But 25 years ago the landmark impact in Southwest Florida was the Prather family converting a closed grocery store into the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre. The venue in 25 seasons has entertained at least a million of us, has introduced kids to performance art, has made holidays and special events memorable, has opened the door to promising actors and to back-stage crews, today is the centerpiece of the revitalized Royal Palm Square retail district in Fort Myers.

For several reasons, Broadway Palm has transformed its neighborhood, certainly the way many in Southwest Florida view live theater, offering direct Broadway and New York-quality stage performances with the option of a dinner, a true experience for both the novice and experienced theater-goers, a point of pride for its founding CEO. “What started out as a dream for my family in 1993 to renovate a former Publix supermarket into a first-class dinner theatre has come to fruition … and the theatre is a resounding success,” says Will Prather, whose family also operates the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the Prather Touring Company. Prather has also been vitally generous, chairing or leading nonprofit funding efforts. Broadway Palm, too, earned the city’s Horizon Award for its role in economic development. “In honor of celebrating 25 years, my team and I have put together what I feel is the biggest and best season ever!”