My Lord, What a Night
In 1937, after performing a sold-out concert in Princeton, NJ, internationally renowned singer Marian Anderson was refused a room at the whites-only Nassau Inn. With nowhere to go, Albert Einstein invited her to stay in his own home, sparking a lifelong friendship. Based on actual events, this insightful new play offers a rare glimpse into real-life struggles faced by two 20th century icons.
My Lord, What a Night by Deborah Brevoort will play beginning June 30 in FST's Keating Theatre. Part of the Rolling World Premiere with the National New Play Network.
Run Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes with an intermission
My Lord, What a Night is produced at Florida Studio Theatre as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other partnering theaters are Contemporary American Theatre Festival (West Virginia) and Orlando Shakes (Florida). For more information, please visit nnpn.org.
For Your Safety:
Due to CDC guidelines, FST is strongly recommending that all audience members wear masks regardless of vaccine status while they are at Florida Studio Theatre. Masks are required for all unvaccinated patrons. Masks may be removed while dining in FST's Green Room Cafe and Bar or at your table in our Cabaret theatres. We will continue our rigorous cleaning practices and will maintain our MERV-13 air filters campus-wide in perpetuity. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
CREATIVE
Director | Kate Alexander
Scenic Designer | Isabel & Moriah Curly-Clay
Lighting Designer | Michael Pasquini
Costume Designer | Lea Umberger
Sound Designer | Thom Korp
Stage Manager I Tori Heikenfeld
CAST
Abraham Flexner | Rod Brogan*
Mary Church Terrell | Nehassaiu deGannes*
Albert Einstein | David Edwards*
Marian Anderson | Thursday Farrar*
ROD BROGAN (Abraham Flexner) FST: American Son, The Drolls (The Playwrights Project). Broadway: MTC: Mauritius. Off-Broadway: Irish Rep: Beyond The Horizon, Burial At Thebes; Mint: Mary Broome; Irondale: Treasure Island. Select Regional: Guthrie, Old Globe, Baltimore Center Stage, City Theatre, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Contemporary American Theater Festival, Syracuse Stage, Bard Summerscape. Film/TV: The Winning Season, Major Dad (series regular), Homeland, Manifest, Unforgettable, American Odyssey, Oz, Third Watch, One Life To Live, Law & Order, GirlTalk. Video Game: Grand Theft Auto 5. Education: MFA: The Old Globe/USD.
NEHASSAIU DEGANNES (Mary Church Terrell) FST: Other People’s Money. Off-Broadway: Soho Rep, LaMaMa. Regional: Cleveland Play House, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Studio Theatre, DC, Barrington Stage, WAM, Shakespeare & Co., Underground Railway Theater, Luna Stage, Chicago Shakes, Harlem Shakespeare Festival, John Drew Theatre, COCo Dance Theatre, Trinity Rep & more. International: Theatre Aquarius, Theatre Passe Muraille, Stratford Festival of Canada. Virtual: Vermont Northern Stage, Arena Stage’s Flash Acts Festival. Film: Equal Standard. Her poetry book, Music for Exile, was published by Tupelo Press in February 2021.
DAVID EDWARDS (Albert Einstein) Broadway/Tour: The Producers, By Jeeves, The Rothschilds. Off-Broadway: The Fantasticks, Room Service, Ionescopade, The Disputation, etc. Regional: Man of La Mancha, La Cage aux Folles, Camelot, A Little Night Music, Irma Vep, Little Me, 1776, A Few Good Men, Ragtime, The Cripple of Inishmaan, etc at The Ordway, Eugene O’Neill Center, Westchester Broadway Theatre, The Old Globe, Orlando Shakespeare, Portland Stage, GeVA, Bristol Riverside, Gateway Playhouse, Syracuse Stage. Film & TV: Belly, The Fantasticks: Try to Remember, Meshuggah-Nuns, The Good Wife.
THURSDAY FARRAR (Marian Anderson) Select Credits: Broadway: Aida, Parade, Once Upon a Mattress. Off-Broadway: Regrets (MTC), St. Louis Woman, Golden Boy (City Center), National tours: Flashdance, Les Miserables, Carousel. Regional: First Wives Club (Old Globe), Merrily We Roll Along (Kennedy Center), To Kill a Mockingbird (Weston Playhouse), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Cincinnati Shakespeare) Proposals (Flat Rock Playhouse) TV: Manifest, Modern Love, Search Party, Gotham, Bull, The Blacklist, The Americans. Film: The Brian Banks Story, Across The Tracks, Brother. Awards: Audelco, Drama-Logue.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
MY LORD, WHAT A NIGHT IN THE NEWS
SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE I June 25, 2021 I Marian Anderson and Albert Einstein tangle in new Florida Studio Theatre play
ABC7 | July 31, 2021 | Anyone who has a heart will love "My Lord, What A Night," actors say
REVIEWS
The Observer
"Lightning in a bottle"
"Explosive"
"Uplifting"
"Insightful"
"Strong"
The Bradenton Times
"Riveting"
"Stellar"
"Timely"
"Brilliant"
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
“Engaging”
“Thought-provoking”
“Entertaining"
“Important”
Total Theater
“Inspired”
“Fearless”
"Endearing"
"Involving"
"A real treat"
Talkin' Broadway
"Timely"
"Stimulates thought"
"Rich"
Sarasota Magazine
"Raises some important questions"
"Intriguing"
"Entertaining"
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Playwright Deborah Brevoort was inspired to write this play after reading Marian Anderson’s autobiography. Learn more about the play’s transformation since its first production in 2016. I READ MORE
Albert Einstein is known as a groundbreaking scientist, but he was also a staunch supporter of the civil rights movement. Here are a few other things you may be surprised to learn about him. I READ MORE
When Marian Anderson performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, she made musical and social history. Explore how that performance helped make her a civil rights icon. I LISTEN HERE
Get a glimpse of Marian Anderson’s legendary performance at The Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939. I WATCH HERE
VIDEOS
Get a sneak peek!
See what critics and audiences are saying
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
There are plenty of parking options available when you visit Florida Studio Theatre, including two adjacent parking lots and three nearby parking garages, plus on-street parking.
Watch the video below to find a convenient place to park while you enjoy the theatre.
Getting Here:
FST's Keating Theatre is located on the corner of Palm and Cocoanut Avenues. For GPS purposes, use the address of 1241 N. Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236. For a map of FST buildings and venues, please see below. For more information, please call the FST Box Office at 941.366.9000.
Handicap Drop Off:
For FST's Keating Theatre: Handicap drop off is along Cocanut Avenue between First Street and Palm Avenue.
For those who require additional assistance or handicap parking/drop off, please see the map below. For any questions regarding handicap parking please call the FST Box Office at 941.366.9000.
