Florida Studio Theatre (FST) announces the lineup for the 2022-2023 Forums Series, featuring three panel discussions inspired by the themes explored in the theatre’s productions of What the Constitution Means to Me, Network, and Visit Joe Whitefeather (and bring the family!). Forums events are free to attend, but registration is required. To register, visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org or call FST’s Box Office at 941.366.9000.
“For the last seven years, FST’s Forums Series have embraced the idea that open, honest, and unfiltered dialogue is the key to understanding each other,” said The Honorable Charles E. Williams, 12th Circuit Court Judge and Chair of FST’s Forums Steering Committee. “Please join FST as we continue the tradition of conversations without judgment as we navigate the issues of our day through this season’s contemporary plays.”
FST’S 2022-2023 FORUMS SERIES
The U.S. Constitution and America Today: Is it Flourishing or Floundering?
Inspired by themes presented in What the Constitution Means to Me
WHEN Thursday, February 9 @ 5PM
WHERE FST’s Keating Theatre
52% of American adults say they are not satisfied with the way democracy is working in the United States. Additionally, 85% of Americans say that the U.S. political system either needs major changes or needs to be completely reformed. Our Constitution, the fundamental basis of our government, is over 200 years old. Is it outdated, or is it simply being manipulated and interpreted in a way that was not anticipated when it was written? Is it being used as intended? This forum will explore these issues and more, in hopes of fostering discussion on how we should look at this document in today’s world.
FEATURED PANELISTS
The Honorable Larry Eger, Head of the Manatee County division of the Public Defender’s Office; Vice-Chair of the Jewish Children and Family Services; and Co-Founder and past President of the Sarasota School of Arts and Science
Trevor Harvey, President of the Sarasota NAACP
Matt Walsh, CEO of Observer Media Group
MODERATED BY
The Honorable Charles E. Williams, 12th Circuit Judge
Walter Cronkite, Where Are You?
Inspired by themes presented in Network
WHEN Thursday, March 9 @ 5PM
WHERE FST’s Keating Theatre
Elon Musk buys Twitter. Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post. If you have $100, you can run your own news program! 52% of Americans today get their news from digital platforms. As polarized as our country is today, many believe news outlets—whether print, electronic or digital—are more polarizing than ever before. How the news is presented is increasingly dependent on the political persuasion of the network’s audience. This forum will explore this crisis in news information, why it has persisted, what can be done to address it, and why it can be destructive to this country and our democracy if it is not fixed.
FEATURED PANELISTS
Richard M. Lobo, Co-Vice Chair for the Center for Public Integrity; Director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting during Clinton administration; Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau during Obama administration; Former President and CEO of WEDU (PBS) Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota; and Chairman of the Florida Public Broadcasting Service.
Mercedes Soler-Martinez, Co-Owner and President of Solmart Media.
MODERATED BY
Renee James Gilmore, Executive Producer/ABC7 WWSB/Empowering Voices
Tom Tryon, Former Opinion Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
“I Didn’t Mean to Offend!” – The Politics of Cultural Appropriation
Inspired by themes presented in Visit Joe Whitefeather (and bring the family!)
WHEN Thursday, April 20 @ 5PM
WHERE FST’s Keating Theatre
The Washington Redskins. The Cleveland Indians. The Danville Braves. What’s wrong with these names? Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This forum will discuss this phenomenon in the context of the play Visit Joe Whitefeather (and bring the family!) and also explore the broader often unintended consequences of cultural appropriation in today’s society. This panel will also take a look at the occurrence of gentrification in our rapidly changing Sarasota community.
MODERATED BY
The Honorable Charles E. Williams, 12th Circuit Judge
