Kristen Coury—founder, CEO, and producing artistic director for Gulfshore Playhouse—moved to Naples in June 2004, after falling in love with the coastal town on a vacation jaunt a few months before. Though she had established a successful theater career in New York, her desire to leave—especially following the attacks of 9/11—was great. Upon returning from her Florida vacation, she decided to trade Big Apple views for Naples Bay vistas, purchasing a condominium in the colorful complex of Bayfront. While the decision to move to Naples was not difficult, determining what to do here, professionally speaking, required some thought.
“I considered my options,” says Kristen. “First, I thought I might freelance in professional theaters nearby, for instance in Sarasota. But then, I started questioning why there wasn’t a regional professional theater here. There was a great community theater, but that’s a completely different model. And there was [Artis—Naples], which did bring in some Broadway tours, but those weren’t produced here. There was no self-producing theater in Naples. So, I thought I’d start one.”
Kristen quickly came up with a name, Gulfshore Playhouse; filed the necessary paperwork for 501(c)(3) status; and began working on other particulars for a theater, including securing a performance venue. By 2006, Gulfshore Playhouse was able to hold a short season of shows at the Norris Community Center, where all productions took place through the end of the 2023-24 season. With its state-of-the-art facility recently completed on Goodlette-Frank Road, named the Baker Theatre and Education Center, Gulfshore Playhouse ushers in a new era November 1, the official date of its first opening night in a venue Kristen describes as “modern meets Art Deco.”
With a freshly finished $72 million playhouse—a project more than 10 years in the making—it goes without saying that Kristen’s had a momentous year. But she will remember 2024 for another important reason. On July 7, she wed well-known Naples businessman and community leader Michael Wynn, who serves as president/owner of Sunshine Ace Hardware. Since the beginning of their budding romance in 2020, the two have been supporting one another’s hopes and dreams, proving that—working side by side—their sum is greater than their parts.
Lots of Love
You could say theater brought Michael and Kristen together, though not in a conventional way. As Kristen developed plans and acquired land for a new theater, Gulfshore Playhouse participated in a land swap with Michael’s family (who owned a lot nearby); this provided part of an ideal parcel for what, years later, would become a parking garage.
Ultimately, Gulfshore Playhouse gifted an acre-size lot to the City of Naples with the proviso that, in return, it would build a parking garage (on that same acre) to serve the surrounding areas, including—of course—the theater. To accomplish this, a city council member informed Kristen she needed to form a coalition. She quickly thought to ask Michael to chair this coalition since he had better business relationships in this district. He agreed.
“Because of the Wynn family’s land ownership nearby, I thought Michael had a vested interest in the parking garage project,” says Kristen. “When I asked him to lead the coalition in August 2020, he asked me who was on it. I said ‘Nobody. But if you chair it, people will join.’”
“It’s interesting that we started this coalition together, and it did well,” says Michael of the parking garage project. At the time, Michael wasn’t looking for a relationship. However, as this coalition met over Zoom-based meetings (due to pandemic-related restrictions), Michael felt an intense attraction to Kristen. She began to capture his heart.
“Kristen would come on the call with this magnetic smile, and I would sit back and marvel at her,” he continues. “She does not take no for an answer; that determination guides Gulfshore Playhouse in general. She has an incredible zest for life, and I love the fact that nothing slows her down.”
No stranger to hard work, Michael also respected Kristen’s commitment to her career. “I worked in our family grocery store from an early age,” says Michael. “In fact, I was working almost full-time hours in high school.” Today, Michael, who oversees Sunshine Ace Hardware’s 14 stores (with three more coming in 2025), is just as busy. In addition, he donates his time to several organizations at the state and local levels, serving as chair for Florida Gulf Coast University’s board of trustees, second vice chair to NCH’s board of directors, and chair-elect to Leadership Florida.
“This Is Naples”
The Baker Theatre and Education Center—made possible in part by a $20 million gift from Patty and Jay Baker—is impressive. “Jay and I believed Gulfshore Playhouse was in great need of a place to call home; it was easy to see Kristen’s vision and understand how the theater would positively impact Naples and the surrounding areas,” says Patty.
Its main stage theater, which holds a 368-person audience, features a Broadway-size stage. There’s also a flexible 125-seat studio space that will allow multiple productions to take place contemporaneously at the venue.
In addition to ample stage space, the new facility holds classrooms for educational programming; beautiful, light-filled rehearsal spaces; several dedicated dressing rooms; cutting-edge theater technology; a fly tower, which allows for quick setting changes; and exceptional acoustics (especially important since the theater is in a flight path).
While these elements are crucial, what truly distinguishes the theater are its luxury features and finishes. Kristen worked with Miami- and New York City–based architects H3/Arquitectonica, with creative architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia, and later with Naples designer Lisa Kahn of Finding Sanctuary by Lisa Kahn Designs.
