Florida Studio Theatre Begins Sarasota Improv Festival

FST's Sarasota Improv Festival is here! This weekend brings two-nights of comedy to Downtown Sarasota with 10 of the hottest groups on the Improv scene nationwide. Acts from New York City, Boston, Austin, Miami, Atlanta (and everywhere in between) will perform on the Cabaret stage in the festival that Sarasota Magazine called "high-energy" and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
called "hilarious." The festival will also feature Improv workshops taught by the professional Improvisers attending the festival. This is a must-see event for anyone with a funny bone!
Due to popular demand for the Saturday workshops, an additional workshop has been added at 3pm. ImprovBoston will now host a second Free Form Workshop at 3pm in the rehearsal studios. Workshops are $29 each. "We'll review the tools that will enable to creat a unique free-form performing experience every time you hit the stage," said ImprovBoston Artistic Director, Will Luera. "We will review ideas of listening to what the show wants, what can be funny, when are the best times to edit and how to edit the scene."

As for the performances, FST's homegrown troupe, FST Improv kicks off the festival at 6pm on Friday, July 15. What follows will be nonstop laughter as the two-day event continues all throughout FST's campus. Each of the 10 groups will perform a 45-minute set over the
course of the weekend. All groups are unique in performance and style, bringing different types of Improv shows to Sarasota: traditional Improv games, long-form comedy, short sketches and musical improv.

Also, after the festival fun happens this weekend, the Austin, Texas troupe, Available Cupholders, will remain in Sarasota for an additional week for Improv master classes and two special performances. The master classes will take place in the evenings of July 19, 20 and 21 and
will span Improv comedy education and more. Their special performance shows will be on Friday July 22 and 23 at 8pm in the Cabaret.

Hopkins said, "They are putting together a special show together just for the weekend that will be completely off-the-wall and different from their Festival performance. The troupe is always exciting to work with. We have really enjoyed building a partnership with this Austinbased group."

THE FINE PRINT: The Sarasota Improv Festival is a two-day event taking place July 15 and 16 in the Goldstein Cabaret. Weekend passes are available for $49, while night passes are available for $29. Individual Show Tickets are $10 (Kids Komedy Club are only $6 and includes lunch and FST's Vintage Whine is $5) and may be purchased from the FST Box Office in person by phone (941) 366-9000 or online www.FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Florida Studio Theatre is grateful to the Sarasota Improv Festival Sponsors: SRQ Media Group, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Spotlight Graphics, Broadway Bar, Whole Foods, Northern Trust, Anything Arts, and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues. Generous hotels sponsors include: Hampton Inn, Mariott Inn and Suites, Cypress Bed and Breakfast Inn Hotel Ranola, Hotel Indigo, Hyatt Place, and the Helmsley Sandcastle Hotel.

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