Mainstage Playbill

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

* Denotes member Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Straight White MenBy Young Jean Lee

Season UnderwritersGerri Aaron, Gaele Barthold, Cookie Boudreaux & Dennis Hassell, Ed & Judy Christian,

Georgia Court, Shirley Fein, Sydney Goldstein, Wendy & Bob Grady, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Robert & Bonny Israeloff,

Ernie Kretzmer in loving memory of Alisa Kretzmer, Dennis & Graci McGillicuddy, Anne H.S. Nethercott, Gail & Skip Sack, Dorothy Waldron, Muriel O’Neil Fund for the Performing

Arts of Community Foundation of Sarasota County,

Co-ProducersJan & Larry Coleman, Ruth Gorton, Lois Stulberg, Sally Yanowitz

Costume Designer Susan Angermann

CAST (in alphabetical order)

Directed by: Kate Alexander

The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.

Stage Manager: Kelli Karen*

Jake ........................................................................... Justin Adams*Person in Charge #1 ............................................. Sandra Caldwell*Ed ................................................................................ Phillip Clark*Drew .......................................................................... Matt Koenig*Person in Charge #2 ...................................................... JP Moraga*Matt ...........................................................................Jess Prichard*

Lighting Designer Thom Beaulieu

Sound Designer Thomas Korp

Scenic Designer Sean Fanning

ChoreographerJuliana Davis

STRAIGHT WHITE MEN was co-commissioned by the Public Theater, the Wexner Center for the Arts at The Ohio State University, Center Theatre Group, Steirischer Herbst Festival, Festival d’Automne a Paris, and Les spectacles vivants du Centre Pompidou,

with further development at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. It was produced by Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company (Young Jean Lee, Artistic Director; Aaron Rosenblum, Producing Director). With special thanks to Hebbel am Ufer.

JUSTIN ADAMS (Jake) New York: Don Juan (title role), The Pearl Theatre; The Little Shubert; The Acting Company; Drama League’s DirectorFest; HERE Studios; 13th Street Rep; Storm Theatre. Regional: Nicholas Nickleby, Parts One and Two

(title role), PlayMakers Rep; Amadeus (title role), Northern Stage; Hamlet (title role), Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival; FST; Westport Country Playhouse; Cincinnati Playhouse; Alliance Theatre; Denver Center; Folger Theatre; Portland Stage; Clarence Brown Theatre; Alabama and Texas Shakespeare Festivals; Vineyard Arts Project. Film/TV: Elementary; The Affair; Unforgettable; Blue Bloods; The Cask; Ascension; Independence: Beyond What She Expects; Radio Cape Cod. Training: The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. www.justincadams.com

SANDRA CALDWELL (Person in Charge #1) The New York Times calls Sandra Caldwell a “true entertainer in every sense of the word” after a critically-acclaimed performance as “Mama Darling” in the NY premiere of Charm with MCC Theater

Company. Other theater credits: The Original Broadway Company of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, the Original Workshop of Ragtime, Sophisticated Ladies Coming Through Slaughter, and “New Orleans Night” at NY Public Theater. Film credits: Ben Is Back (starring Julia Roberts), Little Men, The Book of Negroes, 19-2, Soul Food, Little Men, and guest starring roles in Law & Order: SVU, Rookie Blue. Additional movie credits: Good Fences (with Whoopie Goldberg), Disney’s The Cheetah Girls, Murder at 1600, Shall We Dance, and was thrilled to appear in Maya Angelou’s directorial debut of Down in the Delta.

PHILLIP CLARK (Ed) is happy to be returning to Florida Studio Theatre after last appearing in Next Fall. He recently appeared Off-Broadway in Summer and Smoke (Classic Stage Company/Transport Group).

Broadway: Come Back, Little Sheba; Fifth of July; and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Off-Broadway: Omnium Gatherum; A Last Dance for Sybil; The Director; Romeo & Juliet (Lucille Lortel Theatre); and The Boys in the Band. Regional Theatre: Actors Theatre of Louisville (Humana Festival); Old Globe; Mark Taper Forum; Huntington; Cleveland Play House; Portland Center Stage; Studio Arena.

