Florida Studio Theatre Announces 50th Anniversary Season

September 6, 2023 – Sarasota

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is proud to announce the lineup for its 50^th Anniversary Season, featuring a four-show Winter Mainstage Series and a three-show Winter Cabaret Series. The Mainstage Series features a hit Broadway musical, a moving and comedic portrait of a family, a Florida Premiere, and a play with original music by Sugarland’s Kristian Bush. The Cabaret Series features three new musical revues celebrating the lyric poets of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. A season schedule at a glance follows this release.

“For our 50^th Anniversary Season, we’ve put together a bold and ambitious lineup of shows filled with radical humanity,” said Richard Hopkins, FST’s Producing Artistic Director. “On the Mainstage, we’re producing a diverse selection of new plays, Broadway hits, original works, and familiar tales that illuminate the universal themes of our lives. In the Cabaret, we’re presenting three original music revues celebrating the brilliant lyric poets and top comedic songwriters of the 20^th and 21^st centuries.”

Called “Seriously funny” and “Delightful” by TheaterMania, Little Shop of Horrors kicks off FST’s 2023-24 Winter Mainstage Series on November 15 in FST’s Gompertz Theatre. In this hit Broadway sci-fi musical, a meek flower shop assistant named Seymour Krelborn discovers a new breed of plant, which he names “Audrey II” after his coworker crush. Audrey II turns out to be a saucy, R&B-singing carnivore that promises Seymour fame and fortune on one condition: Seymour must feed it blood. Soon, Seymour uncovers Audrey II’s out-of-this world origins and its man-eating appetite for global domination. With Book & Lyrics by HowardAshman and Music by Alan Menken, Little Shop of Horrors has been entertaining audiences around the world for more than 40 years.

Next on the Mainstage is the Regional Premiere of Pictures From Home by Sharr White, which was adapted from the acclaimed photo memoir of the same name by Larry Sultan. From 1983-1992, Sultan interviewed and photographed his parents, which he mixed with stills from home videos to create a photobook that reflected on who his parents were—on and off camera. This dramatic comedy examines the mercurial nature of familial bonds and will begin playing December 13 in FST’s Keating Theatre.

Following this heartfelt comedy is The Lehman Trilogy, a five-time Tony Award-winning drama by Stefano Massini and adapted by Ben Power. The play opens in 1844, with Henry Lehman arriving in New York City from Germany, envisioning a fresh start in the unfamiliar land of opportunity. He is soon joined by his two brothers, Emanuel and Mayer, and an epic story of one family’s pursuit of the “American Dream” begins. 163 years later, the company the three brothers founded dramatically crumbles into bankruptcy, sparking the largest financial crisis in human history. Performed by just three actors, The Lehman Trilogy will begin playing January 31 in FST’s Gompertz Theatre.

“It’s a brilliantly written play that covers a huge swath of American history,” said Hopkins. “You get to follow a family from the day that the first Lehman brother steps foot on American soil to the calamitous ending of the family’s business, over a century later. You get to see how three generations of this family became part of the melting pot that is America.”

FST’s 50th Mainstage Series comes to a close with the Florida Premiere of Troubadour, a musical by Janece Shaffer with original music by Sugarland’s Kristian Bush. Set in Nashville in 1951, this heartfelt musical follows country music legend Billy Mason, who is on the eve of his retirement and is unsure if his soft-spoken son, Joe, will step into the spotlight and carry on his legacy. But when Joe meets an unlikely pair—a budding songwriter and a rodeo tailor on a mission—a revolution is born, and country music is changed forever. A Florida Premiere, Troubadour will run in FST’s Gompertz Theatre starting April 3.

In the Cabaret, FST presents two original musical revues celebrating the lyric poets of the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, along with a new Cabaret paying tribute to some of the best comedic songwriters of the past century.

Opening FST’s Winter Cabaret Series is Up on the Roof, a delightful new music revue celebrating the legendary songwriting teams—like Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and Burt Bacharach and Hal David—who helped create the iconic “Brill Sound.” During the 1950s and ‘60s these artists worked in Manhattan’s Brill Building, churning out hit after hit for groups like The Drifters, The Shirelles, and The Monkees. Featuring such songs as “A Teenager in Love,” “One Fine Day,” “Walk on By,” and “River Deep, Mountain High,” Up on the Roof will begin playing September 27 in FST’s Court Cabaret.

“These songwriters had a massive impact on the future of music, even if they didn’t know it at the time,” saidRebecca Hopkins, FST’s Managing Director and Lead Developer of Up on the Roof. “When these writers were at the Brill Building, they knew they were working in a machine-like environment cranking out hit after hit, but they didn’t think that their creations were going to last. But here we are, over 60 years later, and these songs are still part of popular culture. Ultimately, what these legendary writing duos were creating was what became pop music.”

Next in the Cabaret Series is Take it to the Limit, which will play in FST’s Goldstein Cabaret starting November 29, 2023. With hits by such iconic musicians as The Allman Brothers Band, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and Fleetwood Mac, this original musical revue tells the story of lessons learned from hard knocks and lively living. Take it to the Limit is a tribute to the Rock & Roll rebels of the 1970s who skillfully fused folk, country, and R&B to create a fresh, new sound. This new Cabaret features classics like “When Will I Be Loved,” “Ramblin’ Man,” “Landslide,” and “Hotel California,” which will be brought to life by a cast of actor-musicians.

FST’s Winter Cabaret Series culminates with The Flip Side, which begins playing in FST’s Court Cabaret February 7, 2024. This revitalized revue celebrates the absurdity of life through sardonic, ironic, and witty songs with sophisticated lyrics that tell the story of moronic characters. Featuring songs like “I’m My Own Grandpa,” “The Ballad of Sigmund Freud,” “Still Gonna Die,” and “Killed by a Coconut,” The Flip Side reveals the present state of our world—the good, the bad, and the funny.

With its mission to make theatre accessible to as many people as possible, FST offers all four Mainstage shows for as little as $69, and all three Cabarets for as little as $49. Subscriptions are now on sale at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or at 941.366.9000.