Since its founding in 2009, Slow Burn Theatre Co.\u00a0has helped redefine contemporary musical theater in South Florida. The Boca Raton\u2013based nonprofit co-founders, artistic director Patrick Fitzwater and actor and executive director Matthew Korinko, both 54, say they \u201cnoticed a theatrical void in South Florida and made the commitment to do what we could to fill it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fitzwater points out that the landscape was very different in the organization\u2019s early days. The country was in the middle of a recession, so more theaters were closing than opening. There were only about three in the area, he adds, and they put on the same shows \u2014 standards like \u201cFiddler on the Roof\u201d and \u201cHello, Dolly!\u201d When Slow Burn opened, it was the only one producing contemporary musical theater, but it helped pave the way for others, which was one of the founders\u2019 intentions, and part of why they chose the name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Slow burn\u2019 is a term that\u2019s universal in meaning,\u201d Korinko explains. \u201cYou know something\u2019s going to happen, but you don\u2019t know when, or how big it will be. It\u2019s like lighting a stick of dynamite; it can apply to a character, a song, a show or a season.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Fitzwater and Korinko, both Fort Lauderdale residents, handpick the musicals. Favorites in the upcoming lineup include Alanis Morisette\u2019s\u00a0\u201cJagged Little Pill\u201d (June 13\u201328), \u201cCome from Away\u201d (Oct. 10\u201325) and \u201cDear Evan Hansen\u201d (April 10\u201325, 2027).<\/p>\n
They describe their productions as storytelling-forward, and they\u2019ve worked to create a space where South Florida artists can build careers and actors from New York can perform between Broadway engagements. The audiences are diverse, enthusiastic and of all ages, which one production from this season made especially clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a special experience for young people to come out to see \u2018Frozen\u2019 dressed as their favorite characters,\u201d Fitzwater says. \u201cYou have to inspire the next generation of theatergoers, too.\u201d<\/p>\n