Who We Are
In 2014 Gotta Van Productions, Inc. was founded in Sarasota, FL by Ann Morrison and Blake Walton with David A. Coyle after being welcomed as solo artists by the largest solo festival in the world, The United Solo Festival in NYC
photo: Sorcha Augustine Photography
Co-Founders
Blake Walton, Managing Director & Ann Morrison, Artistic Director
OUR MISSION
Now known as SaraSolo Productions, Inc. we are an independent, nonprofit theater company dedicated to the development and presentation of unique, brave, and uplifting solo performances that illuminate the human condition - especially of those who are considered “other than."
OUR VISION
To enrich relationships among generations and communities through inspirational, intimate solo performances and transformative educational programs.
TO ACHIEVE OUR VISION WE WILL EMBRACE
“HEAR ME”
- HARMONIZE educational, intergenerational, and community outreach
- ENCOURAGE diversity and collaboration
- ADVANCE the transformative power of intimate performances for both artists and audiences
- REVITALIZE affordable theater in both traditional and non-traditional spaces
- MOTIVATE developing performing artists with enriching retreats and mentoring
- EXPAND innovative presentation formats such as social media, film and virtual
SaraSolo Productions, Inc.
Co-Founders
Ann Morrison, Artistic Director & Blake Walton, Managing Director
Steve Patmagrian, Technical Director
Carol Wolf, Education Liaison
Board of Directors
Carol Wolf, President
Kelly Carney, Secretary
Patty Snyder-Atkins, Treasurer
Jan Docking
Edward Scully
Steve Patmagrian
Ciana Noelle-Bostock
Ann Morrison
Blake Walton
David A. Coyle, Co-Founder, President Emeritus
Natalie Gundrum, Board of Directors Emeritus
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Gotta Van Productions, Inc.
dba SaraSolo Productions, Inc.
P.O. Box 3102, Sarasota FL 34230
Board of Directors President, Jan Docking
Gotta Van Productions, Inc. DBA SaraSolo Productions, Inc. is aregistered 501 (C)(3) non-profit corporation. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free within the state (1-800-HELP-FLA) or from the website: www.fdacs.gov. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state. One hundred percent (!00%) of each contribution is received by Gotta Van Productions, Inc. Registration #CH-41957
Gotta Van Productions FEIN: 47-1576293Ann Morrison
Co-Founder and Artistic Director
Ann is an award-winning actress, writer, teacher and director for over 40 years. As an actress she starred on Broadway in Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along directed by Harold Prince, garnering her the 1982 Theatre World Award, and in LoveMusik (2007) also directed by Harold Prince; London's West End as Peg O'Connell in Peg; Off-Broadway in the original musical Goblin Market (Drama Desk Award Nom. for Outstanding Actress in a Musical) and was an original cast member of Forbidden Broadway. Nationally, she has starred in Sondheim on Sondheim, Into the Woods, Peter Pan, Guys & Dolls, Cabaret, Oliver! Sunset Boulevard, On A Clear Day, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Embarrassments, Good News, Anyone Can Whistle, plus many many more. In Sarasota she starred at The Banyan in A Clean House; Theater Works in Noel & Gertie, Shadowlands, Blithe Spirit, Of Thee I Sing, Cowardly Custard, Ruthless!, and I Do, I Do! with Blake Walton; at The Asolo in 1940s Radio Hour, Swingtime Canteen, Murderers, The Sound of Music, Beatsville, My Fair Lady; at The Golden Apple in Girl Crazy, Wonderful Life! the musical, and Anything Goes; The quintessential solo artist, Ann has performed cabaret in major venues across the country, most notably Feinstein's/54 Below in NYC. She was honored with a 2023 Bistro Award for her solo musical Ann Morrison: Merrily From Center Stage. She won a Best Actress Award for her solo play Linda Lovely Goes to Broadway in the United Solo Festival in NYC, and appeared there again with her solo play Word Painting: Soliloquies Around an Easel. Directing credits include both her solo play Trevor's Fire starring Blake Walton and his solo play Leading Men at the United Solo Festival; large musicals The Secret Garden, Merrily We Roll Along, Hair, On A Clear Day, Smoke On the Mountain, as well as many plays and revues. Four of Ann's solo plays are published. She was the Co-founder and Artistic Director of Kaleidoscope, a musical theatre workshop for persons with developmental disabilities. She can be heard on original cast recordings and studio recordings such as Merrily We Roll Along (Grammy Award Nom), Peg, Goblin Market, Good News, I Remember Mama, Lady Be Good (Gramophone Award), Sing Before Breakfast, and The Road to Ruin. She is the recipient of several HANDY, SAMMY, and SARASOTA MAGAZINE Awards as well as the JOHN RINGLING TOWERS AWARD. Ann plays herself in the 2017 documentary Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened. wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Morrison
Blake Walton
Co-Founder and Managing Director
