'Family Secrets' By Sherry Glaser And Gregory Howells At FST

Family Secrets
A Comedic One-Woman Exploration into Family Foibles

Florida Studio Theatre's second show for the Summerfest season holds the title of longest running one-woman show in Off-Broadway history. Family Secrets, written by Sherry Glaser and Gregory Howells, is a hilarious family portrait that earned this distinction after 462 performances in 1995.

In Family Secrets, one actress portrays five family members, based on the eccentric family of playwright and original performer Sherry Glaser. The play weaves through the unique stories of the family members from patriarch Mort and motherly Bev to earth-child daughter Kahari, sixteen year old Sandra as well as Grandma Rose, who is finding romance in her golden years. The play explores the notion of family through both generational and cultural differences. The play won the NY Theater World Award for Best Debut, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and two L.A.'s Ovation Awards.

The actress that will portray the family members in the FST production is Sarasota star Carolyn Michel. Carolyn has a history of working with FST for over 20 years. She was most recently seen at Florida Studio Theatre this May in a reading of The Taste Test. She has previously starred in many FST productions including a few other notable one-woman shows playing Ann Landers in The Lady With all the Answers in 2007, the title character in Rose in 2003, and playing Dorothy Parker in One Foot in Scarsdale in 1991 and 2004. 

Family Secrets was created by the collaboration of wife and husband team Sherry Glaser and Gregory Howells. FST will continue this tradition of a wedded collaboration by having Michel's husband Howard Millman as director of the production. Millman has worked in the Sarasota area for years. He was the managing director of Asolo Repertory Theatre from 1968 to 1980. He returned to The Asolo in 1995 and served as the Producing Artistic Director for 11 years.

While Family Secrets focuses specifically on one quirky, Jewish family, the themes presented are universal. To Carolyn Michel this play explores many more families than the one presented onstage. "No matter what," Michel says, "family is the most important thing we have. And I mean that in the broad sense-not only people we are directly related to, but our family of friends. And, in the large picture, the family of humankind."

The production design team includes Lauren Feldman as Scenic Designer, Nicole Wee as Costume Designer, Michael Foster as Lighting Designer, and John Valines as Sound Designer.

Family Secrets plays June 30 through July 25, 2010 at the Gompertz Theatre. Tickets are $19 - $34 and may be purchased from the FST Box Office in person, by phone (941) 366 - 9000 or online at www.floridastudiotheatre.org.

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