Elevated light fixtures, custom-created wallpaper, marble in the bathroom areas, and a leather-fronted bar in a VIP area (named the Founder’s Lounge) comprise a mere sampling of the high-end appointments that help set the venue apart. “I didn’t want a theater that is metal and concrete,” says Kristen. “This is Naples; we need fine finishes.”
Kahn, whose team helped select many of these features, notes an aesthetic that blends the old and new. “While Art Deco design is reflected in many light fixtures, wallpaper, fabrics, and other elements, visitors will notice contemporary touches, too, including in the main lobby and large rehearsal space.”
The playhouse will offer many elevated experiences and details. According to Kristen, in addition to extraordinary theater, visitors can expect to find customer service that’s a cut above; a total of six bars, including one in the lobby that will serve craft cocktails in glass vessels; an outdoor terrace; fantastic art; and many other sophisticated particulars. Says Michael who echoes Kristen, “This is Naples, and [the theater] is just the space Naples deserves.”
Kristen expects Gulfshore Playhouse’s educational programming to quadruple. Performing arts–related lectures will take place there, as well as fun theater-based classes (e.g., Broadway-themed Zumba and yoga classes, paint and sip opportunities, and more). The theater can also be leased as event space.
From the entire capital project, Kristen reports personal edification. “I learned a lot about construction, city politics, and brand recognition,” she notes. “I also learned about keeping a dream alive despite delays and setbacks, including two major hurricanes and a global pandemic.”
Michael believes the new theater will become a Naples landmark and a catalyst for economic growth and development in the area. In fact, the Wynn family will be part of this growth, as it has plans to build a 40,000-square-foot, mixed-use building adjacent to the theater. This will include a new restaurant, retail space, and office space for Gulfshore Playhouse and other businesses, as well as transient lodging for the theater’s actors.
Answering the Call
Playing the roles of impactful servant-leaders is important to both Michael and Kristen, and they look forward to more deep community involvement. “Largely speaking, my focus is the philanthropic community; Michael’s has always been the business community,” says Kristen. “It’s fun for us to overlap these sectors, because ultimately, we want to do good work and serve this city.”
Leaving a legacy is important to them both. Michael cites his grandfather, Don Wynn, as the ideal community leader. Not only was Don an early city council member in Naples, but he had a giving heart, allowing patrons of his grocery and hardware stores to charge on credit for more than a year following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Donna and even co-signing loans for fellow community members in need.
“Great communities don’t happen by accident,” says Michael. “Naples’ quality of life is a result of many leaders working behind the scenes.”
Kristen is hopeful that she and Michael can find creative ways to better the community they admire so much. He agrees. “We can work—as a couple—to collaborate,” he says. “I’m elevating what I thought I could accomplish over time because I have such a dynamic partner by my side.”
In the years ahead, with determination and know-how in spades, Michael and Kristen will likely answer the community’s call hand in hand. Though on November 1—opening night—Kristen will likely be the one bearing this responsibility. Bring on the curtain call.
Gilded Age Nuptials
In July, Michael Wynn and Kristen Coury tied the knot in front of an audience of 120 loved ones at Rosecliff, a storied estate located in Newport, Rhode Island.
The wedding embraced a Gilded Age feel, with servers in white jackets and gloves and guests sipping Champagne from specially shaped flutes true to the era. Michael, too, wore a dapper tuxedo, hearkening back to Downton Abbey–like days. Of course, an element of the theatrical was incorporated, too, as two actors dressed as the ghosts of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (a sculptor and founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York) and her husband, Harry Payne Whitney. This prominent spectral couple—costumed as if they were still in 1904 and played by Gulfshore Playhouse–favorite Angie Janas and her husband, Carl Howell—greeted guests, imparting a bit of history about themselves, the area, and the era.
The wedding featured several highlights, with heavy participation from Jay and Patty Baker. Jay served as the officiant, guiding Kristen and Michael through heartfelt vows, while Patty graced the ceremony as flower girl.
“When they asked Jay if he would officiate the wedding, he was thrilled and honored,” says Patty. “Shortly after we found out Michael and Kristen were dating, I told her I wanted to be her flower girl. She laughed at the time but remembered.”
At the reception, the couple gave guests a bit of a surprise, as they danced to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” Everyone expected Kristen to be able to dance, as she had been a competitive ballroom dancer for more than a decade, but Michael’s newly learned moves impressed, too, as they started slow and then later amazed while performing steps from the foxtrot, rumba, swing, and cha-cha. Following the wedding, the couple found some downtime, spending more than two weeks touring Greece and Croatia.
Story Credits:
Hair and makeup: Lina for Duality Artistry, Naples
Wardrobe stylist: Renee Baker
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