Florida Studio Theatre
Professional services
UnclaimedA professional nonprofit regional theatre company in Sarasota, Florida, known for contemporary drama, cabaret, new-play development, education, children's theatre, and improvisation.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is a professional nonprofit theatre company based in downtown Sarasota, Florida. Founded in 1973 by Jon Spelman as a touring troupe, it began with performances in settings such as migrant camps and prisons before developing into a resident regional theatre. The company became established as a resident institution in 1980, when Richard Hopkins became artistic director, and moved into the former Sarasota Woman's Club building in 1983. That historic structure became the Keating Theatre and remains a central part of FST's campus. FST presents a broad program rather than operating as a single-play venue. Its principal offerings include the Mainstage Series, a cabaret program, Stage III experimental theatre, children's theatre, the FST School, new-play development, and improvisational performance. The company is a member of the League of Resident Theatres and is regarded as one of the major cultural institutions serving Florida's Gulf Coast. Theatre Communications Group has described it as the third-largest subscription theatre in the United States. The organization reports serving more than 225,000 attendees annually across its programs, although attendance can vary by season. The theatre operates five performance spaces within roughly a two-block area of downtown Sarasota: the Keating Theatre, Gompertz Theatre, Goldstein Cabaret, John C. Court Cabaret, and Bowne's Lab Theatre. The Keating Theatre hosts Mainstage and children's productions. The Gompertz Theatre is a larger venue used for Mainstage work and new-play activity. Goldstein Cabaret is dedicated to themed musical revues and related performances, while John C. Court Cabaret provides another setting for original musical reviews and jazz programming. Bowne's Lab Theatre supports Stage III, experimental or more challenging work, and FST Improv. Education and play development are important parts of FST's identity. Its education department began in 1982, and the Write-a-Play program was created in 1991 to encourage students from kindergarten through high school to write original plays. The program receives submissions from students in multiple countries and culminates in a Young Playwrights Festival featuring staged winning works. FST also develops new drama through readings, festivals, commissions, and partnerships such as the National New Play Network's rolling world premiere program. The company's repertoire combines contemporary plays, regional and world premieres, musical revues, classic popular music, children's programming, and improvisation. Productions associated with FST include Blue Suede Shoes, Unchained Melodies, Relativity, Fly, Black Pearl Sings!, Race, Metamorphoses, and Smokey Joe's Café. Its cabaret seasons have become a particularly durable part of the brand, with productions organized around musical themes and supported by a substantial subscription audience. Overall, FST positions itself as an accessible, multi-venue regional theatre that combines professional production standards with artistic experimentation, civic engagement, education, and new-work development.
History
Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 by Jon Spelman during the expansion of the American regional-theatre movement. Its initial identity was that of an alternative touring company. Rather than beginning with a permanent downtown venue, it took productions to audiences in locations including migrant camps and prisons. This early model emphasized mobility, broad access, and theatre outside conventional cultural institutions. In 1980, the organization began the transition to a resident theatre. Richard Hopkins, previously an actor at Asolo Repertory Theatre, became artistic director. FST spent approximately three years operating from different locations before acquiring a permanent home in 1983. The company moved into the former Sarasota Woman's Club building, a structure dating from the early twentieth century. The building had been threatened with demolition after the club moved, but it was acquired for theatre use and became the Keating Theatre. It was later placed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The venue originally held 72 people and was subsequently expanded to approximately 173 seats. FST's education work began in 1982. In 1991, the organization introduced Write-a-Play, a student playwriting initiative for kindergarten through high-school students. The program developed into one of the company's signature educational activities, receiving more than 2,000 submissions in some years and attracting entries from outside the United States. Winning scripts are presented through the Young Playwrights Festival, where students' work receives full theatrical staging. The company's education and community programs broadened its role beyond professional production. The cabaret program evolved from performances presented in Sarasota restaurants during the 1980s. FST launched a dedicated cabaret season in 1995 under the name Cabaret Club. In 2003, the venue was renamed Goldstein Cabaret in recognition of Alan and Alfred Goldstein. The space became the company's principal home for musical revues organized around themes, performers, or periods of popular music. Its program developed a large subscription following and included dozens of productions, including The Jazz Club and The Wonder Years: The Music of the Baby Boomers. FST expanded its physical footprint in the 2000s. In 2003 it purchased a former movie-theatre building that had passed through several uses, including performance and production functions associated with other Sarasota theatre organizations. The building was renamed the Gompertz Theatre after Leila Gompertz, whose lead gift supported the acquisition. A major renovation formed part of the Hegner Theatre Wing project. Groundbreaking took place in 2012, and the refurbished complex included the Gompertz Theatre and the John C. Court Cabaret. The Gompertz venue seats approximately 237 people and supports Mainstage productions and new-play activity. The John C. Court Cabaret opened in 2013 and was named in memory of John Court, the late husband of FST board member Georgia Court. In addition to FST's own musical programming, it has hosted Jazz Club of Sarasota events and visiting jazz performers. In 2014, FST added Bowne's Lab Theatre, named for an ancestor of John Court. The laboratory venue became the home of Stage III, a series intended for experimental work, darker subject matter, and plays that differ from the company's more broadly accessible programming. It also houses FST Improv. New-play development became another central strand of the institution. FST has hosted the Sarasota Festival of New Plays and the Burdick New Play Reading Series, and its venues have presented world premieres, regional premieres, and works developed through national partnerships. Edward Albee appeared at the new-play festival multiple times, including a 1997 lecture on art, politics, and commitment. That year Sarasota's mayor proclaimed May as Florida Studio Theatre Write A Play Month. The company's artistic history includes contemporary drama, musicals, children's work, cabaret, and experimental theatre. Notable productions include Invasion of Privacy, Smokey Joe's Café, Metamorphoses, Black Pearl Sings!, Race, Fly, Relativity, Honor Killing, Blue Suede Shoes, and Unchained Melodies. FST's production of Smokey Joe's Café was notable as an early regional presentation while the show was still running on Broadway and touring nationally. Blue Suede Shoes became the company's longest-running production with 191 performances, while Unchained Melodies later set an attendance record of more than 20,000. Today, FST functions as a multi-venue professional nonprofit theatre serving Sarasota and the wider Gulf Coast region. It is a member of the League of Resident Theatres and presents a year-round combination of subscription programming, special events, education, improvisation, and new-play initiatives. Its campus model, intimate venues, and mix of accessible popular programming with contemporary and experimental work distinguish it within the American regional-theatre sector.
