CONTACT: Nicole Clayton
Public Relations Associate
(941) 366 – 9017 ext. 338
DATE: March 18, 2014
FST extends “off broadway hit sensation”
freud’s last session
(Sarasota, FL) — Due to popular demand, Florida Studio Theatre announces an extension of the Stage III production, FREUD’S LAST SESSION, by Mark St. Germain. The show will now run through March 30. Tickets range from $32 to $34. Tickets may be purchased from the FST Box Office in person, by calling (941) 366-9000, or online at www.FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
FREUD’S LAST SESSION opened on March 14 to an eager audience in the Keating Theatre. This is a play thatreunites audiences with the work of Mark St. Germain, who also wrote last season’s hit show, THE BEST OF ENEMIES. This show presents an imagined depiction of a meeting between Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis, set in the final days of Freud’s life, on the very day that England entered the Second World War. The play is inspired by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi Jr.’s book The Question of God, which speculates on the meeting between Freud and Lewis that history can neither confirm nor deny. St. Germain’s play takes the scenario one step farther, bringing the imagined meeting to life in exquisite, thought-provoking detail. In a meeting of the minds unlike any other, the intellectual pair faces off over the existence of God and a variety of other topics.
Artistic Director Richard Hopkins, speaks to the nature of the show stating, “FREUD’S LAST SESSION is what we call a “sleeper” in the theatre. It’s a play that you know is good, you expect it to sell well, and then on opening night it wows the audience and plays to laughs, gasps, and a standing ovation. It wildly exceeds your expectations. It takes off for several reasons: It is a highly intelligent play, it deals with a subject that confounds us all, and it puts two great minds in the same room to debate these issues with warmth, humanity, and a great sense of humor; C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud. It’s funny, and funny always helps when one talks philosophy.”
Critics have been raving about FREUD’S LAST SESSION. Jay Handelman of the Sarasota Herald- Tribune described it as a “compelling clash of religion and science” and “a humorously stimulating debate and discussion.” The Observer further described the show as, “nuanced and witty” and “you’ll be thinking about it long after the actors take their bows.”Audiences agree: “Wonderful.” “Excellent.” “Riveting!”
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eturning FST company member, George Tynan Crowley, playing the role of Sigmund Freud, describes his thoughts of the show stating, “This play is well worth doing, especially now. Like the plays of George Bernard Shaw, it packs wit and humor together with ideas. Rather than an early morning dose of paid politically correct pundits on television, the “pundits” in this play, cleverly culled from the writings of C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud, insist on the right to argue about whether God exists, the mixed roots of monotheism, Judaism, and Pharoah Akhenaton, and, heatedly and to timely effect, the tragic abuses made in the name of organized religion(s). Ultimately, the biggest challenge and the most fun for me as an actor is the humor in the play. In the face of 1939’s encroaching world war, humor is seen as a defense against horror, and, as Freud says, ‘I speak the truth, no matters who it outrages.’ It makes me happy that I can serve a play that reminds us to be bold enough to think for ourselves.”
FREUD’S LAST SESSION will run through March 30, 2014 in FST’s Keating Theatre. Single tickets range from $32 to $34. Tickets are on sale and may be purchased from the FST Box Office in person, by calling (941) 366-9000 or online at www.FloridaStudioTheatre.org. FST is located in historic downtown Sarasota at 1241 North Palm Avenue, Sarasota FL 34236.
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 renovated Gompertz Theatre, the 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. 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.
Freud’s Last Session
Performance Schedule
March 12, 2014 – March 30, 2014
Keating Theatre
Tickets: $32-$34
Wednesday March 12(Preview) 8pm
Thursday March 13(Preview) 8pm
Friday March 14 8pm
Saturday March 15 3pm & 8pm
Sunday March 16 3pm &7pm
Tuesday March 18 8pm
Wednesday March 19 8pm
Thursday March 20 8pm
Friday March 21 8pm
Saturday March 22 3pm & 8pm
Sunday March 23 3pm
Sunday March 23 7pm
Thursday March 27 8pm
Friday March 28 8pm
Saturday March 29 8pm
Sunday March 30 3pm
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Florida Studio Theatre 2013-14 Season
Winter Mainstage:
Monty Python’s Spamalot – November 13 thru January 25
Thurgood – December 11 thru March 8
Daddy Long Legs – February 5 thru April 5
Tom Jones – April 9 thru June 1
Winter Cabaret:
The Prima Donnettes – October 23 thru February 15
Poems, Prayers and Promises January 1 thru April 20
Too Darn Hot – February 19 thru June 7
Improv:
Out of Bounds –February 4, 7, 9, 14, 16, 22, 27 | March 1 | April 5
52 Card Pick Up –February 1,8, 15, 21, 28 | March 4, 9, 14, 16, 27 | April 4, 12
Text M… For MURDER! –March 7, 8, 15, 22, 28, 29 | April 1, 6, 11, 13, 24
Special Events:
Freud’s Last Session– March 12 – 23
Thurgood Forums Project – January thru February
For the Ages – October 1 thru May 1
Kids Komedy Club – December 21, 28, January 4, February 8, March 1