MATT KOENIG (Drew) is thrilled to return to FST after eight years, having last performed as an apprentice in the Write-A-Play tour. Upcoming: Sherlock Holmes in the world premiere of The Sign of the Four at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre.

Other theatres: Three wonderful years as a resident artist at the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA), Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Great Lakes Theater, McCoy/Rigby Entertainment, Ensemble Theatre Company, Garry Marshall Theatre, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New Swan Shakespeare Festival, etc. MFA: UC Irvine

JP MORAGA (Person in Charge #2) is honored to return to FST. Born and raised in the Philippines. A gender non-conformist, activist, and artist. NY Theater: Pillowtalk (Tank Theater), Street Children (Vertigo Theater Company). Regional: A.C.T.’s The Costume

Shop Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Riverside Theatre, Maltz Jupiter Theater, Walnut Street Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, Cleveland Playhouse, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Baldwin-Wallace University Alumni. Live, Laugh, & Love. @jp_moraga.

JESS PRICHARD (Matt) NYC credits: An Occupation of Loss (Greg) and De Materie (Paul Langevin) Park Avenue Armory. Select Regional credits: Venus in Fur (Thomas) - Riverside Theatre, Assassins (Guiteau) Milwaukee Repertory

Theatre, Julius Caesar (Brutus), Love’s

ARTIST PROFILES

Labour’s Lost (Navarre) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theseus) - Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Shrew! (Petruchio) - Sun Valley Shakespeare, Emma (Mr. Knightley) – Macklanburg Playhouse. TV: Billions (Showtime). MFA: the University of Illinois. Instagram @jesstheactor. More at JessTheActor.com KATE ALEXANDER (Director) is the Associate Director At-Large of FST and the Founder of the FST Theatre School with its acting method of training. Ms. Alexander has directed numerous productions and premieres on the FST stages including Always...Patsy Cline; The Things They Carried; Native Gardens; Heisenberg; The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey; brownsville song (b-side for tray); Clever Little Lies; Alabama Story; Outside Mullingar; Over the River and Through the Woods; Chapatti; Dancing Lessons; Becoming Dr. Ruth; Freud’s Last Session; Thurgood; South Beach Babylon; The Columnist; Talley’s Folly; Jericho; Next Fall; The Savannah Disputation; Ghost-Writer; Two Jews Walk into a War...; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; Sylvia; Shotgun; The Miamians; Brooklyn Boy; The Exonerated; Wit; Proof; Lobby Hero; and Ten Unknowns. Ms. Alexander has also been a resident actress for over 25 years. Some of her leading roles were in the plays: Edward Albee’s The Goat; Filumena; Master Class; Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, The Occupant, The Play About the Baby; Golda’s Balcony; and Taking Shakespeare. Ms. Alexander is the recipient of numerous acting, directing, and public service awards, including FAER, She Knows Where She’s Going Award (Girls, Inc.), The Woman of Light Award, National Council of Jewish Women Award, The Woman of Power Award, the Sarasota County Arts Leadership Award, Education Award, Sarasota Manatee Jewish Federation, The Unity Award, and most recently, the One World Award. Ms. Alexander leads the FST Forums Series and developed the Blue Butterfly Theatre Program, a program for teens suffering from grief through loss. She created the Art of The Gesture program at Ringling College of Animation and is the co-author of The Animated Short, with Karen Sullivan, now in its 2nd edition.

SEAN FANNING (Scenic Designer) is a Southern California–based designer making his Florida debut with FST. West Coast credits include Clint Black’s Looking for Christmas, Full Gallop, A Doll’s House (The Old Globe), Oslo, Thomas and Sally, My Mañana

