(Sarasota, FL) — Florida Studio Theatre presents the warm and witty Irish comedy, Outside Mullingar as the third show in the Winter Mainstage Season. Complete with deep humor, unplanned discoveries, and a wee bit of Irish charm, this REGIONAL PREMIERE opens on February 5 in FST’s Gompertz Theatre. Subscriptions for three Mainstage shows can be purchased for as little as $59 online at FloridaStudioTheatre.org, by phone at (941) 366-9000, or by visiting the Box Office.
From the Tony-award winning author of Doubt and Moonstruck comes a delightful, gritty comedy set in rural Ireland. Between fading families, a bitter land feud, familial rivalries, two misfit neighbors will have to overcome their own fears to find happiness. Full of surprising humor and poetic prose, this tender-hearted portrait reminds us that what we’re looking for is sometimes right in front of us.
The New York Times calls Outside Mullingar a, “Softhearted comedy freckled with dark reflections” with “Lyrical writing” and “A touch of magic.” The Seattle Times calls it, “Poignant.” Variety describes it as a “Beautiful,” “Tenderly written” play.
Returning for this endearing comedy is FST company member Gil Brady in the role of Anthony Reilly. Recently completing his second run of Shear Madness at The Kennedy Center in D.C., Brady has performed in six shows at FST including Inspired Lunacy, Spamalot, The Underpants, and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. Making her FST debut and playing opposite Brady in the role of Rosemary Muldoon, the feisty girl next door, is Claire Warden. Warden’s previous credits include Other Desert Cities, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Lost in Yonkers, and The Libertine.
Rounding out the cast is returning company member George Tynan-Crowley, as he takes on the role of the prideful Tony Reilly. Newcomer Louisa Flaningam, plays opposite Crowley, bringing life to the frail, yet outspoken Aoife Muldoon. Crowley’s most recent FST work includes his portrayal of Sigmund Freud in the Stage III production of Freud’s Last Session. Audiences may also recognize him from FST’s Two Jews Walk Into a War. New to the Gompertz stage, Flaningam’s previous credits include Guys and Dolls, Little Women, The Knife, and Company.
Warden shares her own personal insights about her complex character stating, “I was immediately drawn by the immense commitment and fight that she has. I was drawn to her fire, fueled by her care and her fierce protection of Anthony, of her dad, and of her mum. She is a woman scarred and raw, who will stand on the cliffs and wage war with the world, if it means her love can find peace. And yet she is flawed, vulnerable, able to be hurt, aching to be loved, and raw in her grief and her longing. She seems to me to be humanity in all its colors. In this world of ours, with so much isolation, fear, hatred, death, murder, and loneliness, a woman who refuses to give up on the chance of finding love is a beacon to us all. Unlike the iconic young lovers, Rosemary has born the whips and scorns of time, knows how difficult and savage love can be, has felt its disdain and hopelessness, and yet still dares to chase it. That is courage itself. Love stories are not just for teenagers.”
Directing this production is FST’s Associate Director, Kate Alexander. Alexander further elaborates on the themes within this Irish tale of life and love stating, “When we think we know everything and everyone around us, a surprise comes crashing in, and there it is, ‘Life’, to take us in a new direction, and we have the opportunity to change.”
Outside Mullingar opens on February 5, 2016 in the Gompertz Theatre. Subscriptions for all three Mainstage shows can be purchased for as little as $59, online at FloridaStudioTheatre.org, by phone at
(941) 366-9000 or by visiting the Box Office.
About Florida Studio Theatre
Known as Sarasota’s Contemporary Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 by Artist, Jon Spelman. Starting out as a small touring company, FST traveled to places such as migrant camps and prisons. The company then acquired the former Woman’s Club building, becoming the first permanent venue. Shortly after Producing Artistic Director, Richard Hopkins arrived, the building was purchased and renamed The Keating Theatre. In the years that followed, Florida Studio Theatre established itself as a major force in American theatre, presenting contemporary theatre in its five venues: the Keating Theatre, the Gompertz Theatre, the Parisian style Goldstein Cabaret, the John C. Court Cabaret, and Bowne’s Lab Theatre.
Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience. FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. As FST grows and expands, it continues to provide audiences with challenging, contemporary drama and innovative programs.
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