Pictured (L to R): Aja Goes, Jannie Jones, and Dakota Mackey-McGee in FST's Divas. Photo by Sorcha Augustine.

The Sarasota theater scene hits a high note tonight with the opening of Divas: Time After Time, at Florida Studio Theatre. Starring Jannie Jones, Dakota Mackey-McGee, and Aja Goes playing themselves, the story follows a trio of young performers with aspirations of diva-dom, as they find strength and inspiration in the songs—and the stories—of the divas who came before them. The latest from cabaret creators Rebecca Hopkins, Richard Hopkins, and Ben Liebert—and featuring everything from Whitney Houston to Carrie Underwood and Christina Aguilera—it’s an evening in celebration of the music, the voices, and, ultimately, the powerful women behind both.

“It’s the hero’s journey for the Diva archetype,” says Rebecca Hopkins, who also serves as managing director at FST, where, for the last year or so, she and her co-creators have been debating divas and sifting through discographies, looking for that narrative throughline that transforms a mere concert into a compelling cabaret story. It’s harder than you might think.

“A lot of people think it’s just pouring your favorite songs into a hat and then fishing them out,” says Hopkins with a laugh. “That would make my life a lot easier, but that’s not what it is.” And while Divas features iconic tunes from iconic divas like Tina Turner, Cher, Barbra Streisand and more, what drew Hopkins to these women in particular was actually their stories—and the commonalities they shared. Stories of humble beginnings and breaking down barriers, of overcoming challenges to find their strength, their power, their self in their music.

“It’s learning to be an independent woman,” says Hopkins. And with Divas, she celebrates that independence while also highlighting the strength and community of the shared sisterhood that is being a diva. A diva stands alone but on the shoulders of diva-giants, she follows her own path but takes her bearings from those who came before. And they sing with voices of steel.

“They never let the world drag them down,” Hopkins says. “They stand up to it and inspire others to do the same.”

Directed by Catherine Randazzo, Divas: Time After Time opens tonight at Florida Studio Theatre and runs through June 22.

Pictured (L to R): Aja Goes, Jannie Jones, and Dakota Mackey-McGee in FST's Divas. Photo by Sorcha Augustine.