(*) Roar! Festival of Staged Plays, Atta Girl Productions at Gemini Ink, October 4 - 13, 2013

Join Atta Girl and Gemini Ink in San Antonio

for two weeks of genre bending staged readings of contemporary plays from throughout the U.S.

513 S. Presa, evenings at 8 p.m. -- click for map

Suggested donation $10.00

OCTOBER 4--Plumbing by Rebecca Kirschbaum
A preacher's son decides to have a sex change operation.

OCTOBER 5--Beware of Tigers by Ben Tremillo
Romance and multiple personality disorder come together for a sweet and sour ending.

OCTOBER 6--MATINEE (3 p.m.)
Confessions of a Mexpatriate by Raul Garza.
Raul Garza guides us through the misadventures of his travels as a Chicano through Mexico.

Sunday, by Janie Sauceda

Janie Sauceda beautifully renders growing up in San Antonio.

OCTOBER 10--You Wouldn't Expect by Marilynn Barner Anselmi
A young woman battles the North Carolina Eugenics board, which performed forced sterilizations until 2003.

OCTOBER 11, 2013--Under the Plastic Stars by Alisha M. Patterson
This fairy tale for adults re-imagines Peter Pan by placing the classic tale into modern day.

OCTOBER 12--Seeking Flight by Joan Broadman
Monty and Enzi are two African Grey Parrots who plot their escape from a research lab. Based on a true story.

OCTOBER 13--MATINEE (3 p.m.)
Bulto by Jorge Piña
Celebrate San Antonio's teatro padrino--Jorge Piña, with a special reading of his latest play Bulto.

The Entrepeneurs by Clyde James Aragon
What if all of the great Latino poets started a greeting card company?

Video: Wimberley Players Reflect on 'Stay' by Sheila Cowley, September 13 - October 6, 2013

David McCullars' video with glimpses of the performance and comments by the cast of







production of

Deanna Lalich, Aaron Johnson (photo: Wimberley Players)

Stay

by Sheila Cowley

Sept. 13 – Oct. 6, 2013

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Reserved Seating $18; Opening Night $20; Students $9 with ID, except opening night.

450 Old Kyle Road, Wimberley, TX -- click for map

A Texas premiere! A gripping psychological drama about a marriage on the brink whose pulse refuses to stop throbbing. It’s the story of dark, complicated relationships and the nature of trust, love, sacrifice, and ultimately letting go. Stay revolves around an eye surgeon who, in a desperate attempt to keep her husband from leaving her, convinces him that he’s been blinded in an accident. As she struggles to keep him, her lies grow and become all too real.

Featuring comments by Will Mercer, Deanna Lalich and Aaron Johnson

with them and Leigh Shelton in scenes from the play

Video by David McCullars 

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

ROSA DE DOS AROMAS by Emilio Carballido, Austin Latino Theatre Alliance at Mexican-American Cultural Center, October 11 - 27, 2013

TWO SCENTED ROSE

by Emilio Carballido, directed by Karla Longnion

Austin Latino Theater Alliance (ALTA) at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican-American Cultural Center, 600 River Street -- click for map
October 11 to 27, 2013 (10/11/2013 VIP Night) Shows Fridays & Saturdays 8pm/Sundays 5pm.
General AdmissionTicket $15, Students & Seniors $12, Groups of 10 and more $10 per person

Tickets: www.altateatro.com, www.altarosa.eventbrite.com and box office on performance days.

Gracefully and accurately, Carballido’s theater brings to light the contradictions, preconceptions and ideologies of the different social classes, particularly those of the middle class. Many of these pieces combine “high culture” with “popular culture”. Carballido received the Casa de las Americas Theater Award in 1962. 


 The play will be presented in Spanish with English subtitles.


Two women in the waiting room of a jail. One man. Many painful secrets to unfold. This is the plot that “Two Scented Rose”, by the late award-wining Mexican playwright Emilio Carballido, presents. The theatrical production is an entertaining, yet profound, story that begins with a casual encounter and gives rise to a series of events that will, gradually and dramatically, transform the lives of both lead characters.


Why do human beings sometimes not recognize deception and tolerate abuse? ”Two Scented Rose portrays the reality of misunderstood love, of the need and obsession that human beings many times show when they fall in love. It demonstrates that even when sanity and reason dictate that the right thing to do is to leave a relationship, many times the chosen path is different. The excuses are plenty: the kids, the fear of loneliness, financial co-dependence.


