Susan Haldeman

Playwright Larry Alexander has always been a fan of Agatha Christie and over the years has read and re-read her work. At the height of the Pandemic, Larry was in rehearsal for a new musical that was shuttered into the second week of rehearsal. With no idea when the musical would remount, Larry was trying to find something, anything to occupy his time and fill the void. He began re-reading the works of Christie, and while reading his favorite novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, he found what would soon occupy the coming months/years.

Get ready for a thrilling season opener at Stageworks Theatre with the world premiere adaptation of 'Poirot Returns!' Delve into Agatha Christie's classic mystery as the famous Belgian detective solves a murder in this original play.

The Great American Trailer Park Musical written by David Nehls and Betsy Kelso is a two-act musical exploring relationships between the tenants of Armadillo Acres Trailer Park in Starke, Florida. Its main focus is between Pippi a “stripper on the run,” Jeannie an Agoraphobic, and Norbert, Jeannie’s toll booth collector husband. First performed in 2004 at the first annual New York Music Theatre Festival, and then on off-Broadway in 2005. Opening at Bows at Dodger Stages in November of 2005, with Betsy Kelso directing. The show played 121 performances and closed in December of 2005. The first regional premiere in the U.S. was performed in June of 2006 at the Hippodrome in Gainesville, Florida. The first National Tour began in Spokane, Washington in January of 2008.

Michele Lowe’s calculated and chilly dark comedy The Smell of the Kill premiered at the Cleveland Playhouse in 1999. It later transferred to Broadway to the Helen Hayes Theatre in 2022 where it played only 40 performances.

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) kicks off its 49th Winter Mainstage Series with Something Rotten!, a hit musical comedy that was nominated for ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

ThinkTank Theatre has announced casting for Boozy Broadway, a cabaret hosted by their season sponsor, Dark Door Spirits. 'Boozy Broadway' consists of a mix of classical and contemporary toe-tapping, broadway musical numbers and jazz standards, with some fun audience participation moments that's sure to be “fun for the whole family! (and Booze if you're old enough.)”

Murder on the Orient Express a stage adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel was written and adapted by Ken Ludwig and premiered in New Jersey in 2017. Based on the Christie novel that was first published in the United States in February 1934, and originally published under the name Murder on the Calais Coach. The twisted plot is full of a wild cast of characters. As Poirot puts it, “It was like a painting by Pablo Picasso.” We open the play in Istanbul at the Tokatlian Hotel, as we meet Poirot we understand he is due in London in three days' time due to the delivery of a telegram, and he runs into his old friend Bouc. His friend then arranges a trip on the Orient Express which he is the owner, and the two climb aboard with Poirot hoping he makes it to London on schedule. Upon boarding the Orient Express one by one Poirot meets an oddity of characters much like boarding a train to Carnival. As the train departs the station amidst the snowy conditions like an onion we see the layers of each of the passengers peeled back one by one.

This is the last chance to vote for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Tampa Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.

Time is running out to vote for for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Tampa Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.

In 1983, Sally Ride, or as proclaimed in the play, “She should be called Dr. Ride,” an Astrophysicist became the first and youngest American woman in Space aboard the Orbiter Challenger. Liza Birkenmeier’s play is not about Sally Ride, even though her name is mentioned throughout the 85 minutes. However, under the veil of the ’80s in St. Louis, Missouri we meet four women living out their lives and by a matter of opinion telling stories that boldly go where none of them have gone before so to speak. At its heart, Birkenmeier’s script is compelling, enlightening, and stunning from top to bottom, a true marvel of live theatre. In her script, we get to meet characters that are not as often displayed on-stage, and that is what makes this show so endearing. Being that this show is set in the 80’s smartphones, and other things like social media, don’t exist yet; which renders the compelling humanity shown throughout the script. It’s a breath of fresh air as we learn of these women, and how they may or may not enjoy their current way of life, and yet so different in a matter of opinions and lifestyle they are all one and the same.

Jobsite Theater presents DR. RIDE’S AMERICAN BEACH HOUSE, Oct. 1 – 10, 2021.

It's a cabaret, with songs both bouncy and torchy, but it’s more than that.  It’s like a quirky collage, a found object performance piece. And there's nothing else quite like it.

