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CHANGING WORLD: Women panelists pack a punch. 10 > < FIVE IS NICE: ‘Piano Grand!’ rocks the house. 9
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016
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Art Around the World Ringling International Arts Festival kicks off with a courtyard celebration. PAGE 4
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For Patrick A. Jackson, theater is about more than big stages and a spot in the limelight — it’s about having an impact through storytelling.
NICK FRIEDMAN A+E MANAGING EDITOR
I
t was more than 10 years ago, but Patrick A. Jackson still finds himself thinking back to a line
from one of his high school plays.
Bayfront Sketches
Jackson, 28, recalls the perfor-
CityLab students reimagine Sarasota’s Bayfront in an architectural exhibit. PAGE 6
mance. It was a collection of Af-
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particular struck a chord.
rican folktales, and one phrase in “What good is a story that doesn’t inspire? What good is a story if it can’t take you higher? What good is a story that doesn’t excel? It’s not a story that’s good enough to tell.” “I think about that all the time,” he says. “It informs what work I choose to do. I ask myself, ‘Is this inspiring? Is it challenging? Will it
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elevate people?’ If the answer is no
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— it’s not something worth doing.” Courtesy Photos
Patrick A. Jackson, FST’s Write-A-Play program coordinator, lists funny faces among his special skills. But his goals go beyond making audiences laugh — he hopes to inspire.
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