Gorilla Theatre

About Us:

The Gorilla Theatre was established 20 years ago by husband and wife, Aubrey Hampton and Susan Hussey. Both playwrights, the loving couple founded the theatre with a view to producing their own and other new works. Since then the Gorilla has become an indispensible part of the cultural life of the Tampa Bay area, featuring a season of critically-acclaimed plays and garnering a dedicated following of theatre-loving members.

A season at the Gorilla consists of six main stage plays plus workshops, staged readings, jazz and cabaret. The Gorilla's continuing dedication to the development of new works is evident in its Gorilla Reading series (notable productions include Scott Hudson's Sweet Storm and Richard DiPietra's I Am A Cuban Sandwich) and its Young Dramatists' Project, which just completed its 12th year. Recent unforgettable Gorilla Theatre productions include The Woman in Black, Shipwrecked: An Entertainment, Jane Eyre, Elizabeth and Edward, The Lark, Christmas Trio, and many more.

For 20 years, the Gorilla Theatre was tucked away in a converted warehouse space in the industrial Drew Park section of Tampa — just one block away from Aubrey Hampton's "other" business (Aubrey was the genius behind the Aubrey Organics cosmetics company). The Gorilla's humble setting disguised a comfortable, welcoming and polished interior. Audiences loved the intimate theater space where the standard of plays was exceptionally high.

Since leaving Drew Park, Gorilla has produced two shows in different spaces, an itinerant band finding new places to call home.