Sarasota's Florida Studio Theatre-Summer Season

Florida Studio Theatre offers three Great Shows

This Summer Starting with a "Big Bang"

The weather may be heating up and the season may be slowing down, but Florida Studio Theatre keeps the contemporary theatre coming with its 2006 Summerfest Season. Audiences will see a hilarious 2-man musical history of the world in The Big Bang , follow one woman's pursuit of love and happiness 1 shoe at a time in Bad Dates , and question the difference between truth and illusion in Fiction .

Imagine the possibilities of the most expensive musical ever conceived. A twelve hour affair budgeted at $83 million chronicling the entire history of the universe and starring a cast of 318. In The Big Bang (music & lyrics by Boyd Graham, music by Jed Feuer) the two producers of the show pitch their musical extravaganza with heart and gusto by performing excerpts for a room full of backers (the audience) in just 90 minutes. The Big Bang is sure to keep audiences laughing this summer with songs such as the "Nuns Cantata" and "Free Food and Frontal Nudity," and your favorite characters from history including Christopher Columbus, Nefertiti and Eva Braun. The Sun-Sentinel described The Big Bang as "an unrelenting tour de farce that makes cheeks ache." The Palm Beach Post says it has "a hip sense of humor." The Big Bang kicks off June 14 in the Keating theatre and continues through July 2, 2006.

We've all experienced it – the bad date. (If you haven't, then count yourself among the very lucky – and very envied – few.) But most of our horror stories don't involve colonoscopies, the Romanian mob, or old ladies who communicate with bugs. So join Haley, a single woman on the hunt for the perfect shoe and the not-so-awful date in the second show of FST's Mainstage season, Bad Dates by Theresa Rebeck.

A one woman show that examines Haley's dating history and future, Bad Dates is a touching comedy. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Bad dates is "so much fun, we don't want it to stop." FST's production of Bad Dates begins July 28 in the Gompertz Theatre and runs through July 16, 2006.

The final production of FST's Summerfest season is Fiction, written by Steven Dietz. Picture a happily married couple with a fiercely candid relationship. A diary with a wounding secret and a mysterious woman enters the picture. What is truth and what is fiction? And which is more damning – the hidden betrayal or the fictional fairy tale? Find out as Steven Dietz explores love, literature, and truth in this intriguing show. Fiction is full of intense, thought provoking dialogue that calls into question everyone's sense of truth. The New York Times calls Fiction an "artfully constructed" script and Variety calls the story "intriguing." FST's production of Steven Dietz's Fiction begins July 12 in the Keating Theatre and runs through July 30, 2006 . About the Productions

Where: Florida Studio Theatre's Keating Theatre 1241 North Palm Avenue

– located in downtown Sarasota

Florida Studio Theatre's Gompertz Theatre 1247 1^st Street

– located in downtown Sarasota

Dates/Times: June 14 – July 30, 2006

A complete performance schedule is below.

Tickets: Single tickets: $19-34

Subscriptions: $29-42

About Florida Studio Theatre

Florida Studio Theatre, known as " Sarasota 's Contemporary Theatre," was founded in 1973 as a small touring company. Since then, it has established itself as a major force in American Theatre. FST remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience. Under Artistic Director and CEO, Richard Hopkins , 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. The Big Bang

In the Keating Theatre

Performance Schedule

Wednesday, June 14 8:00 pm (Preview)

Thursday, June 15 8:00 pm (Preview)

Friday, June 16 8:00 pm (Opening)

Saturday, June 17 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Sunday, June 18 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Tuesday, June 20 8:00 pm

Wednesday, June 21 8:00 pm

Thursday, June 22 8:00 pm

Friday, June 23 8:00 pm

Saturday, June 24 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Sunday, June 25 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Tuesday, June 27 8:00 pm

Wednesday, June 28 8:00 pm

Thursday, June 29 8:00 pm

Friday, June 30 8:00 pm

Saturday, July 1 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Sunday, July 2 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm Bad Dates

In the Gompertz Theatre

Performance Schedule

Wednesday, June 28 8:00 pm (Preview)

Thursday, June 29 8:00 pm (Preview)

Friday, June 30 8:00 pm (Opening)

Saturday, July 1 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Sunday, July 2 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Tuesday, July 4 8:00 pm

Wednesday, July 5 8:00 pm

Thursday, July 6 8:00 pm

Friday, July 7 8:00 pm

Saturday, July 8 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Sunday, July 9 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Tuesday, July 11 8:00 pm

Wednesday, July 12 8:00 pm

Thursday, July 13 8:00 pm

Friday, July 14 8:00 pm

Saturday, July 15 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Sunday, July 16 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm Fiction

In the Keating Theatre

Performance Schedule

Wednesday, July 12 8:00 pm (Preview)

Thursday, July 13 8:00 pm (Preview)

Friday, July 14 8:00 pm (Opening)

Saturday, July 15 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Sunday, July 16 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Tuesday, July 18 8:00 pm

Wednesday, July 19 8:00 pm

Thursday, July 20 8:00 pm

Friday, July 21 8:00 pm

Saturday, July 22 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Sunday, July 23 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Tuesday, July 25 8:00 pm

Wednesday, July 26 8:00 pm

Thursday, July 27 8:00 pm

Friday, July 28 8:00 pm

Saturday, July 29 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Sunday, July 30 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm

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