Asolo Rep Awarded Arts Appreciation Grant

October 13, 2021 – Sarasota

Asolo Repertory Theatre has received a $70,000 Arts Appreciation Grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation that will be used to support the 2021-2022 season. In addition to the season sponsorship, Gulf Coast’s contribution supports a Platinum-level Sponsorship for Asolo Rep’s 2022 Annual Gala, the Starry Night Dinner Series, and the IllumiNation digital program.

“The Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s continued support for Asolo Rep empowers our return to excellence – not only on stage, but in our community engagement programs as well,” said Asolo Rep Managing Director Linda DiGabriele. “We look forward to partnering with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation throughout the season.”

To maximize safety during COVID, Asolo Rep’s 2020-2021 season included a series of outdoor performances, as well as digital Community Conversations and other interactive online content and events. For the 2021-2022 season, the organization is celebrating a return to indoor performances and in-person community engagement events, all while continuing to observe CDC guidelines. 

The season kicks off in November with the tribal love-rock musical Hair. Next up will be Thornton Wilder’s classic Our Town, the new comedy Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl, and The Great Leap by Lauren Yee. 

This spring will feature the debut of the long-awaited musical Knoxville, based on James Agee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiographical novel A Death in the Family, as well as the explosive new play Eureka Day. 

The season concludes in June with the highly anticipated new musical Hood, which rediscovers the renegade crusader Robin Hood and his Merry Band. 

In addition to the theatrical season sponsorship, Gulf Coast’s funds will support related community engagement programs. IllumiNation explores the social, political, and cultural themes threaded throughout Asolo Rep’s productions. This season’s IllumiNation Series discussions will explore issues of race, gender, identity, and cultural intersection in the productions of Hair, Grand Horizons, Our Town, and The Great Leap. 

The Starry Night Dinner Series presents two intimate dinners at amazing locations themed to this year’s productions of Grand Horizons and Hood. 

“The performing arts are a cornerstone to what makes Sarasota one of the most coveted places to live in the world,” said Mark S. Pritchett, President and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. “Their focus on the safety of their audiences, performers, staff, and volunteers reassures us that our region can expect an incredible, world-class season at Asolo Repertory Theatre.”