Comes (Marin Theatre Company) A Doll’s House Part 2, Fun Home, Black Pearl Sings, Evita, Manifest Destinitis, In The Heights (San Diego Rep), HIR, Spamalot, The Wind and the Breeze, The Last Wife, On the Twentieth Century, A Little Night Music (Cygnet Theatre), Once, Silent Sky, Equivocation (Lamb’s Players Theatre). He received the first Craig Noel Award for Designer of the Year for his body of work in 2016. Sean holds an M.F.A. in Scene Design from San Diego State University. seanfanningdesigns.com SUSAN ANGERMANN (Costume Designer) began designing for Florida Studio Theatre in 1993 for the WRITE A PLAY production of The Emperor’s New Clothes. She has designed for FST’s Mainstage, Stage III, Cabaret, and WRITE A PLAY productions. Among recent productions are Guitar Girls, Unchained Melodies, Other People’s Money, Murder for Two, Always...Patsy Cline, Honor Killing, Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits, The Exonerated, Stalking the Bogeyman, Yesterday, Older Than Dirt, Piano Men, Chapatti, Robin Hood, and Once. THOM BEAULIEU (Lighting Designer) is an award-winning regional lighting designer. His work has been experienced throughout the Eastern US including: Burt & Me, Once, Blue Suede Shoes, Native Gardens, Honor Killing, Always...Patsy Cline, Unchained Melodies, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and Guitar Girls (Florida Studio Theatre); The Waltz, Carrie: the Musical, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, and Master Harold ... and the Boys (The Winnipesaukee Playhouse); A Chorus Line, Floyd Collins, Sweet Charity, and Singin’ in the Rain (Aurora Theatre); The 39 Steps (Jean’s Playhouse); Marjorie Prime (The Public Theatre). He holds a BFA in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, and a MS in Physics.THOMAS KORP (Sound Designer) As FST’s Sound Supervisor, Thom does more than wrangle rogue microphones. Sound design credits include: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Once, A Chorus Line, Spamalot, Native Gardens, How to Use a Knife, The Columnist, Talley’s Folley, and The West Side Waltz. Mixing Credits: Next to Normal, Smokey Joe’s Café, The World Goes Round, Tango: Buenos Aires, We Will Rock You.JULIANA DAVIS (Choreographer) is excited to be behind the scenes at FST with Straight White Men. Onstage FST credits include: Shear Madness and

ARTIST PROFILES

ARTIST PROFILESGypsies, Tramps, and Thieves. Choreography Credits include: Rock of Ages, Much Ado About Nothing, Ghost, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Hair (2010 Ovation Award), Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Cabaret, Chicago, Urinetown (2007 Henry Nomination/2006 Ovation Nomination) and My Fair Lady. Juliana is a proud member of AEA.KELLI KAREN (Stage Manager) has been an integral member of Florida Studio Theatre. Kelli began at FST as a dance teacher in the education department in 1993. In addition to her classes at FST, Kelli has created and taught outreach programs at Care Pointes in Swaziland, South Africa, The Pines of Sarasota, Girls Inc., The Boys and Girls Club, and has taught playwriting at numerous local elementary schools as well as in our sister city of Dunfermline, Scotland. Stage management credits: Off-Broadway: The New Victory Theater (Fly). Selected Regional Credits: Pasadena Playhouse (Fly), Crossroads Theatre (Fly), Oprah Winfrey Theater Smithsonian (Fly), FST Credits: Heisenberg, Clever Little Lies; Inspired Lunacy; Fly; Taking Shakespeare; Pump Boys and Dinettes; Daddy Long Legs; Monty Python’s Spamalot; The Underpants; The World Goes ‘Round; The Columnist; Smokey Joe’s Café; Perfect Wedding; Jericho; Next Fall; Next to Normal; Cowgirls; Ghost-Writer; Shear Madness; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; The 39 Steps; Beehive: The 60s Musical; Ruined; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Edward Albee’s Occupant; Motown Cabaret.YOUNG JEAN LEE (Playwright) Young Jean Lee is a writer, director, and filmmaker who has been called “the most adventurous downtown playwright of her generation” by the New York Times. She has written and directed ten shows in New York with Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company, and toured her work to over thirty cities around the world. Her plays have been published by Dramatists Play Service, Theatre Communications Group, and by Samuel French. She is currently under commission from Lincoln Center Theater and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and has written a screenplay commission for Plan B/Paramount Pictures. Her first short film, “Here Come the Girls,” was presented at the Locarno International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and BAMcinemaFest. In 2013, she released her debut album, “We’re Gonna Die,” with her band, Future Wife. Lee is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, two OBIE Awards, a Prize in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a PEN Literary Award,

a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Doris Duke Artist Residency, a Foundation for Contemporary Arts grant, and the ZKB Patronage Prize of the Zürcher Theater Spektakel. She has also received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Rockefeller MAP Fund, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, Creative Capital, the Greenwall Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Arts Presenters/Ford Foundation Creative Capacity Grant, the Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation, and the New England Foundation for the Arts National Theater Project Award.

