Greenfield Foundation Awards FST Grant

July 14, 2021 – Sarasota

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is pleased to announce that the nonprofit theatre received a $30,000 grant from the Greenfield Foundation in support of FST’s award-winning WRITE A PLAY program. This grant is a cornerstone of FST’s efforts to bring WRITE A PLAY, an arts-in-education initiative, to Sarasota County elementary schools with the greatest need. The Foundation’s support will help to subsidize thousands of students’ participation in WRITE A PLAY, which is designed to give students the example, inspiration, and skills to write their own original plays. Since the program’s inception in 1991, WRITE A PLAY has impacted over 1 million young people around the world, inspiring the next generation of playwrights.

“This grant means so much after what has been a difficult year for both the school system and live theatre,” saidCaroline Saldivar, FST’s Director of Children’s Theatre. “This generous support means that we will never turn a school away due to its inability to afford the program. The Greenfield Foundation’s backing goes leaps and bounds in helping us meet that objective.”

In accordance with FST’s mission “to make theatre accessible and affordable to as many people as possible,” Sarasota’s contemporary theatre has always subsidized the cost of WRITE A PLAY for participating schools at 50%. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic placed extreme pressure on schools, educators, and students, FST took additional measures to ensure that no school would be prevented from participating in WRITE A PLAY due to financial constraints. FST also created an interactive, virtual adaptation of WRITE A PLAY, removing logistical barriers that often prevent underserved schools from participating in the program. Thanks to the generosity of foundations and individual donors, FST was able to offer WRITE A PLAY to Sarasota schools, completely free of charge.

Now, with the Greenfield Foundation’s financial assistance, FST can expand upon this endeavor, alleviating financial pressure on under-resourced schools, while also giving more children access to this award-winning arts-in-education program. During the 2021-2022 academic year, WRITE A PLAY will once again feature live in-person performances and playwriting workshops.

“It is very important to have opportunities for creativity and artistic exploration in managing overall mental health and well-being,” said Dr. Charles R. Davenport, a practicing psychologist in Southwest Florida who serves as a Trustee for the Greenfield Foundation. “During the past year, we were not able to go through our typical routines and we lost some opportunity to be creative and express ourselves. This loss was especially poignant for children whose voices are not always as loud or heard as easily as adults. The confidence and experience that comes from ‘creating’ can be a powerful antidote during difficult times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Greenfield Foundation awards grants that have a ripple effect beyond the immediate impact of the expenditure, often giving to organizations associated with the arts, youth, health, along with those that protect and support underserved populations. The Foundation supports four major initiatives each year: Goldsmith Prize at Harvard Kennedy School, the Greenfield Prize at Hermitage Artist Retreat, Temple Emergency Action Corps, and The Greenfield Youth Film Festival. 

Teachers interested in bringing WRITE A PLAY to their own schools are invited to contact FST’s Director of Children’s Theatre, Caroline Saldivar, at csaldivar@floridastudiotheatre.org or call 941-366-9797.