Florida Studio Theatre facts for kids
FST's Hegner Theatre Wing Greg Wilson
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| Address | 1241 North Palm Avenue |
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| Location | Sarasota, Florida |
| Public transit | Sarasota County Area Transit |
| Type | Theatre |
| Opened | 1973 |
Florida Studio Theatre, or FST, is a cool place in Sarasota, Florida where professional actors perform plays. It's a non-profit group, which means they use their money to put on great shows and teach people about theatre. FST started way back in 1973.
Today, FST is a big theatre company known for showing modern plays. It's one of the largest theatres in the country where people buy season tickets! Every year, over 225,000 people enjoy FST's many programs. These include main plays, musical shows, kids' theatre, and even improv comedy. FST also has a school where you can learn about theatre.
FST has five different stages where shows happen. These are the Keating Theatre, the Gompertz Theatre, Goldstein Cabaret, John C. Court Cabaret, and Bowne's Lab Theatre. All these places are close to each other in downtown Sarasota.
Contents
The History of FST
How FST Started
Florida Studio Theatre began in 1973. It was founded by Jon Spelman. At first, it was a touring group that performed plays in places like migrant camps and prisons. This was a time when many new regional theatres were starting in the United States.
In 1980, Richard Hopkins became the artistic director. FST then became a permanent theatre. After moving to a few different spots, it found a home in 1983. This new home was the old Sarasota Woman's Club building.
The Keating Theatre Building
The Sarasota Woman's Club building is one of the oldest buildings in Sarasota. It was built in 1915. The club moved out, and the building was almost torn down. Luckily, it was saved and later bought by Florida Studio Theatre. In 1985, this historic building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
This building became the Keating Theatre. It used to seat only 72 people. Now, it can hold 173 people! The Keating Theatre is where FST's main plays are shown. It also hosts the Children's Theatre.
The Write-a-Play Program
FST started its education department in 1982. A special program called "Write-a-Play" began in 1991. This program encourages students from kindergarten to high school to write their own plays. Each year, FST gets over 2,000 play ideas from kids!
The program ends with the Young Playwright's Festival. Here, the winning plays are performed on stage. Kids from all over the world, like Russia, Scotland, and Israel, have taken part. The Keating Theatre also hosts the Sarasota Festival of New Plays. Famous playwright Edward Albee even spoke there many times.
FST's Cabaret Theatres
FST started putting on musical cabaret shows in local restaurants in the 1980s. By 1995, they had their own space for these shows. This space was first called the Cabaret Club. In 2003, it was renamed Goldstein Cabaret. This was to honor Alan and Alfred Goldstein. It was the first theatre on the FST campus just for musical cabaret.
Cabaret shows usually feature songs based on a certain theme. Over 71 shows have been performed here. The Goldstein Cabaret can seat 100 people. You can even eat dinner while watching the show!
In 2012, FST started building a new part of their theatre called the Hegner Theatre Wing. This new area included the John C. Court Cabaret. It opened in 2013. This is a second space for musical shows. It was named after John Court, whose wife was on FST's board. This theatre also hosts jazz musicians.
The Hegner Theatre Wing and More Stages
In 2003, FST bought another building that became the Gompertz Theatre. This building was a movie theatre in the 1920s. It closed during the Great Depression. But it reopened in the 1940s and hosted many different shows. It closed again in the 1960s and was empty for about ten years.
After being used by other theatre groups, FST bought the building. It was renamed the Gompertz Theatre to honor Leila Gompertz. She gave a big gift that helped FST buy the building. In 2012, the Gompertz Theatre had a huge makeover. This $5.8 million renovation made the stage brand new.
The Gompertz Theatre now seats 237 people. It hosts FST's main stage plays. It is also used for the Burdick New Play Festival. The Gompertz Theatre is part of the multi-theatre Hegner Theatre Wing.
The third performance space in this complex is Bowne's Lab Theatre. It was named after John Bowne, an ancestor of John Court. This lab space opened in 2014. It hosts the Stage III series, which features more experimental or darker plays. Bowne's Lab is also home to FST's Improv program. This is where their own improv comedy team performs.
Awesome Shows at FST
FST has put on many amazing shows over the years. Here are a few notable ones:
- Unchained Melodies (2019) – This show broke the record for the most people attending, with over 20,000 visitors!
- Blue Suede Shoes (2018) – This show became FST’s longest-running production ever, with 191 performances.
- Relativity (2016) – This play was shown for the very first time at FST. FST asked the writer, Mark St. Germain, to create it.
- Fly (2015) – This play was shown at FST before it went to New York City for its Off-Broadway debut.
- Race (2011) by David Mamet
- Black Pearl Sings! (2009) – FST’s show was so popular that it became one of the most performed plays in the 2009-2010 season across the country.
- Metamorphoses (2004)
- Smokey Joe’s Café (1999) – FST was the first regional theatre in the U.S. to perform this show while it was still playing on Broadway.
- Invasion of Privacy (1999) by Larry Parr
