By the Coral Gables Gazette editorial board

Communities across America dream of having what Coral Gables enjoys every day: a thriving, professional theater company at the heart of downtown, housed in a lovingly restored Art Deco landmark and offering Broadway-quality productions year-round. Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre is more than a venue. It is a civic treasure, an economic engine, a cultural anchor—and, most significantly, the living legacy of Dr. Lawrence and Barbara Stein.

The dedication of the Dr. Lawrence and Barbara Stein Center for the Performing Arts rightly affixes their names to a building and institution they built—brick by brick, show by show, decade by decade. From its rescue in the 1990s to its present-day status as a powerhouse of South Florida culture, the Miracle Theatre is both symbol and substance of what visionary leadership can achieve.

Let’s pause and do the math.

Actors’ Playhouse stages five Mainstage productions and four Children’s Theatre shows each year, alongside conservatory classes, summer camps, youth competitions, and community events. Over the past 30 years, more than 400 original productions have come to life on Miracle Mile. But the real story is in the people. With over 150,000 patrons visiting the Miracle Theatre annually, that adds up to more than 4.5 million visitors under the Steins’ leadership—audiences spanning generations, drawn by the power of live performance. Add the countless artists, educators, and students nurtured along the way, and the impact becomes immeasurable.

Now think about what happens before and after those performances. Patrons park their cars, stroll the Mile, dine at restaurants, stop at dessert shops, visit bookstores and boutiques. Actors’ Playhouse is a traffic builder and a revenue generator, driving steady foot traffic into the downtown core. It activates the neighborhood with rhythms of anticipation and applause.

The city saw this potential early, which is why the partnership between the Steins and the City of Coral Gables to save the Miracle Theatre was so visionary. In the early 1990s, the building was at risk of being converted into big-box retail. Had the Steins not stepped in, the Miracle Mile we know today might have evolved into something altogether less remarkable. Instead, the theatre was repurposed—reborn—into a beacon of culture and continuity.

And in doing so, Coral Gables accomplished something most cities never do. While the city is also home to GableStage, a respected and artistically ambitious professional company, Actors’ Playhouse stands apart in scale and civic influence. Few communities can claim a self-producing regional theater with multiple stages, a full-time staff, national recognition, and year-round programming for adults and children alike. In many places, live theater means an occasional touring production or a high school play. Here, it means original work, cultivated talent, robust arts education, and a vital role in the cultural conversation.

It’s hard to overstate how rare this is—or how much we owe to the Steins.

Barbara Stein has served as executive producing director from the beginning, and Dr. Lawrence Stein as founding chairman of the board. Their names now grace the building, but their fingerprints are everywhere: in the theater’s design, in the seasons selected, in the fundraisers hosted, and in the artists mentored. The Miracle Theatre is not just where they work. It is their life’s work.

And what an example they’ve set. The Steins rolled up their sleeves, built coalitions, knocked on doors, and invited the community in. They created a vibrant, resilient institution—one that nurtures artists, trains students, and enriches civic life. They showed what can happen when passion meets perseverance—and when a dream, however improbable, is pursued with unflinching resolve.

This fall, as the theater restages Man of La Mancha—the same production that reopened the Miracle Theatre nearly 30 years ago—it feels like a full-circle moment. But this is no final act. The naming of the Dr. Lawrence and Barbara Stein Center for the Performing Arts is a baton pass to the next generation: a challenge to keep dreaming boldly, giving generously, and investing deeply in the cultural life of this city.

Actors’ Playhouse is more than a building or a brand. It is a story—of what Coral Gables values, of what the Steins made possible, and of what we as a community must continue to support. There may be bigger theaters in Florida. There may be flashier venues. But few match the heart, soul, and impact of the one at 280 Miracle Mile.

Dr. Lawrence and Barbara Stein gave Coral Gables more than a theatre. They gave it a legacy. It deserves a standing ovation.