Florida Studio Theatre 10th Anniversary Improv Festival

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) announced its 10th Anniversary Sarasota Improv Festival, featuring 20 of the top comedy ensembles from across the country and as far away as France and Spain, for three consecutive days July 12-14. Passes go on sale May 11 and may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 941-366-9000, or by visiting floridastudiotheatre.org.

In honor of this milestone Festival, this year there is not one, but THREE, headliners—one for each night of the Festival. Headliners include Impro Madrid, Baby Wants Candy, and Impro Theatre.

Kicking off the Festival at 8:00 pm on Thursday, July 12, is Impro Theatre, a Los Angeles-based improv company that improvises full-length plays in the styles of the world’s greatest creative thinkers, such as Shakespeare, Sondheim, and Dickens.  The LA Times calls Impro Theatre “A powerhouse improvisational company.”

Returning to the Gulf Coast after three years, Impro Madrid will crack audience members up with their unique and unrepeatable performance at 10:00 pm on Friday, July 13. With over ten different types of shows they perform, Impro Madrid is flexible and can perform almost any style of improv imaginable—you can bet that their Friday night performance will be memorable.

A New York Times’ Critics Pick, Baby Wants Candy will improvise a never-before-seen musical as the third and final headliner at 9:00 pm on Saturday, July 14. Popular and critically acclaimed, Baby Wants Candy takes audience suggestions, adds a band, and pulls out all the stops with spontaneous choreography and hilarious musical numbers to wow audiences. British Theatre Guide says the group is “A must see” and Musical Theatre Review calls them “Deliriously entertaining.”

For the fourth year in a row, FST welcomes improv groups from around the globe—both La Carpe Haute (meaning “The High Carp” in English) and Impro Madrid are from Western Europe. “Both groups perform very stylized, long-form improv,” explains Florida Studio Theatre’s Director of Improvisation, Will Luera. “La Carpe Haute will probably be one of the most physical ensembles Sarasota audiences have ever seen, and Impro Madrid has great actors.”

Last year’s 9^th Annual Festival attracted over 3,600 attendees over the three-day event. 32% of those attendees came from  outside of Sarasota, Manatee, Desoto and Charlotte counties.

A full schedule will be announced mid-May, and festival passes go on sale May 11 and will be available by calling the Box Office at 941-366-9000, or online at floridastudiotheatre.org.

PRICING:

Three Day Pass – Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday – $79

Two Day Pass – Friday AND Saturday – $69

Single Day Pass – Saturday – $55

Single Day Pass – Friday – $55

Thursday Night Pass – $29

Single tickets for Headliner – $25