Spotlight: Bring on the Show!

A new summer brings new offerings from Florida Studio Theatre

By Paige Lyman | May 2021

For almost 50 years, Florida Studio Theatre has been making theatre arts accessible to Sarasota residents and visitors alike. Originally founded in 1973, FST started out as an alternative professional theatre company that toured and performed for isolated audiences that included nursing homes, prisons, and community centers. Since finding a permanent home in 1977, FST has blossomed into a village of five different theatres in downtown Sarasota.

In 2020, COVID-19 upended the arts and culture sector across the country, forcing the cancellation of theatrical productions and shuttering theatres for months at a time. FST itself cancelled all of its summer productions last year in response to the pandemic and shifted to alternative programming, such as FST Improv’s Radio Call-In show on Instagram. Available on the popular social media site, the show allows artists from all over the world to call in, discuss a specific theme, and interact with Will Luera, FST’s director of improvisation, every Saturday night.

Other innovations during the pandemic included offering FST’s VIP Program online via Zoom. The VIP Program offers theatre classes, free of charge, to those with physical, emotional, and mental challenges. In addition, FST held a socially-distanced summer camp for kids and even offered a number of scholarships to frontline workers and their families. 

This spring, FST began bridging what they have been calling “the new abnormal” by offering reduced capacity for two new musical revues: Vintage POP! and Three Pianos. Audiences were on the smaller side, with capacity capped at about 38%, according to Rebecca Hopkins and Richard Hopkins, FST’s managing director and producing artistic director, respectively. These shows were initially planned to serve as a sort of bridge as they move towards being fully open once more. Now a year on from the start of the pandemic, FST is back and extremely excited about starting production once more.

Opening Back Up Strongly

Rebecca says they “expect to move towards 50% capacities in May.” While still dealing with COVID-19 restrictions, a full lineup is planned for the 2021 summer season, including three Mainstage productions and three in the Cabaret. 

FST was happy to share the news that they will be opening up the Mainstage with the return of “one of [the] biggest hit shows in FST history, Sophie Tucker: Last of the Red Hot Mamas, starring Kathy Halenda,” says Rebecca. “Kathy is a powerhouse and is beloved by our Sarasota community. So, it seems like the right time to bring her back as we begin our ‘rebirth.’” 

Following is Deborah Brevoort’s My Lord, What A Night, based on actual events that occurred between singer Marian Anderson and Albert Einstein in 1937. The Mainstage season finishes with Rounding Third, a comedy that follows the story of two Little League coaches through the trials of fatherhood and friendship.

The Summer Cabaret Series kicks off with Great Balls of Fire, a celebration of Jerry Lee Lewis featuring Jason Cohen, who played Lewis in almost 80 cities across the country during the national tour of Million Dollar Quartet. In August, watch for Shades of Bublé: A Three-Man Tribute to Michael Bublé, in which three singers bring the hits of Michael Bublé to life for the first time in Sarasota.

FST Cabaret favorites, The Swingaroos, return with Jukebox Saturday Night. This all-new show offers a fun twist on classic jukebox hits like “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

New Programs for the Summer

Suffice to say, FST is coming back strong after a year of darkened stages. Mainstage and Cabaret productions are just the beginning. Rebecca says that their Children’s Theatre has an entirely new program starting up in June. 

“FST’s People’s Project is designed to engage members of the community in an immersive theatrical experience year-round beginning in June 2021,” says Rebecca. “We will begin piloting the project this summer by touring On the Road Again: A Family Musical Road Trip. This family-friendly musical revue will be performed for free in public parks and outdoor spaces for six weekends throughout Sarasota and Manatee Counties from July through August 2021.” The new pilot program will highlight music to celebrate the diversity that can be found across the USA. 

This summer, FST plans to expand their VIP Program by offering “The Puzzle Project.” This two-week camp is designed for students on the autism spectrum and will offer campers the opportunity to have an engaging, creative experience through acting, improvisation, and music. 

Remaining Online + Looking Forward

With the 2021 summer season on the horizon, FST has an assortment of productions, events, and interactive programs to appeal to theatre lovers of all ages. Along with a return to in-person events, FST also plans to continue events and programs that take place online. 

FST’s new play development workshops will continue, bringing together playwrights from across the country to develop new work for the FST stage. Two plays that originated at FST will have their own virtual readings: Eleanor by Mark St. Germain on May 27-28, 2021, and Visit Joe Whitefeather by Bruce Graham on June 3-4, 2021.

Zoom continues to be a valuable tool, enabling play-reading workshops with actors from across the country. Moving forward, Rebecca says that FST will “continue to use the virtual world for peeks behind-the-scenes and artist discussions.” Online events open up accessibility to patrons that live elsewhere, including Canada, California, and New York.

FST has worked to improve the theatre experience over the past year for their audience, from refurbishments across all five theatres and new plays to an increased focus on multiculturalism. 

Last year, with support from individual donors and organizations like The Community Foundation of Sarasota, they offered their WRITE A PLAY program online to Sarasota and Manatee students completely free of charge. “Our schools were under tremendous stress this past year, and we believe the children needed this program more than ever. But the system was overburdened. So, we did everything we could to make it as accessible as possible,” says Richard. 

He believes that FST “found new meaning” during the pandemic. “We are committed, more than ever, to telling stories of us all,” he says. “I look forward to the days ahead. I look forward to a renaissance at Florida Studio Theatre.”

For more information, visit floridastudiotheatre.org.