The theatrical production gives voice to an issue essential to feminism, in which a woman looks at herself through the eyes of another woman in the context of her relationship with a man. Does civil status have the same value for her as it has for him? Does she have to marry to achieve a certain status in society? This is a story of love and friendship—a story of desire and the uncoveted characteristic neediness is. It’s about the road that Marlene and Gabriela follow, with an ending that will bring to light the real intention of the destiny that has bound these two women together.


Mexican Playwright Emilio Carballido’s (1925-2008) most resounding characteristic was bringing to light the social issues women have had to deal with through many generations while placing a special emphasis on women’s emancipation throughout the Latin American cultures.


As part of this production, ALTA proudly presents the work of the internationally acclaimed lighting specialist Carlos Arce, whose work is especially well-known through a variety of theaters in Latin America, and the general coordination of Theater Director Karla Longnion. The play will be presented in the MACC’s Black Box, 600 River St., Austin 78701, beginning on Friday, Oct. 11, with a VIP Evening, and will be open to the general public from Oct. 11 through 27. Shows Fridays and Saturdays will take place at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. This show is suitable for ages 13 and over under parental discretion due to the language present in certain scenes.


About the Austin Latino Theater Alliance (ALTA): ALTA believes that the art of theater is a cultural force with the capacity to transform the lives of individuals and the community at large. ALTA’s work seeks to challenge the preconceptions of what is Latino theater, and become a source of inspiration and redemption that goes beyond activism and folklore. This commitment stems from a desire to bring Hispanic/Latin American plays and productions whose language, be it Spanish or English, speaks to the universal emotions and beliefs that transcend cultural, social and geopolitical barriers, and are rooted in the commonality of the human experience.

With an intention of uniting and supporting Latino and Hispanic theater groups in Austin, the Austin Latino Theater Alliance (ALTA) was born in 1999. The organization has contributed to maintaining the tradition of La Pastorela, a traditional nativity play, while fostering the development of new talents in the theater arts, promoting collaborative productions among local and international artists, and bringing high-quality theater to Austin. For more information, visit www.altateatro.com.

San Antonio: Northside Performing Arts Needs Teen for Commedia dall'Arte

The Servant of Two Masters - Teen Needed

Northside Performing Arts Center's Senior Company members are performing The Servant of Two Masters and are in need of one teenage boy to complete their cast. The role is Pantalone, a greedy old man and the father of Clarice, the young love interest.

Company tuition is waived for this production. Rehearsals are Saturdays 12:00-2:00pm .Performances are November 14, 15 and 16 at 7:00pm, with a 3:30pm matinee added on the 16th.

Please contact Lizel Sandoval at 210-481-2400 or lizel@northsidepac.com to schedule an audition. Location: 21518 Blanco Rd, Ste 101, San Antonio, Texas, 78260

Auditions in San Antonio for Company by Steven Sondheim, The Playhouse, October 19, 2013

Auditions for Company by Steven Sondheim at The Playhouse (Russell Hill Rogers and Cellar Theaters), Saturday, October 9th, 12:00-4:00PM, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY at Russell Hill Rogers Theater, Saturday, Oct 19, 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Click Here to request an audition appointment.Please arrive 15 minutes prior to appointment to check in. Call backs will be Saturday, Oct 26, 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Actors should prepare: 32 bars or one verse/chorus and a contemporary comic monologue not to exceed 60 seconds. Bring headshot and resume.

Directors are looking for a cast of exceptionally strong actor-singer-dancers. All cast members must have vocal training and be able to read music. Director has the discretion to see you at general auditions or invite you directly to callbacks.

Rehearsals will begin early in December 2013. Performances at Russell Hill Rogers Theater, February 7 - March 2, 2014 --Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 p.m,Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, March 2, 2014 additional performance at 8:00 p.m.

Click to view character list and vocal requirements at AustinLiveTheatre.com

City of Austin Releases List of 2014 Cultural Funding Allocations Totaling More Than $7 Million

Barbara Sparks of the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division has contacted applicants with details of the 2014 decisions of City allocations. She writes, "This summer the City received 211 applications - 189 for Core Funding Programs, 22 for the Cultural Expansion Program (CEP), and 4 were new to the process. CEP applications were reviewed and scored by a peer review panel and those receiving a score of 75 or greater were then recommended by the Austin Arts Commission for funding." 

