INNOVATION: The Innovate, shown in a rendering, plans to open in spring 2025. (Courtesy venue)
Glazer Family Behind 400-Capacity Venue
Jared Shahid has been named executive director of The Innovate, a 400-capacity indoor venue set to open in Palm Beach, Florida, in spring of 2025. The project redevelops the old Royal Poinciana Playhouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and will feature a 68-foot stage, multiple seating configurations and a prime location on the Palm Beach waterfront serving an affluent, tight-knit community with concerts, galas, fundraisers and other special events.
“I’ve been a Northeast guy forever, so I’m learning which agents cover the Southeast and who I need to start over with at which agencies,” said Shahid, who is leaving his post as executive director of the Ridgefield Playhouse in Connecticut after five years at the 500-capacity venue. “It’s very exciting.”
The Innovate is spearheaded by Avram and Jill Glazer, Palm Beach residents and owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Manchester United, through a nonprofit entity called The Innovate.
“We are thrilled to have Jared on board as we gear up to launch Palm Beach’s Iconic waterfront arts and cultural center,” said Jill Glazer, co-founder of The Innovate. “His forward-thinking approach and proven success in fostering community connections through the arts are exactly what we need as we look to become a cornerstone of cultural engagement in Palm Beach.”
Shahid says there are parallels between the Ridgefield Playhouse and The Innovate beyond having a similar capacity, including being located in an under-served affluent community that likes to stay in its own neck of the woods.
Jared Shahid is relocating to Palm Beach after five years at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Connecticut.
“There are the more traditional performing arts center elements, and that’s absolutely going to be the sort of foundation of what the venue is, but similarly to the Ridgefield Playhouse, I like presenting big artists in small rooms and creating these unique opportunities for patrons,” said Shahid. As an example, he mentions an annual charity softball game and concert featuring New York Yankees fan favorite (and impressive jazz guitarist) Bernie Williams at the Ridgefield Playhouse. “Bernie already wants to play at The Innovate.”
The Innovate is currently under construction, with a small team on the ground led by the Glazers including developers and an interim CEO, Susan Henkin. Fundraising is currently taking place, including outreach for naming rights.
“I want to try to present this venue as feeling exclusive but make it accessible to everybody in the community,” said Shahid. “I think what that’s going to do is create a lot of two-night shows. Because it’s only 400-cap., we’re going to sell out a lot of shows fast, and I want to be able to say ‘Terrific, let me add another show, you should come, too.’ We’ll do a lot of outreach and establish our core nonprofit programs as well. I want to present the Miami Ballet (for example), and balance that with community events, rentals, kids events, really make it a place for everybody.”
Shahid said he met Jill Glazer through a mutual connection and jumped at the opportunity to be part of a new venue in Palm Beach, where he will hire a full team including positions in operations, marketing and production. Food service will be handled internally, with a full in-house catering kitchen. Next door on the property will feature a waterfront restaurant called Tutto Mare, while the surrounding plaza includes restaurants as well.
“There’s really an altruistic vision here,” Shahid said of meeting with the Glazers to discuss The Innovate. Noting the difficulty and expense of redeveloping a historic building in a beach town, Shahid said, “They just want to do something for the community, and that struck a chord with me because I’m very much a community-oriented guy. Not only was the venue their idea, but they have funded the majority of the project themselves.”
The Innovate, shown in a rendering, redevelops the old Royal Poinciana Playhouse. (Courtesy venue)
The old Poinciana Playhouse’s historical designation means maintaining as much of the original structure as possible, but years of neglect and disrepair required creative solutions from ownership and architects at SpinaOrourke. A new build means modern features, including a 68-foot proscenium stage to accommodate large productions, which excites Shahid.
“The back of the stage is all glass overlooking the intercoastal. We can black that out for a regular show, but my hope is that for some shows we could leave those open and get a Jazz at Lincoln Center kind of vibe, a really beautiful experience,” he said. “We’re going to have a d&b Soundscape (audio system), so the sound is going to be spectacular, and it’s actually a flat floor and the seats retract, so we can do standing room, cabaret, full seats.”
Largely involved in booking, Shahid says the artist community has already shown a lot of interest in The Innovate.
“The room itself is going to be beautiful. It’s been amazing sitting in the room with the architects (including CEO Keith Spina and senior project architect Nelo Freijomel) as they’re walking us through renderings and talking about production,” said Shahid. “It’s rare to come across a venue that’s getting built from the ground up and being able to say, ‘Hey, what about this?’ and give your input.”
