SPAMALOT, TWO POINT OH and More Highlight FST's 2013-14 Season

Florida Studio Theatre announces its 13-14 Mainstage Season. Bringing up the front is the Tony Award winning musicAl Monty PYTHON'S SPAMALOT, followed by the eye-opening show THURGOOD, the musical DADDY LONG LEGS and finishing out the season is the regional premiere of TWO POINT OH.

The Season opens November 13 and plays through May 19 on FST's Keating and Gompertz Stages (Downtown Sarasota). A subscription to all four plays can be purchased for as little as $39, online at www.floridastudiotheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (941) 366-9000.

Artistic Director Richard Hopkins gives an overview of the season. "Spamalot is irreverent, outrageous, and simultaneously some of the best musical theatre that America has to offer. Monty Python helped to put the comedy back into musical comedy. The play, Thurgood, is a great view of our American History during an era that created and defined who we are today. I love Daddy Long Legs because it's about a girl becoming a woman who is seen for the potential of who she could become, rather than who she is. It is this witnessing and helping hand that becomes so absorbing. Finally, Two Point Oh is an edgy, multimedia piece that tests our understanding of what we call reality. Our Winter Mainstage Season promises to fulfill our mission to the hilt. This winter we will make theatre that challenges with as much gusto as it entertains. FST is big enough to serve you and small enough to know you. FST is where the street meets the elite."

The 13-14 Mainstage Season kicks off in the Gompertz Theatre with Tony Award Winning MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT, book by Eric Idle and score by Eric Idle and John Du Prez. Lovingly ripped off from the classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this outrageous musical follows King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. While on their quest for the elusive Holy Grail, they encounter flying cows, taunting Frenchmen, and killer rabbits while performing heart-stopping musical numbers. The New York Times calls it the "best new musical to open."

Opening next in the Keating Theatre is a compelling show by George Stevens, Jr. - THURGOOD. It is a powerful play based on the life of Justice Thurgood Marshall. From a childhood in the back alleys of Baltimore to the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Marshall overcame many adversities. A journey of epic proportions, Thurgood is an eye-opening, humorous, and uplifting portrait of a true American hero, described as having a "playful sense of humor" by The New York Times.

Following in the Gompertz Theatre, the third slot of the season is DADDY LONG LEGS, adapted from the novel by Jean Webster; Music and lyrics by Paul Gordon; Book by John Caird. Set in New England in the early 1900s, this new musical follows a courageous young orphan who dreams of a better life. When an anonymous benefactor sends Jerusha Abbott to a prestigious college, she embarks on an enlightening journey. As revealed through her vivid letters, Jerusha overcomes her difficult past to discover the secret of happiness. San José Metro called it "A musical that redefines musicals."

Closing out the season is the REGIONAL PREMIERE of TWO POINT OH by Jeffrey Jackson in the Gompertz Theatre. Shown in last year's Burdick Reading Series, TWO POINT OH is an edgy, multimedia play about the high tech world we live and thrive in. Jackson explores the relationship of a brilliant man and his wife and how technology will make or break their relationship, and possibly change the world as we know it. A thrilling piece of drama, TWO POINT OH tests our understanding of what we call reality. This will be the third production of the play that Encore Michigan says is "easily one of the most creative and fun new works in recent memory."

All four shows of the 13-14 Mainstage Season -MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT, THURGOOD, DADDY LONG LEGS and TWO POINT OH will be presented on FST's Gompertz and Keating Stages. Single tickets range from $18-$45 for regular performances. A subscription to all four plays of the Mainstage Season ranges from $45-$75. Both subscription tickets and single tickets may be purchased from the FST Box Office in person, or by calling (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 four theatre venues: the Keating Theatre, the renovated Gompertz Theatre, the Goldstein Cabaret and the John C. Court Cabaret. Soon to come in January of 2014, FST will open its fifth theatre venue, the Bowne 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 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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