NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

If you think it’s quiet in Key West in the summer, you haven’t been to the Tropic lately.

We’re just weeks away from opening our 4 th screen. The new Peggy Dow Theater will add 50 seats to our current 250 seat capacity and increase our lobby space by 50%. It will be equipped with state of the art 35 mm and digital projection capabilities and a magnificent sound system. We’ll celebrate with a gala opening later in the year, but we’ll start showing movies as soon as the theater is finished in mid-July.

Of course, the growth of the Tropic and the expanded programming content we’ll offer comes at a price. We were fortunate to have obtained private and county funding for the new theater before the economy took a tumble last year.

We still need some funds for the finishing touches on the new theater. We also want to continue offering the latest and best in independent film – now for 4 theaters – and for that we need the help of Tropic members.

We have retooled our membership program to ask our current members and new members for that help. Take a look at our membership link on this website. You’ll notice that we’ve held the cost of our regular Individual and Couple and Student/Teacher/Military memberships to the same prices they’ve been for years: We want our basic memberships to be economical for everyone who comes to the Tropic.

For friends and supporters who can afford to invest more in the future of one of South Florida’s most important cultural and artistic institutions, we’re asking for more – and giving back more, too. Our new Director membership ($200) provides movie discounts for two people for 12 months AND 10 free passes. (It replaces our old Patron and Star categories.) Other premium membership levels go all the way up to the new Platinum membership ($5,000) which offers 4 free movie passes for all feature films, free concessions and a private screening of a movie in any of our 50-seat theaters.

About a third of our revenues come from the generosity of members and donors – without that funding, the Tropic we know and love just wouldn’t exist today. Please take a look at our new membership structure to see how you can help out (and to see the perks we have for Tropic members) – http://TropicCinema.com/application.html

One last thing: We have a smokin’ offer for all Tropic customers – members and non-members alike. Come to 10 movies and get your 11 th ticket free. Ask for a Summer Sizzler card the next time you’re at the Tropic (and we hope that’s soon).

See you at the Tropic!

Matthew Helmerich

Executive Director

Advance Ticket sales at the theater box office for all shows.