News

Playhouse actor donates $318K for new ed program

Brian Robinson (right) appears in the Flat Rock Playhouse production of 'My Fair Lady' in 2014.

By Bill Moss, Published: June 8, 2015

An Atlanta-based actor who has performed on stage at the Flat Rock Playhouse since the early '90s has donated $318,000 to underwrite the theater’s newly formed educational program, Flat Rock Playhouse Studio 52.

Brian Robinson agreed to make the donation to help launch Studio 52, the Playhouse announced on Monday.
Robinson, who holds a masters in fine arts degree from the University of North Carolina, first performed at the Flat Rock Playhouse in 1993 when Artistic Director Robin Farquhar took a chance and cast the young actor in a leading role in the musical “City of Angels.” That marked the beginning of Robinson’s 20-plus year association with the Playhouse, where he has played leading roles in more than 22 productions, including 1776, Thoroughly Modern Millie, A Few Good Men and most recently as Henry Higgins in the 2014 hit My Fair Lady. A native of Tennessee with extensive film and television credits, Robinson earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Virginia before attending graduate school in Chapel Hill.

“Flat Rock Playhouse Board of Trustee Paige Posey and (Artistic Director) Lisa Bryant approached me several weeks ago about the opportunity to help fund the inaugural offerings of Studio 52," Robinson said. "Nothing could give me more pleasure than supporting a component of the Playhouse that has always been central to its mission: education. I am convinced that Flat Rock Playhouse has put itself back on the path forward that guided it so well for its first 57 years. It is a path of artistic excellence coupled with fiscal responsibility. And I am honored to be able to help the Playhouse on that journey, thus giving back to the family that showed so much faith in me some 22 years ago. It is an organization that is far more than just a theatre. It is a community of actors, directors, designers, technicians and staff that together comprise a family. A family of Vagabonds.”

Bryant praised Robinson and his connection to the community where he got his start.
“Brian’s love for Flat Rock Playhouse is deep and profound. Robin gave him his professional start in the industry, and now over 20 years later, Brian is giving us our educational re-birth with his financial support of Studio 52,” she said. “He loves Henderson County and values and supports our desire to be as great a service piece to the community through arts education as we can dream.”
Set to open on Monday, Studio 52 aims to bridge the gap between the Playhouse and the community while building future audiences, nurturing aspiring story-tellers, and collaborating with local schools by working creatively with teachers to enrich student learning, the Playhouse said. The summer session for Studio 52 consists of eight weeks of classes in Theatre, Musical Theatre, Acting for Film and Filmmaking as well as a series of Saturday Morning Snapshots with such topics as Stage Combat, How to Make a Movie with your Smartphone, and interactive Master Classes with the professional casts of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Gypsy!