Studios of Key West: StudioWorks Streaming Theater Service

BY MAGGIE OLIVE KLEIN
KONKLIFE STAFF WRITER AND EDITOR 

As we all know, and are tired of hearing, the pandemic has changed so many things in our day-to-day life. Your work might be permanently remote, your favorite restaurant might have gone out of business, or it might be hard to see a loved one. Whatever the case may be, adjustment to the “new norm” is hard. Artists know the effects all too well, and actors and theatergoers alike across the country have been working to accommodate to be able to continue doing and seeing what they love. Those over at The Studios of Key West are no different. StudioWorks, one of South Florida’s leading cultural organizations, is streaming theater at its best! Yep, you heard me, streamed theater. 

The first play that came to the Streaming Theater Series, titled “Smithtown”, was streamed during COVID, and got covered all over the country. It was written up in The New Yorker and The New York Times, as well as other notable outlets. It was created by Drew Larimore, produced and directed by Stephen Kitsakos, and starred Michael Urie, Ann Harada, Colby Lewis, and Constance Shulman. As said in The New Yorker, “In “Smithtown,” the playwright Drew Larimore probes the cracks of our digital lives in four chatty, unsettling monologues revolving around the same tragedy in a small college town.” Its safe to say that the play, as well as the streaming service it was provided on, was a hit. 

The streamed play was so popular that The Studios of Key West are now producing plays for the Streaming Theater Service on a schedule set to release one brand new play each month from November 2022 through February 2023. Keep an eye out for the next release, on November 11th!  TSKW is presenting “The Mon Valley Medium,” which, according to their website, is “a darkly comedic tale that takes place when a murder sends a working-class community into chaos.” The play is written, directed, and performed by Alec Silberblatt, a theater artist and Pittsburgh native who spent some time in Key West last year. The story is to center on Mack, a local man, who tells the story while struggling with the guilt he feels about his role in it all. We are so excited to see how this play unfolds, and fortunately, you can watch from the comfort of your own home! 

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