These grants are funded by a percentage of the collections of the hotel and occupany tax (about 20%; most of the rest goes to support the Convention and Visitors Bureau).

The list is a very long one and totals $7,043,697. Largest grants are to the Austin Children's Museum ($200,000), The Austin Theatre Alliance (Paramount and State Theatres) ($197,500) and the Zach Theatre ($197,500), in each case totaling about 2.8% of the total. Other leading recipients are the Austin Symphony Orchestra ($190,000), Long Center ($190,000), Ballet Austin ($190,000), Theatre Action Project (now Creative Action, focused on schools)($190,000), Austin Film Society ($187,500), Conspirare ($185,000), Austin Museum of Art ($182,500), One World Theatre ($175,000), Austin Lyric Opera ($172,500), the Mexicarte Museum ($151,347), Tapestry Dance ($140,000), Austin Creative Alliance (in its own right, $132,000), Austin Classical Guitar Society ($118,136) and the Rude Mechs ($100,000).

Click here to see the full list of 2014 allocations

Casting Teens in Three Supporting Roles in Elvis Musical 'All Shook Up,'Tex-Arts, Lakeway

TexARTS is looking for talented young male actors ages 13-18 for an upcoming production of the rockin’ ‘50s musical All Shook Up.
Inspired by Twelfth Night and other Shakespearean comedies and built around songs made famous by Elvis Presley, All Shook Up is a fun jukebox musical comedy. It takes place in 1955, somewhere in middle America, where one girl’s dream and a surprise visit from a mysterious leather-jacketed, guitar-playing stranger help a small town to discover the magic of romance and the power of rock & roll. Among the 24 songs featured in the score are classics such as “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Love me Tender,” Don’t Be Cruel,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and of course the title tune.

All Shook Up rehearses from 10am to 1pm Saturdays beginning immediately and on Fridays from 6 to 8pm on an as needed basis. Performances are February 1-2 and February 8-9. Actors should be prepared to be called for technical and dress rehearsals during the weeks of production.


Direction by Broadway veteran Keenah Armitage (Bio) -- Musical Direction by Nissa Kahle (Bio)


TexARTS is currently casting for the following roles:

Jim Haller - Natalie’s widowed father. Middle-aged and messy, he still longs for his wife

Dennis – An awkward young man. He aspires to be a dentist.

Dean Hyde – Matilda’s (the mayor) teenage son. He has spent his youth at military boarding schools and he has never disobeyed his mother.

Stipends are available.

TexARTS is a non-profit 501(C)(3) institution. We offer musical theatre, dance, visual arts, voice, and acting classes for various ages. In addition to the classes in our Academy we also produce a number of professional shows in-house at our Kam and James Morris Theatre. Our Mission is to cultivate a thriving arts community by exposing all people to the visual and performing arts. We prepare and promote exceptional young talent to achieve their fulles potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens. We are recognized throughout the region for our world-class Professional theatre and educational programs.


For more information or to audition please contact admin@tex-arts.org or call us at 512.852.9079

Austin High School Theatre Teacher Billy Dragoo Honored by Texas Educational Theatre Association

Austin High School Red Dragon Players

Billy Dragoo, Theatre Arts Director and Head of the Fine Arts Department at Austin High School, has been named Theatre Educator of the Year by the Texas Educational Theatre Association. He will be honored at the TETA annual conference in January.

Auditions for Two New Plays, Poison Apple Initiative, October 14 - 16, 2013

 

POISON APPLE INITIATIVE is holding auditions for two new plays by two emerging theatre artists. For more information or to schedule an-audition, email poisonappleinitiative@gmail.com with your headshot and resume, and indicate which play you would like to audition for (you may audition for both). Auditions and callbacks will be held on October 14^th-16^th from 6:30-9PM at the Dougherty Arts Center (click for map ). Sides will be provided.

Our 2014 season begins with:


WE WERE NOTHING! by Will Arbery, directed by Bastion Carboni, December 2013

A play about how absence makes the heart grow inarticulate. Rehearsals begin in November with performances on Wednesday-Saturday December 4^th-14^th. We’re looking for 2 women between the ages of 18 and 25.

