The Banyan Theater Company

The Banyan Theater Company of Sarasota, Florida, produces professional theater in the summer months to be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.

The Banyan Theater Company offers performances of celebrated works by noted playwrights such as Tom Stoppard, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, and George Bernard Shaw, as well as many others.  The 2006 season saw fine theatrical production that included Mrs. Warren´s Profession by George Bernard Shaw; The Retreat from Moscow by William Nicholson; and Life X 3 by Yasmina Reza.

For the upcoming 2007 summer season, The Banyan Theater Company will hold its annual festival at the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts, in the Jane B. Cook Theater.  The Cook Theater´s is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of U.S. 41 and University Parkway, at 5555 North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota.  Free parking is available, and theater offers easy access to disabled guests.  The schedule of shows will be announced in the spring.

           
The Banyan Theater Company is a source of pride for the Sarasota community.  Media reviews are consistently positive regarding the quality of each production.  For example, the reviewers at www.totaltheater.com, a respected website devoted to American theater, raved of the 2006 performance of Life X 3, "[the] only regret about Banyan´s production3;is that it´s the last by this summer theater company for this year3;it´s hard to wait for a year for a new program3;."  Other critics echo the sentiment.  The Boca Beacon has called the premier of The Banyan Theater Company "the hottest item on the Sarasota menu," and the Pelican Press wrote that the Company is to be credited with "enriching Sarasota´s [summer] with meaningful, substantive theater."

          
Since its first season in the summer of 2002, The Banyan Theater Company has received numerous awards for its acting and production.  The Banyan Theater Company was named Sarasota Magazine´s Editors´ Pick Best New Theater Company in 2003 and Best Theater Company by the Creating Loafing of Tampa Bay in 2006, as well as consistently garnering recognition for its plays and actors, who are from diverse backgrounds and geographical locations.

Performances are regularly scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday through Saturday evenings and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (the Company advises checking exact start times and dates for each individual performance).  Ticket prices for The Banyan Theater company are $27.50 per single ticket, or $8.00 for students with valid student identification.  Two- and three-show packages, priced at $50.00 and $66.00 respectively, are also available.

Tickets for all shows are available at the theater box office, which is located in the lobby of the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.  The box office is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and from noon to 3:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, as well as from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.  The box office is closed on Mondays. Tickets may also be purchased by downloading a ticket form http://www.banyantheatercompany.com/V2/tickets.htm and sending it in with payment to The Banyan Theater Company, P.O. Box 49483, Sarasota, FL 34230, or by calling 941-552-1032.

For more information on The Banyan Theater Company, visit the Company web site at http://www.banyantheatercompany.com.