CONTACT: Nicole Clayton
Public Relations Associate
(941) 366 – 9017 ext. 338
DATE: August 7, 2014
(Sarasota, FL) — “You can’t stop the beat” at Florida Studio Theatre, as the Winter Mainstage season opens with the multiple Tony award-winning Broadway musical, Hairspray. This vivacious production features the largest cast to ever grace the Gompertz stage. It’s based on the film by John Waters, with book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The show opens on November 14, 2014. Subscriptions for all four shows can be purchased for as little as $45 by phone at (941) 366-9000 or by visiting the Box Office.
It’s 1962 – the 50s are out and change is in the air. Baltimore’s Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion – to dance. She wins a spot on the local TV dance program, “The Corny Collins Show” and, overnight, is transformed from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity. But can a trendsetter in dance and fashion vanquish the program’s reigning princess, win the heart of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a television show without denting her ‘do?
Hairspray serves up a plate full of the poignant politics of the 60s with a side of high-energy dance fever. Issues like the struggle for integration, the power of love, and the bravery of self-expression all take stage in this heart-warming show. Perfectly quaffed hairdos, dynamic dance moves, and infectious songs have made this musical a Broadway hit since 2002. Winning eight Tony Awards in 2003, it ran for over 2,500 performances and finally closed in January of 2009. The New York Times described this “Sharply crafted” musical as having, “Bubbly charm,” with a “Sound authentic to the story’s era. The Chicago Tribune called it, “Infectiously funny.”
Artistic Director, Richard Hopkins, speaks to the excitement of bringing this toe-tapping sensation to the Gompertz stage stating, “I am delighted that FST has secured the professional rights to present Hairspray. This is funky musical theater at its best. It fits right in with the FST mantra of presenting all that’s good and true and honest in the American Theatre. It’s a funny, funny show with great songs, great dancing, great comedy, and all in the context of a meaningful story that matters. FST is proud to present the best in contemporary American theatre.”
Hairspray opens on November 14, 2014 in the Gompertz Theatre. Join Tracy, Seaweed, Edna, Link, and many more in this musical that keeps you movin’ and groovin’ long after the final curtain call. Subscriptions for all four shows can be purchased for as little as $45, 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 Jon Spelman. Starting out as a small touring company, FST traveled to places such as migrant camps and prisons. The company eventually settled down into a permanent home, acquiring the former Woman’s Club building – now 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 theatre venues: the Keating Theatre, the Goldstein Cabaret, the renovated Gompertz Theatre, 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. Under Richard Hopkins, Artistic Director and CEO, 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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2014 Summer Season
Summer Mainstage:
Pump Boys & Dinettes – June 4
Becoming Dr. Ruth – June 25
Taking Shakespeare – July 23
Summer Cabaret:
At The Hop – June 10
Clearly Invisible – July 8
Somewhere Over The Rose – August 5
Improv:
FST Improv – June 7
Special Events:
Sarasota Improv Festival – July 11 & 12