&

PEOPLE WILL TALK ABOUT YOU SOMETIMES by Sarah Matusek, directed by Lindsey Sikes, January – February 2014

Inspired by Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis, PEOPLE WILL TALK ABOUT YOU SOMETIMES tracks a supportive network of otherwise strangers who respond to a mutual friend’s suicide attempt. PEOPLE WILL TALK will premiere at Salvage Vanguard Theatre as part of FronteraFest Long Fringe in January 2014. The play will be extended 1-2 weeks beyond the initial run in an alternative space. Cast must be available through mid February.

In addition to staging rehearsals in January, the cast will be asked to aid in the development process of this new play during November and December for approximately 1 reh/week (no holiday rehearsals). Actors interested in devised work strongly (SO STRONGLY) encouraged to audition!

IZZY – recently hospitalized for a suicide attempt; 18-20s

AUDRE – Izzy’s professor; anxious about her maternal instincts towards her student, compensates with baking and letter writing campaigns; 30s

EZRA/ELIZA – Izzy’s coworker; insecurity fueled adoration bordering on jealousy for his/her coworker; 20s (this role can be male or female)

KILLIAN – Izzy’s brother; emotionally unstable to the point of maniacal at times; deeply effected and in much deeper denial; 18-20s

NICK – Izzy’s boyfriend; deeply in love with Izzy, or the idea of her, and struggles with his identity apart from her; 20s

MAEV – Izzy’s nurse in the psych ward; an observer; any age

KidsActing auditions for Guys and Dolls, November 3, 2013

kidsActing Announces Auditions for their Advanced Production of Guys and Dolls
Audition for our advanced musical production of Guys and Dolls, the toe-tapping screwball comedy based on Damon Runyon stories. Set in bustling New York City, this tale follows the antics of gamblers, missionaries and showgirls in the city that never sleeps!



Auditions November 3rd from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Auditions held at Center Stage Texas, 2826 Real Street Austin, TX 78722 -- click for map. Specific time slots will be assigned.

Please contact Jazmine Miller to set up an audition appointment. 512-905-4392. email: jazmine@kidsactingstudio.com

www.kidsactingstudio.com

Star in a full-length theatrical production this year! Come audition for kidsActing Studio's advanced musical production of Guys and Dolls, considered by critics to be the perfect musical comedy! Guys and Dolls soars with the spirit of Broadway with its cast of vivid characters including Sarah Brown, the uptight, upright “mission doll,” Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet; Adelaide, the hilarious, sneezing nightclub performer, and Nathan Detroit, her fiancé, desperate as always to find a spot for his infamous floating dice game. Great songs like, “Sit Down You’re Rockin the Boat, “Luck Be A Lady Tonight”, and more! Students will learn singing, acting, dancing and improv, as well as being in an ensemble and being part of a team effort with a full-scale professionally produced production complete with costumes, lights, sound and set designed by Austin theater professionals.

This production is part of our advanced program and is open to students ages 11-18 with previous theater experience, by audition. All previous participants in an advanced class are automatically invited if they are the correct age. If you feel you are eligible for an advanced class or would like more information, please contact jazmine@kidsactingstudio.com.

REHEARSALS at Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Westlake, November 11-May 17, Mondays 5-7:45pm Extra weekend rehearsals at Center Stage Texas TBA

TECHNICAL REHEARSALS & PERFORMANCES Center Stage Texas, April 14-May 17,Schedule TBA

For specific location addresses and map, please go to locations.

TUITION Pay in Full - $1175; Pay in Installments - $280 deposit + $160 payments due 10/1, 11/1, 12/1, 1/1, 2/1, 3/1

MACBETH by William Shakespeare, City Theatre, October 11 - November 3, 2013

(3823 Airport Rd. at 38 1/2 St., behind the Shell station)
presents
Something wicked this way comes…


Opening City Theatre’s 8^th season

October 11 – November 3. Thursday - Saturday 8:00 p.m. Sunday 5:30 p.m.

The City Theatre. 3823 Airport Blvd. 78722 – east corner of Airport Blvd. and 38 ½ Street. 

General Seating $15. Guaranteed Front/2^nd Row Reserved $25.

Students $12. Thursday all seats $10. Group discounts are available.

