It's been a tough time for theater in South Florida.

Doors have been shuttered at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, Florida Stage (now the new home of The Plaza Theatre), Promethean Theatre, Caldwell Theatre Company and Rising Action Theatre (recently reborn as Island City Stage).

And now comes news that the highly-touted Mosaic Theatre in Plantation will close now that its 58th show - "The Birds" - has finished its run. Season subscribers will get refunds for the remainder of this the 12th season. Artistic director and founder Richard Jay Simon wrote that he wishes to spend more time with his family.

Earlier in September, local theater critic Bill Hirschman wrote about the state of theater here in SoFlo far better than I could ever do, so check out his three-parter at his Florida Theater On Stage website:

CLICK HERE FOR PART 1 - On the Wheels of a Dream South Florida Theater: What It Is and What It Can Be.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 - Ya Got Trouble Right Here in River City: The Challenges.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 3 - And Make Our Garden Grow: Finding The Solutions.

Despite having missed some of their award-magnet shows such as "The Seafarer," "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "Art," I have enjoyed a great many productions at Mosaic. I thought I'd recap my top fave five (click to read the review):

1. Side Effects - A marriage comes undone, but not in that tired ol' cliche way.

2. The Irish Curse - This could have been a testosterone-fueld version of "The Vagina Monologues," but instead Mosaic staged something that resonated far more deeply.

3. Dusk Rings a Bell - What looks like a late-in-life romantic comedy takes a wicked off-ramp into an emotional haunting.

4. A Measure of Cruelty - Mosaic commissioned and produced the world premiere of this play about the real life 2009 attack in Deerfield Beach on Michael Brewer, a 15-year-old who was doused with rubbing alcohol and then set on fire by classmates. The theatrical project turned out to be a powerful commentary on how we sometimes eat our young.

5. Lombardi - The legendary Green Bay Packers coach gets a glossy and bombastic stage bio here, but I remember most the quiet moments...and the set that made the most of the black box theater's space.