Matthew Korinko and Patrick Fitzwater
Photo by SRL Media, Inc.
Founded in Boca Raton in 2009, Slow Burn Theatre Co. has helped redefine contemporary musical theater in South Florida. The nonprofit's co-founders, artistic director Patrick Fitzwater and actor and executive director Matthew Korinko, both 54, say they “noticed a theatrical void in South Florida and made the commitment to do what we could to fill it.”
Fitzwater points out that the landscape was very different in the organization’s early days. The country was in the middle of a recession, so more theaters were closing than opening. There were only about three in the area, he adds, and they put on the same shows — standards like “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Hello, Dolly!” When Slow Burn opened, it was the only one producing contemporary musical theater, but it helped pave the way for others, which was one of the founders’ intentions, and part of why they chose the name.
“‘Slow burn’ is a term that’s universal in meaning,” Korinko explains. “You know something’s going to happen, but you don’t know when, or how big it will be. It’s like lighting a stick of dynamite; it can apply to a character, a song, a show or a season.”
Fitzwater and Korinko, both Fort Lauderdale residents, handpick the musicals that take the stage at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts each season. Favorites in the upcoming lineup include Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill” (June 13–28), “Come from Away” (Oct. 10–25) and “Dear Evan Hansen” (April 10–25, 2027).
They describe their productions as storytelling-forward, and they’ve worked to create a space where South Florida artists can build careers and actors from New York can perform between Broadway engagements. The audiences are diverse, enthusiastic and of all ages, which one production from this season made especially clear.
“It was a special experience for young people to come out to see ‘Frozen’ dressed as their favorite characters,” Fitzwater says. “You have to inspire the next generation of theatergoers, too.”
For more information or to support Slow Burn Theatre Co., visit slowburntheatre.org.