Can a gorilla also be a phoenix? After losing its funding and Drew Park building following the 2011 death of its primary funder, the then 23-year-old Gorilla faced extinction. Thanks to savvy new leadership and a boost from the Arts Council of Hillsborough County and others, the ape roared back this year with a lionized staging of An Iliad at Sulphur Springs’ historic Springs Theatre, starring Brendan Ragan. Under new president of the Board Ami Sallee and with a grant from the Rays Baseball Foundation, Gorilla now runs playwriting projects in schools and hosts free playwriting workshops, all building up to the 14th Annual Young Dramatists Project next summer. The Gorilla is up off the mat, and swinging. facebook.com/pages/Gorilla-Theatre/107459136008239
This article appears in Sep 18-24, 2014.