FST's WRITE A PLAY program heads to Israel

Florida Studio Theatre’s WRITE A PLAY team, consisting of Adam Ratner, Stephen Hope and Kate Alexander, spent a week working in Kiryat Yam, Israel, to bring playwriting to more than 500 school children in December.

The 21-year-old program encourages students from kindergarten through senior year of high school to write original plays. The theme of the week in Israel “We are all in this together, for the children.”

Many of the child participants were underprivileged immigrants from Ethiopia, Russia, Kurdistan and Uzbekistan. According to Howard Tevlowitz, executive director of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee County, the residents of this city struggle with economic and assimilation issues.

The WRITE A PLAY program encourages teamwork and collaboration through writing a play — not to mention laughter and a good time.