Handle With Care
December 11, 2019 - March 8, 2020 I Keating Theatre
A young woman from Israel, Ayelet, reluctantly joins her grandmother on a trip to the United States. Circumstances both absurd and tragic bring Ayelet, who has little command of the English language, together with Josh, a young American man who has little command of romance, on Christmas Eve. Is their inevitable love an accident…or is it destiny, generations in the making?
Handle With Care by Jason Odell Williams with Hebrew written by Charlotte Cohn.
Runtime: 90 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.
To view a large print version of our playbill, click here.
CREATIVE
Director | Jason Cannon
Scenic Designer | Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay
Costume Designer | Donna Riggs
Lighting Designer | Thom Beaulieu
Sound Designer | Thom Korp
CAST
Ayelet | Anat Cogan*
Terrence | Mat Leonard*
Josh | Michael Zlabinger*
Edna | Marina Re*
* Denotes member Actors’ Equity Association. The Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Anat Cogan (Ayelet) is an American-Israeli actress and singer currently living in New York. She is a graduate of one of the top acting schools in Israel, Nissan Nativ Acting Studio, as well as The Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in NYC. She is a Co-Founder of Panda Theater Company in Manhattan, where she is also an actor, writer, and producer. Favorite roles include: Elmire (Tartuffe), Donia Rosita (Donia Rosita the Spinster), the innkeeper (The Ghosts Inn), Liesl (The Sound of Music), and Juliet (Romeo and Juliet).
Mat Leonard (Terrence) Regional: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Spike, Shakespeare and Company); Julius Caesar (Octavius, Shakespeare and Company); Of Mice and Men (Lennie, Olney Theatre/National Players). Off-Broadway: Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man (Stefan) and Austerity of Hope (Vinny). Television: Orange is the New Black (CO Miller). Off-Off Broadway: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini (Jim Collins, Theatre 80 St Marks); May Violets Spring (Laertes, Bridge Theatre). Web Series: Revenue Stream w/ Sherie Rene Scott.
Marina Re (Edna) FST: God of Isaac, Over the River, Last Romance, Our Son’s Wedding, Boleros for the Disenchanted, The Miamians. Awards: Desert StarAward, Lead (Master Class), Supporting (La Gringa), CT. Critics Circle Award, Lead (Ripcord), IRNE Award, Supporting (Holes). AEA/SAG for 40 years, working Off-Broadway, USA tours, major regional theatres, member of Merrimack, Boston Shakespeare, Gloucester Stage, and Shear Madness companies. Film/TV: Woody Allen’s Irrational Man; The Women; Urban Relics; New Amsterdam; Nurse Jackie; etc. marinare.info
Michael Zlabinger (Josh) FST: The Columnist. Off-Broadway: Desperate Writers (Union Square Theatre), The Subtle Body (59E59), Like Money in The Bank (Theatre Row).International: European premiere of The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (Vienna’s English Theatre, dir. Pam MacKinnon). Regional: title role in Frankenstein (Quintessence); Iago in Othello (NCSF); Torvald in A Doll’s House (NC Stage); Sleuth (Fulton); Little Shop of Horrors (Dante Hall); Handle With Care (Gulfshore Playhouse); also performed at Long Wharf, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Baltimore Centerstage, Pioneer, Geva, among others. Television includes: Evil, Elementary, Madam Secretary, Person of Interest, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. michaelzlabinger.com
INTERVIEWS
ARTICLES BY FST
The Love Story Behind The Love Story
ADDITIONAL ARTICLES
Read Playwright Jason Odell Williams’ interview about what inspired him to write Handle with Care | READ
Jason Odell Williams writes more than just romantic comedies. Learn more about his writing process and other plays | READ
Before the start of the play, Ayelet, a young woman from Israel, and her grandmother take a trip to the United States. Towards the end of the trip, Ayelet’s grandmother passes away. Learn more about Jewish funeral traditions | READ
VIDEO
FST's Keating Theatre is located on the corner of Cocoanut and Palm Avenues. For GPS purposes use the address of 1241 N. Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236. To see a list of our buildings and shows, please see below. For more information please call the FST Box Office at (941) 366-9000.
FST Guide to Parking
Looking for a place to park? FST patrons have several parking options to choose from. Watch the video above to see our parking guide and find where each parking option is located.
For those who require additional assistance or handicap parking/drop off, please see the map below. Handicap parking is reserved for patrons with a handicap tag and is in the lot across from the Hegner Theatre Wing. If handicap parking is not available and you are dropping off a passenger, our lobby concierge would be happy to wait with them until you return. For any questions regarding handicap parking please call the Box Office at (941) 366-9000.
Drop Off Area for the Keating Theatre: along Cocoanut Avenue near the corner 