Sarasota’s Urbanite Theatre opens Jennifer Haley drama

Sarasota’s Urbanite Theatre kicked off its first full-length season in June with a phenomenal drama titled “Dry Land,” directed by Summer Dawn Wallace, one of the company’s two artistic directors.

The other artistic director is Brendan Ragan, and he’s directing the season’s second show, “Breadcrumbs.” It opens Friday and runs through mid-September.

The story has to do with a reclusive fiction writer who has been diagnosed with dementia. She has to rely on a troubled young caretaker to complete her autobiography. In a battle of wills, they delve into the dark areas of the writer’s past, and unearth a tragedy that, according to the synopsis provided by Urbanite, “shatters their notions of language, loneliness and essential self.”

The script comes from Jennifer Haley, a young Los Angeles playwright who’s getting some serious attention. Her previous play “The Nether” was hit in New York and London. Filmmaker Joel Schumacher directed the New York production, which drew gushing reviews from prominent critics in The New Yorker and The New York Times.

The two-woman cast of “Breadcrumbs” includes Barbara Redmond, a longtime Asolo Repertory Theatre actor, as the novelist, and Brittany Proia as the caretaker. It’s Proia’s first time working with Urbanite. Redmond directed “Chicken Shop,” the first show Urbanite ever staged.

“Breadcrumbs” runs about 80 minutes with no intermission. There’s some brief adult language, but the people at Urbanite say the play should be suitable for most ages.

Details: Aug. 12-Sept. 17, Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St., Sarasota. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday (plus 2 p.m. Aug. 13), 2 p.m. Sunday. $28; under 40 with ID $20; students with ID $5. 941-321-1397, urbanitetheatre.com.

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Sarasota’s Urbanite Theatre opens Jennifer Haley drama."