Florida Studio Theatre Receives $4,000 Grant to Stage Student-Written Plays
The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster & Other Winning Plays, written by elementary school students locally and around the world, is now being brought to life onstage.
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) has received a $4,000 grant from theatre works! to support this year's anthology of student-written plays, The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster & Other Winning Plays. Thanks to this generous gift, the imaginative collection of original short plays – written by elementary school students locally and around the world – is now being brought to life onstage at FST.
For more than 35 years, FST's annual student play production has transformed the words of young writers into fully staged performances performed by professional actors. During the 2025-2026 school year, almost 7,000 students submitted original plays. From that pool, only a handful of winning scripts were selected for performance. This year's production also features the return of The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster, a standout favorite from last season.
Now in its fourth year of operation, theatre works! is dedicated to expanding access to live theatre for young people. The organization awards grants that enable schools to attend theatrical performances, helping remove financial barriers that often prevent students from experiencing the arts. Since its founding, theatre works! has supported more than 24,000 children across the United Kingdom and the United States, many of whom were able to experience live theatre for the first time.
“There is something magical about witnessing a child's imagination at work – or rather, at play,” says Caroline Saldivar, FST's Director of Children's Theatre. “We're deeply grateful to theatre works! for aiding us in our mission of showing young minds that they have the power to create something truly meaningful.”
The selected plays span a wide range of genres and styles, from laugh-out-loud comedies and whimsical adventures to heartfelt stories filled with meaningful lessons. Together, they celebrate the creativity, humor, and emotional insight of young playwrights while highlighting the boundless imagination of student storytellers.
“It was amazing,” comments a student impacted by theatre works! “It showed me just how amazing the theatre can be. This show makes me want to bring my entire family out so they can experience the same things that I did.”
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