Tournament of Fools and More Set for FST Improv's Spring 2016 Season

The Spring Season of FST Improv is filled with new shows, new laughs, and yes even some "hip" hoppin' improv. Shows for the Spring season include Tournament of Fools, Comedy Lottery, a special performance by North Coast Improv, and more.

For a full list of performances, visit www.floridastudiotheatre.org/15-16-fst-improv. Performances will be held every Saturday and select Fridays at 7:30pm. Full menu and bar are available. Doors open one hour prior to the show. Tickets are $15 per show. All tickets may be purchased from the FST Box Office by calling (941) 366-9000, or online at FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

First in the line-up on March 31, for one night only, North Coast Improv will build a show around a single suggestion from an audience member. The show's improvised scenes escalate into full-blown hip-hop songs, facilitated by resident beatboxer and U.S. Vice Beatbox Champion, Kaila Mullady. With their seamless melding of comedic timing and explosive freestyle rapping abilities, North Coast frequently blurs the line between comedy show and concert. Named one of the "Top Ten Best Comedy Shows" by Time Out New York, North Coast has been featured in Slate's Podcast The Gist, The Village Voice, and The New York Times Comedy Listings. Currently, you can catch them performing every Saturday night in New York City at The Peoples Improv Theater at 24th street @ Lex. "They are a favorite of the Sarasota Improv Festival and we're excited to bring them in for our Spring Schedule," said FST's Director of Improv, Will Luera.

After all the hilarious hip-hop, the Tournament of Fools begins. Luera previews what is to come in this exciting new season of laughter stating, "With winter ending, we're excited for our new schedule of shows starting in April. To kick off the transition, we will be doing our Tournament of Fools on April 1 and 2. This 2-day, knockdown, drag-out comedy battle-royale, is winner takes all. Our 14 ensemble members of FST Improv will compete in a series of improv scenes, songs, and games to win your laughter, applause, and the coveted title of Champion of the Fools! After each round, you vote on who stays and who goes. In the end there can only be one comedian standing as the champion of this year's tournament."

Next up in the season line-up is the return of Comedy Lottery. Before every show, 12 lucky audience members will be asked to randomly select out of the FST Improv infamous bucket of over 50 games. Those 12 games will comprise the line-up for that night which will feature a unique combination of scenes, sketches and songs selected by you and your peers! Regardless of how the ball bounces, everyone is promised to be a winner on this completely unique night of improvised comedy.

Luera concludes, "There will be some other one-off shows like our own When X Meets Y, We're Doomed, and Thank you for being a Friend so keep an eye on our schedule to see what else we have coming up. All of these shows are part of an expansion of our improv program that will make Sarasota not just a major improv destination in Florida but the entire nation. I'm really proud of the fact that we can offer our audiences top notch improvisation in a variety of different styles as well as play host to some of the country's best groups all while still performing the games and shows that our audiences have come to love. We look forward to seeing our audiences back in the house to continue to inspire our shows because they are truly the backbone of our scenes and our primary inspiration! Let's continue to laugh together."

Bowne's Lab is in full bloom this Spring! For a full list of performances, visit www.floridastudiotheatre.org/15-16-fst-improv. Performances will be held every Saturday and select Fridays at 7:30pm. Full menu and bar are available. Doors open one hour prior to the show. Tickets are $15 per show. All tickets may be purchased from the FST Box Office by calling (941) 366-9000, or online at FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

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.