RICHARD HOPKINS is the Producing Artistic Director of Florida Studio Theatre. Mr. Hopkins has fostered the development of FST’s Mainstage and Cabaret productions. His many directing Mainstage credits include: Honor Killing, Inspired Lunacy, The Best of Enemies, Next to Normal, Race, Ruined, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Boleros for the Disenchanted, Permanent Collection, and Metamorphoses, among numerous other plays. Mr. Hopkins led the development of FST’s Cabaret productions of Mack the Knife: The Bobby Darin Songbook, Older Than Dirt, Piano Men, and The Prima Donnettes. Mr. Hopkins also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Florida Studio Theatre. This includes overseeing the creation and implementation of all FST programming, including Mainstage, Cabaret, Stage III, New Play Development, Education, and Touring. Since his arrival at FST in 1980, Mr. Hopkins has guided the theatre from a small touring company to a nationally-recognized regional theatre, which impacts over 200,000 adults and children annually. He created the New Play Development Program, the Cabaret Series, FST’s award-winning WRITE A PLAY Program, and he has directed the design and renovation of all FST’s theatres. Mr. Hopkins is the recipient of numerous awards including the Arts Leadership Award from the Sarasota Arts Council, the Richard G. Fallon Award for Artistic Excellence from the Florida Professional Theatres Association, and the 2012 Cultural Champion Award from the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County. In 2016, Mr. Hopkins was awarded the Luminaire Award honoring excellence in creativity, philanthropy, advocacy, and all elements that are keys to future growth of the Arts in Sarasota. In 2017, Mr. Hopkins was awarded the Florida Theatre Conference Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing to the rich cultural fabric of the Sarasota community and the state of Florida, and his dedication to developing future artists, educators, and advocates.

REBECCA HOPKINS serves as Managing Director for Florida Studio Theatre, and as such, is the Chief Operations Officer. Mrs. Hopkins is responsible for oversight of FST’s Administration, including the Business Office, Development, Marketing, Box Office, Front of House, Restaurant, Budgeting, and maintaining the overall quality

EXECUTIVE STAFFof FST’s internal management. Mrs. Hopkins serves on the Board of Directors for the League of Resident Theatres and for the Theatre Communications Group. She is the former President of the National New Play Network. Mrs. Hopkins has been actively involved in development of FST’s Cabaret productions since her arrival in 1998. In addition to being lead developer for Unchained Melodies, this season she is also part of the developement team for Guitar Girls and The Wonder Years. Previously, she was the lead developer on Blue Suede Shoes; Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves; Yesterday; American Pie; and Poems, Prayers, and Promises. She has been the head writer on all five Laughing Matters shows. Some of her favorite shows she helped develop include: Mack the Knife; The Prima Donnettes; That’s Life; The Wanderers; My One and Only Gershwin; Hot and Cole; The British Invasion; The Flip Side; and Outlaws and Angels. In addition, she is the founder and producer of FST Improv and the Sarasota Improv Festival. In 2012, the Arts & Cultural Alliance awarded Mrs. Hopkins the Cultural Champion Award in recognition of her many years of accomplishment and growth with Florida Studio Theatre. In 2016, Mrs. Hopkins was awarded the Luminaire Award, honoring excellence in creativity, philanthropy, advocacy, and all elements that are keys to future growth of the arts in Sarasota.

@FloridaStudioTheatre #StraightWhiteMen

We encourage you to take photos with the set before and after the show

and share to social media! We just ask that you please recognize

the scenic designer:

