Cultural Center packed with events this spring

Mozart, Schubert, murder mysteries and a C.S. Lewis impersonator.

Those are among the offerings this month at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, which is expanding programs to attract new audiences as it enters its fifth year of operation.

"We have a lot of programs, and everything is geared toward a broader demographic than we've had before," said Adrienne Hutelmyer, the center's marketing director.

This month, the center has a number of events planned:

• On Saturday, the center's MAS Community Theatre will hold another performance of "Murder's in the Heir," a murder mystery based on the Parker Brother's classic board game Clue, in which members of the audience are enlisted to help solve the crime.

• On Feb. 18, the center's spring music series continues with a performance by pianist Franz Mantini, who will play selected pieces by Mozart, Schubert and Granados

• Then on Feb. 23, the center hosts "An Evening with C.S. Lewis," a comedic production featuring British actor David Payne. The performance will offer an overview of the author's career and his spiritual journey from atheism to Christianity.

And in March, the center will host its fourth-annual Arts in the Park festival, a two-day event featuring 100 artists, live entertainment, and hands-on activities for children.

The $7.9 million center, financed with community investment tax dollars, was originally slated to cost about half that, but construction costs rose and delayed the opening.

The center receives about $377,000 from Hillsborough County, about 40 percent of its budget. The remainder of the center's operating revenue comes from performance ticket sales, event room rentals, and classes and other programs offered to its membership.

Center officials say the partnership works because the county can funnel public dollars into an organization run by a group that specializes in offering cultural programs, The Friends of the Carrollwood Cultural Center. The group runs the daily operations.

The county approved the project in 2002 and funded it the following year. The center originally was set to open in December 2006; then it was postponed to late 2007.

But when the economy plummeted and residents weren't eager to spend tight budgets on classes and shows, the center struggled. As a result, the center, which eventually is supposed to be self-sufficient, operated at a loss of $20,000 in 2009.

But Hutelmyer said things are looking good as the center enters its fifth year.

"We're booking events through 2013," she said.

For ticket sales and more information: www.carrollwoodcenter.org or (813) 269-1310.