Brooklyn Boy-Sarasota's Florida Studio Theatre

A Literary Homecoming
Donald Margulies Returns to His Roots with Brooklyn Boy

Playwright Donald Margulies returns to his literary roots with his
latest,
Brooklyn Boy, which begins December 7th at Florida Studio Theatre's
Keating
Theatre. 

A semi-autobiographical take on literary success and fame, Brooklyn Boy
is
the story of novelist Eric Weiss.  After years of hard work, Eric has
finally hit the big time.  His new novel is on the best-seller list,
primed
for a Hollywood adaptation.  But Eric's personal life is starting to
unravel.  When his father's health brings him back to Brooklyn, Eric is
forced to reconcile the boy he was with the man he has become. 
Brooklyn Boy
delves into several issues, asking: does where we are from affect who
we
become?  And how does success change a person?

Margulies should know something of literary success and the changes it
brings having won the Pulitzer Prize for his 2000 work, Dinner with
Friends.
In a sense, Brooklyn Boy marks Margulies' literary homecoming.  For
years,
the author mined his Brooklyn roots for inspiration.  His 1984 debut,
Found
a Peanut and the subsequent The Loman Family Picnic were set against
the
backdrop of the proverbial borough.  And while his Pulitzer Prize
nominated
Sight Unseen was neither set in or about Brooklyn, "the play still had
a
foot - and arguably, its heart - in Brooklyn," says Margulies.

Margulies' later play, Dinner with Friends, has no connection to the
place
that Margulies once called home.  Written about two couples, Dinner
with
Friends explores what happens when one couple's marriage falls apart. 
The
play became highly successful and was later adapted as a movie for HBO. 
FST
produced the play as a part of its 2001-2002 Mainstage season.

But following the whirlwind success of Dinner with Friends, Margulies
found
himself stuck.  It was fellow "Brooklyn Boy," playwright Herb Gardner,
who
got him started again.  Gardner suggested that he write another
"Brooklyn"
play.  Margulies resisted at first, believing he had written all there
was
for him to write about the place.  But Gardner persisted, telling him
that
he would do well to return to his roots, saying, "You've never looked
at it
from this point in your life before."

And so Margulies dove in.  "I followed with the queasy curiosity of a
prodigal son looking homeward," he says.  "I knew the terrain well but
hadn't walked it as a man in midlife.  Scenes began to lay themselves
out; I
started to get a sense of the landscape of a new play.  It would not be
a
sentimental journey bathed in nostalgia, but a fresh exploration of old
themes, clear-eyed and present tense.  If Sight Unseen was a play about
leaving Brooklyn, then Brooklyn Boy would be one about looking back."

It was while he was writing Brooklyn Boy that Margulies found that the
Brooklyn he was longing for was not the Brooklyn he remembered.  He
longed
for his parents' Brooklyn, a place and a time he'd never experienced.
"Theirs was the real thing," he says, "the Brooklyn of legend, not the
faded, ghostly place where baby boomers like me grew up.  When I look
back
at Brooklyn now, from the vantage point of the middle of my life, I
find
that it is a place that no longer exists, indeed one that may never
have
truly existed in my lifetime."

Kate Alexander, FST's Associate Director, will direct Brooklyn Boy with
support from FST staffers Steve Mitchell (Scenic Design) and Marcella
Beckwith (Costume Design).

The cast of Brooklyn Boy features several faces familiar to FST
audiences.
Rob Gomes will return to take on the role of Eric Weiss.  Mr. Gomes
last
appeared in Death by Misadventure.  Celeste Ciulla, most recently seen
in
the summer production of Bee-luther-hatchee will play Eric's wife,
Nina.
Jamie Day, who appeared in last season's Mainstage production of The
Last
Schwartz, has been cast as Hollywood producer Melanie Fine.  And
Michael O.
Smith, last seen in the acclaimed The Bully Pulpit, will return to play
the
role of Manny Weiss, Eric's father. 

Brooklyn Boy will also feature several FST newcomers including Matthew
DeCapua as Tyler Shaw, Sage Hall as Alison, and Bruce Sabath as Ira
Zimmer.

Brooklyn Boy begins December 7, 2005 and runs through February 3, 2006
in
the Keating Theatre.  Tickets are $19 for preview and $29-32 for
regular
performances.  Tickets may be purchased from the FST Box Office in
person or
by calling (941) 366-9000.

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 three theatre
venues: the Keating Theatre, the Goldstein Cabaret and its newest
space, the
Gompertz 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.

Florida Studio Theatre is grateful to Ann & Alfred Goldstein, Robert &
Bonny
Israeloff, Elaine Keating, and Fred & Ann Wurlitzer for co-producing
Brooklyn Boy; and to Dennis & Graci McGillicuddy for underwriting the
2005-2006 Winter Season.

Brooklyn Boy
Performance Schedule
December 7, 2005 - February 3, 2006

Wednesday December 7 8:00 p.m. Preview
Thursday December 8 8:00 p.m. Preview
Friday December 9 8:00 p.m. Opening
Saturday December 10 2:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday December 11 3:00 & 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday December 13 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday December 14 8:00 p.m.
Thursday December 15 8:00 p.m.
Friday December 16 8:00 p.m.
Saturday December 17 2:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday December 18 3:00 & 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday December 20 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday December 21 5:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Thursday December 22 8:00 p.m.
Friday December 23 5:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Saturday December 24 2:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday December 25 Christmas

Tuesday December 27 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday December 28 8:00 p.m.
Thursday December 29 8:00 p.m.
Friday December 30 8:00 p.m.
Saturday December 31 5:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday January 1 3:00 & 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday January 3 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday January 4 8:00 p.m.
Thursday January 5 8:00 p.m.
Friday January 6 8:00 p.m.
Saturday January 7 5:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday January 8 3:00 & 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday January 10 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday January 11 8:00 p.m.
Thursday January 12 8:00 p.m.
Friday January 13 8:00 p.m.
Saturday January 14 5:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday January 15 4:00 & 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday January 17 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday January 18 8:00 p.m.
Thursday January 19 8:00 p.m.
Friday January 20 8:00 p.m.
Saturday January 21 5:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday January 22 3:00 & 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday January 24 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday January 25 8:00 p.m.
Thursday January 26 8:00 p.m.
Friday January 27 8:00 p.m.
Saturday January 28 5:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday January 29 3:00 & 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday January 31 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday February 1 8:00 p.m.
Thursday February 2 8:00 p.m.
Friday February 3 8:00 p.m.
Saturday February 4 2:00 p.m.

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