- 2019
Unchained Melodies sets an attendance record
[1]The production draws more than 20,000 attendees, the highest reported attendance for an FST production.
- 2014
Bowne's Lab Theatre opens
[1]The laboratory venue launches as the home of Stage III and FST Improv.
- 2013
John C. Court Cabaret opens
[1]The new cabaret venue opens within the Hegner Theatre Wing.
- 2012
Hegner Theatre Wing renovation begins
[1]FST breaks ground on a major renovation and multi-venue expansion.
- 2003
Cabaret Club is renamed Goldstein Cabaret
[1]The venue receives its current name in recognition of Alan and Alfred Goldstein.
- 2003
FST acquires the future Gompertz Theatre
[1]The company purchases a former movie-theatre building for future expansion.
- 1995
Dedicated cabaret season begins
[1]FST establishes a dedicated cabaret venue and season after earlier restaurant-based performances.
- 1991
Write-a-Play program is created
[1]FST launches its student playwriting initiative, later culminating in the Young Playwrights Festival.
- 1985
Keating building is listed on the National Register
[1]The historic former Sarasota Woman's Club building receives U.S. National Register recognition.
- 1983
The Keating Theatre becomes FST's home
[1]FST moves into the former Sarasota Woman's Club building.
Products and positioning
An accessible, professionally produced regional theatre with a strong emphasis on contemporary work, cabaret, new-play development, education, and multiple intimate performance environments.
Professional theatre
Mainstage Series
FST's principal dramatic and musical production series, presented primarily in the Keating and Gompertz theatres. The repertoire includes contemporary plays, popular musicals, regional premieres, and selected new works designed for a broad subscription audience.
Musical revue · 1995
Cabaret Series
A long-running program of intimate musical performances built around themes, eras, artists, or cultural subjects. The series developed from restaurant performances in the 1980s and later occupied the Goldstein Cabaret and John C. Court Cabaret.
Experimental theatre
Stage III
An experimental series presented in Bowne's Lab Theatre. It is intended for unconventional productions, challenging contemporary plays, and material with darker or more complex themes than the company's mainstream programming.
Theatre for young audiences
Children's Theatre
Professional productions designed for children and families, presented as part of FST's broader commitment to accessible theatre and arts education.
Arts education · 1991
Write-a-Play
A student playwriting program for kindergarten through high-school participants. Submissions are evaluated and selected works are developed for full performance in the Young Playwrights Festival.
Play development
New Play Development
A collection of readings, festivals, commissions, and workshop activities supporting emerging and established playwrights. FST has used this platform for world premieres and participation in national new-play networks.
Improvisational theatre
FST Improv
Improvisational performances and related programming based at Bowne's Lab Theatre, extending FST's offer beyond scripted plays and musical revues.
Marketing campaigns
- 1997Write A Play Month
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota's mayor proclaimed May as Florida Studio Theatre Write A Play Month in recognition of the company's youth playwriting work.
Outcome. The proclamation increased civic visibility for FST's education and playwriting mission.
- 1991Write-a-Play
United States · International student participation
FST created a student playwriting initiative that invites young writers to submit original scripts and develops selected works for public performance.
Outcome. The program became a signature education offering, with reported annual submissions exceeding 2,000 in some periods and participation extending beyond the United States.
Brand decisions
2014
Open Bowne's Lab TheatreProduct launchBackground
FST sought a dedicated venue for experimental and more challenging material.
Action taken
The company opened Bowne's Lab Theatre as a home for Stage III and FST Improv.
Aftermath
The new venue broadened FST's artistic range and provided a flexible laboratory setting.
2012
Expand the downtown theatre campusStrategyBackground
FST's programming required additional spaces for cabaret, Mainstage work, and new-play activities.
Action taken
The company began the Hegner Theatre Wing project, including substantial renovation of the Gompertz building and construction of another cabaret venue.
Aftermath
The project produced a larger multi-space campus, with the John C. Court Cabaret opening in 2013.
Reported renovation cost. $5.8 million (2012 renovation project)
2003
Acquire and develop the future Gompertz TheatreStrategyBackground
FST needed additional space for productions and organizational growth.
Action taken
The company acquired a former cinema and later incorporated it into the Hegner Theatre Wing as the Gompertz Theatre.
Aftermath
The acquisition enabled a larger second performance venue and expanded downtown production capacity.
1980
Shift from touring troupe to resident theatreStrategyBackground
FST began as a mobile alternative theatre during the regional-theatre movement.
Action taken
The organization established a resident model under artistic director Richard Hopkins and subsequently pursued a permanent Sarasota base.
Aftermath
The change laid the foundation for FST's later multi-venue campus and year-round subscription operation.
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