MOTS2016

Jeffery Kin For the past 10 years, Artistic Director Jeffery Kin has been bringing art to the stage at The Players Theatre. As Kin enters his second decade, Sarasota’s community theater, the now-rebranded Players Centre for Performing Arts, also is entering a new phase with the sale of its home in downtown Sarasota and construction of a new three-theater complex as part of Lakewood Ranch’s expansion into Sarasota County. What won’t change is Kin’s irrepressible devotion to bringing audiences professional-grade community theater that also challenges actors, directors and designers and, perhaps, becomes part of a community conversation.

Kin may have been born with the theater bug. As a five-year-old attending his older sister’s school play, he hopped on the stage to join the kick line. Growing up a “farm kid” in northwestern Ohio, Kin’s parents supported him with time off from chores, and he became involved in community theater at age 13. He earned a bachelor’s degree in performing arts from Otterbein University, moved to New York where he earned his equity card and performed in shows across the nation. When the polish wore off the Big Apple, Kin accepted a friend’s invitation to perform here and, in 1991, Sarasota became home.

Kin has built a reputation for choosing shows that fulfill the Players’ mission to educate as well as entertain, and maybe even enlighten. This year’s Broadway season is devoted to stories from screen to stage, a reversal of the usual path from stage to film. Whether the play is newly minted or a time-honored favorite, Kin aims to “make it ours” and relevant in today’s world. What gives him the most satisfaction, though, is providing a home that allows others to grow in their craft and knowing he is helping make a difference in the lives of many.

Men on the SCENE 2016