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Listed below are the key personnel at Florida Studio Theatre.  Questions may be directed to fst@floridastudiotheatre.org where your correspondence will be appropriately routed.

Richard Hopkins Artistic Director, CEO 39 years professional theatre experience 29 years at Florida Studio Theatre

Mr. Hopkins is the Chief Executive Officer of Florida Studio Theatre and is directly responsible to the Board of Directors.  He oversees the creation & implementation of all FST programming & fiscal planning, including Mainstage, Cabaret, Stage III, New Play Development, Education and Touring.  Since his arrival at FST in 1980, Mr. Hopkins has guided the theatre from a small touring company to a nationally recognized regional theatre, which impacts over 160,000 adults & children annually. He has directed more than 40 productions in FST’s three theatres. He has worked at numerous regional theatres including Capital Repertory, Blowing Rock Theatre, TheatreWorks Palo Alto, The Players of Columbus, Delaware Theatre Company, Long Island Stage, and many others. Mr. Hopkins began his professional theatre career as a resident actor with the Asolo State Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.  He was a founding director of what is now American Stage Company in St. Petersburg and served as its Producing Director from 1974-1980. Mr. Hopkins has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has served as a Theatre Specialist for the U.S. Department of State to Cairo and Amman, and taught at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College.  He served as the President of the Florida Professional Theatres Association from 1983-1985. He served on the Theatre Panel for the Florida Arts Council.  Mr. Hopkins is the recipient of numerous awards including the Arts Leadership Award from the Sarasota Arts Council & the Richard G. Fallon Award for Artistic Excellence from the Florida Professional Theatre Association.

Kate Alexander Associate Director 32 years professional theatre experience 29 years at Florida Studio Theatre

Ms. Alexander ministers to the artistic needs of the theatre and its many community and state educational programs : pioneering the acting training method for children which serves as the foundation for the FST school, and  co-developed the award-winning WRITE A PLAY program touching the lives of over 55,000 children annually.   She has directed  over 25 shows, including are Shirley Valentine, , Pure Confidence,   Wit, Proof,  The Exonerated  and   Brooklyn Boy  and  performed in leading roles such as  Golda's Balcony, Master Class and The Occupant. . . Ms. Alexander is the recipient of numerous acting, directing and public service awards.   She co-authored the book Ideas for the Animated Short: Finding and Building Stories. This season she directing  Bridge and Tunnel and Shotgun.

Rebecca Langford Managing Director 17 years professional theatre experience 11 years at Florida Studio Theatre

Ms. Langford serves as Managing Director for Florida Studio Theatre, and as such is the Chief Operations Officer.  Ms. Langford is responsible for oversight of FST's overall Administration, including the Business Office, Development, Marketing, Box Office, Front of House, Cabaret Restaurant, budgeting and maintaining the overall quality of FST's internal management functions.  She works in concert with the Artistic Director, and the Associate Director in the creation and implementation of FST's long-range plans.  Ms. Langford serve’s as FST’s liaison to other arts and theatre industry organizations. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Sarasota County Arts Council, co-chairing the Cultural Executives Committee. She is on the Advisory Committee for the Non-Profit Resource Center at Sarasota Community Foundation. She has also served as a frequent panelist for the Florida Arts Council and is a member of the Young Professionals Group with the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.  In addition, Ms. Langford developed FST’s Improvisation program and is actively involved in new play development for the Cabaret.  Previous to her employment with Florida Studio Theatre, Ms. Langford served as the Audience Development Coordinator for the Largo Cultural Center and as a company member for the Austin Shakespeare Festival and the Zachary Scott Theatre. Ms. Langford received her education from Georgia State University and Eckerd College. In 2005, she was the recipient of the Gulf Coast Business Review’s Top Forty Under Forty.

Bruce Price Production Manager

Mr. Price joined the FST staff in 2002 as the Production Stage Manager and Stage Managed 14 productions.  In 2004 Mr. Price was promoted to Production Manager and has overseen the technical aspects of over 75 productions here at FST.  Mr. Price has a MFA in Directing from the University of Houston where he studied with Edward Albee, Jose Quintero and Stewart Ostro.  He was a partner of Tightrope Production in Charleston, SC from 1991 – 1993.  Mr. Price has worked regionally at The Alley Theatre and Stage Repertory Theatre both on stage and backstage.  He has found his home here at FST.

MaryMartha E. Ford Company/Facilities Manager

Ms. Ford is excited to join the FST family!  She has been a Company Manager for several years and has worked with companies such as the New Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.  She is originally from Pittsburgh, PA (Go Steelers!), and holds her BA from Temple University.

Ms. Karen has been an integral member of the Florida Studio Theatre for the past 17 years. Kelli began at FST as a dance teacher in the education department in 1993. In addition to her classes at FST, Kelli has created and taught outreach programs and has taught playwriting at numerous local elementary schools as well as our sister city of Dunfermline, Scotland. Stage management credits at FST include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Edward Albee’s Occupant, Motown Cabaret, …and LA is Burning.

