Florida Studio Theatre Extends Uplifting Historical Drama, BLACK PEARL SINGS!, Through August 6

Due to audience demand, Florida Studio Theatre (FST) announces the extension of its compelling Summer Mainstage production, Black Pearl Sings! by Frank Higgins. Called “Dynamic,” “Powerful,” and “A joy to watch” by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Black Pearl Sings! is an inspiring historical drama about two women from very different backgrounds who are brought together by the power of music. Featuring more than 20 traditional Black spirituals and folk songs, Black Pearl Sings! will now run in FST's Keating Theatre through August 6, 2023. Tickets are now on sale at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or 941.366.9000.

“At the curtain call of one performance, a group chanted 'Ashay Ashay,' an African blessing,” said show director Kate Alexander. “At another, a group of friends stood outside the theatre in prayer together afterwards. This play is having a profound effect on everyone. Black Pearl Sings! looks at our shared past with the fiery truth of abiding love, compassion, and a good dose of humor. It reminds us of the importance of understanding our past and how doing so helps us become richer and deeper human beings.”

Set in Depression-era Texas, Black Pearl Sings! follows two women from very different backgrounds who ­­­discover the other holds the key to everything they've each been searching for. Susannah is an ambitious Library of Congress musicologist, determined to record undocumented slave songs. Pearl is an African American woman with a soulful voice, a steely spirit, and a sentence in a high-security female prison. Pearl's memory is a treasure-trove of unrecorded slave era music, but can she hand over her ancestors' songs without giving up something of herself? Black Pearl Sings! tells the evocative story of an unlikely bond, preservation of musical heritage, and the human need for hope and healing.

FST's production of Black Pearl Sings! is resonating with audiences and critics, alike.

Audiences are calling the play “Fabulous,” “Exceptional,” “Brilliant,” and “Captivating.” Audience member Sandy Miller said, “Black Pearl Sings! is excellent in every way. [It was] so great that Alice M. Gatling could return to play Pearl. Rachel Moulton was at her best. The play gives one a lot of food for thought but is also very entertaining and moving.”

Sarasota Magazine called the play “Compelling,” “Powerful,” and “A show that keeps us watching, and listening, intently.” The Venice Gondolier-Sun wrote, “The voices and acting of Gatling and Moulton put this show into that special category of performances that land in one's memory bank and remain there for years and years.”

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Black Pearl Sings! features a two-person cast: Alice M. Gatling, who plays the fiery and fierce Pearl, and Rachel Moulton, who plays the determined Susannah. Gatling also played the character in FST's 2009 production of Black Pearl Sings! as well as in the theatre's developmental reading of the work presented as part of its 2008 Burdick Reading Series. Moulton has previously been seen in such FST productions as Babel (2023), Maytag Virgin (2022), and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2019).

The production's creative team includes Isabel A. Curley-Clay and Moriah Curley-Clay (Scenic Design), Nia Safarr Banks (Costume Design), Suzie Sajec (Costume Coordination), Ethan Vail (Lighting Design), and Louis Vetter Torres (Sound Design).

FST's production of Black Pearl Sings! is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The production is also supported by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues.

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is Sarasota's contemporary theatre. Founded in 1973, FST has grown to a village of five theatres located in the heart of downtown Sarasota. Each theatre is small in size and large in impact— providing intimate and engaging settings for high-quality, professional performances.

Today, FST has established itself as a major force in American Theatre. FST is the largest subscription theatre in the state of Florida and among the largest in the country, serving more than 200,000 live attendees each year across its diverse programs: Mainstage, Cabaret, Stage III, Children's Theatre, The FST School, New Play Development, and FST Improv.

Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to as many people as possible. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins, FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. Hip and historical, entertaining and challenging, we are where everyone is welcome to engage in the art of theatre.

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