Humor that's unscripted? Count us in! Florida Studio Theatre welcomes Sarasota Improv Festival favorites Available Cupholders back to the Gulf Coast the first weekend of June for a special residency. The four-member group will perform two improv shows on Friday, June 3, and Saturday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. each night in FST’s Bowne's Lab. 

The Available Cupholders will also lead three workshops for those of all experience levels who are interested in improv on June 4 and  5. Jeremy Sweetlamb, one of the group's members, says that “everyone is a storyteller.” Those interested in discovering their own creative spontaneity are welcome to join these workshops. 

In a press release, Will Luera, FST’s director of improv, said, “We know how much the festival means to our community and improv fans in the area, so we wanted to bring back a festival favorite for a special weekend-long residency. We immediately thought of Available Cupholders—their quick wit and unpredictable sense of humor is openly welcomed and appreciated by Sarasota audiences.”

“The Sarasota audience is really open and down for us to experiment,” Sweetlamb adds. 

On June 3, the group will perform Fakespeare: Improvised Shakespeare, a never-before-seen show in which the four expert improvisers pit their theatrical training against their comedy training to improvise a full-length show in the style of William Shakespeare.  

On June 4, the ensemble will draw on its decades of experience to improvise a full-length play—completely from scratch. Using only one suggestion of a made-up play title from the audience, the team will create a full world of characters, relationships, plots, dialogue, intrigue, dramatic glances, and all the comedic lip-biting tension one show can take. 

During the residency, Available Cupholders will also lead three sessions focused on building stage presence, creating a powerhouse improv group, and learning how to set up scenes with exciting new twists. All three workshops are suitable for beginners interested in dipping their toes into the world of improv as well as more advanced participants.

 Available Cupholders will perform two distinct improvised comedy shows on Friday, June 3, and Saturday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. each night in FST’s Bowne’s Lab. Tickets, $20, are now on sale at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or by calling (941) 366-9000. For the three workshops taking place Saturday, June 4, and Sunday, June 5, enrollment is $35 per workshop. Those interested can register online at FloridaStudioTheatre.org, or by calling Pamela Smith at (941) 366-1350.