FST to Host THE PLAY'S THE THING, 1/27

Florida Studio Theatre will host The Play's The Thing: A Celebration of FST's 40th Season on January 27, 2014. It will celebrate the completion of the New Gompertz Theatre campaign, including the renovation of the Gompertz, the opening of the John C. Court Cabaret and the completion of Bowne's Lab Theatre. This event will showcase the vibrant organization that FST is today - a lively five-theatre complex that reaches over 165,000 people every year through a diversity of programs. Tickets are $200 per person with proceeds supporting the ongoing work of FST. To reserve a seat, please call Steve Turrisi, Development Associate at (941)-366-0932.

The evening kicks off at 5:30pm with a festive wine and hors d'oeuvres reception that will take place in the Hegner Theatre Wing, followed by a one-night-only performance by The Improvised Shakespeare Company in the Gompertz Theatre. The Improvised Shakespeare Company is an amazing comedy group that creates a fully improvised play, in Elizabethan style, based on one audience suggestion: a title for a play that has yet to be written. This Chicago-based group is coming to Sarasota to perform exclusively for this event. Concluding the evening will be a seated dinner in FST's Green Room Café, John C. Court Cabaret, and Bowne's Lab that will treat guests to food, music and entertainment.

During the event, FST will present the prestigious Spelman Award. Named in honor of Florida Studio Theatre's founding Artistic Director, Jon Spelman, the Spelman Award has been presented to an individual or a corporate sponsor who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership by providing FST with spiritual, financial, and/or in-kind support. Last year FST was proud to present the Spelman Award to Bob and Bonny Israeloff for their dedication to the success of the Theatre in the Sarasota community. This year's award recipient is Georgia Court.

Georgia Court chose Sarasota as her home specifically because of its extraordinary arts community. Georgia owns Bookstore1Sarasota on Main Street and is a founder of PoetryLife. She has supported creative endeavors in Cincinnati, Ohio and Chautauqua, New York and is now enjoying a happy involvement with arts organizations in Sarasota. Georgia is genuinely pleased to have found Florida Studio Theatre and its welcoming, responsive staff. FST's John C. Court Cabaret is named after Georgia's late husband John Court, and the upcoming Bowne's Lab Theatre carries the name of his ancestral family.

Richard Hopkins, Artistic Director and CEO of FST stated, "As we celebrate our accomplishments of the past, we will also celebrate the generosity of the present. We will celebrate Georgia Court for her wonderful gifts to FST. As a board member, Georgia gives a large part of her time toward the continued workings of the theatre. She does this not only financially, but with her heart. She has made the John C. Court Cabaret a reality and she is making Bowne's Lab Theatre a dream come true."

The Play's The Thing: A Celebration of FST's 40th Season, celebrating the completion of the three year capital project which included the final Bowne's Lab Theatre and the completed construction of the Hegner Theatre Wing, will be held on January 27, 2014. Tickets are $200 per person with proceeds supporting the ongoing work of FST. $100 of the ticket price is tax deductible. To reserve a seat, please call Steve Turrisi, Development Associate, at (941)-366-0932.

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