Local Creators Spend Two Years Building Cape Coral's Newest Original Play

A five-person team finished final rehearsals this week for the original play "Tide Lines," set to premiere July 18 at the Cape Coral Cultural Arts Center on Del Prado Boulevard.

The production draws on local stories of the Caloosahatchee River and its working waterfront, assembled during weekly sessions that began in early 2024. City arts funding shifted in 2025 toward original works, which pushed several neighborhood groups to develop new scripts instead of licensing touring shows.

Rehearsal spots and local ties

Early table reads took place in a back room at the Cape Coral Public Library branch on Pine Island Road, while set construction happened inside a warehouse near the Yacht Club neighborhood. The playwright and lighting designer both grew up along Burnt Store Road and pulled details from family photo albums and city planning records dating to the 1970s canal expansions.

One prop maker sourced rope and netting from commercial fishing suppliers still operating along the river north of Cape Coral Parkway. The costume coordinator worked with a small fabric shop on Santa Barbara Boulevard to recreate period workwear from the 1980s shrimp industry.

Numbers behind the production

The project carried a $68,000 budget, funded in part by a city arts grant and ticket pre-sales that reached 1,200 seats by mid-June. Auditions held in May drew 187 participants, with casting completed in three days at the same Del Prado Boulevard facility.

Performances run through August 9, with weekday matinees priced at $32 and evening shows at $48. A limited number of $15 rush tickets will go on sale two hours before each show for Cape Coral residents who present a utility bill.

Tickets are available through the center's box office or online; the same team plans to begin development on a second original work focused on the 2023 hurricane recovery later this fall.