COME TO THE EDGE WITH THE RETURN OF FST’S STAGE III SERIES
(Sarasota, FL) – Bringing audiences out of their comfort zone and to the edge, Florida Studio Theatre will be reviving its Stage III subscription series for the 2016-17 season. This three show subscription begins with the chilling drama, Stalking the Bogeyman. The second production will be the gripping Gidion’s Knot, followed by the poignant one-woman play Grounded. A subscription to all three Stage III shows may be purchased for as little as $39. Tickets can be purchased online at www.floridastudiotheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (941) 366-9000.
All performances will take place in Bowne’s Lab Theatre, which opened in 2014. Producing Artistic Director, Richard Hopkins speaks to the vision behind relaunching this daring series which first began back in 2004. “FST was founded as one of the first alternative contemporary theatres in Sarasota. Even back in the 80s we did not shy away from issues such as language, homosexuality, and nudity. Now we are in a theatrical renaissance and audiences have changed. Language that was offensive 30 years ago is now common on major cable channels. This is edgy work that we are not afraid will offend audiences. This series is what we built Bowne’s Lab for – to be raw and real. The limitations of the space are what make it an extraordinary space to work in. It also gives the audience the ability to imagine.”
FST Associate Artist Jason Cannon, and director of Stalking the Bogyman and Gidion’s Knot, speaks to the darker, grittier nature of these plays. “Our Stage III program gives us the freedom to explore. ‘Come to the Edge’ means that when you attend this series of plays, you know that the content and storytelling are going to be provocative. We chose these plays because they are difficult in some way, precisely because the themes or plots smacked us in the mouth. “
Returning to Florida Studio Theatre for the production of Grounded is Rachel Moulton, last seen in The God of Isaac this past summer. Performing for the fifth time at FST, this will be her Bowne’s Lab debut. According to Moulton, “Bowne’s Lab is the perfect space for this show. The piece calls for such intimacy and I think the connection between actor/audience that we will have with this space is absolutely necessary. In some ways it reminds me of Elizabethan theatre. There is a very clear connection in the room- a closeness for a shared emotional experience that is sometimes not quite as palpable in a proscenium or thrust. ”
Cannon concludes, “FST strives to challenge with as much gusto as we entertain, and Stage III is unabashedly a place where that balance leans aggressively toward challenging!”
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 theatre venues: the Keating Theatre, the Gompertz Theatre, the Parisian style Goldstein Cabaret and 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.
