Sarasota's FST Announces Play Reading Series

Florida Studio Theatre

Announces Line-Up for Richard & Betty Burdick Play Reading Series

As a part of its ongoing commitment to new play development, Florida Studio Theatre will present three staged readings of new works during the Richard & Betty Burdick Play Reading Series.

The series, which is named after the late Richard and Betty Burdick, is a part of the larger Sarasota Festival of New Plays, a month-long celebration of new work, which FST holds each May. The three play readings will be held on Saturday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. in the Keating Theatre.

Chicago-based playwright Mia McCullough makes her festival debut with Echoes of Another Man. Taking us into the realm of medical sci-fi, Echoes of Another Man examines the questions and ethics of transplanting one person's brain into another person's body. Claude, a multi-talented artist dying of diabetes, gets a second chance when a "donor body" is found for his brain. But how will those around him react to his new face? Echoes of Another Man looks at the medical ethics of such an operation, as well as how this medical possibility affects the human heart.

For McCullough, her inspiration for Echoes of Another Man came from a friend who told her about a doctor performing monkey-head transplants. "I remember thinking, God people will try anything," says McCullough. "Then I started thinking about the human repercussions to this sort of experimentation. Then cloning became a reality and it challenged my assumptions about what is and what is not possible."

Ms. McCullough is a member of The Playwrights Collective and The Dramatists Guild. Recent productions include Taking Care at Steppenwolf Theatre; Cyber Serenade and Suicide at Stage Left Theatre (Chicago.)  Stage Left Theatre was also home to the world premiere of McCullough's Chagrin Falls, where she is an ensemble member.  Chagrin Falls, as mounted by Stage Left Theatre, received numerous awards including: the American Theatre Critics Association's (ATCA) 2002 M. Elizabeth Osborn Award for up-and-coming playwrights; the Joseph Jefferson Citation; the After Dark Award for Best New Work; and first prize in the 2001 Julie Harris Playwriting Competition.  The play was later presented by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival

Echoes of Another Man will be presented on May 13, 2006.

The Richard and Betty Burdick Play Reading Series continues with Laughing Matters, Too , a follow-up to the successful musical/sketch comedy show, Laughing Matters. Developed in-house by FST staff, under the direction of Rebecca Langford, Laughing Matters, Too is an evening of song and comedy that skewers today's political and pop culture.

With our fast-paced world filled with voice mail, Bluetooth technology, instant fame, and fabricated journalism, Laughing Matters, Too proves there's still a lot to laugh about. A wacky blitz of wit, humor and unadulterated fun, Laughing Matters, Too follows up the 2002 Cabaret revue that was described as "smart, original, and very, very funny" by The Longboat Observer and "a hip satire" by Scene Magazine.

Laughing Matters, Too will be presented on May 20, 2006.

Rounding out the series will be the newest work by festival regular Michael McKeever. McKeever returns with his latest, Hand of God. McKeever was inspired to write Hand of God because he "wanted to write a play about faith. Not religious faith, but rather faith in each other, faith in ourselves. How that faith can get lost and what it takes to get it back. I wanted to write a play about miracles and the perception of miracles…How little miracles happen every day," he says.

Hand of God tells the story of Monsignor Frank Leighton, the beloved spiritual leader of St. Bernadette's Church. When the Monsignor claims to have been visited by St. Jude, the Patron Saint of Lost Causes, his parishioners bring in one of his former apprentices. Is the Monsignor delusional? Suffering some sort of breakdown? Or has he truly witnessed a miracle?

Hand of God will be presented on May 27, 2006.

The Richard and Betty Burdick Play Reading Series is a part of the Sarasota Festival of New Plays , a month-long celebration of new plays. However, n ew play development at FST is more than its festivals. FST is continually developing new works through a series of commissions, closed-door readings, workshop productions, and development roundtables that create new work on a year-round basis. The Richard & Betty Burdick New Play Reading Series is often the culmination of years of work by FST staff.

The Richard and Betty Burdick New Play Reading Series will be presented at 1:00 p.m. on May 13, May 20 and May 27. All performances are at the Keating Theatre. Subscriptions to see all three shows are $25 per person. Those wishing to see only one of the productions may purchase a special single ticket for $25. Both subscriptions and single 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.

Florida Studio Theatre

1241 North Palm Avenue

Sarasota, FL 34236

Website: www.fst2000.org

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