Susan Angermann Costume Shop Manager

Ms. Angermann started her career in costuming in New York where she designed and constructed costumes for various productions in theatre, opera, film and television .  In 1993 she moved with her husband Chris and son Erik to Sarasota, and designed several productions at FST.

She returned to FST in January 2009 as Costume Shop Manager and will also be designing the upcoming production of Night Train to Memphis in the Cabaret.

Dan Yerman Technical Director

This is Dan’s fifth season with FST. He has worked on hundreds of shows and has many years of experience in technical direction, lighting and scenic design. He has worked with:  Southern Scenic, Orlando Convention Center, Universal Studios, Promise Art and Entertainment, and The Mark II: Newmark Scenic, Last Stage out of Town Studios, Patterson Studio’s, Lakeland Convention Center and Polk Theatre: Playmakers Theatre and USF Theatre. He has designed for Riverfront Theatre, Players Theatre, Golden Apple, Theatre Winter Haven, Richey Suncoast Theatre, and others. Dan has a M.A from Miami of Ohio.

Travis is originally from Altoona, Pa, is a recent graduate of Slippery Rock University with a BA in Theatre Design, with a focus in scenic design and scenic artistry. Design credits include: set designer for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cabaret, and Sexual Perversity in Chicago; and charge artist for various shows over his college career. He is proud to be a part of the FST production team.

Brian Thompson Production/Sound Intern

Mr. Thompson is the current Production/Sound intern for Florida Studio Theatre. In Feb. of  2010,  as the Sound Coordinator for Ruined, he created the authentic soundscapes of the Congo. Past work at FST includes mixing sound for The 25th Annual Putnam Annual County Spelling Bee and Marvelous Party.
Originally from Wisconsin, Brian has strong background in music and theatre since middle school.  He has an audio engineering degree from Madison Media Institute in Madison, WI.

Sarah Barnes Stage Management Intern

Ms. Barnes is a recent addition to the FST intern family. She briefly Assistant Stage Managed Bridge& Tunnel and was happy to join Reflections when she did. She graduated from Texas A&M Commerce with a BS in Theatre. Sarah has been working in the Dallas area before making the journey to FST. Some of her friends call her Duckie.

Nikki Blue Stage Management Intern

Ms. Blue is thrilled to be working at FST! Her current production credits include Assistant Stage Manager for Ruined and the Stage Manager for Under 6. She will graduate with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Stage Management in Fall 2010 from the University of Central Florida, where her past credits include Stage Manager for The Pirates of Penzance, The Lark, Manuscript, and Unloved; and Master Welder for West Side Story.

Mr. Silverman is currently stage managing the third show in the Cabaret Series, Night Train to Memphis.  Previously at FST he was the Assistant Stage Manager for Shear Madness.  He comes to FST directly after recieving a  Bachelor's of Theater Arts from the University of Michigan where his credits include stage managing Tartuffe and Under Milkwood and being the Assistant Technical Director for Ella Minnow Pea and Madmen and Specialists.

Cassie Hoppas Costume Intern

Ms. Hoppas, native of Erie, Kansas, graduated in May 2009 from Emporia State University with a BFA in Theatre, emphasis in Costume Design. Design credits include Glass Menagerie, Nickel and Dimed, and Hotel 5 at ESU and Les Miserables High School Edition, Grease, and Willy Wonka Jr. at Salina Community Theater. Her latest position at FST was Assistant Costume Designer for Shear Madness. Cassie will be Costume Designer for FST’s 2010 production of Under 6.

Mr. Ashford  coordinates the casting & hiring of all FST Guest Artists (actors, directors and designers), full time staff members and members of the Intern Company including interviews, pre-employment testing, negotiations and contracting for all artists and employees. In addition to his Casting & Hiring duties, James coordinates play solicitation for FST's New Play Development program and contracts plays for FST's three stages.  He received his BFA (cum laude) from Otterbein College in Westerville, OH.

Jim Prosser Resident Pianist

Jim has been involved in the creation of many of FST’s cabaret productions, including Laughing Matters 2009, Steppin’ Out, European Cabaret, Harry Who?, and British Invasion. He has also written scores for numerous children’s musicals at FST, including The Emperor’s New Clothes, Androcles and the Lion, The Princess and the Pea, Poof, and Immigrant Children. Jim has also been featured as the pianist for the FST Improv Troupe.

Amanda Cayo Literary Manager

Ms. Sander is a graduate of the University of Iowa Playwrights’ Workshop where she was a Norman Felton Fellow, Sarah Sander’s plays have been presented at the Kennedy Center, DC Center of the Arts and University of Iowa (twice awarded the IRAM award for best new play). She has been a finalist for Juilliard’s Lila Acheson Playwriting Fellowship, WordBridge, the Heideman Award and a semi-finalist for the O’Neill Playwrights’ Conference and Bay Area Playwrights’ Conference among others.

Ms. Majette recently graduated with honor from the University of Virginia with a double major in mathematics and drama.  Four years of studying math armed her with the knowledge and experience to realize that she hated math, and she’s been working in theatre ever since.

