Spotlight: FST Delivers a Delightful Winter Season

By Lisa Codianne Fowler | October 2021

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Bring it on, FST! Producing Artistic Director/CEO Richard Hopkins and team have prepared a scintillating season of showstoppers. And what a lineup it is. 

Hopkins is thrilled about the upcoming performances and remains confident that attendance will prove to be robust. Not only because of the stellar quality of this season’s productions, but also because he believes that now is an ideal time to lift the community’s spirits dampened by the pandemic. 

“All the shows are heartwarming and very positive, which we need in this era of Covid,” he says, “to get us out of the doldrums and the darkness and to help bring us out and get us socializing once more and connecting with other people.”

“The good news I’m seeing in Sarasota right now,” he adds, “is that infections are actually going down. We’re running two shows right now and our audiences are happy, vaccinated, wearing masks, and it’s working. The same thing is happening on Broadway.” 

The FST season includes four plays on the Mainstage, and three performances in the Cabaret. The first three Mainstage performances are scheduled as follows:

• Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story—Beginning November 3
• America in One Room—Beginning December 8
• The Play That Goes Wrong—Beginning January 19

The Buddy Holly Story

Hopkins spoke with Sarasota Scene while he was in New York last month, casting for several FST productions, including the first scheduled for the Mainstage, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. 

He shared with us some captivating but little-known details.

“Something to be aware of, Buddy Holly was originally produced in London, and then moved to New York, to Broadway,” he explains. “That said, it was originally produced with 30 people. Our version has only eight performers playing all of the roles with a variety of instruments. That makes it a much more demanding show to do. As a result, when the actors walk into audition, they’re carrying all their instruments—from saxophones to guitars. It’ll be an exciting rehearsal process. It is very different and makes for a much more intimate show that’s about storytelling and a little bit less about the spectacle of the show. It’s a really good story and the music is fantastic. It’s the genesis of rock and roll, how it all started.” 

Showcasing the classic songs “Peggy Sue,” “Every Day,” and “Oh Boy,” by Buddy Holly, the play also features Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” and The Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace.” 

America in One Room

This unique production is another must-see in these tumultuous times. Though it highlights a broad diversity of views and philosophies from people of all walks of life, Richard makes it clear that it is about people, not politics. 

Written by Jason Odell Williams, America in One Room was commissioned by FST in spring 2020 as part of their initiative that employed playwrights and other artists, creating this collection of new work, specifically meant for FST staging.

Hopkins describes it as speaking to the issues of the day. “What the convention organizers did was find a group of people representative of all different kinds of people in America, he explains. “Different shapes, sizes, different thought patterns, republicans, democrats, independents, all different ethnicities, races, and religions.”

“Everyone is in one room talking about the issues of the day. And it’s not just talking about issues of the day, we get to see what these individuals want, their specific desires and goals. They are in parallel frequently, but also, in conflict. It’s a great snapshot of the world we are living in today. It also involves a little bit of audience engagement—the audience does not join the discussion, but they do vote.” He notes that while the show is serious, it is very lively and also very humorous. 

The Play That Goes Wrong

The third play of the season was a surprise addition to the lineup, a little-known gem discovered by Hopkins and his wife (and Managing Director) Rebecca. Directed by Bruce Jordan,  creator of Shear Madness, it is about an amateur theatre putting on a murder mystery. But everything goes wrong, from actors getting hurt, forgetting their lines, falling asleep, and collapsing scenery. FST describes it as, “A show’s opening night goes from bad to utterly disastrous.”

“We had not heard of it and when we were in London we just happened to stop by the theatre,” Hopkins shared. “I hadn’t seen anything like this in decades, so we were delighted to get the rights to this. It’s hysterically funny, and heartwarming, and just a joy to watch.”

More Rousing Romps

The fourth Mainstage production, The Legend of Georgia McBride, begins March 30, 2022. 

This unexpected story features Casey, a financially challenged young man. He learns all at once that his wife is pregnant, and he’s lost his job as an Elvis impersonator to a B-level drag show. A big-hearted, music-filled comedy, it is packed with extraordinary humor and depth.

The Cabaret has three sensational shows in store:

The Wanderers by Richard Hopkins and Rebecca Hopkins will play beginning September 29.  It salutes the vintage harmony groups from The Four Seasons to The Beatles, The Drifters, and The Platters. 

Friends in Low Places, named after a song by Garth Brooks, explores the sound and style of Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, and George Strait. It begins on November 17. 

Laughing Matters creatively pokes fun at local and nationwide issues. The sketch comedy show will have you in stitches, no matter your origin. The series begins on February 9. 

Don’t Forget…

• FST Improv – an endless source of surprises and belly laughs
• The Children’s Theatre – designed to spark imagination and conversation

As Hopkins says, “You gotta live your life.” Get out there and get engaged. He urges everyone to get vaccinated, be careful, and partake of life’s multi-cultural and human heart-felt offerings. Let FST open your mind and your heart. 

For tickets and subscription information for all Florida Studio Theatre productions, call 941-366-9000 or visit floridastudiotheatre.org. 

Check the website for current safety measures and guidelines.