Florida Studio Theatre Lengthens "Own Wife" Run

Florida Studio Theatre Extends

I Am My Own Wife

Due to audience demand, Florida Studio Theatre has extended the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play I Am My Own Wife . Written by Doug Wright, the show will now run through March 25, 2006 in the Gompertz Theatre.

Proving the adage that truth is stranger than fiction, I Am My Own Wife tells the true story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transvestite who murdered her own father and survived the Nazi and East German regimes. Born Lothar Berfelde, Charlotte grew up to become a self-described "collector of culture." She turned her house into a museum where she preserved recordings, art, gramophones and other bric-a-brac that was routinely discarded.

Despite being a transvestite living first among Nazis and later among Communists, Charlotte not only survived but flourished. Author Doug Wright first became interested in Charlotte's story when he read her autobiography, I Am My Own Wife: The Outlaw Life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, Berlin's Most Famous Transvestite .

I Am My Own Wife tells not only Charlotte's story but Wright's as well. Wright becomes a character in his own play as one actor brings to life 35 characters in this touching, insightful and funny play. As Wright uncovers Charlotte's story, he learns that survival often forces people to lie – not only about themselves, but to themselves. I Am My Own Wife is a history of quiet but determined fortitude in the face of the 20^th century's most notorious brutalities.

I Am My Own Wife has not only been an audience favorite, but has received praise from local reviewers as well:

"…a powerful testament to survival…" – The Sarasota Herald-Tribune

"…WIFE's a winner…" – Weekly Planet

"… Todd Almond does a masterful, mercurial job in all 40 roles of this

one-man show." – The Longboat Observer

"…thoroughly absorbing…" – Pelican Press

I Am My Own Wife opened March 3 and will continue its run through March 25 at the Gompertz Theatre. Tickets are $29-32 and may be purchased from the FST Box Office in person or by calling (941) 366-9000.

Florida Studio Theatre

1241 North Palm Avenue

Sarasota, FL 34236

Website: www.fst2000.org

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