John Lucey and Jim Quinlan are a mix of sheepish and surprised as they tell me how good things are going at the Hideaway Performing Arts Center, the theater they established a year ago in Eustis.

“I’m nervous to say that this running-a-theater thing is easier than I thought,” Quinlan says. “We are working hard, but we’re having a blast doing it.”

As the Hideaway reached its one-year mark this summer, the men took time to talk about what they’ve learned as theater owners and where things are headed.

The good news is, so far cash flow has not been a problem.

James Yon performs during one of the Hideaway Performing Arts Center’s comedy shows. (Courtesy Hideaway PAC)

“When I came into this, I expected two years of keeping it alive by infusing money into it,” Lucey says. “The community really came out, and we are paying the bills out of the theater revenue.”

In the spirit of celebration, it’s worth noting the Hideaway has recently added a full bar — a pop-up service from The Courtyard, a former Tavares tavern, that along with the basics also creates specialty cocktails for the performances.

Christie Firmin, who owns The Courtyard, “has been a great partner and helps promote our shows,” Quinlan says. Proceeds are shared between the two businesses, which is how it works with many of the touring artists and local actors in the community-theater productions.

“Hamilton” star Miguel Cervantes, at microphone, was part of a special event during the Hideaway Performing Arts Center’s first year. (Courtesy Hideaway PAC)

The Hideaway has built a name for itself already with a roster of shows aimed at different segments of the community. There are plays, both well-known and lesser-known, but also regular comedy nights, concerts, artist tributes and special community events. A pet-adoption day was popular during the run of the musical “A Dog’s Life,” for example. Broadway star Miguel Cervantes and his wife, Kelly, gave a one-night-only show to talk about his time in “Hamilton” while the couple were grieving their young daughter.

A teen karaoke night has proven especially popular, Quinlan says: “Those kids are rock stars up there.”

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The success could be attributed to factors beyond the programming and community support. The business is a real family affair, with the other Quinlans and Luceys, including the kids, pitching in on everything from bookkeeping to set building.

“None of this would have been possible without our two wives picking up the slack,” Quinlan says.

“This is a full-court press for these two families, but we’re making it,” Lucey adds.

Keeping the Hideaway a family business also eliminates the need for a board of directors, like a nonprofit would have. That allows decisions to be made more quickly, Quinlan says. Having fewer people involved in decision-making also removes second-guessing every little thing.

Teen karaoke nights have proven popular at the Hideaway Performing Arts Center. (Courtesy Hideaway PAC)

“We kind of look like the little engine that could, but maybe we’re really the little engine that doesn’t know any better so we do it anyway,” Quinlan jokes.

And then there’s the rhythm of the men’s working relationship.

“First he tells me I’m ridiculous,” Quinlan says. “Then, a week later, he figures out how to do what I asked him to do.”

Lucey, it should be noted, accepts this description with good humor.

The two hadn’t met before hatching the theater plan; Quinlan was staging a youth production of the nonmusical adaptation of “Les Miserables” when a student actor had to drop out.

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Lucey’s daughter stepped in as a replacement. Then, equipment failure struck, and she spoke up: “My dad used to work at the Garden Theatre. I bet he could figure it out” is Quinlan’s recollection.

“Jim and I spent the next three days together in the tech booth,” Lucey relates. “At the end, he said if you want to buy a theater, let me know, and I laughed.”

“I was half-joking,” Quinlan says.

But the more two thought about it, the more they got excited about it.

“For an enitre week, I couldn’t get it out of my head,” Lucey says. “I kept thinking, ‘Is this where I’m supposed to be?’”

Their partnership, while not defined with specific roles, works because of their different interests: Lucey is more interested in the technical side of things, Quinlan with the artistic.

A pet-adoption community event took place at the Hideway Performing Arts Center in Eustis during the run of the musical “A Dog’s Life.” (Courtesy Hideaway PAC)

But what if they disagree on something?

“Just like in every relationship out there, you have moments where things go sideways and you don’t see eye to eye, but can you come back together?” Lucey says. “We always do.”

Quinlan adds a practical quip: “We have to figure it out, or we’ll lose our shirts.”

They’ve learned some lessons along the way, they say: Actors have a penchant for dropping out of productions unexpectedly. And it’s better to work directly with touring artists, then dealing with “middle men” such as agencies and managers who often don’t understand what the artists need or want.

But the pair expects things will only get better.

“I’m most excited to to see where we are a year from now,” Quinlan says.

Adds Lucey: “I never thought we’d get this far this fast.”

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.

‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’

What: The next theater production at the Hideway is the Tennessee Williams classic
Where: Hideaway Performing Arts Center, in the Eustis Plaza shopping center at 431 Plaza Drive in Eustis
When: Sept. 19-Oct. 5
Cost: $15-$30
Info: hideawaypac.com

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/15/hideaway-arts-center-eustis-anniversary/