Florida Studio Theatre Presents A 'BEARY' BIG ADVENTURE

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) proudly presents A Beary Big Adventure & Other Winning Plays, a collection of plays inspired by the imaginations of children in sixth grade and below. A Beary Big Adventure & Other Winning Plays is presented as part of FST's WRITE A PLAY (WAP) program, an award-winning arts integration initiative that inspires and teaches young students the fundamentals of playwriting. Students use their skills to craft their own theatrical pieces, before submitting them to FST's annual youth playwriting competition. Winning playwrights have their work selected out of thousands of submissions from around the world, and presented as a professional production with skilled actors at FST. This year's compilation of winning plays is titled A 'Beary' Adventure & Other Winning Plays.

This production will play to school groups starting March 28 via FST's WRITE A PLAY program and to the public on Saturdays (and select Sundays) from March 30 to April 27 as part of FST's Children's Theatre Series. Single tickets are just $10. For more information, please contact FST's Box Office at 941-366-9000 or visit The Children's Theatre page online at floridastudiotheatre.org. To book your school, please contact Hannah Bagnall at hbagnall@floridastudiotheatre.org.

Wise, heartfelt, and often hilarious, this anthology of award-winning short plays highlights the most creative and imaginative writing by elementary school students from around the world. Some of this year's exciting original works include Murtle the Turtle in Dangerous Waters, The Loss I Had, Aquarium After Dark, and Peanut Butter & Me. This year's play submissions to FST's WRITE A PLAY program reached as far as Italy, Israel, Scotland, and Russia. Every submitted play undergoes a thorough evaluation process, and is read at least twice by FST staff members and community volunteers.

When choosing winners, FST looks for plays with an imaginative plot and character, a strong sense of rhythm in the dialogue, innate wisdom, and diverse themes. Adam Ratner, FST's Young Playwrights Festival Coordinator and Lead Teaching Artist, said, "The plays that were submitted this year run the emotional gamut. From a heartfelt tale of understanding one's true purpose in The Star Who Could Not Twinkle to hi-jinx and hilarious shenanigans in The Refrigerator Zone. It is a banner year as over 6,000 young playwrights submitted plays showing that they were truly inspired to have the courage to create!"

Directing these touching original pieces is FST Associate Artist, Jason Cannon. Cast in A 'Beary' Big Adventure are FST Acting Apprentices: Emma Barishman, James McCormack, Jamie Molina, Erin Paxton, Ben Southerland, Liam Tanner, and Olivia Wilson. These actors have previously been seen in FST's productions of Peter Pan, Snow White, and Deck the Halls: Home for the Holidays. Cannon and the cast "Treat these young playwrights' inspired works with same respect and consideration that [they] give to adult professional playwrights," explains Ratner.

A Beary Big Adventure & Other Winning Plays will play on weekdays to school groups in FST's WRITE A PLAY series and on Saturdays (and select Sundays) from March 30 to April 27 to the public as part of FST's Children's Theatre subscription series. Single tickets are $10. For more information, please contact FST's Box Office at 941-366-9000 or visit The Children's Theatre page online at floridastudiotheatre.org. To book your school, please contact Hannah Bagnall at hbagnall@floridastudiotheatre.org.

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