FST presents the Rolling World Premiere of DOUBLEWIDE

FST concludes the Summer Mainstage season with the NNPN ROLLING WORLD PREMIERE of Doublewide by Stephen Spotswood. This brand new work reveals the reality and comedy of blue collar family life and runs from August 2 through August 20 in the Gompertz Theatre. Tickets are available online at floridastudiotheatre.org or by calling the box office at 941-366-9000.

Jim Starkey's American Dream is a modest one: to replace the family's doublewide trailer with a comfy house his daughter can inherit. His family's aspirations, though, may be shaped by forces and desires beyond his control. Doublewide is a heartfelt and resonant comedy about a blue-collar family's elusive dreams, and just how far they will go to hold on to them... and to each other. The new work has already received critical praise. Florida Weekly calls it "A timely and insightful script" with "Wonderful scenes of humor and connection" and "Moments of levity."

Doublewide is part of NNPN's flagship initiative, its Rolling World Premiere Program. This supports three or more theatres that choose to mount the same new play within a 12-month period. The result is an NNPN Rolling World Premiere, in which a playwright develops a new work with multiple creative teams in at least three different communities. The playwright is part of the process, working on the script and making adjustments based on what is learned from each production. FST is the first stop in this NNPN Rolling World Premiere. FST is the second stop in this Rolling Premiere. Additional theatres presenting Doublewide are Florida Repertory Theatre, Vermont Stage, and Williamston Theatre.

Directing this cast of charismatic characters is FST Associate Artist, Jason Cannon. "The playwright has so clearly tapped in to a raw vein of frustration and hopelessness that seems to be permeating our modern middle class," said Cannon. "But this family, all of whom are just trying to do the best they can with the brutal cards they've been dealt, is so full of life and humor, that the bleakness of their circumstances fades in the face of their ability to simply move forward."

Spotswood has been involved with FST's rehearsal process and continued development of this World Premiere production. Cannon speaks to the excitement of this creative collaboration stating, "I cherish every opportunity to work on a new play with the playwright, to be a sounding board for their new ideas and a witness to their creative frustrations and discoveries. Because the script isn't 'locked' or 'finished', it keeps me in a humble place as a director: I have to be ready to jettison my 'brilliant' ideas because that line or scene or prop may change or get cut! But I also gain a keener sense of fulfillment, because I have to hold a space for the playwright to romp around in, which results in a production fully vetted by the artist who first conceived it: the playwright."

Cast in this production are returning company members, Todd Licea and Kim Crow. Licea was previously seen in FST's acclaimed Stage III production of Stalking the Bogeyman. Crow has performed in past FST productions of Golda's Balcony and Fire On The Mountain.

Licea speaks to his personal connection to his character, Big Jim stating, "I too am a father of a young woman. I understand the desire to want to have something to pass on and to want to give my daughter more than I had. But I can also relate to the world not always fitting our picture of what we think it should be. And how that regardless of what the world throws at us, we must always hang on to hope; To never give up; To not allow ourselves to give in to self-pity and to get back on that horse and begin again."

Making her Mainstage debut is former FST Acting Apprentice, Alexa Fajardo Eldridge. During her time as an Acting Apprentice, she also performed in the cast of FST Improv and the cast of FST's first Children's Improv show, Zap! Bang! Pow! Eldridge speaks to the transition from apprentice to professional stating, "Heading into this rehearsal process, it's relieving to have already worked with the director. I've worked with Jason Cannon on a few projects during my apprenticeship, so it's helpful knowing how he works and what he expects right out of the gate. I'm incredibly grateful for the year I've spent here, and I can't wait to bring an incredible woman to life on FST's mainstage this summer!"

Rounding out the cast are newcomers Gisela Chípe and Nick Piacente. Chípe's previous credits include Water By the Spoonful, Blithe Spirit, and Boeing Boeing. Piacente's has been seen in productions such as Fox on the Fairway, Romeo and Juliet, and The Tempest.

With rehearsals underway, Cannon concludes, "The first time I read this play, I was eager to direct it," said Cannon. "The characters were delightfully vivid. I could see and hear this family, the Starkeys. I knew and understood them. I admired their blunt world view and bone-deep desire to fight even when the stack is decked against them. As I read, I laughed aloud and gasped more than once. The unvarnished wisdom of their words, and the caustic edges of their expressions of love for each other simply rang true."

Doublewide runs from August 2 through August 20 in the Gompertz Theatre. Tickets are available online at floridastudiotheatre.org or by calling the box office at 941-366-9000.

ABOUT FLORIDA Studio Theatre

Known as Sarasota's Contemporary Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 by Artist, 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 five theatre venues: the Keating Theatre, the Goldstein Cabaret, the renovated Gompertz Theatre, the John C. Court Cabaret and Bowne's Lab Theatre.

Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience. Under Producing Artistic Director and CEO, Richard Hopkins, 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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