SARASOTA – The much anticipated opening of Urbanite Theatre – a progressive new company that will perform in its own, brand new, black-box venue in downtown Sarasota – will feature the United States premiere of Chicken Shop, on April 10. The production will be directed by Barbara Redmond.
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Joseph Flynn as Hendrix Photo by Brendan Ragan |
Opening to stellar reviews, Chicken Shop debuted at the Park Theatre in London in 2014, earning London-based playwright Anna Jordan the West End Frame Awards’ Fringe Production of the Year prize.
The play, billed as a "a dark and twisted coming of age story," centers around Hendrix, the teen son of a lesbian single mother, who undergoes merciless bullying at the hands of peers who tease that he too must be gay. Desperate to prove his masculinity, Hendrix meets Luminita, a young girl enslaved into an unbearable life. Though from completely different worlds, their unlikely, secret friendship grows in a sordid room above a fried chicken shop.
Urbanite worked with Jordan, whose most recent play, YEN, earned her the prestigious Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, to adapt the play for an American audience, which Urbanite Co-Artistic Director Brendan Ragan says was a key ingredient.
“We felt it was crucial to tell this story in a direct, relatable way,” said Ragan. “We didn’t want to let our audiences off the hook. The issues this play addresses, societal expectation of masculinity, objectification of women, and the tragic world of human sex trafficking, they’re devastatingly important in the US, and in Florida specifically. We didn’t want to present these issues as alien or exclusive to the UK. They’re immediate and they’re here.”
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Ashley Scallon as Luminita Photo by Brendan Ragan |
“It's been fun making the changes,” said Anna Jordan. “Getting into the American speech rhythms and adjusting the characters language accordingly.”
Jordan also noted that it was an honor to be Urbanite’s first play.
“It's tremendously exciting,” said Jordan. “To be the first play ever performed in a theatre, that goes down as one of my proudest moments so far as a playwright. I love Brendan and Summer's vision and passion for Urbanite. I hope Chicken Shop goes down a storm.”
The play will open April 10, with a special preview on April 9. It will run through May 3 with performances Wednesday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Regular tickets are only $20 and are available at the Urbanite website.
Student tickets to the production are available for just $5.
“This is a crucial play for younger audiences,” said Ragan. “They’ll immediately relate to the humor, the family issues, and the battle most youth currently face with sexual feelings and identity. We’re offering this experience at a cheaper rate than going to the movies. And I’m certain they’ll find it twice as rich.”
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| Ashley Scallon and Joseph Flynn. Photo by Brendan Ragan |
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