Reservations 512-524-2870 or info@citytheatreaustin.org

www.citytheatreaustin.org


Ambition. Desire. Witchcraft. Blood. Murder. The City Theatre Company is excited to open its 8^th anniversary season with William Shakespeare’s darkest and most powerful tragedy Macbeth, coming to Austin this fall. The story of a Scottish king consumed by an evil, corrosive ambition for power will run October 11 thru November 3 at The City Theatre. It is directed by Kevin Gates and stars Brian Villalobos and Dawn Erin.
“Life ... a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Macbeth is the infamous chronicle of a Scottish hero’s fall from grace, through spellbound seduction and the pursuit of power. Shakespeare’s study of ambition leads us from battlefield triumph to bloody assassination as our title character gains the crown, but forfeits his soul. Spawned by three mysterious witches who offer him an intriguing prophecy and an ambitious wife urging murderous actions, Macbeth begins a maddening descent into war, insanity and death where nothing will ever be the same again. Superstitiously referred to as “the Scottish play,” Shakespeare’s Macbeth has enjoyed considerable success despite its notoriety as a cursed play, and CTC breathes new life into this wickedly brutal and chaotic tale.
The City Theatre is no stranger when it comes to producing Shakespeare’s plays as the company takes classical works geared towards bigger and bolder demands, such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, and provides the challenge and opportunity in a more intimate, subtle approach. “What’s different about this production is that we're trying to present Macbeth in a very personal context,” mentions director Kevin Gates. “The themes of Macbeth are timeless with ambition and desire no less relevant today. Setting the play in a non-specific time and place is intended to put the focus on the text and the actors, rather than draw focus away from them. This makes the audience a part of the story.”
CTC has assembled an exciting cast for the show including two talented veterans of the City Theatre stage Brian Villalobos (The Crucible) and Dawn Erin (Agnes of God, The Miracle Worker.) The cast also includes Brad Hawkins, Clint Harris, Trace Pope, Heath Allyn, Dave Yakubik, Eric Daugherty, Tony Baker, Nick Kier, Brett Tribe, Darren Scharf, Levi Gore, Hallie Strange, Austen Cabler, Maria Latiolais, Nicole Oglesby, Cara Juan, Elly Stevens and Whitney Blake Dean. CTC is also thrilled to have as a first-time director, Kevin Gates, whose other directorial productions include Dr. Faustus with Last Act Theatre and Cymbeline with the EmilyAnn Theatre. He has also played lead roles in CTC’s productions of Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado about Nothing. The costume designer is Jessica Frymire with set design by Andy Berkovsky and fight choreographer Nick Lawson.
The City Theatre Company is an Austin-based not for profit arts organization and is sponsored in part by the Austin Creative Alliance and the Austin Cultural Arts Division. Founded in 2006, the company has been recognized by the Austin Critics Table Awards, the B. Iden Payne Awards and is twice voted “Best Theatre Company” by Austin-American Statesman’s Austin 360. CTC is dedicated in providing quality theatre experience and entertainment for Austin artist’s and its community.
(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Auditions in Lockhart for 'A Christmas Foundling,' October 2 and 6, 2013

Auditions for The Christmas Foundling by Norman Allen, inspired by the stories of Bret Harte, directed by Terri Bennett
Wed. Oct 2, 7-9 pm and Sunday Oct 6, 2-4 pm

The Gaslight-Baker Theatre, 216 S Main St, Lockhart Tx 78644 - click for map 
 

A heartwarming holiday tale set on Christmas Eve high in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in 1850, with the love of a child at its center and an unlikely romance as its driving force. This Gold Rush drama is a love-letter to the Mother Lode, an ode to the joys of rural living. With a touching, family-friendly plot, the show is sure to offer up several laughs and a glimpse at the less commercial Christmases of days gone by. It's also a sweet look at how love, sacrifice and change can expand one's world and life.

Auditions will be a cold reading from the script.

If you would like to audition, just come on by the theater at the times above and we'll see what you've got. If you can't make either of those times, you can email us at info@gaslightbakertheatre.org or through our "Contact Us" page and we'll attempt to accomodate you. Be sure to tell us that it is about the auditions!

Hope to see you at the auditions!

Casting:

1 man 50-70 years old. Part (Old Jake) requires singing. Ability to play guitar a plus

1 young man (Tom) 10-14 years old

1 woman (Aunt Sarah)-30-40 years old

4 men 20-50 year old.

