Florida Studio Theatre School

Florida Studio Theatre School offers classes in acting, music, dance, theatre writing, and improvisation. The program is led by FST’s teaching staff of trained theatre professionals. FST School offers classes year-round for students of all ages and experience levels and is home to youth Spring Break and Summer Theatre Camps. FST’s VIP program serves students with behavioral, emotional, and developmental special needs. The Scholarship Program offsets the cost of enrollment for 15% of Florida Studio Theatre School students.

• Schedule: Year-round classes, including youth Spring Break and Summer Theatre Camps

Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973, the FST School was founded in 1982, the WRITE A PLAY program began in 1991, FST Improv was founded in 2001, and the weekend Children’s Theatre series launched in 2016. FST’s award-winning WRITE A PLAY program is a year-round arts-in-education initiative that gives students the example, inspiration, and skills to write their own original plays, and winning scripts are produced with FST actors. WRITE A PLAY has reached over one million children throughout Florida and in Scotland, Russia, and Israel. FST is the largest subscription theatre in Florida and among the largest in the country, serving more than 230,000 live attendees each year across its programs. FST Improv presents new shows week after week and includes Short-Form, Long-Form, Musical, and Free-Form styles, and the annual Sarasota Improv Festival brings improv troupes from across the country and around the world and is described as the premier festival of its kind in the Southeast United States.

The leadership team includes Richard Hopkins, Producing Artistic Director; Sarah Hedges, Director of Marketing; Kristin Hartnett, Development Associate; Timothy L’Ecuyer, Casting and Hiring Coordinator; Pamela Smith, Education Administrator; Kacy Jones, Children’s Theatre Associate; Kelsey Wehde Wilson, Director of Patron Services; and Pamela Dillon, Events Coordinator. The mission of Florida Studio Theatre includes making the arts accessible and affordable to as many people as possible, challenging as much as it entertains through its Mainstage and Stage III series, and offsetting enrollment costs for a portion of FST School students through its Scholarship Program.

Last updated February 15, 2026.