Hannah Daniel Literary Intern

Ms. Daniel graduated magna cum laude from the University of Evansville with a B.S. in Theatre Studies and an Associated Study in History.  While at UE, she served as Dramaturg for Reckless, The Memory of Water, and As It Is in Heaven and spent two years as a Resident Assistant.  Although she misses her family back home in Richardson, TX, she loves the ability to bike to the beach and fly her kite!

Lauren Joseph Literary Intern

Lee Schlosser IT/Business Manager

Mr. Schlosser grew up in St. Charles, Illinois.  He attended Indiana Institute of Technology for his Bachelor’s degree and did post-graduate studies at UNC Chapel Hill.  In 1971, he moved to Sarasota and worked with his parents in their store, the Rainbow Shop.  He started a computer consulting company in 1983, which eventually led to his joining Florida Studio Theatre in 1996.

Dona Walter Bookkeeper

Ms. Walter was born and raised in Danville, Illinois. She and her family moved to the Carolinas in 1960. She moved to Sarasota in 1977 from Columbia, SC.

She started her career with Florida Studio Theatre in 1986 as a One Woman Accounting Department. She has been so fortunate to have been able to witness the amazing growth of FST. Working at the theatre has been a wonderful experience. She has never tired of the magic and loves her work and her theatre family. She says working with all the young people has helped her stay young.

Working in the yard and playing Bridge is high on her list and loves animals. Dona has just adopted two new kitties.

Adam Martens Director of Philanthropy

Mr. Martens directs the annual and major gift fundraising campaigns for the theatre as well as working with FST's Corporate and Foundation partners and on special community relations projects. Prior to holding this position, he served as Marketing Director for FST from 2005-2007. Adam is a proud member of the Rotary Club of Sarasota where he currently serves on the Board of Directors. He holds degrees in both Business Administration and Theatre from Truman State University. Adam has been deeply committed to promoting live theatre since his first brief moment on stage in his hometown of Chillicothe, Missouri.

Ms. DeShazer is not in Kansas anymore… a graduate of the University of Kansas in Journalism, an avid fan of college basketball and reality television, Danae moved to sunny Sarasota after a stint in NYC as a magazine journalist. Magazines, now theater?! She’s always been involved in theater as an actress, singer and dancer, so it seemed like a natural transition. Life has a funny way of working out, and she couldn’t be happier at FST!

Ms. Frausto comes to sunny Sarasota from Sandusky, Ohio (burrrr!).  A recent graduate from the University of Toledo in Communication, she loves every aspect of theatre and wishes her life really were a musical!  For now she'll just pretend. Jordan can't wait to continue her career in the performing arts.

Amy Steinmetz Grant Writer/Company Photographer

Ms. Steinmetz received her BS in Theatre from SUNY Albany, and her M. Ed. from The College of New Jersey.  She is responsible for FST’s institutional fundraising including the writing and administration of all grant contracts.  Prior to her employment At FST, she held the position of Sales Office Manager at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, Studio Director at Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic’s New Jersey Unit, and Executive Director to the 20/200 Fellowship in Stuart, Florida.

Katie has been in the Box Office for ten years, and remarkably has aged only two years during that time!

Phyllis Silverman Asst. to the Managing Director

In 1994, Ms. Silverman and her husband, Sandy, left Pittsburgh, PA and moved to Sarasota. Shortly after arriving, Phyllis found FST and has been working in the Box Office and in the Administrative Office ever since. Phyllis says "I enjoy my job. Every day is different. It keeps me busy. It keeps me young."

When not working, she enjoys golfing, tap dancing, reading, and taking an American Sign Language class. Phyllis also enjoys travel and visiting her 9 grandchildren.

Beth Duda Director of Education

Adam Ratner Teaching Artist

Mr. Ratner has been a part of the FST family for nearly 25 years. A graduate of Florida State University’s Theatre Program, for the past 10 years he has been a member of the Education Staff as a Teaching Artist, actor, playwright, Coordinator of the Young Playwrights Festival and director of the KIDS KOMEDY CLUB. He has traveled to several countries teaching playwriting for the WRITE A PLAY Program. Adam is also a member of the FST IMPROV Troupe.

Christianne Greiert Teaching Artist

A featured actress in the WRITE A PLAY children’s series, Christianne has performed for and taught over 100,000 children throughout Florida.  Credits include:  UNDER SIX, PLAYMAKERS Tour, The Velveteen Rabbit, Androcles and the Lion, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Leelee in Up To Home, and Traci in Embracing during the New Play Reading Series.   Most recently, she played the dual role of Tillie and Lady Fizzlebottom in Rumplestiltskin.  Christianne also teaches acting classes for youth and teens who attend the FST School.  She studied at the New Actors Workshop in NYC and holds her B.A. in Theatre from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO. 

Our box office is located at the corner of North Palm Avenue and Cocoanut in downtown Sarasota, Florida.

Box Office Hours:
Mon. - 9 p.m. thru 6 p.m.
Tues. - Sat. - 9 a.m. thru 9 p.m.
Sun. - 11 a.m. thru 9 p.m.

941-366-9000