FST Receives Manatee Community Foundation Grant

Florida Studio Theatre has announced a $10,000 charitable gift from the Manatee Community Foundation to support its WRITE A PLAY program during the 2024–2025 season. This grant provides students from five underserved Manatee Community schools with the examples, inspiration, and skills to become the next generation of creative storytellers.

 

WRITE A PLAY is FST's flagship arts-in-education initiative that promotes creativity, strengthens literacy skills, and fosters a love of the arts. Now in its 34th year, the program guides students through the process of writing their own original plays and celebrates their work through live performances, interactive workshops, and fully staged productions of winning student-written scripts at the annual Young Playwrights Festival — one of the only youth literary award programs of its kind in the nation.

 

“Thanks to the generosity of the Manatee Community Foundation, Florida Studio Theatre is able to provide the WRITE A PLAY program at no cost to the schools that need it most,” said Caroline Saldivar, Director of Children's Theatre at FST. “This support is vital – not only does it help us fulfill our mission to make theatre accessible and affordable, but it also reflects our shared values as a community. It sends a powerful message: that youth matters, and that nurturing and uplifting young voices through live performance is a cause worth championing.”

 

Since its inception in 1991, WRITE A PLAY has served over 1 million students, with a special emphasis on reaching Title I and underserved schools. For many participants, the program offers their first exposure to live theatre — a formative experience that often inspires a lifelong connection to the arts.

 

Thanks to the Foundation's support, 3,736 students from the following five schools will benefit from the fully subsidized WRITE A PLAY experience this season: Ballard Elementary, Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary, Moody Elementary, Palmetto Elementary, and Manatee School for the Arts. Of these five, four are Title I schools, making this gift especially meaningful.

 

Under normal circumstances, participation in WRITE A PLAY costs $15 per student for a field trip package, or $2,000 per school for a touring series of performances and workshops. This grant removes those financial barriers entirely, aligning with FST's mission to make theatre accessible and affordable for all.

 

The value of WRITE A PLAY is echoed by educators and students alike: “We appreciate you all coming out to our schools,” said Tina Peters, a 3rd grade teacher at McNeal Elementary. “It gets harder and harder to adapt and find fun learning experiences for our students. The fact that we don't have to leave the school makes it so much better!”

 

Florida Studio Theatre is deeply grateful to the Manatee Community Foundation for their continued support and commitment to enriching the lives of local students through arts education.

 

For more information about WRITE A PLAY or to support FST's outreach initiatives, visit floridastudiotheatre.org.

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