The Suffragist Project
Florida Studio Theatre is proud to present The Suffragist Project, an artistic celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment (August 20, 2020), the woman’s right to vote. Bringing together over 60 organizations, this bi-county artistic commemoration featured plays, dance performances, art exhibits, lectures, panel discussions, and in-school educational offerings, all in recognition of this monumental milestone.
Florida Studio Theatre is also proud to have commissioned four playwrights to create four brand new plays inspired by the fight for the woman’s right to vote as part of this project. These playwrights came together at Florida Studio Theatre for residencies in October 2019, December 2019, and May 2020.
On August 20,2020, over 500 attendees joined us for an online centennial commemoration event featuring inspiring speeches by Project Director Kate Alexander, Mayor Ahearn-Koch, and Award-winning journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a sneak peek of the new documentary following FST's Suffragist Project, and a commemorative candle lighting ceremony. Click here to view the event playbill. Watch the full event.
Become Involved!:
To learn how you or your organization can join The Suffragist Project, contact Assistant Director Meg Gilbert at [email protected].
ANOTHER WAY TO SUPPORT THE SUFFRAGIST PROJECT!
Want to learn more about Women’s Suffrage? Visit the Suffragist Book Fair site (powered by Bookstore1Sarasota) to order books on the subject. 20% of each sale goes directly to support The Suffragist Project.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Special thanks to Sarasota Magazine, official Magazine Sponsor.
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Kate Alexander
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Meg Gilbert
PROJECT CHAIR: Judge Charles E. Williams
PROJECT COMMITTEE: Kelley Lavin and Sarasota Magazine
OUTREACH: Gaele Barthold, Michele Redwine, Charlie Ann Syprett, Dr. Queen Mecca Zabriskie
INTERN: Alex Drinnen
ARTISTIC TEAM: Research and Performance
Ariel Blue
Kim Crow
Susan Greenhill
Carolyn Michel
Rachel Moulton
J Paul Nicholas
Zoe Speas
Katherine Tanner
Alicia Taylor Tomasko
COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
American Association of University Women
Art Ovation Hotel
Art Center of Manatee
Art Center Sarasota
Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County
Artist Concert Series of Sarasota
Bank of America
Barbara Banks Photography
Belle Canto
Booker High School Law Academy
Bookstore1Sarasota
Boxser Diversity Initiative
Brandeis National Committee
BTN Films
Canned Ham Vintage
Charlayne Hunter-Gault
Choral Artists of Sarasota
Dancing in The Moment
Democratic Women's Club of Sarasota
Eileen Fisher
Embracing Our Differences
Florida Association for Women Lawyers
Florida Bar Association
Florida Maritime Museum
Friends of the East Manatee Library at Lakewood Ranch
Gritty Girl
Historic Spanish Point
Karen Sullivan: Faculty, Ringling College of Art and Design
League of Women Voters Manatee
League of Women Voters Sarasota
Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas
Manatee County Democratic Black Caucus
Manatee Village Historical Park
Maryland Women’s Heritage Center
Merrill
METV
National Women’s History Project
New College of Florida
Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida
Republican Women's Club of Sarasota
Ringling College of Art and Design
Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company
Sarasota County Bar Association
Sarasota County Centennial 2021 Committee
Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources
Sarasota County School System
Sarasota Film Festival
Sarasota Ministerial Association
Sarasota Orchestra
The Friends of the Central Library
The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee
The Links, Incorporated
The Ringling
The Hermitage Artist Retreat
Tom Tryon
United States National Convention of UN Women
USF Center for PAInT (Partnerships for Arts-Integrated Teaching)
Venice Area Historical Society
Women Journalists of Sarasota/Manatee
Waterworks
Women on 20s
MEDIA SPONSORS
ABC7
Sarasota Magazine - Official Magazine Sponsor
West Coast Woman
SUPPORTERS
Susan Fromm Shimelman - Lead Underwriter
Sy and Shelley Goldblatt - Underwriter
Jane Plitt and Jim Bruen - Co-Producer
Ina Schnell – Forums Co-Producer
The Jennifer Michell Charitable Gift Fund
The Boxser Diversity Initiative
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Rachel Lynett holds an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Arkansas and a BA from the University of Notre Dame where she studied Theatre and Gender Studies. She is an Arkansas-based playwright and theatre artist. Her recent playwriting credits include He Did It presented as a reading with Equity Library Theatre, Chicago (2018) and presented as a workshop production with University of Central Florida's Pegasus PlayLab; Refuge as part of Z Space's Problematic Play Festival (2018); Good Bad People as part of Talk Back Theatre's Reading Series (2018), and part of American Stage Theatre Company's 21st Century New Voices New Play Festival (2018).
Sandy Rustin is an actress and award winning playwright. Her comedy, The Cottage, was recently presented by Manhattan Theatre Club with Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) directing, and is in development for an upcoming commercial production in New York. Sandy is currently developing a stage version of the cult-hit film, Clue for the Araca Group, Worklight Productions, and Lively McCabe Entertainment, with director Casey Hushion, slated to begin a National Tour in November 2019. She is also working with Mills Entertainment, STX Entertainment and Tony Nominated Choreographer Director Denis Jones, to develop a live musical Bad Moms.
Jacqueline Goldfinger (she/they) is a playwright and dramaturg. She grew up in the rural South and is primarily known for her work in the Southern Gothic genre. She has also written original plays across genres as well as adapted classic literature for the stage. She is an Affiliated Artist at New Georges and The Lark Playwright’s Center. She is a member of the writers’ labs at Azuka Theatre and The Barrow Group. She won the Yale Drama Prize, Smith Prize, Generations Award, Brown Martin Award, Barrymore Award, and Philadelphia Critics Award. She's been nominated for the Weissberger Award, Blackburn Prize, and Foote Prize.
Mark St. Germain has written the plays Wednesday's Child (2019 FST World Premiere), Freud's Last Session (Off-Broadway Alliance Best Play), Becoming Dr. Ruth, Camping with Henry and Tom (Outer Critics Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award), Best of Enemies and Forgiving Typhoid Mary (Time Magazine’s “Year’s Ten Best”), Ears on a Beatle, The God Committee, and Out of Gas on Lover's Leap. His play Dancing Lessons premiered in August, 2014 at the Barrington Stage Company in the Berkshires and his play, Relativity, was presented in its Rolling World Premiere with NNPN at Florida Studio Theatre in the spring of 2016.
FST would like to thank our generous supporters.
Together we can provide playwrights with commissions to support the development of new work.