FST Reveals Lineup For 2025 Burdick Play Reading Festival

Florida Studio Theatre has announced the lineup for its 2025 Burdick New Play Festival, featuring three staged readings of new works by contemporary American Playwrights. This year's Festival presents My Brother Jake by Dave Osmundsen, Zoom Therapy by Lucile Lichtblau, and Dog Mom by Tate Hanyok. Readings will take place on April 18, April 25, and May 2 at 3PM in FST's Keating Theatre.

New play development is at the heart of FST's mission. Festivals like this provide works in progress with a platform, live audience, artistic support, and valuable feedback, helping nurture new plays from page to stage. To date, FST has produced 37 world premieres, many of which began in its New Play Development program.

Each playwright featured in the Festival will travel to Sarasota for a week of rehearsals with FST's artistic staff and guest artists. After a week of development sessions, their work will be presented as a script-in-hand staged reading, followed by an audience discussion to further refine the play.

"New plays don't develop in a vacuum — they require intense hard work and collaboration," said FST Associate Artist in charge of New Play Development, Nancy Rominger. "Much like children, they don't arrive fully formed; it takes a village to nurture them. You, our audience, are an essential part of that village, playing a vital role in shaping these plays. I can't wait to see these original works come to life on our stage and to witness the unique ways in which you respond to them."

"We have the ability to shape these stories with the help of a live audience, who are essential to the creative process," added Catherine Randazzo, FST Associate Artist. "I'm particularly excited about this year's Festival because we welcome three new playwrights whose work is new to FST. The importance of allowing them to have an audience to help shape their plays cannot be overstated. The feedback and interaction from a live audience are invaluable in refining and enhancing the storytelling, ensuring that the final production resonates deeply with viewers."

A full Festival schedule can be found at the end of this release. Subscriptions to all three readings range from $15-$25, and single tickets are $10. Tickets are now available online or by calling FST's Box Office at (941) 366-9000.

2025 Burdick Play Reading Festival Lineup

My Brother Jake

by Dave Osmundsen

Friday, April 18, 2025 @ 3PM in FST's Keating Theatre

A compelling play that delves into the intricate dynamics between twin brothers Jake and Ethan Barnsley. Jake, an Autistic theatre artist, has achieved a career many deem “inspiring,” while his higher-needs twin, Ethan, has often lived in his shadow. As Jake faces pivotal crossroads in his life and career, long-standing resentments surface, prompting Ethan to assert his desire for autonomy. The play thoughtfully examines themes of sibling rivalry, the spectrum of neurodivergence, and the quest for personal agency.

DAVE OSMUNDSEN is an award-winning Autistic playwright and dramaturg whose work has been developed and presented at the Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Workshop, KCACTF Region 8, the Great Plains Theatre Conference, B Street Theatre, the William Inge Theatre Festival, Phoenix Theatre Company, Clamour Theatre Company, Premiere Stages, the Valdez Theatre Conference, and more. He was one of two recipients of the inaugural Future of Playwriting Prize, awarded by The Blank Theatre and Ucross Foundation. His play Light Switch premiered with Spectrum Theatre Ensemble in April 2022 and has earned numerous accolades, including the 2021 Distinguished Achievement recipient of the Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award. The play was also an Honorable Mention finalist for BAPF 2021, longlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, a finalist for the 2020 Carlo Annoni Playwriting Prize, and a semi-finalist for the 2020 National Playwrights Conference. His one-act A Firework Unexploded was a semi-finalist for the NYC Audio Theatre Writing Contest and was later produced by Pint-Sized in London. His plays have been published in The Dionysian, Canyon Voices, Exposition Review, Fresh Words: Contemporary One Act Plays, Volume 5, and Broadway Play Publishing. Osmundsen was a literary intern at Florida Studio Theatre from June 2015 to May 2016, where he contributed to script evaluation and new play development. He holds an MFA in Playwriting from Arizona State University.

Zoom Therapy

by Lucile Lichtblau

Friday, April 25, 2025 @ 3PM in FST's Keating Theatre

Ruthie impatiently waits on Zoom to speak with her therapist, Duncan. What begins as a routine session quickly unravels into a revealing exploration of her life, her past, and the blurred lines between truth and perception. As their virtual conversations unfold, Ruthie challenges Duncan's role as both observer and guide, leading to unexpected revelations for them both. Zoom Therapy is a sharp, thought-provoking play that delves into the complexities of human connection, memory, and the very nature of reality — one session at a time.

LUCILE LICHTBLAU is an award-winning playwright whose work has been produced across the country. Her play The English Bride premiered Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters in October 2013, following rolling world premieres at Theatre Exile (Philadelphia, PA) and Centenary Stage (Hackettstown, NJ). The play went on to have its West Coast premiere at The Road Theatre (North Hollywood, CA) in March 2015, with a staged reading at The Workshop Theatre of Nantucket that same month. The English Bride has received critical acclaim, winning the Susan Glaspell Prize and the Israel Baran Award, and earning nominations for the ATCA/Steinberg New Play Award and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Her play The Hemings Diary was developed at the Southern Writers' Project of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and has had readings at Luna-Stage/">Luna Stage, Penguin Rep, Capital Stage, and Two Planks Productions (Brooklyn, NY). It was a finalist for Inkwell/Woolly Mammoth (Washington, D.C.) and won second place at Theatre Conspiracy (Fort Myers, FL). Lichtblau's play Sorrento was developed at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, where it received a reading in May 2014. Car Talk had its world premiere at Stageworks (Hudson, NY) and a regional premiere at And Toto Too Theatre Company (Denver, CO). Starstruck was featured in a staged reading at The Road Theatre's Festival of New Plays in August 2015. Her short plays have been produced at Stageworks, Manhattan Theatre Source, The Vital Theatre, The Hudson Opera House, and other venues. She has also had four short plays produced by Public Access TV (Great Neck, NY), with Seems Like Old Times winning awards for both Best Comedy and Drama for regional Public Access Stations. Lichtblau holds an MFA in Playwriting from Yale Drama, where she was a recipient of the MCA Fellowship. She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild (DG) and Actors' Equity Association (AEA).

Dog Mom

by Tate Hanyok

Friday, May 2, 2025 @ 3PM in FST's Keating Theatre

Liz is a tough-as-nails New Yorker whose life is unraveling faster than her morning bagel. The last thing she needs? A scruffy stray dog parked on her stoop. As the least dog person on the planet, Liz agrees to foster the pup — temporarily. But what starts as an inconvenient favor turns into an unexpected, hilarious, and heartwarming journey of self-discovery, unlikely friendships, and the surprising ways we find family in the chaos of life. Dog Mom is a sharp, feel-good comedy that proves sometimes, the right companion has four legs and terrible manners.

TATE HANYOK is a California native transplant, by way of colonial Virginia. Her upbringing in the land of historical reenactments and federal government careers led her liberal, budding artist soul to flee westward. As a writer and film maker her perspective is steeped in themes of the endless and unpredictable reality of the underdog, and the strength and magic of community. She's had many careers to support her desire to be a storyteller from housecleaning for Hollywood's elite, leading guided hikes for underprivileged youth, even a pastry chef at a restaurant on the Sunset Strip. But the thread that remains consistent is her hope to connect with humanity by telling the stories of her unsung heroes. Despite facing much adversity as a youth, she received a BFA from VCU School of the Arts, became a company member at the B Street Theatre (founder's Busfield and Sorkin), and has since appeared in dozens of television shows and films. Tate is also an improviser and the private comedy coach to many actors on popular television series.

To post a comment, you must register and login.