Florida Studio Theatre Receives $4,000 Gift from theatre works!

SARASOTA, Fla. (April 10, 2026) — Florida Studio Theatre (FST) has received a $4,000 grant from theatre works! to support this year’s anthology of student-written plays, The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster & Other Winning Plays. Thanks to this generous gift, the imaginative collection of original short plays – written by elementary school students locally and around the world – is now being brought to life onstage at FST.

For more than 35 years, FST’s annual student play production has transformed the words of young writers into fully staged performances performed by professional actors. During the 2025-2026 school year, more than 5,000 playwrights submitted original plays. From that pool, only a handful of winning scripts were selected for performance. This year’s production also features the return of The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster, a standout favorite from last season.

Now in its fourth year of operation, theatre works! is dedicated to expanding access to live theatre for young people. The organization awards grants that enable schools to attend theatrical performances, helping remove financial barriers that often prevent students from experiencing the arts. Since its founding, theatre works! has supported more than 24,000 children across the United Kingdom and the United States, many of whom were able to experience live theatre for the first time.

“There is something magical about witnessing a child’s imagination at work – or rather, at play,” says Caroline Saldivar, FST’s Director of Children’s Theatre. “We’re deeply grateful to theatre works! for aiding us in our mission of showing young minds that they have the power to create something truly meaningful.”

The selected plays span a wide range of genres and styles, from laugh-out-loud comedies and whimsical adventures to heartfelt stories filled with meaningful lessons. Together, they celebrate the creativity, humor, and emotional insight of young playwrights while highlighting the boundless imagination of student storytellers.

“It was amazing,” comments a student impacted by theatre works! “It showed me just how amazing the theatre can be. This show makes me want to bring my entire family out so they can experience the same things that I did.”

Join the fun through May 2. Tickets to The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster & Other Winning Plays start at just $12 and are on sale now at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or by calling (941) 366-9000.

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About theatre works!

theatre works! is a registered charity operating in both the United Kingdom and the United States with a mission to make theatre accessible to children and young people from underserved communities. The organization awards grants that enable schools to attend live theatre performances, helping cover costs such as tickets, transportation, and educational experiences like post-show Q&As and backstage tours.

In just four years, theatre works! has supported more than 24,000 children between the ages of 7 and 16, allowing many to experience the magic of live theatre for the first time, from touring Broadway productions to their very first visit inside a theatre.

About Florida Studio Theatre

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is Sarasota’s contemporary theatre. Founded in 1973, FST has grown to a village of five theatres located in the heart of downtown Sarasota. Each theatre is small in size and large in impact – providing intimate and engaging settings for high-quality, professional performances. 

Today, FST has established itself as a major force in American Theatre. FST is the largest subscription theatre in the state of Florida and among the largest in the country, serving more than 225,000 live attendees each year across its diverse programs: Mainstage, Cabaret, Stage III, Children’s Theatre, Improv, The FST School, and New Play Development.

Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to as many people as possible. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins, FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. Hip and historical, entertaining and challenging, we are where everyone is welcome to engage in the art of theatre.