Arts In

If you’ve seen theatre or opera in Tampa Bay, you’ve probably seen a production Keith Arsenault helped bring to life. A skilled lighting designer, set designer, theatre tech consultant and arts administrator, Keith is the resident lighting designer of the St Pete Opera, runs HCC Ybor’s beautiful Performing Arts Center, has worked as a voiceover artist, theatrical producer and circus ringmaster, and served on the staff of The Joffrey Ballet, the Opera Company of Boston, Palm Beach Opera and Nacional Ballet de Colombia. His theatrical work has taken him to 45 states and across Canada and Latin America, and he’s the winner of Creative Loafing Best of the Bay Awards for both Lighting and Scenic Design. Keith talks with Barbara St. Clair about growing up in a family rooted in theatre and dance. He shares the imaginative work of lighting design and the fascinating details of Tampa’s participation in the Federal Theatre Project in the 1930s, the one city in the U.S. that had both an English and a Spanish language