September 30 2004

DAZZLING SETS, ACCLAIMED PLAYS, STAR STUDDED CASTS, RECORD BREAKING NUMBERS, AND A SIGNED AGREEMENT WITH FSU HIGHLIGHTED THE ASOLO’S 45TH SEASON

Accomplishments Fuel an Exciting New Season!

SARASOTA, FL – As the Asolo prepares to launch a new season on November 19, we reflect on the highlights of our prior season’s accomplishments. Critically acclaimed productions such as The Crucible, I’m Not Rappaport, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Free and Clear highlighted the Asolo Theatre Company’s 45th season. The 2003-2004 season culminated with the signing of a three-year operating agreement with Florida State University, which formalizes and strengthens the program relationship between the Asolo and the FSU/Asolo Conservatory in Sarasota and the promise of an exciting new season of collaboration.

Highlights of the 2003-2004 Asolo season:

• Two hundred ninety-four performances of nine productions on two stages from October 31, 2003 through May 30, 2004, with gross ticket sales in excess of $2.1 million, a number well above last season and the record breaking numbers of prior years.

• It’s for the Kids! Record breaking numbers of local students, more than 7,000 in all, participated in the Asolo’s Access to the Arts program. Students attended The Crucible and The Diary of Anne Frank, as well as special productions and school visits. The Asolo Theatre Guild raised $20 thousand through two special events, individual donations, and the Guild Play Readers to provide funding.

• The Prestigious National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Shakespeare in American Communities grant was awarded to the Asolo. The Asolo is the only theatre in Florida and one of only 22 theatre companies in the entire U.S. to receive the award.

• A benefit gala, A Maaah-velous Party, honored Senator Lisa Carlton, Michael Close and Esther M. Mertz for their continued dedication and support of the Asolo Theatre Company and FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. The Gala raised significant funds, more than $120,000 for outreach and educational programs. The Celebrate the Conservatory showcase and auction raised $18,000, meeting 2003-2004 financial goals for the FSU/Asolo Conservatory student scholarship fund. Purely Asolo raised $40,000

• Golden Globe Award-winning actress Polly Holiday, joined by a notable cast of Asolo and Conservatory alumni, performed in the first full production of Robert Anderson’s play – Free and Clear. A May 22 tribute to Anderson played host to Anderson’s colleagues and family members, and featured a presentation from the William Inge festival along with messages from Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook and George Grizzard.

• Second-year Conservatory students, while working with world-renowned Russian playwright Alexander Galin, presented the American premiere of his new play, The Competition.

• The Asolo Theatre Company, in partnership with five other local arts organizations, participated in the Performing Arts Research Coalition (PARC) study. Sarasota was one of 10 cities selected for the study that measured the frequency and pattern of attendance and attitude toward performing arts. Of 800 households in Sarasota and Manatee surveyed, there was strong support of the performing arts by a broad majority of our community. An impressive 87 percent said the arts improve the quality of life; 92 percent said the arts contribute to the education and development of children; and 43 percent said the arts had a part in their decision to move here.

• The Asolo’s producing artistic director, Howard Millman, was named by Tampa Bay Business Journal as one of the top 25 movers and shakers in the local Travel and Tourism industry in its May 2004 Who’s Who of Tampa Bay Business.

• The 2003 Kaleidoscope summer musical theatre workshop presented, to sold-out houses, My Life is Art. The Kaleidoscope Touring Company enjoyed its fourth successful season performing to jubilant audiences across the community and will perform again in the 2004-2005 season.

Howard Millman, explained, “The season was filled with wonderful accomplishments, recognitions, and resolutions. We are focused on the positive and expect even bigger and better things for our upcoming season.”

The Asolo Theatre Company’s 2004-05 season will commence on November 19 with the classic family adventure story, Peter Pan, and continues with Sherlock Holmes & The West End Horror, Broadway Bound, The Smell of the Kill, The Front Page, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and a long awaited musical theatre production in the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre – Menopause The Musical! In the Jane B. Cook Theatre, audiences will experience the heartwarming play Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie.

Also in the Cook, the FSU/Asolo Conservatory will present The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Boston Marriage, The Island of Slaves and another play to be announced, along with special productions – Holes, Antonio Fava in The Life/Death and Resurrection of Pulcinella, and Surprise Guests from Seven Days of Opening Nights from Florida State University.

October 5, 2004 marks the beginning of the Asolo’s 46th Season when casting and creative team selections will be announced at the Asolo’s annual Town Hall meeting at 5:30 pm. Town Hall is FREE and open to the public, with a “mingle with the stars” reception following the presentation.

Season subscriptions, $99 Play Passes, and $25 Student Passes are now on sale, and single tickets go on sale October 18. To purchase tickets, please call the Asolo Box Office at 941-351-8000 or toll-free at 800-361-8388 or visit us on the Web at www.asolo.org.

The Asolo Theatre Company, the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, and Sarasota Ballet of Florida operate, train and perform within the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts at 5555 N Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, Florida.

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The Asolo is funded in part by the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, The Florida Arts Council, the City and County of Sarasota and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council, and the Sarasota Arts Council. The Asolo Theatre Company’s Shakespeare productions are sponsored in part by Shakespeare in American Communities, a national theater initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Sallie Mae Fund in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Additional funding is also received through the efforts of support groups including the Asolo Angel Association, the Asolo Theatre Guild, The Directors Emeritus and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations.