WHAT             Representatives from the media are invited to attend a public recognition ceremony for Esther M. Mertz in honor of her ONE MILLION DOLLAR donation to the Asolo Repertory Theatre endowment, to honor Mrs. Mertz on the occasion of her birthday, and to officially announce her as “The First Lady of the Asolo” bestowing on her a custom crystal award.  Asolo Rep leadership will also be on hand to answer questions and share details of the donation and the garden project.

 

Interviews available:

WHEN              Tuesday, June 27, 2006, at 10:30 a.m.

WHERE            The front steps of the FSU Center for the Performing Arts

                        5555 North Tamiami Trail
                        Sarasota, FL 34243

 

DIRECTIONS    From I-75, Exit 213; west on University Parkway, cross Tamiami Trail (US 41) and turn right into the Performing Arts Center parking lot.

For eighteen years, Mrs. Esther M. Mertz has quietly provided leadership benefiting the arts in the Sarasota community. During this time, Mrs. Mertz has been a dedicated advocate for, and patron of, the Asolo Repertory Theatre, our artists and the students of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. We feel blessed to have benefited from Mrs. Mertz’s passionate and generous support of the arts, and we wish to honor her for her commitment and dedication

Since 1986 Mrs. Mertz has now contributed more than $4 million to the Asolo Repertory Theatre and the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Of that total, $750,000 was given to the Asolo building campaign in the 1980s and in honor of her generosity, the recreated Dunfermline Opera House, now the Asolo’s mainstage, was named after Mrs. Mertz and her late husband, Harold E. Mertz. 

In addition to her support of the Asolo’s professional company, Mrs. Mertz has been a steadfast supporter of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, which has been acclaimed, year after year, as one of the best programs for actor training in the United States. Her endowment corpus of $650,000, placed with the FSU Foundation in Tallahassee, supports five Conservatory candidates in Sarasota with scholarships each year. Mrs. Mertz has also given hundreds of thousands of dollars over numerous seasons to underwrite Conservatory production expenses.

Through the years, Mrs. Mertz’s caring support has advanced the education of scores of Conservatory students. However, her dedication to our students is far more than financial. She regularly sees the students whom she supports with scholarships and invites them to join her for tea or brunch, and she never misses their performances.

Additionally, through her profound determination, Mrs. Mertz was instrumental in helping to bring the Asolo and FSU to a mutually acceptable agreement that keeps the Conservatory in Sarasota, where it has been a treasured part of our community for 30 years.

Mrs. Mertz gift of $1 million to the Asolo Repertory Theatre endowment embodies the finest qualities of responsible philanthropy. With quiet strength, determination and elegance, she has supported the Asolo Repertory Theatre and the FSU/Asolo Conservatory year after year with a steadfast belief in their mission.

For all these reasons and more, we believe Mrs. Mertz should receive the public recognition she has never sought, but so richly deserves.

 

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