As he did at the Denver Center this February, playwright Edward Albee will lecture at Florida Studio Theatre (FST), May 24, on "art, politics and commitment." Albee appears as part of the 1997 Sarasota Festival of New Plays, which is offering 70 premieres in eight weeks that began May 1. Prior to his talk, Albee, the author of Three Tall Women, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? and The Man Who Had Three Arms, will also present awards to winners of FST's Young Playwrights Festival.

This is Albee's sixth consecutive appearance at the Sarasota Fest. "It's fitting that Mr. Albee once again be our guest of honor," said FST artistic director Richard Hopkins. "He is unflinching in his search for truth, unsurpassed in his courage, incisive in his insight into the American psyche. His appearances are a rite of passage."

The Sarasota Festival, which expects its biggest year -- and over 27,000 participants -- has led Sarasota Mayor Gene Pillot to proclaim May as Florida Studio Theatre Write A Play Month.

The Young Playwrights Festival (not to be confused with the now-dormant, Young Playwrights Festival in NYC) first started in 1991. 10,000 young writers from across the U.S. have submitted plays since then. This year, over two dozen works have been chosen for production in the "Under Six" series, directed by Kim Crow and James Ashford, with musical direction by Jim Prosser.

Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 to make theatre accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience. For tickets and information on the 1997 Sarasota Festival of New Plays, call (941) 366-9796.

--By David Lefkowitz