Tailor Near Me Forum bkg 1617x1055
The Cut of a Man
Exploring Men and RelationshipsThe Cut of a Man
Exploring Men and RelationshipsIn a culture that prizes stoicism, men often carry an unspoken burden - the fear that showing emotion is a weakness. According to a 2021 survey from the Survey Center for American Life, only 21% of men reported receiving emotional support from a friend in the past week—half the rate of women. Beneath the data lies a deeper truth: the friendships and connections that sustain us are often left unrealized, locked behind walls built from expectation, tradition, and fear.
A Tailor Near Me follows two older men as they navigate vulnerability, exposing the fragile, often unspoken human truths behind their daily lives. The play asks us to consider: What do we lose when we refuse to lean on one another? How has the ideal of rigid masculinity shaped—and at times limited—the emotional lives of men? And in a world connected by screens yet marked by isolation, what opportunities for intimacy and understanding slip through our hands?
Join us as we explore the quiet courage it takes to be seen, to be heard, and to trust another with the weight of our own humanity.
Running Time
To make a suit, you have to have a glimpse of the man inside
IN THIS FORUM
Moderator
The Honorable Judge Charles E. Williams (12th Judicial Circuit) was raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, graduated from Howard University and the University of Florida School of
Law. He serves on the Board of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, the Boxser Diversity Initiative, the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, and many other local organizations. He was awarded the Community Service Award from the Manatee Bar Association, the Manatee County NAACP-Public Service Award, and the 15th Annual Edgar H. Price, Jr. Humanitarian Award.
Panelists
Bill Woodson, PhD (Founder of Conversations Across the Aisle) is a management consultant, DEI practitioner, and founder of Conversations Across The Aisle (CATA) - a local organization created to promote community healing by creating space for respectful dialog among people with differing beliefs. Bill claims both Sarasota and Washington D.C. as hometowns. A full-time resident since 2019, Bill moved to the Suncoast from Minnesota’s Twin Cities, where he led an MBA program at the University of St. Thomas and earned a PhD in Organizational Leadership from the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Eddy Regnier, M.S.W., Ph.D. was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and is a naturalized United States Citizen. He is the Founder and President of Assessment & Psychotherapy Services, Inc. His areas of expertise include psychological assessment, diagnosis of psychopathology, psychodynamic and behavioral-oriented psychotherapies, multicultural issues, and forensic psychology. Dr. Regnier is a frequent lecturer in the community and has frequently been interviewed for TV, radio, and print media in Florida on various issues of public concern.
Paul White M.S.W. has been in private practice as a psychotherapist in Sarasota for many years. He specializes in using applications of Neuroscience to produce change in children, adults, and the Aging population. Neuroplasticity occurs throughout the lifespan and so addressing new possibilities and approaches for the Aging population is a particularly meaningful endeavor. The discovery of meaning in life and a new sense of self in retirement represents a new beginning rather than dwelling on end of life.
FST Forums
In keeping with this mission, FST presents an annual Forums Series, dedicated to further exploring themes raised in plays programmed during FST's Season. At each Forum event, FST brings together community experts, representing diverse perspectives, and invites the public to join us as we dig deeper into questions, topics, and ideas sparked on the FST stage.
