WRITE A PLAY
We are proud to present the 29th year of the WRITE A PLAY program. WRITE A PLAY is a year-round comprehensive arts integration program with a unique blend of professional plays, exciting theatre experiences, and in-class workshops. Through participatory learning with a special emphasis on literacy, this program has developed an impressive record of success, reaching over 47,000 students annually.
All Students are encouraged to submit their work to FST’s Young Playwrights Festival, which celebrates those students and their teachers, whose plays show a strong understanding for the theatrical process involved in writing a play and reveal a budding creative talent that deserves congratulations! For more information, or to submit a play, please click here.
Subscriptions are available for the 2019/2020 School Year - SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Students can participate in the full three-show WRITE A PLAY Program for $15 per student.
Our Secondary WRITE A PLAY Writing Workshop Tour is also booking for the 2019/2020 school year. One Day residencies at your school start at just $495!
To SUBSCRIBE or book the Secondary tour please contact Hannah Bagnall, Education and Outreach Associate at (941) 366-9797 or by email at [email protected].
Subscription Package:
Pinocchio
Begins October 9, 2019
Begin the series with the world’s favorite little wooden boy and watch him come to life like never before! This new, highly theatrical adaptation tells the story of the misbehaving puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy. Will Pinocchio be able to overcome his own naughtiness, resist temptation, and make his dream come true? Find out in this imaginative retelling of the classic tale that teaches valuable lessons about love, family, and what it means to be human.
Write It Out!
Begins October 15, 2019
Take the next step in the series with a play that will inspire your students to write plays of their own! In this interactive theatrical experience, your students will learn the ingredients of a play and see a brand new play created with their ideas right before their eyes. More than just a performance, this show comes with up to eight in-class workshops to get your students writing. All students are encouraged to submit their plays to FST’s 2020 Young Playwrights Festival to be considered for a professional production in the spring.
The Star Who Couldn't Twinkle & Other Winning Plays
Begins March 25, 2019
Finally, your students will see the winning plays from FST’s 2020 Annual Young Playwrights Festival. Performed by a cast of professional actors, this original production brings to life authentic stories from the minds of young children containing laughter, lessons, and learning for us all.
Add Onto Your Subscription!
Experience these exciting plays here at FST, or let us take the magic of theatre on tour to your school!
Tomás and the Library Lady (On Tour)
Begins October 1, 2019
Tomás, the son of migrant workers, spends long, hot days in the fields harvesting crops. But when he meets a kind librarian, she helps him find an escape from the heat in the form of thousands of books. Performed in both English and Spanish, this heartwarming story illustrates the power of imagination, self-respect, and the immeasurable impact one person can have.
Deck The Halls: Holly Jolly Holiday
Begins December 2, 2019
A brand new rendition of everything that makes the holidays in Sarasota special. With all new songs and sketches, audiences should get ready to celebrate the holidays – Florida style – palm trees with decorations, swimming in the sea, sand snowmen, and more. An annual Sarasota holiday tradition, Deck the Halls invites families to deck the palms and join in on the fun at this interactive family show.
Available at FST or on tour to your school!
“An outstanding job of providing REAL integration of the arts with the classroom.
Thank you for being my partner in education!” - Sue Rowe, Phillipi Shores Elementary School
FLORIDA STANDARD FULFILLMENTS
- Language Arts
- Prewriting
- Drafting
- Revising
- Editing for Language
- Conventions
- Publishing Creative Writing
- Listening & Speaking
- Theatre Arts
- Creation & Communication
WRITE A PLAY Awards
2013 | Be More… Knowledgeable Award from WEDU
2008 | National Endowment for the Arts: Statewide Touring
2004 | National Endowment for the Arts: Statewide Touring
2001 | National Endowment for the Arts: In-School Programming
1999 | National Endowment for the Arts: “Under Six” Program
1997 | Golden Gavel Youth Program Award from Sarasota Herald-Tribune
History of WRITE A PLAY
In 1991, FST launched the WRITE A PLAY Program as an arts-in-education initiative designed to inspire youth to write plays. Students are encouraged to write from their own point of view and in doing so they create a diverse group of plays such as No War Can Tear Our Love Apart, a touching tale of the love between a girl and her father leaving for active duty, and The Adventure of Captain Captain, an entertaining story about thwarting evil, saving the day, and not judging a book by its cover. They tell about relationships, lessons they’ve learned, and how sometimes the world is a very big place. Initiated with the support of the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts Challenge Funds, the WRITE A PLAY program now impacts over 50,000 attendees each year throughout the United States, Israel, Russia, and Scotland, and continues to inspire them to open their minds and imaginations.
