out. So we sit back and go, “You know what? Look what we built here.”
Because you’re just caught up in the daily minutiae of keeping it going. And then you realize “Wow, 20 years.”
When we came in, it was a dream. Now it’s a viable reality.
More about TheatreZone’s 2025-26 season
TheatreZone’s 21st-annual season includes four Broadway musicals, the theater’s annual holiday show and five concerts. Here’s what’s scheduled:
- “The holiday show “Home for the Holidays” (Dec. 19-21)
- “Grumpy Old Men: The Musical” (Jan. 8-18)
- “Legends of the 60s,” a tribute concert celebrating the music of Elvis, The Beatles and more (Jan. 19)
- “Gutenberg! The Musical!” (Feb. 5-15)
- Tribute band The Mersey Beatles (Feb. 17-18)
- “The Feud: A Tribute to Sinatra & Roselli, Two Guys from Hoboken,” a musical story about the 40-year rivalry between Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Roselli (Feb. 19)
- The rock musical “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” (March 5-15)
- “Bluffet! A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett” (March 28)
- “A Tribute to Billy & Elton: The Hits” (April 25)
- The classic musical “Oliver!” (June 4-14)
Tickets are $50-$90.
TheatreZone is in the G&L Theatre at The Community School of Naples, 13275 Livingston Road, Naples.
For more information, call 888-966-3352 or visit theatre.zone.Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 or email crunnells@gannett.com. Follow or message him on Facebook(@charles.runnells.7), Instagram (@crunnells1) and X (@CharlesRunnells).