Michael Donald Edwards News

Evita Triumphant At Asolo Repertory Theatre

Asolo Rep will host Inside Asolo Rep: EVITA today, November 2 at 11am, with refreshments at 10:30am.

Asolo Rep Proudly Announces Five Year Strategic Plan

Asolo Rep will host Inside Asolo Rep: EVITA on Thursday, November 2 at 11am, with refreshments at 10:30am.

Asolo Repertory Theatre has announced that it is the recipient of a $70,000 Arts Appreciation Grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The grant will support Asolo Rep's 2017-18 season 'Staging Our World,' which kicks off November 14 with EVITA.

Asolo Rep proudly announces complete casting for its production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony Award-winning masterpiece EVITA.

Asolo Rep presents an FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training touring production of William Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR.

Asolo Rep proudly announces that acclaimed Puerto Rican recording artist and actress Ana Isabelle will take on the iconic role of Eva Peron in the theatre's highly anticipated production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's EVITA.

FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training's inaugural season of Dog Days Theatre continues with DOUBLE INDEMNITY, David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright's stage adaptation of James M. Cain's titillating crime novel that inspired the groundbreaking Academy Award-nominated film noir of the same name. Dog Days Theatre is a new theater project offering smart, contemporary works just light enough for the dog days of summer, featuring two plays mounted in the Cook Theatre, located in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, using professional actors, directors and designers from the community and around the country along with the talents of the Conservatory's graduate students. Directed by FSU/Asolo Conservatory Director Greg Leaming and Jesse Jou,  DOUBLE INDEMNITY previews August 8 and 9, opens August 10 and runs through August 27. 

Asolo Repertory Theatre announces its final production of its 2017-18 season: the world premiere of JUNGLE BOOK, a boldly re-imagined family friendly stage adaptation of Nobel Prize-winner Rudyard Kipling's classic novel.

 FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training proudly announces casting for the inaugural season of Dog Days Theatre, a new theater project offering smart, contemporary works just light enough for the dog days of summer. Each summer, Dog Days Theatre will feature two plays mounted in the Cook Theatre, located in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, using professional actors, directors and designers from the community and around the country along with the talents of the Conservatory's graduate students.

Asolo Rep proudly presents the final production of its 2016-17 season: TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, the stunning new theatrical re-imagination of Jules Verne's classic deep sea tale created by Craig Francis and Rick Miller, who will direct the production, presented by Canada's family-focused entertainment production company Kidoons and WYRD Productions and produced by Jeff Lord.  TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA comes to life on stage by way of visually striking multimedia storytelling, with vivid projections that will take the audience on the voyage of a lifetime. Previews are Wednesday, June 7 and Thursday, June 8 at 7pm, opening night is Friday, June 9 at 7pm and the production runs through Saturday, July 1 in the Mertz Theatre, located in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.

Asolo Repertory Theatre is proud to announce its 2017-18 Board officers and new members. Asolo Rep's 2017-18 season Board Officers are Dr. Larry Haspel, President, Ann Charters, Vice President/President Elect, Carole Crosby, Vice President, Sy Goldblatt, Vice President, Melanie Natarajan, Treasurer, and Kim Bleach, Secretary. New Board members include Mary Braxton-Joseph, Dennis Dirks, Giselle Huberman, Paul Nelson, Nikki Sedacca, and Marysue Wechsler. Earlier this year, Jaime DiDomenico (Cool Today) and Jules Price (Innovative Dining) were elected to the board. Mary Lou Winnick is the Board's Immediate Past President and continues her service as a board member.

The second season of Asolo Rep's IllumiNation Series concludes on April 18 with a performance and panel discussion event, focusing on the theatre's current production of THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY. Kristoffer Diaz's Pulitzer-Prize nominated play is a no holds barred look at identity and ethnicity, using the wrestling ring as an allegory for the political and cultural arena of America today. IllumiNation is a series of performances and events promoting cross-cultural conversations in the community. 

Bebop Jazz Meets Musical Theatre in Asolo's World Premiere, Beatsville: A Beatnik Musical

Dig this: Asolo Rep will proudly present the world premiere of BEATSVILLE: The Beatnik Musical, a co-production with Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre. BEATSVILLE has a book by Glenn Slater, a Grammy winner (Disney's Tangled), and Academy Award (Tangled), Emmy (ABC's Galavant), Golden Globe (Tangled) and three-time Tony Award nominee (School of Rock, Sister Act, The Little Mermaid), and the co-creator of Disney's worldwide smash hit Tangled.

On Monday, March 20, 2017, Asolo Rep and the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training proudly announced their 2017-18 seasons in the Mertz Theatre, located in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.

 Asolo Rep proudly presents its annual documentary theatre project: FACES OF CHANGE.  FACES OF CHANGE collects stories, personal experiences, and interviews from community members of diverse backgrounds, which are assembled in an original script. The project culminates in free public readings followed by post-show discussions. The central question of this season's project is: Racially-motivated violence is more visible today than ever. How do we respond, and how can we take action where we live?

Asolo Rep continues its record-breaking 2017-18 season with Kristoffer Diaz's THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY, a 2010 Pulitzer Prize Finalist and the 2011 Obie Award-winner for Best New American Play. Directed by Jen Wineman, who previously helmed the educational touring productions of Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream for Asolo Rep and the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY previews April 4, 5 and 6, opens April 7 and runs through April 30. The play will be performed in the Cook Theatre, which will be transformed into a full-scale wrestling arena complete with two ringside seating sections to bring audiences even closer to the action. 

Asolo Rep will host Inside Asolo Rep: BORN YESTERDAY and THE LITTLE FOXES today, February 23 at 11am, with refreshments at 10am. This special behind-the-scenes panel will spotlight Asolo Rep's productions of Garson Kanin's classic American comedy BORN YESTERDAY (February 8 - April 15) and Lillian Hellman's gripping drama THE LITTLE FOXES  (March 15 - April 15).  The panel will feature BORN YESTERDAY director Peter Amster, THE LITTLE FOXES director and two-time Tony® winner Frank Galati, Tracy Michelle Arnold (Regina Giddens, THE LITTLE FOXES), and Christina DeCicco (Billie Dawn, BORN YESTERDAY). This insightful discussion will be helmed by Asolo Rep Dramaturg and Casting Associate Lauryn E. Sasso.