World Premiere Next Up for Urbanite

SARASOTA – Urbanite Theatre returns March 24 with its third production of the season, the world premiere of Backward Forwards Back by Jacqueline Goldfinger, directed by Urbanite Theatre Co-Artistic Director Brendan Ragan.

When a soldier returns from war carrying the ghosts of his tour, he’s faced with a sobering decision: address his alarming PTSD with Virtual Reality therapy, or risk forever losing access to his family. Can this new technology recalibrate the brains and bodies of wounded soldiers?

The production will star Army veteran L. James, who previously appeared in Urbanite's smash hit Sender.

"Backwards Forwards Back is a riveting examination of post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans, but more importantly, it is also an insightful meditation on healing.“ says director Brendan Ragan. "It's rare that a story ever looks so deeply inside the minds of our wounded soldiers, focusing less on the outward symptoms but the inner turmoil.“

Jacqueline Goldfinger, the playwright of Backwards Forwards Back, spent time with the Urbanite team during the beginning stages of the rehearsal process to further develop the script for its world premiere.

"The idea for Backwards Forwards Back was inspired by an NBC news story about an experimental virtual reality treatment for Veterans with extreme cases of PTSD,“ says Jacqueline. "I began researching this treatment and discovered that while it is very new, it is already making a significant difference for some Vets and their families.“

For schedule and ticket information, visit the Urbanite website.