Urbanite Announces 2025/26 Season

SARASOTA — On Tuesday, Urbanite Theatre in downtown Sarasota announced its lineup for the 2025/26 season. The black box theater’s 12th season features four regional premieres, including its very first musical.

The season will begin with the Sixth Modern Works Festival presented by Urbanite Theatre, scheduled September 10-21. A celebration of women playwrights, new works, and women in theatre, it will span two weeks and include the touring production of Too Fat for China by Phoebe Potts; staged readings and talkbacks of three new plays, 1999 by Stacey Isom Campbell, Ahoy-Ahoy by Jennifer Stafford, Screen Time by Sarah Cho; and additional guest speakers.

"The Modern Works Festival is one of the most exciting events of the season,” said Producing Artistic Director Summer Wallace. “It highlights the incredible talents of women in theatre from across the country, provides a platform for new play development, and offers Sarasota audiences the opportunity to become part of the history of playwriting.

Following the Festival, main stage programming will kick off on Friday, October 31, with the regional premiere of Monsters of the American Cinema by Christian St. Croix. A hauntingly funny and unexpectedly tender piece about fatherhood, queerness, loss, and the monsters inside us, the play has been described as “invigoratingly original” (Hollywood Reveal) and "exhilarating" (Los Angelous Times).

Next, Urbanite Theatre will present the psychological thriller Job by Max Wolf Friedlich (January 9 - February 15, 2026). Job has been praised as “80 minutes of pretty much pure tension… a slick, cleverly crafted drop-tower ride,” (Vulture) that "might even scare you off social media for a day or two" (The New Yorker). The play zooms in on two careerists of different generations, genders, and political paradigms to examine what it means to be a citizen of the internet and our obligation to help the people who need it most.

The season continues with the regional premiere and 2023 Modern Works finalist The Apiary by Kate Douglas (March 20-April 19, 2026). The play is set 22 years in the future, when honeybees are nearly extinct, except for those kept in laboratories. Named a New York Times Critics' Pick and "a bright, strange and mesmerizing marvel" (New York Times), this “darkly comic triumph” (Off Off Online) warns us that the key to protecting each other and the planet is right in front of us, if only we would listen.
Closing out the season will be Urbanite's first-ever musical, Who is Eartha Mae? (May 29-June 21, 2026). Created by and Starring Jade Wheeler, this is a one-woman play that delves into the life and career of the iconic Eartha Kitt: a renowned singer, actress, and activist.

Wheeler is a multilingual actress based in Belgium. "A powerhouse triple threat” (The Bay State Banner), Wheeler's work has received high praise for bringing "Kitt's legacy to life" (The Bay State Banner) as "one of the most mesmerizing performances in recent memory” (Broadway World). Who is Eartha Mae? blends electrifying musical numbers, including global hits "C'est Si Bon" and "Santa Baby,” with deeply personal storytelling, tracing Kitt's journey through childhood poverty, artistic triumphs, and her outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War.

“To say we are ecstatic to feature a musical play with live piano in our intimate space is an understatement,” said Wallace. “Combining music with honest storytelling about the legend of Eartha Kitt will be unlike anything else you've experienced in Sarasota or at Urbanite.”

For schedule, individual tickets, and season subscription information, visit the Urbanite website.