University of Texas Selects Rude Mechs as Resident Theatre Company

Just published by the University of Texas Department of Theatre and Dance:










Rude Mechs Selected as Resident Theater Company

The nationally acclaimed, ensemble-based theater collective Rude Mechs has been appointed as the resident theater company of The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance. The three-year residency provides university students an opportunity to work with members of the Rude Mechs, learning their methodology for devising new plays and managing a professional theater company.

Since its inception in 1995, Rude Mechs has earned more than 180 local and national awards and nominations. Its touring and off-Broadway productions include I've Never Been So Happy; Get Your War On; How Late it Was, How Late; Cherrywood; Lipstick Traces; and The Method Gun, which was selected for the 34th Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays.

Known for its cutting-edge practice, Rude Mechs’ original works break the traditional structure of theater, setting performance as a center for collaboration and community. Its explosive energy, innovative storytelling and collective spirit have placed the group at the center of the nation’s leading theater companies.

“The Rude Mechs are one of America’s hottest, most creative and most outlandish theater companies,” said department chair Brant Pope. “Celebrated in The New York Times and playing to packed houses across the nation, the Rude Mechs, as UT’s resident theater, are now working alongside our students. ‘What starts here changes the world’ is the motto of the university, and this partnership is one of the best expressions of that pledge.”

Rude Mechs’ work has been presented in top national venues including The Walker Arts Center (Minneapolis), The Wexner Center (Columbus, Ohio) and Woolly Mammoth (Washington, D.C.). Connected to an international community of artists, the group has performed in Austria’s SommerSzene, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (winner of the Total Theatre Award for Best New Play by an Ensemble), and the Under the Radar Festival (New York).

Residency activities include student internship opportunities with the Rude Mechs in the areas of development, marketing, arts education, venue management, and production. The company will also serve as a guest responder on Department of Theatre and Dance productions. As a result, students will receive invaluable insight and feedback on their work from company members.