The Future is Buzzing (and Bloody): Why Urbanite’s The Apiary is the Dark Comedy We Need
By Avery Anderson
Twenty-two years from now, the world hasn’t ended with a bang or a whimper, but with a sudden, deafening silence. The bees are gone. Or, more accurately, they are nearly extinct, huddled in high-tech laboratories like the one currently occupying Urbanite Theatre.
In Kate Douglas’s The Apiary, receiving its regional premiere in Sarasota from March 20 through April 19, the climate crisis isn’t a looming shadow—it’s a logistical nightmare managed by overstressed lab workers. It is a world where almond milk is a nostalgic memory and a snowmobile tour of Iceland’s glaciers is a bucket-list item to be checked off before the ice finally vanishes.
"I think that all of this comes through in the play, but it's sneaky," says actor Christina Mei Chen, who plays Pilar. "It's not shoving it in your face like 'we don't have almonds anymore,' but it's like a little drop... It’s sneaky and at the end of the day the play like really is about the relationships that these characters have with each other."
A "Little Hive of Horrors"
Named a New York Times Critic’s Pick, The Apiary has been described as a "bright, strange and mesmerizing marvel". If that sounds a bit like Little Shop of Horrors without the singing plant, you aren’t far off. The plot follows Zora (Dekyi Rongé) and Pilar (Chen) as they discover a shocking—and macabre—method to boost the bee population.
The stakes are existential, but the delivery is "deliciously sharp, unsettling, and darkly hilarious," according to Director and Producing Artistic Director Summer Wallace. Wallace, who has been with the play since its development at Urbanite’s 2023 Modern Works Festival, sees the play as a reflection of our current trajectory.
"We've become so reliant, I think, now on Amazon and things coming to us... we're becoming more disconnected from each other," Wallace says. "I think wanting a play that kind of explores that need to return to connecting to the earth, connecting to each other, communicating with each other was kind of more important now than ever."
The Ethics of Survival
The play doesn't just ask if we can save the planet, but what we are willing to give up to do it. Terri Weagant, who portrays four different characters—Cece, Kara, Anna, and Bryn—explores the weight of that choice.
"Each of them are having to deal with the idea of sacrifice and giving over of themselves," Weagant notes. "It’s four different people having to make a similar choice but all operating from different places."
Meanwhile, their supervisor Gwen, played by Ariel Blue, represents the corporate pressure cooker. "I think my character is very high-strung, but also she's goal-oriented," Blue says. "It's saving the bees at any cost... she'll pivot to reach the goal of like moving up the corporate ladder. That's her ultimate goal."
Why It Matters in Tampa Bay
In a region where the environment is often the lead story—from red tide to rising sea levels—The Apiary hits close to home. Yet, it avoids the "pounding over the head" lecture style of many environmental dramas. Instead, it leans into a "single-cam comedy" vibe reminiscent of Parks and Recreation or The Office.
"Who else is doing a bee show?" Ariel Blue asks. "Nobody else is doing that... Who's doing a bee show? Urbanite."
The production is also a testament to Urbanite’s "artist-first" mission. The theater has been transformed into an immersive lab, where audiences walk through the set to reach their seats.
"Come see an immersive show that brings you up close to a beekeeper's life, where friendship is center stage as well as a love for our planet," says Dekyi Rongé.
The Bottom Line
At a tight 75 minutes with no intermission, The Apiary is built for the modern audience: sharp, fast, and provocative. It challenges us to look at the "interdependency to which our survival relies," as Rongé puts it, while ensuring we laugh at the absurdity of it all.
As Wallace reminds us, the "future" of 2048 isn't that far away. We are living in the "golden time" that future generations will look back on with nostalgia—if we don't let the bees (and ourselves) slip away first.
How to Engage
- Where: Urbanite Theatre, 1487 2nd Street, Sarasota, FL 34236
- When: March 20 – April 19, 2026
- Tickets: Standard tickets are $44. Discounts are available for those under 40 ($30) and students ($5) with valid ID.
- More Info:urbanitetheatre.com/the-apiary
Avery Anderson
Avery Anderson