Performance dates – Weekends, Dec 6-21

For more information, please go to the GBT website – MyGBT.org

Opportunity: Three Shakespeare Workshops with Kat Steffens, starting October 28 or November 3, 2013

ACTING WORKSHOP WITH KAT STEFFENS

Using Shakespeare’s Folio techniques to unlock your emotional depth and create a richer understanding of classic as well as contemporary scripts

Kat Steffens is a working actress with her BFA in acting from DePaul’s prestigious Theatre School in Chicago. She had extensive Shakespeare training at DePaul as well as two years intense Shakespeare Folio Technique study with the Chicago leading lady Susan Hart and Julliard graduate/ leading man Jeffrey Carlson from 2008-2010. She has privately coached and mentored acting students for three years.


Kat plays Jacqueline Kennedy in the upcoming Tom Hanks produced film Parkland. Her Shakespeare skills led to a final screen test with the director, Peter Landesman. She was asked to perform a tragic Shakespeare monologue for the callback, which landed her the role. Tom Hanks also started his career doing Shakespeare in Ohio.


“Shakespeare is a great skill to have in your back pocket as an actor. I firmly believe that if you have a strong 
understanding of Shakespeare, it will make you a better actor in contemporary film and theater.” –Kat Steffens

Three weekly sessions: LIMIT 10 students per session

1. Sundays November 3, 10, and 17 from 2-5 PM at Rose Movement Studio: 2015 E Riverside Dr. Austin, TX 78741

2. Mondays October 28, November 4 and 11 from 7-10 PM at a North Austin Location

WEEK ONE: PREPARE Students will learn the concepts of Folio technique and apply them to an assigned audition monologue based on age/ casting type. Packets of detailed material will be provided as a reference guide. Students also will have their classmates’ monologues in their packets so they leave the workshop familiar with several monologues. They will study the language and arc of their assigned monologue to make the monologue audition ready. *Please bring a pen and notepad- a LOT of information will be covered!
WEEK TWO: EXPLORE Students will come to class with their assigned monologues memorized. We will explore the monologue, character, and world of the character through exercises focusing on the voice, the body, the language, the punctuation, beats, and the emotional life of the character. Students will develop a closer understanding of the character and monologue, gaining comfort and ease with the heightened language. *Please wear comfortable clothes you can move in and have monologue “by heart.”
WEEK THREE: PERFORM Students will do some final exploration of their monologue and perform it for the class. Kat will spend time with each student; directing and adjusting moments of their monologues make them more audition ready and real. The final performance of each monologue will be taped; and footage will be provided to students for their acting reels. All students will leave the workshop with an understanding of Folio technique, packets of information and monologues, as well as an audition ready Shakespeare monologue on tape.

$150 for the Entire Workshop $50 deposit needed to hold your spot (remaining $100 cash or check due at first class). Register early to reserve your spot in the workshop. Cash or checks only, please.

Contact Kat at 312-810-9040 or FadoFilms@gmail.com to register. Please include your headshot and resume when registering, as well as previous Shakespeare experience and knowledge.

2013-2014 Pollyanna Theatre Season, Austin

Pollyanna Theatre is excited about its 2013-2014 season and invites you to join us. Please share the season information (below) with the teachers you work with.

THE BOY WHO LOVED MONSTERS AND THE GIRL WHO LOVED PEAS

by Jonathan Graham

October 11-18, 2013

Evan, like many 7 year olds, does not like to clean his plate, especially a plate filled with peas. And to make matters worse, baby sister Sue loves them. When forced to remain at the table until his plate is clean, Evan makes a wish for a monster to come eat his family. But watch out! Wishes can come true. Soon Evan and Sue find themselves trying to hide a six foot talk green monster named Pea from their parents. Among the laughs, Evan finds that although his parents discipline him, protecting those he loves is his goal. Pea teaches Evan and the whole family many things including the importance of playing together, keeping imaginations alive, and that it is important to make room for surprises in every home.  Perfect for audience members ages 5 and up.

SPRITES

by Holly Hepp-Galvan

A Co-Production with Ballet Austin

January 24-31, 2014

This new dance drama for young audiences introduces audiences to a young girl named Wren who is new to the neighborhood. Being new isn't always easy and Wren learns this the hard way when Marlie, the neighborhood bully, talks her into posting a very hateful and untrue email about another girl. While Wren senses that this isn't a good idea, her eagerness to fit in is strong. Pollyanna Audiences will see, right along with Wren, that words of hate are truly weapons whether spoken or launched into cyberspace.

This collaboration with Ballet Austin features choreography and dance which bring Wren's words to life. Ultimately, SPRITES is a story told through auction and movement in a powerful way, one that will no doubt leave a lasting impression on audiences of all ages, especially those ages 8 and older.

