Suncoast Credit Union Foundation Provides $5,000 To Florida Studio Theatre

Florida Studio Theatre has announced a charitable gift of $5,000 from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation. The funds will be used to support the 2024-2025 Write A Play Program, a year-round arts integration program providing students with the example, the inspiration, and the skills to write their own original plays. Now in its 34th year, Write A Play reaches over 35,000 students annually and is designed to inspire the next generation of playwrights.

"We are immensely grateful to the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation for their generous support of our Write a Play program,” said Caroline Saldivar, Director of Children's Theatre at FST. “This grant of $5,000 will play a crucial role in expanding our efforts to inspire and empower students through the art of playwriting. With this funding, we will continue to bring creative, high-impact workshops and performances to underserved schools, fostering a love for storytelling and strengthening literacy among our young participants. This support enables us to reach more students and create lasting impact, and we are excited to see the positive outcomes that will emerge from this collaboration.”

Suncoast Credit Union, Florida's largest credit union, founded the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation to promote the education, health and emotional well-being of children in the community. Each time a Suncoast member uses their debit or credit card, the credit union donates two cents to the Foundation to fund local initiatives. Since its inception in 1990, the Foundation has raised and donated over $45 million.

“At Suncoast, we believe the arts enrich our lives by fostering creativity and offering a vital outlet for self-expression,” said Kourtney Berry, Executive Director, Suncoast Credit Union Foundation. “Through our investment, we aim to nurture the next generation of playwrights and inspire a lifelong passion for artistic expression in students.”

ABOUT FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE

Known as Sarasota's Contemporary Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 by Artist Jon Spelman. Starting out as a small touring company, FST traveled to places such as migrant camps and prisons. The company then acquired the former Woman's Club building, becoming the first permanent venue. Shortly after Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins arrived, the building was purchased and renamed The Keating Theatre. In the years that followed, Florida Studio Theatre established itself as a major force in American Theatre, presenting contemporary theatre in its five theatre venues: the Keating Theatre, the Gompertz Theatre, the Parisian style Goldstein Cabaret and John C. Court Cabaret, and Bowne's Lab Theatre. 

Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience.  FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world.  As FST grows and expands, it continues to provide audiences with challenging, contemporary drama and innovative programs.

About Suncoast Credit Union

Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of Florida, the 8th largest in the United States based on membership, and the 10th largest in the United States based on its $18.5 billion in assets. Chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, Suncoast Credit Union currently operates 78 full-service branches and serves more than 1.2 million members across Florida. As a community credit union, anyone who lives, works, attends school, or worships in Suncoast Credit Union's service area is eligible for membership. In 2021, Suncoast Credit Union's field of membership was expanded to include public K-12 teachers, college educators, and educational support staff from all of Florida's 67 counties. Suncoast is passionate about community support. Since its founding in 1990, the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation has raised and donated more than $45 million to organizations and initiatives that support the health, education, and emotional well-being of children in the communities that the credit union serves. For more information, visit suncoast.com.

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