Our History
The Laboratory Theater of Florida began in 2008 as a dream of founders Annette Trossbach, Nicole Rizley, and Louise Wigglesworth. The theater began as a community theater with the goal of offering new and cutting edge plays that would expand the consciousness of the southwest Florida community and bring people together in the service of greater understanding, as well as regularly offering classics.
Lab Theater is a rare combination of ensemble work and artistic risk. It is a company that strives to present the human experience in all its rich diversity. Lab Theater‘s actors receive a variety of the article trainings to deliver strong messages that remain with the audience long after the final bow.
Since then, The Laboratory Theater of Florida has collaborated with WGCU, Lee County School District, River District Alliance, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, Lee County Visitors and Convention Bureau, The McGregor Clinic, our local PBS station, The City of Fort Myers, Partners for Breast Cancer Care, SalusCare, Southwest Florida Community Foundation, LGBT Fund of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships, and many more community organizations.
The Laboratory Theater of Florida is now a professional teaching theater. It embraces a whole actor approach in its summer, winter, and spring break camps and also offers further educational opportunities for performers of all ages.