FSU/Asolo Conservatory to Open Pullitzer-Winning Drama Next Week

Allie Henkel and Matthew R. Olsen in FSU/Asolo Conservatory’s production of Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive photo by Frank Atura

SARASOTA – The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training will present its next production, Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive, February 18-March 9 at the Cook Theatre in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. The compelling play, recounts a woman’s drive to freedom through an obstacle course of dark memories in her life.

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the character Li’l Bit is behind the wheel, learning the rules of the road and life at the same time. Along the way, she dodges an obstacle course of memories. Her radio, blaring with the top-40 hits of the 1950s, can’t quite overpower them. Happy memories (driving lessons with her uncle) give way to disturbing ones (seduction that’s all in the family). There are choices children aren’t old enough to make and a choice she has to make now. The journey Li’l Bit takes to make that decision is unforgettable.

This FSU/Asolo Conservatory production will be directed by Jesse Jou, a freelance director based in New York City, and performed by second-year acting conservatory students. Jou says he’s always loved Vogel’s writing and feels, “so fortunate to have the chance to work on one of her plays with these talented students.” According to Jou, How I Learned to Drive, “asks a lot of relevant questions about how we perceive women and men—without giving us any easy answers. It’s a play that brims with humor and compassion while tackling a tough subject matter. It takes audiences and our student actors on a journey they’ll always remember.”

Tickets are $29 evenings; $28 matinees. Students receive 50 percent off with advance ticket purchase. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Asolo Rep’s box office at the FSU Center for Performing Arts, online, or by calling 941-351-8000. Pay What You Can Night: On Tuesday, February 18, 7:30 p.m., audience members are invited to attend a production and pay whatever they can afford for their ticket. These special tickets are available on the day of performance only. Productions are Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 p.m.