- September 13, 2024
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Summer Dawn Wallace has a small favor to ask.
If you're telling someone about Sarasota's Urbanite Theatre, please don't use the word "edgy."
"Edgy scares some people off," says Wallace, Urbanite's co-founder and artistic director. "Our plays would not be considered edgy in New York, Chicago or LA."
OK. Then what's the best way to describe the three plays that will be getting a stripped-down production in the black-box theater's fifth annual Modern Works Festival?
Well, it so happens that all the plays featured in the festival, which runs Sept. 4-8, were written by female playwrights. But only one of them —"A Nice Motherly Person" by Lia Romeo — can truly be called a "woman's play."
The other two — "In the Mouth of the Beast" by Baylee Shlichtman and "I'm Saving You a Seat" by Sarah Elizabeth Grace focus on daughter-father (or stepfather) relationships.
The works are fresh, bold and sometimes raw. As was the case with Brenda Withers' "Westminster," which won last year's Modern Works Festival and was part of Urbanite's 2023-24 season, its 10th, the plays are ready to break out and shake up audiences.
If you happen to be sitting in one of the 60 seats in Urbanite's theater for the festival, be prepared to sit on the edge of said seat. There's no danger of dozing off.
When it comes to the five-day Modern Works Festival, Wallace says, "It's like Christmas every day." Seeing staged readings of new plays, mingling with patrons and fellow artists and attending panel discussions brings back the magic of opening up presents under the tree, she says.
Wallace's excitement is palpable when she talks about this year's keynote speaker— playwright Lauren Gunderson.
"Lauren Gunderson." Wallace says the name a second time for emphasis during an interview at Kahwa Coffee, right around the corner from Urbanite in downtown Sarasota. It's as if she can hardly believe it herself.
In case you aren't familiar with Gunderson's work, she has been one of the most produced American playwrights in the last decade or so. She has also racked up a slew of awards, including the Lanford Wilson Award, the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award.
The latter honor Gunderson won twice — once for "I and You" and again for "The Book of Will."
Reading through the schedule of the Modern Works Festival, it looks like a multi-day marathon, with anywhere from one to three plays being staged each day from Sept. 5-8. The festival will generate work for 35 artists during its run.
At the end, panelists, attendees and guest adjudicators will vote for their favorite new work and the winner will take home a prize of $3,200.
Although the Modern Works Festival serves as a pipeline for Urbanite's productions, none of the participating playwrights is obligated to have their work premiere in Sarasota.
Nor is there a guarantee that Urbanite will produce any of the three finalist plays. "Everything is a consultation between Urbanite and the playwright," Wallace explains.
Besides "Westminster," another festival play that made its way to an Urbanite run was "A Skeptic and a Bruja" by Rosa Fernandez, which had its world premiere in 2022.
Produced in collaboration with freeFall Theatre of St. Petersburg, the play follows a woman who calls on expert help after encountering the paranormal in a home she hopes to transform into a bed and breakfast.
From a playgoer's perspective, the Modern Works Festival pass is a steal. It's $57 to attend all the events, including a kickoff party on Sept. 4. For those under the age of 40, the pass is $45. There is a $2 convenience fee.
The Modern Works Festival formally kicks off Urbanite's 11th season, which includes four fully staged productions. The first is Morgan Gould's "Jennifer Who is Leaving," which runs from Oct. 18 to Dec. 1.
The play exploring the toll of caregiving is set in a remote highway location of a Dunkin' Donuts. (Yes, we know they changed their name to simply Dunkin', but old habits die hard.)
Despite its relatively minimalist stage and sets, Urbanite isn't afraid to experiment with special effects. In "Westminster," the walls literally started to come tumbling down, while Terry Guest's "Oak," the last play of Urbanite's 2023-24 season, featured rain storms and a spooky creek creature.
Urbanite’s second production of its upcoming season promises to take even greater risks. Leegrid Stevens’ “Spaceman,” about a female astronaut, will give audiences an “immersive” experience. It promises to be one of the most talked-about shows in town, Wallace says. It will run from Jan. 3 to Feb. 16.
With its black-box interior, Urbanite is the perfect setting for plays that take place in confined spaces, such as living rooms or boxing rings. In Winter Miller's "No One is Forgotten" (March 21 to April 29), audiences will be transported to a prison cell where two Americans — one a journalist and the other an aid worker — are incarcerated.
While other arts organizations in town have recently been extending their seasons with events that run into June, Urbanite has made a tradition of it. This year's entry in the late-season derby is Nia Akilah Robinson's "From 145th to 98th Street."
The play follows a couple's struggles to keep their son and daughter on the right track after the family's move to a "better" neighborhood with more opportunity.
