An email blast on Monday from Margaret Murray, executive director of the Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, promised that Wednesday night's screening of Funny Face would be preceded by a "surprise announcement." The screening was postponed due to ominous weather, but the surprise is now out. Make that two surprises:

First, TIGLFF has decided to stop screening films at its longtime home, Tampa Theatre, instead opting to move many of its "signature events" to venues in St. Petersburg. 

Second, Murray is leaving for St. Pete, too: On June 8 she begins a new job as the Donor Development Manager for the Museum of Fine Arts.

Murray's departure will mark the end of her third, and shortest, stint in a leadership role for the 25-year-old festival. She was its Executive Director from 1999-2002, Program Director from 2007-2009, and returned as ED in January 2014.

This time it looks like her departure's going to stick.

"I'll always be involved with the festival in some way," she told me this afternoon. "But I had an opportunity with the museum and I really couldn't pass it up."

Her new gig, she said, will involve "working with sponsors and major donors to secure funding for the museum's programming." 

So she's leaving behind the fun stuff (the movies) to do more of the hard stuff (raising money)?

Yes, she said, but "the museum is at a really exciting time. They are so excited about reaching new audience members." (And, to be fair, they're also able to pay her more than TIGLFF can.) Murray has already played a role in expanding MFA's reach; she is a member of the steering committee for its new Contemporaries program, which introduces collectors to local contemporary artists via field trips and other audience-building events. She has a proven track record in creating events with both hipster and mainstream appeal, as co-founder of Keep St. Pete Lit and organizer of the Kerouac in Paradise Bike Tour.  

Audience-building is obviously a big factor for TIGLFF, too. Attendance numbers and audience surveys figured prominently along with financial considerations in the board's decision to leave Tampa Theatre. 

"We were incredibly happy there," said Murray. "But we looked at our numbers, and even if we have 300 in the audience we’re still paying for 1,100 seats." The venerable movie palace had always given the festival what she calls "a sweetheart deal," but "they just couldn’t cut their prices anymore."

Meanwhile, screenings at freeFall and the MFA were doing well, and "we realized we could be more cost-efficient by moving to smaller venues." 

Those venues include The Palladium, where the 2015 festival will hold its opening and closing nights. And here's another surprise: The festival is bringing the fabulous Lea DeLaria  to The Palladium on Oct. 3 for an evening of jazz standards and comedy. If you only know DeLaria from her role as the lusty Big Boo on Orange Is the New Black, you will be blown away by her musical talent and (this is no surprise) her boisterously raunchy and very funny standup act.

Other venues (some still tentative at this point) will include the Catherine Hickman Theatre in Gulfport, freeFall Theatre, the Carter G. Woodson Museum, and the Hollander (for a pool party and outdoor screening). Two Tampa venues are also in discussions: Cinebistro in Hyde Park Village and Studio Movie Grill near USF.

Murray is confident that TIGLFF will thrive in its new home(s) as the board begins a search for her replacement (with an interim director to be announced).

"One of the reasons I feel a small amount of comfort in leaving," she said, "is that this board is so on top of things. I have full confidence that they are going to weather this and come out shining."

This article appears in May 7-13, 2015.