How Arts Garage is keeping the spotlight bright in Delray—and giving the arts a bigger microphone than ever before.
On show nights in Delray Beach, you can feel the lift before you hear the first note. Restaurant patios fill, visitors browse windows along the Avenue, and newcomers and longtime patrons alike slip into an intimate cabaret-style theatre just a few steps off Atlantic Ave. That room is Arts Garage, and its mission has always reached beyond the stage: pair unforgettable performances with outcomes the community can feel and measure.
“Arts Garage is where artists and audiences connect, and where that connection becomes real value for our community,” says President & CEO Marjorie Waldo, who has led the organization through turnover, growth, a pandemic, and the loss of state arts funding last summer. “Every ticket we sell is part of a bigger picture: a more vibrant downtown, stronger businesses, and more opportunities for people from across the region and beyond to experience the arts.”
An Arts Garage experience doesn’t end when the lights come up. A steady cadence of show nights sends diners to patios before the downbeat, fills bars after the encore, and keeps Delray’s core lively well past season. That rhythm supports jobs, strengthens small businesses, and gives visitors more reasons to make Atlantic Avenue a habit. Inside, the calendar balances nationally touring headliners with rising regional talent, student ensembles step into professional light, and artist-led workshops and masterclasses turn a great night out into a deeper engagement with the arts. Discovery happens on stage, development off it, and together those pieces keep a creative community growing. For Waldo, the work goes far beyond presenting shows. She has become one of South Florida’s most vocal advocates for the arts and their essential role in civic life. At a time when cultural funding and priorities are being redefined—and, in Florida, have drastically reduced—she keeps the case simple and specific: the arts are not a luxury or a line item to trim; they are part of what makes a city thrive.
That message has a new platform in Culture Under Fire with Mar-jorie Waldo, a conversational podcast built to broaden the dialogue and make the case for the power of art and culture to shape lives, build communities, and drive local economies. Each episode features real stories and in-depth conversations with artists, leaders, and changemakers, connecting creative expression to education, mental health, tourism, civic pride, and more. From backstage to boardroom to ballot box, Culture Under Fire champions the policies, funding, and public support creative communities need to endure. Culture Under Fire with Marjorie Waldo is now available for streaming and download on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
“The arts, especially nonprofits, are facing real challenges,” Waldo says. “Recent legislative actions have drastically reduced funding for arts and culture. The best response is to help our communities understand what’s at stake. This isn’t about politics—it’s about ensuring everyone continues to have access to the arts.”
Arts Garage’s approach to programming has always been guided by one belief: great art should welcome everyone. The 2025–2026 season embraces that philosophy with a lineup that spans genres, generations, and geographies—from jazz and soul to Latin, comedy, and theatre. “Our job is to keep the door open,” Waldo says. “When audiences see and hear themselves in the work, they come back—and they bring friends.”
That vision takes shape across late fall and into spring with name artists, global flavors, tributes, and new theatre. November kicks into gear with guitar innovator Stanley Jordan reimagining the Grateful Dead, the high-energy piano of Jefferson McDonald’s Great Balls of Fire, the disco-era pulse of The Original Studio 54 Band, and jazz vocals from Ann Hampton Callaway with John Proulx, alongside a lively performance by Mec Lir and a year-end Elvis celebration.
Through winter and into spring, the calendar widens to feature a landmark performance by Christian McBride, one of the most celebrated bassists in modern jazz. His appearance anchors a stretch that also includes the Walter Smith III Trio, a high-voltage Prince salute by Red Corvette, and the Out of the Black Box Theatre Residency at Arts Garage with Wreckio Ensemble. Special music nights like The Jimmy Vivino Band keep weekends popping, while monthly open mics of music, comedy, and spoken word keep things lively between marquee dates.
“It’s a season designed for momentum,” Waldo says. “We want every show to feel like an event—whether you’re seeing a legend up close or discovering someone for the first time.”
Arts Garage’s impact is as visible on the streets as it is inside the theatre. In a typical year, the venue presents over 300 performances and events and averages 30,000 attendees—a growing count year over year. Each of those nights generates citywide benefits, collaborations with schools and nonprofits, and an expanded cultural profile for Delray Beach.
Arts Garage is meeting the moment with impact-driven programming and a clear promise for the future: keep the art close, keep the calendar strong, and keep telling the story—on stage, on the podcast, and out on the Avenue. It’s a simple vision with powerful results, and one Waldo believes will guide the organization for years to come.
“Our North Star is simple,” she says. “Put artists and audiences together in an intimate room, and great things happen—for people, for businesses, and for the city.”