@seanfanningdesigns

GERRI AARON To me, FST is a great theater experience in the respect that I’ve seen plays in New York City and then seen the very same plays here. They are just as good, if not better. Richard Hopkins is amazing; he continues to select plays that both confirm and challenge one’s beliefs. FST is a Sarasota treasure that keeps getting better.GAELE BARTHOLD FST is family and an integral part of my life. Its community contributions are myriad and a model of theatrical excellence. Quality and diverse stage productions at affordable prices are but one component of FST’s offerings. Other contributions include extensive contact with local schools to foster student creativity and theatre appreciation, structured and wide-ranging educational programs for adults and children, community forums and other community outreach programs, and a strong commitment to New Play Development and excellence in the arts. FST is a gem that warrants our widespread financial and artistic support. I am proud to serve on FST’s board and to support it financially and otherwise.COOKIE BOUDREAUX & DENNIS HASSELL We’ve chosen to partner with FST to generate Real Thinking. Looking behind our beliefs, assumptions, and things we take for granted in support of ongoing transformations – whether through music, humor, or drama – these productions are some of the finest gifts to all of our humanity.ED & JUDY CHRISTIAN For business travel, we experience many towns in the US. I always ask the question, “What’s important about your community?” In Sarasota, the overwhelming answer is, “It’s the arts,” followed by “We have a great theatre company with Florida Studio Theatre.” We are so fortunate to have such a professional and creative venue with so many facets. It is a cultural beacon in our community, and with your support, the future of FST will be bright.GEORGIA COURT I love great theatre and FST delivers that. FST is among the best theatre companies I have seen, but it is more than a theatre company. It is an organization that recognizes it is part of the greater community – and it reaches out to that community in positive, productive ways. Having FST so accessible adds to the joy of living in the fabulous arts community that is Sarasota.

SHIRLEY FEIN My support of FST was immediate. I felt a comfortable intimacy and a grandeur regarding their intellectually stimulating and entertaining performances. I salute FST for having exceptional management, a friendly and caring staff, and performers extraordinaire! It is my sincere pleasure to be a sponsor of the 2018-19 Winter Mainstage Season, full of new and exciting productions for us all to enjoy. See you there!SYDNEY GOLDSTEIN FST is important to me because I have always enjoyed the theatre and it provides a good, thought-provoking play. Its productions are unique to our community. My favorite show was Master Class in 1998 with Kate Alexander. I generally like the dramas, which make us think and touch our emotions. FST has many facets, all of them worthwhile. It is my pleasure to support these efforts!WENDY & BOB GRADY We were so impressed when we first visited FST, that we immediately wanted to become involved. Whenever you come across a system as unique as FST’s, where the key to getting art into the hearts of so many has been found – in a comfortable and easily accessible way – you know you’ve spotted a winner. We are proud to be season underwriters and hope that others will join us in supporting FST’s important work.GULF COAST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Together with our donors, Gulf Coast Community Foundation transforms our region through bold and proactive philanthropy. Gulf Coast is a public charity that was created in 1995 through the sale of the Venice Hospital. Since then, we have become the philanthropic home of more than 700 families who have established charitable funds here, and we have invested over $300 million in grants in the areas of health and human services, civic and economic development, education, arts and culture, and the environment. Learn more at GulfCoastCF.org. ROBERT & BONNY ISRAELOFF Our favorite FST story happened while attending a performance for the first time, many years ago and saying, “This is theatre! Do they have a season subscription?!” FST is thought-provoking, Broadway worthy theatre. We believe FST is important because it enriches our community; it helps make Sarasota what it is. This is why we have proudly contributed to past expansions – especially the new Gompertz Theatre

SEASON UNDERWRITERS

complex – to aid FST’s mission in being even more accessible to the public.ERNIE KRETZMER IN LOVING MEMORY OF ALISA KRETZMER I would describe FST as uncommonly intimate theater that is well-articulated and succinct. FST is important to me because it is the perfect window to take in the American contemporary theatre scene. A favorite play was Golda’s Balcony, which was superbly acted. I continue to support FST’s five stages of engaging theatre.DENNIS & GRACI MCGILLICUDDY FST is important to us because we believe so strongly in the transformative power of the arts. For close to 30 years now, we have been so fortunate to experience first-hand how that transformative power works its magic in the hands of an organization that is not only experienced and dedicated, but so highly skilled in their craft. The values of the theater and its leadership, as reflected in its mission and as manifested in its work, whether it be on the Mainstage, in the Cabaret, in its education and Community Outreach programs – these are values that we so strongly believe in. As a consequence, it is a privilege for us to be a part of, and be supportive of this great theatre.ANNE H.S. NETHERCOTT When asked to define giving, Anne said, “My mother used to say the best way to find you is to lose yourself, by focusing on the needs of others rather than on oneself.” So, giving has always been an important family value, which in childhood was reinforced by the community experience of surviving The Great Depression. Anne is proud to be a supporter of FST.

