FST Extends SHEAR MADNESS Thru 3/13

On the heels of its press opening on Friday, February 25, Florida Studio Theatre is thrilled to announce a 1-week extension of performances for Shear Madness. "America's Favorite Comedy" will now run through Sunday, March 13.

Shear Madness is an interactive murder mystery where the audience gets to solve the crime. Set in a Sarasota hair salon, join your favorite salon owner Tony, his gum-chewing assistant, Barbara, and the rest of the gang as they piece together the crime scene after a murder happens upstairs.

Additional performances include: Tuesday, March 8 at 8:00pm, Wednesday, March 9 at 8:00pm, Thursday, March 10 at 8:00pm, Friday, March 11 at 8:00pm, Saturday, March 12 at 2:00pm & 8:00pm, and Sunday, March 13 at 3:00pm & 8:00pm.

The dynamic cast brings back four of the six actors who appeared in last year's production: Michael Kevin Baldwin, Juliana Black, and Timothy Goodwin will reprise their roles as "light on his toes" Tony Whitcomb, the sassy stylist Barbara DeMarco, and loud-mouth detective Nick O'Brien, respectively. Nick Caruso, who was last seen as the gumshoe assistant Mikey Thomas, will return as bad boy Eddie Lawrence. All four of the returnees have also played in severAl Shear Madness productions all over the country, bringing their comedic skill and expertise to Sarasota.

New to Shear Madness and the Sarasota cast are Jeremy Ellison-Gladstone as Mikey Thomas and Lisa McMillan as the wealthy socialite Mrs. Schubert.

Co-Creator and Original Director of Shear Madness, Bruce Jordan, returns to FST to direct the production. Jordan has been acting, directing and producing in theatre, television and film for the past 30 years, but never did he expect to be the producer/director of the three longest-running nonmusical plays in the history of American theatre. ("Shear Madness"- Boston, "Shear Madness"- Chicago, "Shear Madness"- Washington, D.C.). A founding member of Rochester's Geva Theatre, Jordan has directed classic and Contemporary Theatre from Moliere to Coward and from Shaw to Simon. He's also appeared in scores of plays from Hedda Gabler to You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. He made his television debut in 1970 on All My Children and his "big screen" debut with Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were.

Shear Madness, by Paul Portner, adapted by Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan, with original direction by Bruce Jordan, is in the Guiness Book of World Records for longest-running play in the world. Originally written by German writer, Paul Portner, in 1963 and titled Scherenschnitt, Shear Madness was a result of collaboration between two friends, Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan in the summer of 1976. Shear Madness premiered at the Lake George Dinner Theatre in 1978, making its Off-Broadway debut at the Charles Playhouse Stage II in Boston, MA on January 29, 1980 and is still running with success. Shear Madness went on to open at The John F. Kennedy Center: Theatre Lab in Washington D.C. in 1987 and continues in 2010.

During its initial run in Lake George, Shear Madness was produced as a work in progress. Abrams and Jordan allowed the actors to improvise each night, playing on and using good audience response. This eventually formed the "final" script, which is also adapted to each city the show plays in. Jordan continues to encourage the actors to "let the audience win," keeping the magic in the show and pleasing audiences across the nation.

Shear Madness will run for a three-week limited engagement at Florida Studio Theatre's Gompertz Theatre, through March 13. Single tickets are priced $32 to $34 and may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 941-366-9000 or by visiting the website at www.floridastudiotheatre.org.

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 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.

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 8:00pm
Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 8:00pm
Friday, February 25, 2011 at 8:00pm
Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 2:00pm & 8:00pm
Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 3:00pm & 8:00pm
Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at 8:00pm
Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at 8:00pm
Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 8:00pm
Friday, March 4, 2011 at 8:00pm
Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 2:00pm & 8:00pm
Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 3:00pm & 8:00pm