Florida Studio Theatre Announces 38th Annual Burdick New Play Festival

Florida Studio Theatre announces its 38th annual Richard and Betty Burdick New Play Festival, presenting three staged readings of new works by contemporary American Playwrights.

Part of FST's New Play Development program, this three-day series will take place in FST's Keating Theatre on April 24, May 1, and May 8 at 3PM each day. Subscriptions to all three readings range from $15-25. Single tickets are $10. Subscriptions and single tickets are now on sale at floridastudiotheatre.org or through FST's Box Office at 941-366-9000.

As Sarasota's Contemporary Theatre, new play development is integral to FST's programming, serving as one of its six core programs. Through New Play Development, FST provides a forum for new works to be heard, discussed, and workshopped. The three playwrights featured in this Festival-Thomas Gibbons, Nora Leahy, and Cat Miller-will each travel to Sarasota for one week of rehearsals and development sessions with FST's artistic staff. At the end of each week, a staged reading of their plays will be performed for a live audience, followed by discussions about the work in progress. Audiences will have an opportunity to share their experience of the play in progress with the playwright. These sessions are essential to the development and creation of new plays, giving playwrights access to artistic support and audience feedback. These discussions also give FST the opportunity to understand how the audience connects with each piece. Two plays that have been part of the Festival-Honor Killing by Sarah Bierstock and Wednesday's Child by Mark St. Germain-went on to be produced on FST's Mainstage the following season.

Spearheading the New Play Development program is Associate Artist Catherine Randazzo. "The Burdick New Play Festival provides playwrights with a fully immersive developmental process, including artists, directors, and dramaturgical work, which help them define the details of their play's story," said Randazzo. "This process drives the play forward and digs into the heart of the play. The most important element is then added: the audience."

FST's artistic staff has been following the development of this year's plays for over a year-Steal Her Bones by Thomas Gibbons, The Hope Hypothesis by Cat Miller, and Badlands by Nora Leahy. "Two of these plays have never been produced, and one [The Hope Hypothesis] had a small off-Broadway production in 2019," said Randazzo. "We are looking forward to working with Thomas Gibbons, a playwright FST already has a relationship with, as well as Nora Leahy and Cat Miller, two new playwrights who will help broaden FST audiences' scope of emerging contemporary writers."

The Festival begins on Friday, April 24 with Steal Her Bones by Thomas Gibbons, whose previous plays include Permanent Collection and Bee-luther-hatchee, both of which have received productions at FST. Gibbons' latest play explores the clash between reason and faith, centering on Diana Goodwin, an esteemed evolutionary biologist and atheist. After Diana passes away from cancer, a theologian named Martin Banks publically announces he met Diana during her final days and she finally accepted the existence of God. Diana's partner, Ellen, must then decide whether to mourn the loss of her love in private or start a public battle over Diana's true beliefs. Steal Her Bones explores a deep, human mystery: who owns our legacy after we're gone?

Following Steal Her Bones is Cat Miller's The Hope Hypothesis on May 1, a dark comedy which received its World Premiere production at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture (NY, NY) this past fall. When Amena, a Syrian-born woman, goes to finalize her immigration paperwork, her uncommon birth certificate triggers an absurd series of events that take on a life of their own. The Hope Hypothesis examines mistrust and fearing others, and how that suspicion affects individuals and society as a whole. Miller, a Drama League fellowship recipient, will direct the staged reading of her latest work on May 1 in FST's Keating Theatre.

Badlands by Nora Leahy brings FST's Burdick New Play Festival to a close on May 8. Set in Philadelphia during the summer of 2017, Badlands tells the story of three library employees situated at the heart of "The Badlands," a neighborhood with one of the largest open-air drug markets and shooting galleries on the East Coast. As the city prepares to shut the market down, the trio becomes the first responders to the opioid crisis and watch as their neighborhood drastically changes. Directed by Kristen Coury, a Guest Director from the National New Play Network (NNPN), Badlands examines what people owe to one another and to the places they come from.

The Richard and Betty Burdick New Play Festival will take place in FST's Keating Theatre on April 24, May 1, and May 8 at 3PM each day. Subscriptions to all three readings range from $15-25. Single tickets are $10 each. Subscriptions and single tickets are now on sale at floridastudiotheatre.org or through FST's Box Office at 941-366-9000.

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