Main Squeeze: The Sunrise Theatre has a new Executive Director
By Ja'Min Devon
Sunday, August 2, 2026
Posted in:
The Sunrise Theatre in downtown Fort Pierce has a new leader. Numa Christopher Saisselin officially stepped into the role of Executive Director on July 20th, brought in by VenuWorks, the national venue management company that took over operations of the 1,200 seat historic theatre on June 1st 🎭.
Who he is 👤: Saisselin most recently ran the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, a 1,865 seat 1927 historic venue.
What he did there 📋:
• 📈 Grew the organization from $3.1 million to $14 million in annual business
• 💰 Raised $19.5 million in capital funds
• 🏆 Helped make it one of the top five most attended theatres under 2,000 seats in the country
• 🎭 Presented more than 200 events annually with 205,000 in attendance
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Before Jacksonville he led the Count Basie Theatre in New Jersey through a similar turnaround, growing that organization from $1.5 million to $8.5 million.
What is planned for the Sunrise 🎬: National touring acts, Broadway style entertainment, Latino and urban programming, comedy, children's theatre, private events, weddings and community gatherings. The city retains full ownership of the building under VenuWorks' contract which runs through September 2031.
The Sunrise has been serving Fort Pierce since 1923 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places 📅.
💬 What would you like to see at the Sunrise Theatre? Tell us right here