{"id":356436,"date":"2026-07-29T17:07:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T17:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/356436\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T17:07:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T17:07:13","slug":"main-street-players-premieres-salida-in-miami-lakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/356436\/","title":{"rendered":"Main Street Players premieres Salida in Miami Lakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Main Street Players closes its season with \u201cSalida\u201d by Miami playwright Nicholas Quintana. Beyond bringing a new play to the stage, the production also reflects a growing partnership between the Miami Lakes theater and LakehouseRanchDotPNG, the experimental theater company marking its fifth season this year.<\/p>\n

Since becoming Main Street Players\u2019 artistic director last fall, Sara Jarrell has been working to broaden that company\u2019s commitment to original work, local playwrights and artistic collaboration.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is to be a place for the community to create and collaborate,\u201d Jarrell said. \u201cA lot of the work that I\u2019m hoping to do now that I\u2019ve stepped in as artistic director is expanding the kind of work that we do and how that reflects our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

That vision aligned naturally with LakehouseRanchDotPNG, which has been presenting productions at Main Street Players since 2024. Florida International University graduates Brandon Urrutia and Indy Sulliero founded the experimental theater company during COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\"Brandon Brandon Urrutia is the artistic director and co-founder of LakehouseRanchDotPNG, which is now entering its fifth season. (Photo courtesy of LakehouseRanchDotPNG) <\/p>\n

The company\u2019s unusual name traces back to a road trip to Lakewood Ranch, the master-planned community in Southwest Florida. After later misremembering the destination as \u201cLakehouse Ranch\u201d and saving a photo as \u201cLakehouseRanch.png,\u201d they decided the accidental digital file name perfectly captured the spirit of the company they were creating.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the summer after we graduated and we both wanted to do work but no one was hiring because of COVID-19. So we decided, \u2018Let\u2019s figure it out ourselves,\u2019 \u201d Urrutia said.<\/p>\n

In addition to being the artistic director of LakehouseRanchDotPNG, Urrutia is the drama teacher at Mater Lakes Academy.<\/p>\n

LakehouseRanchDotPNG staged its first production in 2022 at Artistic Vibes, a small black-box theater in Kendall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved it. I love a good little black-box theater. We moved because Main Street offered us a better deal for rent. Realistically it came down to money,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

But the relationship with Main Street Players stretches back much further than Lakehouse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been a part of Main Street Players since they were in high school \u2014 teaching, working, assistant directing,\u201d Jarrell said. \u201cIt\u2019s really where they cut their teeth and got their feet wet,\u201d she says about Urrutia.<\/p>\n

Today, they direct productions, serves on Main Street Players\u2019 board of directors and helps develop new work while continuing to lead LakehouseRanchDotPNG.<\/p>\n

\"Douglas Douglas Gonzalo as Oswaldo and Alejandro Arreola as Julio in Main Street Players\u2019 \u201cSalida,\u201d directed by Brandon Urrutia. (Photo by Daniel Manso, courtesy of Main Street Players) <\/p>\n

That collaboration is evident in \u201cSalida,\u201d which opens on Saturday, July 18 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 2, a new play about three generations of Cuban men whose annual Noche Buena gathering is upended when the youngest member of the family comes out as gay.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I read the play, it had a lot of really great bones, so we workshopped the production with Nicholas,\u201d Jarrell said. Quintana originally shared only the play\u2019s first act.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe came to us and said, \u2018Hey, I have a second act,\u2019\u201d Jarrell said. \u201cI saw it and said, \u2018Listen, it needs a little bit of work, but it works perfectly for our season.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than simply presenting the play, Main Street Players used the workshop process to continue developing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve taken the time, in the process with Brandon sort of spearheading that charge, to fully flesh out this story,\u201d Jarrell said, who will direct the second show of LakehouseRanchDotPNG\u2019s recently announced fifth season.<\/p>\n

\"Bianca Bianca Utset in \u201cHave You Seen Boomer?\u201d by Robert Kerr, the opener in Lakehouse Ranch\u2019s first season at Main Street Playhouse in Miami Lakes. (Photo courtesy of LakehouseRanchDotPNG) <\/p>\n

And Urrutia contributions have extended beyond directing individual productions.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrandon was on our decision committee and really helped foster meaningful relationships with playwrights in New York to produce their work at Main Street Players,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been really integral.\u201d<\/p>\n

That collaborative spirit has defined LakehouseRanchDotPNG since its founding five years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to do the work that no one else seems to be doing,\u201d Urrutia said. \u201cThe stuff that makes us excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

