Urbanite Theatre opened its main-stage season with a world premiere. "Ahoy-Hoy," a one-act comedy about the real-life race to patent the telephone in 1876, runs through Nov. 29 at the 65-seat downtown Sarasota theater.

Written by playwright Jenny Stafford, the play follows inventor Elisha Gray as he scrambles to beat Alexander Graham Bell to the patent office. Both men filed competing patent claims on the same day. Bell's application arrived first, according to Your Observer coverage. Gray missed his shot at history by hours.

The play won the "Audience Favorite" award at Urbanite's 2025 Modern Works Festival as a staged reading, according to Scene Sarasota. It has since been developed through several theater programs, including Florida Rep's 2026 PlayLab and Chautauqua Theater Company's 2026 New Play Workshop. The Sarasota production launches a National New Play Network (NNPN) Rolling World Premiere. After its run here, the play moves to Alleyway Theatre in Buffalo, Theatre Nova in Ann Arbor and New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch.

Celine Rosenthal, a Tony-nominated producer who served as associate artistic director at Asolo Rep for six seasons, directs the four-person cast. In an interview published by Your Observer, Rosenthal described the production's open casting approach. "We looked for the ethos and soul of each person, not the package it came in," she said.

Amber McNew plays Gray. Casey Murphy, a Sarasota-based actor whose local credits include Asolo Repertory Theatre and Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, plays Bell. Ben Williamson plays Cornelius, Gray's assistant. Ariel Blue, a familiar face at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, plays Wilbur, a patent office worker.

The casting is gender-blind, with McNew and Blue playing male roles, Sun Newspapers reported. A Sun Newspapers reviewer described the play as part possible history but mostly absurdist theater. The action takes place in 1876 and in the present day.

Summer Wallace, Urbanite's co-founder and producing artistic director, selected the play to open a season she has said will feature more new works and a slightly lighter tone, according to a season preview in Sun Newspapers.

The show runs 95 minutes with no intermission.

Performances are Sundays and Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. No performances Nov. 26–27 for the Thanksgiving holiday. Urbanite Theatre is at 1487 2nd St., Sarasota. Tickets are $52 for regular performances, $32 for patrons under 40 with valid ID and $5 for students with valid ID. Call 941-321-1397 or visit urbanitetheatre.com.

Coming up in Sarasota

  • "Ahoy-Hoy" at Urbanite Theatre, through Nov. 29. Tickets at urbanitetheatre.com or 941-321-1397.
  • "The Garbologists" by Lindsay Joelle opens at Urbanite Theatre on Jan. 8, 2027.
  • "1999" by Stacey Isom Campbell runs March 19–April 25, 2027, at Urbanite Theatre.