April 8, 2021 11:00AM
History is perhaps life’s greatest drama. But what does it really take to bring a historical story to the stage? Hear from playwrights Mark St. Germain (Eleanor, Becoming Dr. Ruth) and Sean Daniels (The White Chip) about their experiences mining past events for theatrical inspiration. From mountains of research to questions of storytelling ethics and integrity to the role of artistic license in a historic retelling, we’ll explore theatre’s role in keeping some of history’s best stories alive.
ABOUT MARK ST. GERMAIN
Mark St. Germain has written the plays Freud’s Last Session, Dancing Lessons, Best of Enemies, Relativity, and, with John Markus, The Fabulous Lipitones, all seen at FST. Other plays include Ears on a Beatle, Camping with Henry and Tom, The God Committee, and Out of Gas on Lover’s Leap. Mark wrote the perennial musical, The Gifts of the Magi, with composer Randy Courts and Stand By Your Man, The Tammy Wynette Musical, for Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Television work includes writer/consultant for The Cosby Show and Dick Wolfe’s Crime and Punishment. He co-wrote Carroll Ballard’s film Duma, as well as produced and directed the documentary My Dog, An Unconditional Love Story with Richard Gere, Glenn Close, and others. Mark wrote the award-winning children’s book, Three Cups. He is an Associate Artist at the Barrington Stage Company in the Berkshires.
ABOUT SEAN DANIELS
Sean Daniels is a Director, Playwright, Husband, Artistic Director, and most exhaustingly, the father to a toddler. As a writer, he has been produced commercially Off-Broadway by Tony Award Winner Tom Kirdahy, and at Arizona Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, City Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, and Dad’s Garage. His play, The White Chip, was a New York Times Critics Pick and is in talks to return when theater does. As a director, he has directed at theaters such the Manhattan Theatre Club (Off-Broadway), The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, to the West End in London. Sean has been named “one of the top fifteen up & coming artists in the U.S., whose work will be transforming America’s stages for decades to come” & “One Of 7 People Reshaping And Revitalizing The American Musical” by American Theatre Magazine. He is the Artistic Director of Arizona Theatre Company, where he first fell in love with a theatre as a kid, though he is a native Floridian, having gone to high school and college there (Go Noles!).
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Catherine Randazzo is an Associate Artist for FST. She serves as Literary Manager, in-residence director, teaching artist, and professional actor. She leads New Play Development, collaborates on Cabaret development, teaches adult education classes, and leads audience outreach programs. She recently directed That’s Amoré!; Outlaws and Angels; Light My Fire; and Unchained Melodies for the Cabaret and Buyer & Cellar for Stage III. She attended Otterbein University where she received her BFA in performance.
This FST Forum will be held exclusively online. After registering, you will receive an email the day before the event from Florida Studio Theatre containing information about joining the online Zoom event. This will be a separate email from your confirmation email. If you have any issues with registering or accessing the conversation, please call the FST Box Office at 941.366.9000. You will need to download the Zoom mobile or desktop app to participate in this event.
