Florida Studio Theatre Honors Patron Mary Jo Reston for $1.25 Million Legacy Gift

Florida Studio Theatre is honoring the late Mary Jo Reston, a supporter of the theater for nearly two decades, for providing a $1.25 million legacy gift that will help sustain the nonprofit’s artistic programming for years to come.

Reston will be recognized as a Platinum Underwriter in perpetuity for all of Florida Studio Theatre’s programming. According to FST, her contribution will help ensure that the productions she valued will continue to inspire audiences.

“Mary Jo Reston was a steadfast supporter of Florida Studio Theatre for many years [but] this was a tremendous surprise to us," FST managing director Rebecca Hopkins said. "We were in awe to discover she had left us such a meaningful gift. She truly understood the mission of FST, and this gift will help us continue to serve our community for decades to come.”

Reston, who died in February 2024, attended Mainstage and Cabaret performances at FST for more than 17 years. 

Without informing the theater, Reston named FST as a beneficiary in her estate plans. The theater received a $1 million legacy gift in July 2024, followed by an additional $250,000 residual gift in February 2025, reports the Herald Tribune.

Before moving to Sarasota, Reston served as business manager and later co-publisher of The Vineyard Gazette in Martha’s Vineyard. Alongside her then-husband, former Los Angeles Times journalist Richard Reston, she ran the newspaper after moving there in 1975. The couple became co-publishers in 1988. Earlier in her career, Reston worked as a schoolteacher in Wisconsin and later held positions at the Republican National Committee and Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Washington, D.C.

"Every year we will remember her as she continues to have an impact on the [Florida Studio Theatre] through her legacy," Hopkins said.