FST Appoints Sean Daniels As Associate Director

September 21 – Sarasota

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is proud to announce the appointment of Sean Daniels as Associate Director and Director of The Recovery Project. He comes to FST from Arizona Theatre Company, one of the leading professional theatres in the Southwest, where he has served as Artistic Director (CO-CEO) since 2019.

In addition to being the Artistic Director at Arizona Theatre Company, Daniels also served as Artistic Director of Merrimack Repertory Theatre and Dad’s Garage (which he co-founded), and Associate Artistic Director at California Shakespeare Theater and Actors Theatre of Louisville. 

“We are very excited to have Sean join the FST team,” said Richard Hopkins, FST’s Producing Artistic Director. “Mr. Daniels will be an excellent addition to our creative core. He brings three decades of professional experience and excellent proven skills as a director, playwright, play developer and fundraiser. He knows how to lead; he knows how to follow; and most importantly, he knows how to collaborate. These are the attributes that define FST’s creative ensemble. These are the attributes of FST’s successful artists of the past and these are the attributes that will carry Florida Studio Theatre into a robust future.”

In this new senior leadership position, Daniels will oversee Florida Studio Theatre’s New Play Development program, its Stage III Series, and lead the kickoff of the theatre’s newest endeavor: The Recovery Project. He will also serve as a resident director for all five of FST’s stages. 

New Play Development has been part of the lifeblood of Florida Studio Theatre and one of its core programs since the theatre was founded in 1973.

“Over the last several years, FST has strengthened its commitment to bringing new work to the stage with the creation of our Playwrights Collective and a commitment to a broad collection of new play commissions,” said Hopkins. “These efforts have led to a significant rise in the number of New Play Development workshops, residencies, and festivals we hold each year. We need someone with Sean’s experience and energy to take our program to the next level. Sean is ideally suited to take leadership in this work, not only as an experienced director and producer, but as a successful playwright himself.  His play, The White Chip, has been produced across the country and Off-Broadway. In addition, he has played a significant role in New Play Development at numerous theatres across the country, including The Kennedy Center and the Humana Festival of New American Plays.”

With Daniels’ arrival, FST will launch The Recovery Project, a newly pioneered initiative working to heal the stigma of addiction and recovery through the development of new plays, theatre education programs, and outreach. The Recovery Project will serve both theatre artists and the public, focusing on those who need support and those who create the stories that expand our understanding of the world.  

“As a person in long-term recovery and an arts leader, I know that telling stories, changing hearts and minds, and creating empathy is what our art form does best,” said Sean Daniels. “It’s time to use all of these tools to change the narrative around a disease that kills someone every five minutes. This is where I want to be spending my time.”

“Hands down, Florida Studio Theatre is one of the great theatres of our country, and Richard Hopkins is one of the great architects of the regional theatre movement,” added Daniels. “Richard’s offer to not only invest in a community, but to create new work that will address the public health crisis of addiction was a once in a lifetime opportunity to do everything I love. It takes real leadership to make room for more leaders on your team.”  

Daniels will begin his tenure full-time in Spring 2023 and will be relocating with his wife, actor Veronika Duerr, and daughter, Vivien, from Arizona to Sarasota.