MURIEL O’NEIL FUND FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS OF COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SARASOTA COUNTY With a gift from The Muriel O’Neil Fund For The Performing Arts of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, an endowed fund was established to help underwrite FST’s winter Mainstage Series for many years to come. Muriel’s sister, Dr. Gertrude Hight, established this gift with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to ensure Muriel’s legacy would live on

and support an area of the community she deeply cherished. GAIL & SKIP SACK Florida Studio Theatre brings world class acting and phenomenal, thought-provoking plays to Sarasota. We’re delighted to support FST in this mission.DOROTHY WALDRON I support FST for its diversity of programming: Mainstage, Cabaret, Improv, WRITE A PLAY children’s program, Summer Camp, Adult education classes, and the VIP program for special needs children. It is truly a wonderful community asset.

JAN & LARRY COLEMAN Florida Studio Theatre is a professionally run organization bringing excellent theatre to Sarasota. Any actor or actress lucky enough to be in a Florida Studio Theatre production will find all their needs fulfilled. Even more wonderful is the commitment Florida Studio Theatre does to give children a chance to write a play! Bravo to a well-run organization!RUTH GORTON FST is truly a great regional theatre that professionally produces the work of the playwright, including children through its WRITE A PLAY program. It is a joy to see school children try their hands at playwriting and then to see their plays produced on the FST stage. It is equally exciting to see plays produced by contemporary artists and it is a thrill for me to sponsor these productions.SALLY YANOWITZ Florida Studio Theatre is a won-derful organization that continually does new and innovative work. I love the theatre and being able to support the plays on the co-producer level has become a joyous part of my life! The arts are import-ant and FST honors their importance.

SEASON UNDERWRITERS

CO-PRODUCERS

Recognizes our Gold Circle members for their commitment to the Art of FST, establishing an endowed fund to support cherished programs for life.

FST FORUMS

OTHER CELEBRATED FATHER-SON DRAMASBY JENNA TENSOR

Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King by Sophocles, 429 BC: Follows the story of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, who receives confusing advice from an oracle that leads to him accidentally killing his father, and unknowingly sleeping with his mother. As far as father-son dramas go, this one ends badly.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or Hamlet by William Shakespeare, 1609: Shakespeare’s longest play, and one of the most influential works of literature to ever have been written. The play sparked many adaptations, such as Disney’s The Lion King, and the prolific Star Wars franchise. This one takes the cake, considering Hamlet’s dad is already dead when they finally decide to start working out their issues.

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, 1949: This play ran for 742 performances after its initial Broadway premiere, and has since been revived on Broadway four times. Considered one of the best plays of the 20th century, the drama tells the story of an unhappy salesman who struggles to express his worry that his sons’ lives will become as meaningless as his own.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, 1955: Won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama the year of its release, and follows the story of Big Daddy Pollitt, a wealthy cotton tycoon in the Mississippi Delta. Big Daddy is dying of cancer, and everyone knows except him. If ever there’s been a family on the brink of destruction, it’s this one.

Fences by August Wilson, 1983: This play won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play the year of its release. Fences is set in the 1950’s and follows the story of Troy, a 53 year-old African American who struggles to provide for his family. This play has it all—baseball, accidental murder, and father-son conflict.

Left to right: Phillip Clark and Jess Prichard. Photo by Matthew Holler.

FST FORUMS

“What is the last play in the world I would ever want to write?”

MEET “THE MOST ADVENTEROUS DOWNTOWN PLAYWRIGHT OF A GENERATION”

FST FORUMS

“Off the top of your head, what do you want to do with your life?” asked Young Jean Lee’s therapist in a session one day. Completely a surprise to her, Lee blurted out, “I want to be a playwright.” At the time, Lee was enrolled in UC Berkeley’s English PhD program and was feeling unchallenged and unfulfilled. In the coming years, she moved to New York City and enrolled in Brooklyn College’s distinguished playwriting graduate program. When it came time to submit her first script, she couldn’t create anything that she felt was strong enough. She had a sort of “stage fright” because she wanted to write something that was as interesting as the work of playwrights she admired. Her mentor, Mac Wellman, advised that she write a script that she didn’t want to write, that she work on a script that would be the worst possible play she could think of. Lee has taken that advice to heart, and every time that she begins a new project she asks herself, “What is the last play in the world I would ever want to write?”

This unorthodox approach to playwriting has turned out to be quite fruitful for Young Jean Lee, who has since written and directed ten of her own plays. She created her own theatre company and her work has toured to over 30 cities internationally. Lee has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, earned two Obie Awards, received a Prize in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and has received numerous grants from arts organizations and commissions from theatres across the country. The New Yorker calls her “a troubling, necessary presence” in American theater, while The New York Times dubs her “the most adventurous downtown playwright of her generation.”

You may ask yourself, what exactly is it about Young Jean Lee’s work that makes it so “adventurous?” After all, one of her first plays, The Appeal (2004), features Romantic poets arguing about writing, literature, and furniture. Sounds pretty innocuous, right? In reality, no one is safe from Young Jean Lee’s discerning eye—her work tackles assumptions about identity, no matter its shape or size. She has written plays about Asian Americans (Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven) and African Americans (The Shipment). She’s enveloped audiences in a religious service (Church) and invited members to sing and dance with the actors playing the “congregation.” One of her earlier plays, Pullman, WA, places the audience in a self-help seminar that examines the best way to live life. Regardless of what topic she tackles in her work—wheth-er it is mortality, religion, or gender—Lee approaches each endeavor with compassion and respect, and frequently adds in large amounts of humor just to be safe.

Unrestrained by the limits of theatrical form and unafraid to confront complicated and sensitive subjects, Lee’s courage and creative genius have catapulted her into a league of her own. Lee is the first Asian American woman to have her work produced on the Great White Way. She has broken into a world that has mostly been populated by straight white men, thus paving the way for other female Asian American playwrights like Julia Cho (Office Hour), Lauren Yee (The Great Leap), and Qui Nguyen (Vietgone). Plus, Lee is in high demand—she is currently under commission from Lincoln Center Theater and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is a songwriter and vocalist with the band Future Wife, and is working on material for television and film. Looks like Young Jean Lee is coming for you next, Hollywood.

MEET “THE MOST ADVENTEROUS DOWNTOWN PLAYWRIGHT OF A GENERATION” BY LYDIA BAXTER

941.366.9000 | floridastudiotheatre.org

FST COMPANYBOARD OF TRUSTEES

President ............................................... Dennis McGillicuddyVice-President ............................................. Richard HopkinsSecretary/Treasurer .......................................Jennifer MichellTrustee ..............................................................Gaele BartholdTrustee ...............................................................Georgia CourtTrustee .......................................................... Patricia CourtoisTrustee ................................................................Jeff HotchkissTrustee .............................................................Robert IsraeloffTrustee ..............................................................Barbara LupoffTrustee ................................Chief Judge Charles E. Williams

EXECUTIVE STAFFProducing Artistic Director ....................... Richard HopkinsManaging Director ......................................Rebecca Hopkins

ARTISTIC STAFFAssociate Director At-Large .........................Kate AlexanderCasting/Hiring Coordinator .......................... James AshfordResident Pianist ..................................................... Jim ProsserAssociate Artist ................................................. Jason CannonAssociate Artist .......................................Catherine RandazzoDirector of Improvisation ......................................Will LueraAssistant to the Artistic Director .....................Doris IemoloLiterary Associate ................................................. Meg Gilbert

PRODUCTION STAFFProduction Manager ............................................. Bruce PriceMainstage Stage Manager ...................................... Roy JohnsMainstage Stage Manager ...................................Kelli KarrenAssistant Stage Manager ................................. Jynelly RosarioTechnical Director ........................................... Mike SchwentCostume Shop Manager ...........................Adrienne WebberSound Supervisor .................................................Thom KorpProps/Paint Supervisor .............................. Kristine KreutzerLead Carpenter ................................................. Marco Acosta