Familiar faces, familiar characters, and a familiar red dog house with a delightful white beagle and a fleeting yellow bird make up the musical sequel to the ever so popular You’re a Good Man Charley Brown. This time the tables are turned on Charley Brown and the gang and we hear the story of Snoopy and the many comings and goings of a dog’s life centered around the kids in the neighborhood. Georgia Mallory Guy and team have assembled an All-Star cast complete with an Adult ensemble and a Young Actors Ensemble. The Adult ensemble play the parts of the characters and the young ensemble make up the chorus, but there is not a weak link in the entire company, all coming together for a swiftly paced two hour trip down memory lane. Complete with 15 toe-tapping numbers, Snoopy and his lovable gang will have you smiling from ear to ear with delight by the end of the show.

Just shy of a year ago which seems crazy to think about now, myself and other patrons sat in the familiar space surrounded by familiar faces to embark on a journey with a group of characters outside our normalcy. Think about that sentence for a minute. Almost a year later and we are still trying to grasp our ideals of what “normalcy” truly means. Nonetheless, the fine staff at Stageworks Theatre in Tampa’s Channelside District opened their doors once more to present an evening of live, socially distanced in person performances to remove our weary minds of the mundane, and help us escape what has now become our new normal. With names delegated on seats socially distanced away from other patrons, and masks donned by staff and audience alike, it had the welcoming feeling of being home once more. Aside from the temperature checks and socially distanced restroom protocols, the welcoming feeling of old and new friends gathering in a familiar place was comforting and much needed. The staff at Stageworks should be commended here for their top-notch protocols in place there was not an uneasy feeling to be had. Producing Artistic Director Karla Hartley welcomed everyone in her speech and with candor and compassion welcomed us back into the doors of a space we all know and love. A beautiful homage to those personally affected...stars have been placed across the front row of the audience which made for a touching tribute in these times.

Topher Payne's witty, smart, and sharply fine-tuned work Morningside gives an ingenious glimpse into the lives of eight women some friends, but mostly family. Grounded deep in Southern Pride, heartfelt lessons, and the idea that above all family is what matters most proves to be the heart of this side-splitting a?oemother of all baby showers.a?? In 2015 Topher Payne was interviewed for Backstage Magazine where he described his writing style by saying, a?oeIf you can make someone laugh, they listen. And they lean in and they want to hear more. And once you have that level of engagement, then you can start layering in a message that you want them to take away. You can do that in film. You can do that in a book. But the act of being in the same room with the storyteller is just fundamentally different. It lands differently.a?? The cast, crew and entire company making up the ensemble of Morningside should be exceptionally proud of the work that was shown onstage; for the a?oeMother of all Baby Showers,a?? turned out to be one of the finest displays of ensemble acting to come from one company of outstanding actresses. Everyone in the audience and the Tampa theatre community respectively didn't quite know but over the course of two-hours found this to not be the show they wanted but to be the show they needed.

freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg, FL and The Hippodrome Theatre in Gainesville, FL have joined forces to co-present two productions in their 2019/2020 season. freeFall will present MARIE & ROSETTA opening  January 18 and Hippodrome will present LONE STAR SPIRITS opening January 24. The company will then transfer the productions to their respective spaces after the initial run of each show. Both shows will run a combined total of over 8 weeks.

freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg, FL and The Hippodrome Theatre in Gainesville, FL have joined forces to co-present two productions in their 2019/2020 season. freeFall will present MARIE & ROSETTA opening January 18 and Hippodrome will present LONE STAR SPIRITS opening January 24. The company will then transfer the productions to their respective spaces after the initial run of each show. Both shows will run a combined total of over 8 weeks.

freeFall Theatre Company announced three exciting additions to the growing organization's staff. Joining the team are Amanda Chandler as Director of Development and Jen Brown as Patron Services Manager. Susan Haldeman stepped into the key role of Managing Director. Susan, Amanda, and Jen join Artistic Director Eric Davis and the rest of the freeFall team as they begin to prepare for the upcoming 2019/2020 season, which will mark 10 years as Tampa Bay's most exciting theatre company.

The 2017 awards honor productions which opened between October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017. Nominations were completely reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended October 31, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors.

The 2017 awards honor productions which opened between October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017. Nominations were completely reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended October 31, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors.