BOLEROS FOR THE DISENCHANTED Runs Thru 4/4 At FST

He knows exactly where he was when the acting bug bit him. David Perez-Ribada, who is playing in the current run of Boleros for the Disenchanted at the Florida Studio Theatre, was a freshman at Grosse Pointe Michigan High School in 1990 when he was struck by the aura of the stage.

He had a small part in the musical 42nd Street. The cast was fired up, the theater-goers were receptive, the curtain call was resounding, and the audience stood and cheered. Perez-Ribada was the first solo curtain call, the folks were still on their feet, and the cheers put him in the stratosphere. "I was on a high for four days," he said.

Now a professional actor, Perez-Ribada follows the dream and tracks plays, playwrights, and theaters for roles that would suit him, keeping in mind three questions he asks himself to determine whether a role would be a good fit for him:
Will it help him artistically?
Will it help his career?
And does it pay enough?
"Sometimes, as an artist, you have to sacrifice one of your criteria. Two out of three isn't bad," he said. "In the last eight years, I have managed to make a career out of this crazy business."

Sarasota theater-goers saw Perez-Ribada last year in The Miamians by Michael McKeever. This year, the 33-year-old actor plays three roles in Jose Rivera's Boleros for the Disenchanted.

The actor has always admired Rivera's work, and he was especially drawn to this drama's theme, he said, "a lesson of lasting love." In Act I, he plays two very different characters and manages a lightning-fast costume change. First, he is Manuelo, a swaggering macho swain, who professes his love to his fiancée and insists that men have needs that run contrary to the notion of fidelity.
Perez-Ribada said, "It was so much fun to play Manuelo, because he is so different from me." When the inevitable argument is over and Manuelo leaves the stage, he is barely out of sight when his mustache is torn off, his broad-shouldered jacket is whisked away and replaced by a priest's robe, his hair is covered with a clerical hat, and - voila! Gone is the swaggering Manuelo; a priest enters the set with a careful, slightly tipsy gait.

In Act II, Perez-Ribada dons priestly garb again, as a very different older priest. The playwright specifies, that Manuelo and the second priest be played by the same actor, Perez-Ribada said. The priestly message, he said, is not so different from that of Manuelo, but it is couched in biblical language.

For this actor, working in the theater is both a craft and a calling. His fellow thespians are as important to his joy of performing as his own place in the drama. "The beauty of this cast," he said, "is that every single one of them is so invested in their character." "I enjoy working at Florida Studio Theatre," he said. "They are extremely professional in an intimate setting. They could put this play on anywhere."
The comedic love story, Boleros for the Disenchanted continues through April 3, 2009 at the Keating Mainstage. Tickets are $19 - $32 and may be purchased from the FST Box Office in person, by phone (941) 366 - 9000 or online at www.floridastudiotheatre.org !

Known as Sarasota's Contemporary Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 by Jon Spelman. Starting out as a small touring company, FST traveled to places such as migrant camps and prisons. The company eventually settled down into a permanent home, acquiring the former Woman's Club building - now renamed the Keating Theatre. In the years that followed, Florida Studio

Theatre established itself as a major force in American Theatre, presenting contemporary theatre in its three theatre venues: the Keating Theatre, the Goldstein Cabaret and its newest space, the Gompertz Theatre.

Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience. Under Richard Hopkins, Artistic Director and CEO, FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. As FST grows and expands, it continues to provide audiences with challenging, contemporary drama and innovative programs.

Florida Studio Theatre is grateful to Robert and Bonny Israeloff, Dennis and Graci McGillicuddy and Jules & Sheila Rose for underwriting the 2008 - 2009 Mainstage Season and to the Florida Arts Council, Sarasota Arts Council, Tourist Development Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Boleros for the Disenchanted
Remaining Schedule
The Keating Theatre
$19-$34
Performance Schedule
Through April 3, 2009

Photo by Amy Steinmetz

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