VIDEO: Urbanite Theatre kick-starts final fundraising push

The future home of the Urbanite Theatre, located at 1487 Second St., has already been transformed from nothing to something.

Right now, that something is still a work in progress — a work site, with exposed metal and blue plastic lining the walls of the sawdust-covered space. For Summer Wallace and Brendan Ragan, co-artistic directors of the theater, that alone represents a significant step.

“This originally was a parking lot,” Wallace said, walking beneath the theater’s recently added roof. “It was nonexistent.”

Wallace and Ragan, both alumni of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory, began the conversation that inspired the creation of the Urbanite Theatre this February. Both actors were effusive with praise about the existing theaters in Sarasota but felt passionately that something was missing.

“What we want to do is not compete with them at all,” Ragan said of the area’s theaters. “We want to add something to the theater scene that we think is going to be different.”

The 50-seat black box space is designed to appeal to a younger crowd: edgier performances of more unique works, yet without the frills that many associate with a night at the theater. Rather than planning to attend an event months in advance, Wallace said the goal is for people to be able to incorporate watching a performance into their normal weekend plans on a whim.

“We hope to be the gateway drug of theater,” Wallace said. “If we can get them here, that will open up their eyes to see more.”

Six months after groundbreaking, the two believe they’re on the right track. The theater has already raised $37,000, nearly 75% of its $50,000 pre-opening target. Wallace and Ragan are thankful to avoid what would be one of their biggest expenses: rent. Thanks to a benefactor, the theater has a five-year lease at the building for free.

To draw even closer to its fundraising goal, the group has launched a Kickstarter campaign, seeking at least $5,000 in crowd-funded online donations.

Since the beginning of the month, the Kickstarter has generated $3,790 from 24 donors. Two donors, Jack Kesler and Maurice Richards, will match the donations, placing the theater just $3,000 shy of its desired grand total if it meets the $5,000 mark.

The response has come as a relief for Wallace and Ragan. Any doubts they had about the demand for the space they were envisioning were quickly eliminated, Ragan said.

“We thought, ‘It’s missing, and maybe it’s missing for a reason,’” Ragan said. “When we decided to go for it, we were blown away by how excited people were for the idea.”

As work on the theater continues and the targeted April opening date grows closer, Wallace and Ragan have been forced to juggle two distinct duties before the project’s completion. Working out an inaugural season of performances — the list of which is almost finalized, Ragan said — and ensuring the construction is going smoothly has sometimes been a headache. But watching the project evolve has been its own reward.

“It’s starting to feel more and more like a reality,” Wallace said. “We’re looking forward to the artistic part.”

With 20 days left to go on the Kickstarter campaign and four months until the opening date, the two are optimistic they’ll reach their goals, based on the feedback so far.

“I think that speaks to the community here,” Ragan said. “They’re ready for it — otherwise we wouldn’t have raised as much as we have.”

WANT TO DONATE?
Check out the Urbanite Theatre Kickstarter online by visiting kck.st/1yQrrye.