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFFGeneral Manager .............................................Jill ZakrzewskiDirector of IT .................................................... Clarke WeigleDirector of Finance ....................................... Orville Cordero Business Manager .......................................Carmen GonzalezBusiness Office Associate. ...........................Reanna BourqueBusiness Office Associate ................................David WallaceAsst. to the Managing Dir ..........................Phyllis SilvermanFacilities Manager .......................................Joseph Goepfrich Facilities Technician .............................. Mark Quackenbush Company Manager ...........................................Luke JohnsonDirector of Marketing .....................................Becca JenningsPublic Relations Associate ................................. Lydia BaxterDigital Marketing Associate ............................. Emily Blazek Marketing Assistant ............................................. Sarah HaleyDirector of Indiv. Giving ................ Melody Mora-ShihadehDevelopment Associate .................................Samus HaddadDevelopment Associate ..................................Melanie SlusarPatron Services Manager ....................Kelsey Wehde Wilson Box Office Manager ......................................... Ryan SimpsonAsst. Box Office Manager ..............................Mateo Cristiani Asst. Box Office Manager ...................................Gigi DelperoAsst. Box Office Manager ...........................Noah ScheibmeirEvents Coordinator ........................................Matthew QuickRestaurant Manager .............................................. Tom CurryRestaurant Manager ..........................................Karen KrasterRestaurant Manager ........................................... Josh RodoskiAsst. Restaurant Manager .................................. Kristy PlumReceptionist/ Volunteer Coord ....................... Joan O’Dowd

EDUCATION & TOURSDirector of Children’s Theatre .....................Caroline KaiserDirector of Education ...............................Christine HopkinsEducation Administrator .................................Pamela SmithTeaching Artist/YPF Coordinator ...................Adam Ratner Education Group Sales Assoc ......................Hannah BagnallTeaching Artist .....................................................Denee Lortz

COMMUNITY RESOURCE GROUP

AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT GROUP

OUTSIDE ASSISTANCEHouse Counsel ................................................. John PattersonFacility Custodian .....................................Carlos De Oliveira...............................................Confidence Cleaning CompanyCaretaker ................................................................ Doctor Nik

INTERN PROGRAMActing Apprentice ...............................................Kayla FainerActing Apprentice ......................................... Emily HardestyActing Apprentice ..........................................Austin HowethActing Apprentice ......................................... Nora McAuliffeActing Apprentice ............................................. Jamie MolinaActing Apprentice ...............................................Drew Norris Acting Apprentice ................................................Erin PaxtonActing Apprentice ....................................... Ben SoutherlandActing Apprentice .............................................. Liam TannerActing Apprentice .................................... Anna WeatherwaxActing Apprentice ..................................................Liv Wilson Company Management Intern .............................. Ali Durso Development Intern ......................................... Jordan FaddisLiterary Intern ............................................................ TJ LewisLiterary Intern ............................................... Michael NicholsLiterary Intern .................................................... Jenna TonsorLiterary & Directing Intern ...........................Irene MartinkoLiterary & Playwriting Intern ........................Sarah DurhamMarketing Intern ............................................. Emma RhynerScenic Production Intern .................................... Eva Hoesch Scenic Production Intern ..................................Justen Zhang Production Management Intern .......................... Erin SpenoProduction Assistant Intern ....................Kelsey PeavyhouseSound Intern ....................................................... Joseph ParisiStage Management Intern ...................................... Meg GreyStage Management Intern ....................................Liora JacobStage Management Intern ................................... Tanner LiasStage Management Intern ....................... Maddie LugenbeelStage Management Intern ............................. David Sabbagh

Ina SchnellCommissioner Willie

Charles ShawHoward Tevlowitz

Chief Judge Charles E.WilliamsRose Chapman

Hon. Larry L. EgerTrevor HarveyThe Jewish Federation of Sarasota-ManateeGilbert KingMichéle D. RedwineDr. Eddy Regnier

Jan ColemanLarry ColemanShirley FeinMaddy FreshwaterCarol GilbertSy Goldblatt Jim GoldmanSandy GoldmanRobert GradyWendy GradyBonny IsraeloffValerie Joels

Patricia KordisMarie Kropp

Susan LandauFrank MalicksonMatty Matheson

Graci McGillicuddyIna Schnell

Alan SchottensteinLois Schottenstein

Lois StulbergCharlie Ann Syprett

Martin Taffel