PLUS AND MINUS:

THE VACATION ADVENTURE

by Katherine Gee Perrone

May 12-16, 2013

In May of 2013 Pollyanna audiences fell in love with Addy Plus and Minus Takeaway, two very unlikely friends. Well, Addy still loves to put things together and Minus still loves to subtract. But this newest production finds the two friends appreciating their differences and going on their first vacation together. All seems to be going well until they met up with Slash McGillacutty, a guy who insists on cutting things in half. How will Addy and Minus react to Slash? And is there a way to salvage their vacation once Slash McGillacutty arrives on the scene? Come along and find out. This play, which brings pre-kindergarten basic math concepts to life, will be enjoyed by audiences ages 4 and up.

PETER AND THE PIPER

by Holly Hepp-Galvan

July 14-18, 2014

Peter is a boy who follows his own drummer and enjoys doing his own thing. Peter is definitely not one of those guys who follows the crowd. This is usually no big deal for him. But all of that changes when The Piper comes to town. All the kids are listening to The Piper's music and loving what they hear. But Peter is not a fan on what he considers the newcomers questionable musical skills. Suddenly Peter find his friends calling him "lame." How can Peter stand up to this new pressure to be just like everybody else? Hepp-Galvan's newest play is both touching and funny and will be enjoyed by audiences ages 8 and older.

Red by John Logan, Penfold Theatre at Trinity Street, September 12 - 29, 2013

by Dr. David Glen Robinson


Red is a tragedy, make no mistake, but it is one in love with life, and most especially with the color red. As with the very best plays, Red tells everything plainly to the audience. The promotional material for the play is full of piquant quotations from the script, by way of Mark Rothko, the central character. My favorite, not in any of the cut-lines is: “There is tragedy in every brushstroke.”

Ryan Crowder, Steven Pounder (photo: Kimberley Mead)

And so the tragedy played itself out, revolving around the modernist abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko and set in his warehouse-y lower Manhattan studio. The time of the play was the peak of Rothko’s career, when he was painting his commission for murals for the Four Seasons restaurant in the Seagram building in Manhattan. 

 At the time, it was the most valuable art commission ever, paying $35,000. The commissioner was the architect Philip Johnson through his patron, international modernist architect Mies van der Rohe, perhaps the reigning art god of the twentieth century, who changed history more profoundly even than Picasso. 

 These were heady times, indeed, a few years past Jackson Pollock’s death (which Rothko insisted was suicide) at a point at which a few thinkers like Rothko saw Pop Art coming to replace all the abstract expressionists and knew it would be a painful death.

Penfold Theatre’s production of Red is a major score; they have captured the Austin premiere of this John Logan play, a Tony award winner, first staged in London in 2009. Penfold treats the play very well, staging it on the thrust stage of the Trinity Street Theatre, on the fourth floor of the First Baptist Church, 901 Trinity St., downtown. Steven Pounders plays Rothko, and Ryan Crowder, producing artistic director of Penfold, plays Ken, Rothko’s newly hired studio assistant. Rothko was known for his acerbic statements about the art world, and many of those comments have found their way into Logan’s script. Rothko was no Oscar Wilde for biting irony and sarcasm, but in his rage he came close.

Click to read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Auditions in Killeen for Greater Tuna by Sears and Williams, VLA Theatre, October 6 and 7, 2013

Vive Les Arts Theatre - 3401 South W. S. Young, Killeen, TX, 76542, (254) 526-9090

Tragedy: A Tragedy by Will Eno, Hyde Park Theatre, September 12 - October 12, 2013

by Jess Helmke

Much To Say About Nothing

The sun has set. The theatre is quiet. And a play begins. Just another normal Thursday night in the Austin Hyde Park neighborhood.

But maybe it’s more than that, suggests playwright Will Eno. His play Tragedy: a Tragedy is now running at Hyde Park Theatre, engaging audiences with ironic perceptions of mundane, everyday life. Eno’s repetitious cyclone of humor entertains the audience with threads of thematic action, roccoco rythmic storytelling, glimmers of conflict, lyric poetics, and the occasional element of surprise.

