The award-winning Booker High School VPA Theatre Department offers intensive, pre-professional training in the dramatic arts to students in the Sarasota school district and beyond, with the goal of staging professional quality productions that have earned acclaim from critics and audiences alike. The Department stages four mainstage productions annually, two musicals and two straight plays, ranging from classical to contemporary works, from the popular cannon to lesser known gems. Notable alumni who got their start on the VPA stage are American Idol semifinalist Syesha Mercado, Chicago Fire star Charlie Barnett, and Oscar-award winning cinematic makeup artist Bill Corso.