New Play Development at Florida Studio Theatre continues with playwright Rich Orloff staying in residence for the week, where he’s been working on three separate plays, including putting the finishing touches on Chatting with the Tea Party, a documentary-style play set for a world premiere in New York this winter.

A documentary-style play, meaning based on actual interviews conducted by Orloff, Chatting with the Tea Party came about from a lunch with liberal friends. “People were discussing passionately about what the Tea Party was,” said Orloff, “but no one had even met anyone in the Tea Party.” So Orloff, admitting his own ignorance, conducted more than two dozen interviews with the leaders of local Tea Party movements from 15 states, accumulating more than 60 hours of recording, to get to the heart of the matter.

“What’s beyond the stereotypes?” Orloff asks, an approach that he says hasn’t failed him yet, whether it be writing about love and lust amongst the blue-haired crowd in Advanced Chemistry or a series of short comedies centered around disability (written with and at the request of the National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped). “With all my plays, I like to get beyond the stereotype,” he said.

Filling the time in residence not spent writing by working with apprentice actors and staff at FST, such as for a reading of his play, Pool Party, today, “it’s definitely a working vacation,” laughs Orloff. But as full as the schedule can be, it’s a worthwhile experience for everyone involved, he said. Workshopping scenes with actors, where they gain experience translating the text and Orloff gets to see in real time what works and what doesn’t in his script, is invaluable input for a creator. “It’s instant feedback for me and a great teaching moment for the students,” said Orloff.

Though Orloff’s residency ends Friday, after an appearance on “Inside the Florida Studio,” where FST associate artist Jason Cannon will cap off the experience with an on-stage interview, it’s not Orloff’s first trip to FST and likely won’t be the last. “When people think about Florida Studio Theatre, they just think about the plays,” said Orloff. “FST does more than just present the plays, they develop plays and invest in playwrights.”

“My plays are better off because of this,” he concluded.

For those looking to catch some of Orloff’s work onstage, The Island Players will be performing his Radio Ridiculous, a series of short comedies based around a 1930s radio station, at The Island Players Theater on Anna Maria Island, Fri. Nov. 13 at 8pm and Sun. Nov. 15 at 2pm. Orloff will be in attendance for a reception after.