Click here to watch the PBS Documentary about WAP.
The Benefit of an Arts Education
Click here to read a bulletin from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Read about the benefits of theatre for the young
This NY Times blog post asks children how the arts has changed their lives
Learn about the impact of children's theatre
SUBSCRIBE NOW! Students can participate in the full three-show WRITE A PLAY Program for $15 per student.
For more information and to become a WRITE A PLAY subscriber contact Hannah Bagnall, Education and Outreach Associate at (941) 366-9797 or [email protected].
Subscription Package:
Pinocchio
Begins October 9, 2019
Begin the series with the world’s favorite little wooden boy and watch him come to life like never before! This new, highly theatrical adaptation tells the story of the misbehaving puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy. Will Pinocchio be able to overcome his own naughtiness, resist temptation, and make his dream come true? Find out in this imaginative retelling of the classic tale that teaches valuable lessons about love, family, and what it means to be human.
Write It Out!
Begins October 15, 2019
Take the next step in the series with a play that will inspire your students to write plays of their own! In this interactive theatrical experience, your students will learn the ingredients of a play and see a brand new play created with their ideas right before their eyes. More than just a performance, this show comes with up to eight in-class workshops to get your students writing. All students are encouraged to submit their plays to FST’s 2020 Young Playwrights Festival to be considered for a professional production in the spring.
The Star Who Couldn't Twinkle & Other Winning Plays
Begins March 25, 2019
Wise, heartfelt, and often hilarious this anthology of award-winning short plays highlights the most creative and imaginative writing from Elementary school students. Performed by a cast of professional actors, these authentic stories from the minds of children contain laughter, lessons, and learning for us all.
Add Onto Your Subscription!
Tomás and the Library Lady (On Tour)
Begins October 1, 2019
Tomás, the son of migrant workers, spends long, hot days in the fields harvesting crops. But when he meets a kind librarian, she helps him find an escape from the heat in the form of thousands of books. Performed in both English and Spanish, this heartwarming story illustrates the power of imagination, self-respect, and the immeasurable impact one person can have.
Deck The Halls: Holly Jolly Holiday
Begins November 24, 2018
A brand new rendition of everything that makes the holidays in Sarasota special. With all new songs and sketches, audiences should get ready to celebrate the holidays – Florida style – palm trees with decorations, swimming in the sea, sand snowmen, and more. An annual Sarasota holiday tradition, Deck the Halls invites families to deck the palms and join in on the fun at this interactive family show.
If you cannot come to us, we can bring the magic of live theatre to your school. All productions are available to tour.
DYNAMIC WORKSHOPS ON TOUR
FST offers in-class workshops as a one-day, three-day, or week-long residency. Our professional teaching artists reinforce your teaching methods and use arts integration tools to motivate your students to unleash their creativity through writing.
Students have the option to submit their plays and sketches to FST’s annual Young Playwrights Festival. Each student will be recognized for their participation and achievement. Winning writers will be honored by FST on the day of the festival in Sarasota, FL.
For available packages, scroll down. To purchase a residency or package please contact Hannah Bagnall, Education and Outreach Associate, at (941) 366-9797 or by email at [email protected].
Historically Speaking: Voices of Suffragists
This special three-day classroom experience explores the past and the present through a theatrical lens.
