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Fire Marshal's Office Closes Gorilla Theatre

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By JOSE PATINO GIRONA

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 1, 2008

DREW PARK - The Gorilla Theatre is closed for public performances after the fire marshal's office said the nonprofit group has not added another exit and a fire wall three years after being told to do so.

Bridget Bean, the theater's managing director, said she plans to have the improvements completed in time for the Dec. 6 opening of the play "Six Degrees of Separation."

After receiving notification from the fire marshal's office Sept. 17, the theater moved a September play to Hillsborough Community College's Ybor City campus, canceled a jazz concert and an October play, and rescheduled a play reading to November, Bean said.

The theater was cited in 2005, but the inspector didn't return until last month, said Capt. Bill Wade, a Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman. Wade said the inspector spoke to Bean by telephone over the years and thought the theater was making progress.

But the changes had not been made, Wade said.

Bean said the group couldn't get permits to make changes because the building isn't designated as a theater.

"We kept going round and round (with city departments) and we couldn't get any further," she said.

Bean said the theater will reduce its seating from 76 to 49, allowing it to get building permits and reopen once the work is finished.

Establishments that can hold 50 or more people must meet more stringent fire safety codes, Wade said.

He said the theater, which is in an industrial strip center, also was cited for a zoning violation and for not having an occupancy permit.

The property's industrial-general zoning doesn't allow for a place of assembly, although the site could qualify for a zoning change, said Gloria Moreda, the city's zoning manager.

"The fire marshal is waiting to see what plan Ms. Bean comes back with," Wade said. "These are ongoing conversations. The fire marshal wants to work with the business, wants to help them stay open, wants to guide them."

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 259-7659 or jpatino@tampatrib.com.

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