Florida Studio Theatre Announces Partnership with The Terrence McNally Foundation and Playwright Craig Lucas

May 1, 2024 | Sarasota

Florida Studio Theatre, in partnership with The Terrence McNally Foundation, is proud to announce the launch of the Terrence McNally Recovery Commission, an initiative aimed at destigmatizing recovery through the power of storytelling.

As part of Florida Studio Theatre’s Recovery Project, the Terrence McNally Recovery Commission awards a $10,000 commission to one emerging playwright who identifies as being in recovery from a substance use condition. Established playwright Craig Lucas will serve as a resource to the recipient throughout the commission as an artistic mentor and fellow artist in recovery.

The initiative is inspired by the personal journey of the late Terrence McNally, who began his own recovery journey through a chance encounter with Angela Lansbury at a pivotal moment in his life. McNally’s commitment to sobriety and his belief in the power of storytelling to inspire and support others serve as the driving forces behind this commission.

“By being able to commission artists in recovery, not only do we continue to let people know that recovery is possible, but we also get to uplift and demonstrate that many artists in recovery are thriving,” said Sean Daniels, the Director of the Recovery Project. “In 2015, one-tenth of all US overdose deaths occurred in Florida. It means so much that we’re launching this commission project with Terrence, someone who is Florida-born, and from a leading Florida theatre.

Personally, as an artist in recovery, I’m grateful to The Terrence McNally Foundation and FST for being real leaders in how we not only create more art but also keep our artists alive.” In addition, Florida Studio Theatre will commission Craig Lucas to develop a new play alongside the Terrence McNally Recovery Commission Fellow over the course of one year. The culmination of the commissions will be a “Works-in-Progress” showing at Florida Studio Theatre, where the community will have the opportunity to engage with selected scenes from both plays developed through the commission and participate in an on-stage discussion with Craig Lucas and Terrence McNally Recovery Commission Fellow.

Craig Lucas is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director. Most recently he was the playwright of the musical Days of Wine and Roses, which debuted on Broadway in 2024. In 2004, he won the Obie Award for Best American Play for Small Tragedy and the New York Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay for The Secret Lives of Dentists. In 2001, Lucas received an Obie Award for his direction of Harry Kondoleon’s Saved or Destroyed. He has also been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Prelude to a Kiss.

“Florida Studio Theatre has been collaborating with emerging playwrights for the entirety of its fifty-year existence,” said Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins. “What makes this collaboration particularly special is the opportunity to connect one of my favorite American playwrights, Craig Lucas, with an emerging playwright as a mentor. This experience will undoubtedly be valuable for the Fellow, for FST, and certainly for Mr. Lucas. Furthermore, the commission of a play by Craig Lucas is a significant bonus for the theatre and our audience.”

“The Terrence McNally Foundation is proud to partner with The Recovery Project and FST to create this unique opportunity that honors Terrence’s legacy so personally and perhaps gives a second chance to the next great American playwright,” says the Terrence McNally Foundation’s Executive Director, Santino DeAngelo.

Applications for the Terrence McNally Recovery Commission are now open to earlycareer playwrights, irrespective of age, background, or professional history. Interested applicants should demonstrate a commitment to pursuing a career in playwriting, with a focus on developing completely new works.

For more information about the commission and application details, visit www.floridastudiotheatre.org/work-with-us/submit-a-play.

Applications open April 30th, 2024.

Applications close May 30th, 2024 at 11:59pm EST OR when 100 applications have
been received.