Day 1 - Performance and Discussion with a Lawyer (Available January-March 2020) From Abigail Adams to Sojourner Truth, and Susan B. Anthony, the fight for women’s suffrage began with whispers in the mid-18th century. Those whispers grew into a cacophony of protests, marches, and speeches, culminating with a shout and the ratification of the 19th amendment on August, 20th, 1920. In celebration of the 100 years of women’s suffrage, this performance brings together the great speeches of the Suffragists in a stirring and personal narrative– to remind us of where we have been, and how far we have yet to go.
*Following the performance, students will participate in a Q and A with a member of the Sarasota Bar Association to learn more about voting rights and history.
Day 2 - Playwriting Workshop (Available January-March 2020) Students will engage in a playwriting workshop giving them the tools and techniques to write plays of their own inspired by the themes of suffrage and civil rights. All students are encouraged to submit their writing to FST’s Annual Young Playwrights Festival to be considered for a professional production in Spring 2020.
Day 3 - Performance of Winning Play (Available May 2020) Students will see the performance of winning plays as a part of FST’s Young Playwright’s Festival. Performances are offered in your classroom. This anthology of plays showcases some of the most inspiring and creative pieces written by middle and high school students from around the globe.
MORE ARTS INTEGRATION OFFERINGS
Playwriting
Using proven theatrical methodology, FST teaching artists will guide students to write plays of their own focusing on the 4 elements of a play: Characters, Setting, Problem, and Dialogue.
Improv
Using engaging Improvisational games, Improv For Life will help your students grow in Public Speaking, Creative Collaboration & Teamwork, Leadership, Listening and Recieving, and Giving Constructive Feedback. A great workshop for preparing students to interview for college or a job!
Build Your Own Workshop
Do you have a lesson that could benefit from some theatrical arts? Let Florida Studio Theatre build a workshop specifically for your students. Past “Build Your Own” workshops have included Spoken Word Poetry Slams, Hamilton Inspired Plays, Improvised Shakespeare, and more!
*Pricing and length of residency may vary depending on the specific project. Call for more details.
FLORIDA STANDARD FULFILLMENTS:
- Language Arts
- Prewriting
- Drafting
- Revising
- Editing for Language
- Conventions
- Publishing
- Creative Writing
- Listening & Speaking
- Theatre Arts
- Creation & Communication
AVAILABLE RESIDENCY OPTIONS
ONE DAY | $450
Students will learn the elements of the chosen subject(s). Subject offerings include: Playwriting, Spoken Word, Sketch Comedy, and Screenwriting. Teaching artists utilize improvisation and acting games with the students to explore various themes and ideas for writing. After a brainstorming session, teaching artists will assist the students in creating original plays, sketches, or poetry. For more information click here.
THREE DAY | $999
- DAY ONE: Introduction to the elements of the chosen subject, improvisation and acting games for exploration, and a brainstorming session with students to create ideas for original works.
- DAY TWO: FST teaching artists will assist the students individually or in pairs to create their original plays, sketches, or poetry pieces.
- DAY THREE: Students will work with teaching artists on final revisions for their piece. Once complete, all students will participate in an in-class reading of the sketches and plays. The subject of Spoken Word will have an in-class poetry slam.
ONE WEEK | $1499
- DAY ONE: Introduction to the elements of the chosen subject, improvisation and acting games for exploration, and a brainstorming session with students to create ideas for original works.
- DAY TWO: FST teaching artists will assist the students individually or in pairs to create their original plays, sketches, or poetry pieces.
- DAY THREE: Students will continue to write and revise their pieces with the assistance of FST Teaching Artists and fellow students.
- DAY FOUR: Students will cast and rehearse their plays and sketches. Spoken Word will explore variations of the way their pieces are read in differing styles of Spoken Word Poetry.
- DAY FIVE: Students will perform their work in the classroom for their fellow students and invited guests.
All workshops are one hour long. However, when a residency is purchased, FST teaching artists are present at the school for one full day. They can teach up to 5 one hour workshops in one day. Dependent on school schedule.