That philosophy has shaped all 17 productions LakehouseRanchDotPNG has presented over the past five years, building a reputation for experimental works and premieres that many theaters might consider too difficult to produce.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve started saying that there\u2019s no such thing as an impossible stage direction,\u201d Urrutia said. \u201cMore often than not, we get folks saying, \u2018This play \u2026 no one wants to do it because they\u2019re saying it\u2019s impossible to produce.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The The Bonilla brothers, Miguel and Manuel, as Old Art and New Art in LakehouseRanchPNG\u2019s \u201cThe Exhibit\u201d by Mackenzie Raine Kirkman, the closing show of its fourth season. (Photo by Zachary Oshaughnessy, courtesy of LakehouseRanchPNG) <\/p>\n

Rather than viewing those challenges as obstacles, Urrutia sees them as invitations to experiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think it\u2019s easier to be safe than take a risk,\u201d they said. \u201cThat\u2019s not what we try to do with Lakehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s anniversary comes during a year of milestones for Urrutia. Earlier this year, Main Street Players presented the world premiere of \u201cKevin and the River Flan,\u201d a play inspired by Urrutia\u2019s own experiences. Their autobiographical solo play, \u201cLo Siento, Mi Espa\u00f1ol es de Mierda M\u00e1s,\u201d was selected from nearly 700 submissions for New York\u2019s Downtown Urban Arts Festival, where it received an off-off-Broadway production. The play returns to Main Street Players for a one-night performance Saturday, Aug. 8 with Marla Lopez as Marl\u00e1.<\/p>\n

Much of Urrutia\u2019s own work draws from personal experiences. As one of the few openly nonbinary theater artists working in South Florida, they have learned that authenticity often challenges expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201c(I am) one of maybe four open and out nonbinary folks in the (theater) scene here that I am aware of,\u201d Urrutia said.<\/p>\n

\"Nico Nico Grimes as Kevin in Brandon Urrutia\u2019s \u201cKevin and the River Flan.\u201d Giuseppe Fusca is in the background as Babal\u00fa-Ay\u00e9. (Photo courtesy of Main Street Players) <\/p>\n

In the world premiere of \u201cKevin and the River Flan,\u201d director Ina Ruiz cast a nonbinary actor in the title role. Urrutia said the choice wasn\u2019t dictated by the script but appreciated how it added another dimension to the character.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to know that we\u2019re not afraid to take risks,\u201d Urrutia said. \u201cWe\u2019re very openly queer and I\u2019m very openly nonbinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Urrutia said LakehouseRanchDotPNG\u2019s programming isn\u2019t defined by identity, however. Instead, the company\u2019s mission is to create opportunities for new playwrights, directors and actors.<\/p>\n

In their devotion to new work and playwrights, Urrutia has a deal with play publishing company 1319 Press, which originally published Erin Proctor\u2019s \u201cPlague Play,\u201d<\/a> LakehouseRanchDotPNG\u2019s Season Two opener.<\/p>\n

\"Brandon Brandon Urrutia with scripts from the company\u2019s productions. Play publishing company 1319 Press publishes every script that LakehouseRanchDotPNG gives a world premiere. (Photo courtesy of LakehouseRanchDotPNG) <\/p>\n

\u201cI began talking to them and they wanted to get more companies involved. I said that we only do new work. And one thing led to another and now every show that we give a premiere gets a publication opportunity through 1319 Press.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scripts are available for purchase on a bookshelf at Main Street Players.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a great opportunity for playwrights because now their works can be licensed for performance through the publishing company. A perfect example is \u2018juice\u2019 by McKenzie Raine Kirkman (Season One). Someone licensed it and did it for their thesis project in San Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n

Urrutia said LakehouseRanchDotPNG initially attracted a younger audience but has watched that audience progress over the past five years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of evolved into being theater for someone who is excited by something that is different than you might usually watch. If you wanted to see something that felt safer, you could go anywhere else. But what we try to do is something that you\u2019re not going to find at another house. We have many people who tell us, \u2018This is the theater I\u2019ve been looking for.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

If you go:<\/p>\n

WHAT: \u201cSalida\u201d by Nicholas Quintana directed by Brandon Urrutia<\/p>\n

WHERE: Main Street Players, Main Street Playhouse, 6812 Main St., Miami Lakes<\/p>\n

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Also, 8 p.m. Thursday, July 30. Opens Saturday, July 18 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 2<\/p>\n

COST: $30, $25 for students and seniors with ID. Tickets here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

INFORMATION: 305-558-3737 or mainstreetplayers.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

ArtburstMiami.com<\/a> is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don\u2019t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Main Street Players closes its season with \u201cSalida\u201d by Miami playwright Nicholas Quintana. Beyond bringing a new play…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356437,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":["post-356436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356436\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}