Dear Friends and Patrons, I hope that you and yours are staying well. It has been four long months since the Pandemic of 2020 forced us to shutter our theatres. The date was March 15, 2020, when the lights were turned off on all five stages. The good news is that FST is surviving. We’ve been working diligently, making improvements to the theatre for a … Continue reading An Important FST Winter Season Update
Have you been tempted to take a class with FST, but aren’t quite sure where to start? With 15 classes starting the week of July 13, it can be tough to choose! We’re here to help you discover the online or in-person class that speaks the most to your unique creative journey. Keep reading for an insider’s peek into some of the classes coming up … Continue reading Inside the FST School
Which comes first, the script or the show? That depends. Live theater typically starts on the page before it hits the stage. Sketch comedy is a different animal – the script often comes last. In this summer of social distancing, the conventional approach of sketch comedians bouncing ideas off each other in a writers room is clearly not an option. So Florida Studio Theatre’s comedy … Continue reading The Long-Distance Comedy Kitchen
The Way We Live Now Whose story is it anyway? Playwright Thomas Gibbons considers the implications of that question in the past, present, and future tense. His previous work include two plays that Florida Studio Theatre produced in the mid-2000s: Permanent Collection (2007) and Bee-luther-hatchee (2004). Gibbons’ more recent plays investigate issues of identity and authenticity in present day and near-future societies. The uneasy present interrupted … Continue reading Inside the Playwrights Project – Thomas Gibbons
(Abridged From Dangerous Ladies Shindig – February 24, 2020) When I arrived in 1980, we started with 72 seats and tin cans for lights. We had 103 subscribers and a budget of $140,000. That year, we survived and grew to 450 subscribers. I remind myself: Never forget your roots, Richard. We wanted to make great contemporary theatre that our friends could afford to come and … Continue reading FST Leading the Way
“I stretch my hands and catch at Hope.” Sarah Bierstock is a nationally recognized performer, playwright, and producer. A passionate world traveler, Sarah distilled her experiences of our uneasy global village in her hard-hitting, critically acclaimed drama, Honor Killing, which had its World Premiere at Florida Studio Theatre in 2018. But Bierstock’s world became very small after the quarantine took hold. The world of her … Continue reading Inside the Playwrights Project – Sarah Bierstock
Timely lessons. Timeless theater. The multi-talented Sam Mossler is a playwright, actor, and improv comedian. Before the pandemic, he put his many talents to work at Florida Studio Theatre. He performed on stage in such FST productions as How to Use a Knife, The Nether, and Kunstler. Backstage, he taught acting and playwriting in FST classes for adults and children. After the pandemic hit, Mossler … Continue reading Inside the Playwrights Project — Sam Mossler
Dear Friends and Patrons, We hope that you and your families are safe and well. While we have cancelled our Summer Seasons and Annual Sarasota Improv Festival, we are excited to be able to bring you special live musical and comedy entertainment along with educational opportunities – all at reduced capacities – this summer. Now running through June 20, FST is entertaining outdoor diners with … Continue reading Update: FST On COVID-19
Swing is alive and kicking in the 21st century. For proof, check out The Swingaroos – a sizzling sextet, comprising some of New York City’s finest swing players. It’s the brainchild of lyricist and lead vocalist, Kimberly Hawkey and pianist and composer, Assaf Gleizner. Their band has been a sure-fire crowd-pleaser in a long string of Florida Studio Theatre Cabaret productions, including Hollywood Serenade and … Continue reading The Swingaroos: Still Swingin’ After All These Years
Sarah Durham has a background in playwriting, and has studied improv and comedy writing at The Second City troupe in Chicago. Durham is now the head writer for Florida Studio Theatre’s Sketch Program, and a member of FST Improv. She knows a thing or two about dramatic structure. Whether it’s Hamlet or Harpo, there’s a basic three-part template… The key character (or characters) fight for a … Continue reading Can’t Stop the Comedy Train
