SARASOTA, FLA.: Florida Studio Theatre (FST) has announced their new community engagement program, Public Works Sarasota. FST will bring a series of workshops and performances to the CreArte Latino Cultural Center, the Desoto Boys & Girls Club, Girls Inc. of Sarasota County, and the Haven.

“One of FST’s mission points is to make theatre affordable and accessible to as many people as possible,” FST director of children’s theatre Caroline Saldivar said in a statement. “Public Works Sarasota is one way for us to remove the barriers that prevent members of the community from connecting with theatre. This initiative blurs the line between artist and audience by having the public join the creative process.”

FST teaching artists will travel to partner locations to lead a six-week series of workshops in acting, voice, and movement. The partner organizations will all participate in a production of Off the Charts!, a family-friendly musical revue. Professional actors will also join Off the Charts!, and FST will tour the production to Sarasota County library locations through the end of the month.

This summer’s events will serve as a pilot for the Public Works Sarasota Program, which FST hopes to expand in the future.

Florida Studio Theatre, Sarasota’s contemporary theatre, has grown to a village of five theatres in the heart of the city’s downtown. FST remains committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to as many people as possible and develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. The theatre currently operates with a budget of approximately $10 million.