An award-winning actor, director, playwright, and teacher, Blake studied with Sandy Meisner and Bill Esper at the Neighborhood Playhouse School in NYC. In New York he played Mark in the original, now historic, production of Doric Wilson’s The West Street Gang and a dozen other original productions Off Broadway (Ham, Rain Kisses, Young Bankers In Love, The Wooden Whistle, Family Comes First). His first play Eb & Flo (co-written with Amy Whitman) was produced at the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia. He traveled throughout FL, GA, AL, SC, and NC with FST’s first “Write-A-Play” Workshop for middle and high schools, introducing play writing to nearly 20,000 students culminating in the Edward Albee Young Playwrights Festival. Blake helped develop the original PLAYERS PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL housed on Main Street in Sarasota and became the Director of Acting and Musical Theater. He created a curriculum for acting students aged 5-80 years, encouraged other artists to teach and present workshops, taught acting and playwriting for teens and adults, and developed a summer musical theater camp for teens at the Players Theater. His workshop “That’s My Story And I’m Sticking To It”, encourages others to write solo plays based on life stories. He wrote and performed his first solo play Leading Men (2013 United Solo Festival Award “Best Premiere”) after performing Ann Morrison’s Trevor’s Fire (2012 United Solo Festival Award “Best Premiere”) in the United Solo Festival in NYC. Directing credits include many large musicals (42nd Street, Big River, Singin' In The Rain) and plays including: his play The Better Man (Chain Fest NY, Awards: "Best Ensemble" "Best Supporting Actress", Noms: "Best Play", "Best Director"); His play Out Of My Mind and a concert of Huck Walton's musical The Charm (the Theater Building, Chicago), many solo plays including: Ann Morrison in Linda Lovely Goes to Broadway and Word Painting; Heather Massie in Hedy! The Life and Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, Katherine Michele Tanner in Mann's Last Dance, and Sharon Ohrenstein in Rhapsody For Golda. Locally as an actor he has appeared at FST in The Sum of Us and Veronica's Position; Theater Works in I Do, I Do! (Sarasota Magazine Award Best Actor/Musical, HANDY Nom) and as Bette Davis in Me and Jezebel (SAMMY Award Best Actor); The Golden Apple in Oklahoma!, Stop The World..., Forum, Funny Money, Wonderful Life! the musical, Don't Dress For Dinner, and Anything Goes; The Players (as a Guest Artist) in Rags (HANDY Nom), Anything Goes (SAMMY Nom), City of Angels, and Into The Woods (Sarasota Magazine Nom); and at Tampa Bay theaters, American Stage, Central Stage and the Gorilla Theater. His film credits include the featurette Rex, and shorts, 89 Likes, A Brother's Keeper, Quietus, and Apocolypse Mambo.
Carol Wolf
Board President
Board of Directors
A SaraSolo Board Member for nearly 7 years, Carol earned her B.S. from Cornell University and M.ED from NYU in Educational Theater. After an early career in children's theater and then film production, she was partner and Creative Director at NYC ad agencies managing accounts such as Barclays Bank, DeBeers Diamonds and T. Rowe Price. After producing and marketing educational videos she joined educational media giant Scholastic Corporation, and while there won several AD Age awards. Stints as General Manager and VP Marketing for Harcourt, Houghton Mifflin and McGraw-Hill followed. "Retiring" from educational publishing, Carol became Marketing Director for Algonquin Regional Theater in NJ. Currently she is President of Wolf Executive Search, recruiting talent for top Ed Tech publishers nationwide. Carol has been a Board Member of Zilker Theatre in Austin and has served on Marketing Committees for Austin Library, Austin Lyric Opera and West Coast Theatre.
As Education Liaison for Sarasolo she has been instrumental in the launch of the SoloSynergy Education Outreach Program that builds bridges between elders and teens, two groups that often feel isolated and unheard.
Kelly Carney
Secretary, Board of Directors
Patty Snyder-Atkins
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Company Treasurer
Patty is a well-known Stage Manager in Sarasota having helmed dozens of plays and musicals and working with a variety of directors and choreographers at area stages. She is a project estimator at NTI in with a base in Sarasota but works with myriad companies throughout the Nation. Patty is also a CPA in the state of Florida.
Janice E. Docking
President Emeritus, Board of Directors
Jan has been a resident of Sarasota for 45 years having a stellar career in finance and human resources, most recently with the City of Sarasota. She brings many years of expertise in board work for nonprofit organizations, including serving on the Board of the Directors of Key Chorale for 14 years. While there she contributed in many areas, including development, event planning, marketing, and community outreach. She has had a lifelong love of the arts and has been involved in community theater productions on stage and/or backstage in Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Anna Maria Island and local dinner theaters. Some of her favorite roles are Golde in Fiddler on the Roof and Jenny Lind in Barnum. She was a soprano section leader and sings in the choir at St. Boniface Church. Jan was also a participant in the SaraSolo pilot education program SOLOSYNERGY.
Ed Scully
Board of Directors
Community Relations
Ed's work life began in finance. After making a switch into the printing industry he gained experience in all areas of that business including design, production and binding, eventually working with a wide variety of magazine publishers including Newsweek, American Girl Scout, and Camera 35. In a career switch, after moving from New Hampshire, he worked for the Boston Public Library, helping patrons solve their library problems. Ed has been a participant in the SoloSynergy program "The Bridge" collaborating with students at
Booker Middle School.
Steve Patmagrian
Technical Director
Board of Directors
Copyright 2014