ABOUT URBANITE THEATRE
Located in the heart of downtown Sarasota, Florida, Urbanite Theatre is an award-winning theatre committed to equity and inclusion both on and off the stage. We produce captivating new plays that demand conversation and leave the best questions unanswered. Our fully flexible black-box theatre is the most intimate venue in the region, creating a highly-immersive experience for patrons and challenging perspectives.
Urbanite Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
MEET OUR FOUNDERS
Urbanite Theatre began as a dream to fill Sarasota’s void in challenging new theatrical works. Founders Summer Dawn Wallace and Brendan Ragan met at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training in 2011 while pursuing their masters of fine arts in acting. Their extensive experience as performing artists inspired their vision of an artist-first theatre company.
Urbanite Theatre gained traction when our third founder, Harry Lipstein, a passionate theatre maker and talented architect entered the stage. Together, Lipstein, Wallace, and Ragan created Sarasota’s sold-out sensation: Urbanite Theatre. Since its inception in 2014, the team at Urbanite has produced over 50 plays, three new play festivals, developed five world premieres, two United States premieres, and many regional premieres.
​
Harry Lipstein has gone on to found and build Denizen Theatre in New Paltz, New York, and Brendan Ragan has taken on a new challenge as Artistic Director at Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights, IL.
MEET OUR TEAM
Administration Team
Producing Artistic Director: Summer Wallace
Marketing Coordinator: Alexa Evans
Operations Manager: Adilyne McKinlay ​
Artistic Associate Fellow: Nicholas Hoop
Front of House Associates: Lyfrassir Walen, Cat Turner, Jamie Saunders, Jane Major
Production Team
Production Stage Manager: Tori Heikenfeld
Technical Director: Alex Pinchin
Master Carpenter: Gene Alcorn
Board of Directors
Len Goldberg, Board President
Jeffery Stevens, Board Treasurer
Jaime Still, Board Secretary
Georgia Higgins
Frank Maggio
Summer Dawn Wallace
​
Board Emeritus
Emilie Robinson
MISSION
Urbanite Theatre is committed to creating visceral, shared experiences by fearlessly lifting up the boldest new voices in theatre. We believe in inclusive, artist-first storytelling, daring honesty, and the powerful connectivity of an intimate space.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Urbanite Theatre strongly believes that an effective workforce includes employees from different and diverse backgrounds and experiences that together form a more creative, innovative, and productive environment.
Urbanite Theatre recognizes that building an equitable, anti-racist, and inclusive environment is the key ingredient to its relevance and sustainability in the community. Urbanite Theatre respects diversity within human qualities and these qualities include but are not limited to: ethnicity, race, color, country of origin, sex, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, beliefs, political affiliations, socioeconomic status, experiences and any form of disability.
Urbanite Theatre strives to create a culture of inclusion where employees of diverse human qualities can thrive and succeed and are able to participate in, and contribute to, the progress and success of the theatre while growing both professionally and personally.
​
Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated in Urbanite Theatre, and any reported instances will be grounds for immediate refusal of service.
​
At Urbanite Theatre, we believe in radical acceptance, relentless inclusion, and the unwavering support of vulnerable communities.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
​
Urbanite Theatre would like to acknowledge the indigenous communities native to this region by recognizing that we gather today on the unceded ancestral land of the Calusa and Seminole people, past and present. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations.