Florida Studio Theatre Presents BRIDGE AND TUNNEL 12/16-2/13/2010

Florida Studio Theatre continues its Winter Mainstage Season with the Tony Award-Winning Bridge and Tunnel, written by playwright and poet Sarah Jones, opening at the Gompertz Theatre December 16 and running through February 13, 2010.

A Broadway hit and one woman tour de force, Bridge and Tunnel introduces the audience to fourteen distinct different characters - varying in age, gender, race, ethnicity, and history - and showcases what America is really all about. In the search of liberty, equality and the opportunity for the American Dream, these characters collide in a riotous and endearing tribute to the New York City melting pot.

"A master of the genre," according to The New York Times, Bridge and Tunnel is set against the backdrop of an annual Poetry Reading. Mohammed serves as the Master of Ceremonies; his poor attempt at humor keeps the audience laughing and the other poets, from the eleven year old Dominican girl from the Bronx to an older Jordanian woman, loosely on cue. Each brings their humor, pride and experiences as an immigrant to the stage in this multicultural, entertaining open mic night.

Director and FST Associate Director, Kate Alexander commented, "Bridge and Tunnel reflects the stories of the new immigrants, fourteen people in all from Juan Jose to Mrs. Ling, people we may pass by on the streets, in life. And yet, as we witness the hopes and dreams of these most funny, endearing, moving people, we relive, the same bright promise of our own ancestors all of our ancestors. Whether, (as Rose Aime in the play says) we are ‘first, fifth or tenth generation,' we come into contact with our communal past, present and future: the ancestors who make up the great yearning dream for something better. More than a country, a living dream we call America." 

Opening on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre in 2006, FST will be the first regional theatre in the US to produce the hit show. Bridge and Tunnel will star New York Actress Joanna Rhinehart and South Florida Actress Karen Stephens, alternating performances.

Theatre and Television Actress JoAnna Rhinehart was a contract performer on As The World Turns as Jessica Griffin and also on CBS' Hack as Deborah Washington. Rhinehart also has appeared in Canterbury's Law, Law & Order SVU and has a recurring role on FX's Damages. Her Theatre credits include The Tempest, Our Town, To Be Young, Gifted and Black, Lost Boy Found at Whole Foods and many others.

Florida resident and Carbonell nominated actress Karen Stephens has appeared in numerous productions at Florida Stage including Running with Scissors, Bee-Luther-Hatchee and others. Stephens has also appeared in West Side Story, The All Night Strut and Ain't Misbehavin.

Florida Studio Theatre's Associate Director, Kate Alexander will direct. On the FST stages some of the plays she has directed are Pure Confidence, Underneath the Lintel, The Miamians, Wit, Proof, Lobby Hero, Ten Unknowns, The Exonerated, Brooklyn Boy, ...And LA is Burning as well as the company developed pieces, the Playmakers and Under Six. Ms. Alexander has created a vast Education and Touring Program for FST including the award-winning WRITE A PLAY program touching the lives of over 55,000 children annually in the US, Scotland, Israel, China and Russia and serving as a model for theatres throughout the nation. Ms. Alexander has also pioneered an acting training method for children, which serves as the foundation for the FST School, serving 600 children yearly. Ms. Alexander has also been a resident actress with Florida Studio Theatre for the past 20 years. Some of her leading roles were seen in the plays: Golda's Balcony, Master Class, The Play about The Baby, The Goat, Filumena, Three Tall Women and most recently, Edward Albee's Occupant. Ms. Alexander is the recipient of numerous acting, directing and public service awards. Most recently, Ms. Alexander's WRITE A PLAY program was a feature of the PBS special Kids in the Arts and she co-authored the book Ideas for the Animated Short: Finding and Building Stories. 

The endearing Bridge and Tunnel opens December 16 and continues through February 13, 2010 at the Gompertz Theatre. 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.

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