Urbanite Theatre closes out its inaugural season with Isaac’s Eye, the final performance in the young theater’s three-show summer debut that included the sold-out Chicken Shop and Reborning. A work of historical fiction from writer Lucas Hnath, Isaac’s Eye takes the true account of a young Isaac Newton plunging a needle through his eye socket in a brash attempt to better understand the nature of optics as a starting point to explore the person behind one of the greatest minds of the modern world.

“It’s a very imaginative and inventive way to look at a historical character,” said Brendan Ragan, Urbanite co-founder. Audiences know Newton from the history books, said Ragan, but that presents only a small sliver of the man and only through the lens of his accomplishments. “But this play presents him as this quirky, odd fellow who struggles in social situations and didn’t make all the best moves,” he said.

Starring Ben Williamson as Newton, audiences may recognize the FSU/Asolo Conservatory graduate from Asolo performances such as Romeo and Juliet, Candida and The Aliens. Williamson is joined by: Kim Stephenson, current Conservatory student; Robby May, a national performer whose credits include performance at Carnegia Hall; and Tony Stopperan, the Sarasota actor and filmmaker who made waves this past year writing the award-winning feature-length film Paradise, FL. Vincent Carlson-Brown directs.

Closing out the season, Ragan said he and co-founder Summer Dawn Wallace wanted to present something a little more fun for audiences. “The palate cleanser,” Wallace has taken to calling Isaac’s Eye, after the more emotionally trying shows of the season. “It’s like the sorbet,” said Ragan. “It’s lighter and it’s funnier, but it still packs a real emotional punch.”

Opening Friday, Aug. 14, Isaac’s Eye is already well on its way to selling out, according to an excited Ragan. “We couldn’t have expected the level of enthusiasm that we’ve seen,” he said, and of the Sarasota audience, “They’ve given us their trust right away and they’re willing to go on journeys with us that may not be their typical theater fare.”

Isaac’s Eye runs until Sept. 6.