Welcome to The Fourth Wall, a theatrical blog with behind-the-scenes content on all the shows you love at The Sharon and The Studio.

Before we get started, we want to introduce ourselves properly. The Sharon and The Studio are partnering theatrical venues in The Villages that work together to provide high-quality, artistic content to the greater Central Florida region.

The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center

The Sharon seats just over 1,000 guests in a multi-level theater offering state of the art audio, visual, and theatrical rigging systems to create an entertainment experience second to none. Performances spotlight a variety of artistic disciplines ranging from concerts and comedians to dance, musicals and operas. As a professional “roadhouse” venue, The Sharon hosts touring productions/artists.

Named for the matriarch of the Morse family, Sharon herself was an accomplished performer, and an avid patron of the arts. While she enjoyed her time on stage, her favorite moments were perhaps those spent with her family watching others perform. She and husband Gary enjoyed the theater in Chicago, and shared that joy with their children and grandchildren when they were old enough to attend.

The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol

Tierra del Sol was formerly a country club with performances as a backdrop to the outstanding food and impeccable golf course views. It has since transitioned, bringing performances to the forefront by evolving into a new Black Box Theatre. The Studio Theatre™ is now a flexible theatre with 120 seats and options for Thrust, Round, Alley, or Proscenium-style seating. The Studio Theatre at Tierra del Sol’s season runs from Fall through Spring each year with four productions running approximately 130 total performances. Each show in The Studio’s main season is selected by committee and produced in-house.

The Studio Theatre is led by Producer Jason Goedken and Artistic Director Whitney Morse. Resident Director, Nathaniel Niemi; Resident Musical Director, Gary Powell; Scenic Designer, Kenneth Constant; Lighting Director, David Krupla; Sound Designer, Nick Erickson; Production Manager, Danielle Paccione; Technical Director, Clayton Becker; Literary Manager, Rachel Whittington; Company Manager, Ryan Loeckel; Assistant Production Manager, Leslie Munson; Production Stage Manager, Grace Zottig; Stage Manager, Madison Youngblood; and Assistant Stage Manager, Stephanie Horn.

What can we anticipate from this blog?

The Fourth Wall is designed to be an additional resource for all manner of behind-the-scenes content and background information on productions occurring at The Sharon and The Studio.

You can expect to see some of the following:

  • Q&A’s/interviews with performers, designers, and producers
  • Background information on specialty pieces like instruments, sets, costumes, choreography, lighting, props, and anything and everything in between
  • Videos highlighting special talents or features of performers/productions
  • Press releases for shows at The Studio
  • Auditions and Job Submission information
  • More in-depth content on special events, holidays, and other culturally significant moments from history
  • Any event updates including added shows, and rescheduled or cancelled shows.

Our goal is create an additional space for anyone who loves the performing arts!