The mere fact that Will Eno uses television as his theatrical setting is unexpected. The play of gives us four main characters: Frank the anchor, John the weatherman, Constance the elated and naive reporter, and Michael the global reporter . Tragedy begins as a straightforward newscast, typical in speech pattern and line delivery, butr a little disappointing since there seems to be a lack of events to report. Characters speak directly to the audience as if we were sitting in the comfort of own homes, and their stage business is humorously appropriate with index fingers to the eapieces and sips of coffee by the anchor. I totally bought it.

The power and versatiity of the tool of theatre is exploited in most of Will Eno’s work, and the comedy Tragedy: a Tragedy is no different. Its discussions about darkness remind us of a bare stage. Its painful nostalgic childhood stories almost make us nervous all over again. And the play’s still, quiet moments lie glimmering like the stars. Begging observers to think. To try. To understand. To comment. To DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING in this existential awareness report from Action 7 News.

Click to read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . .

Stay by Sheila Cowley, Wimberley Players, September 13 - October 6, 2013

by Michael Meigs

The Wimberley Players give Sheila Cowley's Stay a quality production with a strong cast and superb production values. This piece by the Florida playwright had its premiere with the Players Theatre in Sarasota, and its transfer between local theatres ready to try out new work is an encouraging sign that not all such venues are in lockstep with the likes of Arsenic and Old Lace, Neil Simon and the Texas gothic comedies of Jones, Hope & Wooten.

Deanna Lalich is Leanne Abrams, a quietly moody physician separated from Mark, her journalist husband of twenty years, played by Aaron Johnson. He's one of those lost sheep that keeps returning; although he has a new girlfriend, he inevitably gravitates back to the apartment to pick up clothes, books and the mothering of his perhaps-soon-to-be-ex-wife. Early in the opening act Mark deposits a legal document requiring Leanne's signature, presumably necessary for some sort of no-fault divorce.

Flashbacks designated by special lighting effects take us back to the couple's earliest years, when Mark had just gotten his big job and Leanne was on her way to med school. Playwright Cowley explores repeatedly the dynamic between them, with Mark's excited, distracted talk about The Places He'll Go and Leanne's ever-patient tracking and correcting of his schedules. We hear this trope again and again, with Leanne always resorting to a wistful, unsubstantiated, "It'll be all right. . . ."

These two appealing actors work that territory as far as it can be worked, but their relationship never becomes more vivid or understandable. Cowley is asking us just to assume the best and believe that they're real people. Though Leanne turns out to be an opthalmologic surgeon, a wizard in transplanting corneas, we never hear her talk about medicine other than to lament that a girl patient of hers is still waiting for transplants. Cowley has Mark the journalist bubble about the exotic destinations that his media organization is sending him to, and evidently has been sending him to for the past twenty years, but other than that the character doesn't have a thought in his head. The two don't give us any real insight into their de facto decision not to have children, and we hear almost nothing about their history or relationship, other than his bouncing off the walls with enthusiasm like a five-year-old and her solid acceptance of him like an eternally indulgent mommy.

Aaron Johnson, Deanna Lalich (photo: Wimberley Players)

The title Stay voices Leanne's yearning for her husband, and the promotional photo of the blindfolded Mark and the contemplative Leanne suggests the central ploy of this plot. Applying her medicines, Leanne deceives Mark into thinking that he has been in a car accident and has only just roused from lengthy unconsciousness to find himself with eyes blindfolded, utterly dependent upon the wife he would sort of like to stay with if only he wasn't fascinated by his much younger female editor and feeling obliged to stay with that woman, who's pregnant by him.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

(*) THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, Cameo Theatre, San Antonio, September 21 - October 26, 2013

 
[1123 E. Commerce St. just east of I-37, San Antonio, 78205 - click for map]

and J. Pennington Productions present

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Auditions for The Cat in the Hat, Zach Theatre, October 23 and 24, 2013

ZACH Theatre announces auditions for Cat in the Hat on Wednesday October 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursday October 24 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the ZACH Kleberg Theatre located at 1421 W Riverside Drive, Austin, TX 78704. Callbacks are slated for Friday, October 25, 2013.
Dr. Seuss’s classic children’s book comes to life in a wild ride of physical comedy. Sally and her brother are stuck home in the rain, when a Cat comes knocking at the window pane! With mischief and mayhem and laughter galore, bring your students and we know they’ll be shouting for more! This critically acclaimed adaptation was originally produced at the National Theatre of Great Britain.

Looking for six male and female actors ages 18-50 with strong skills in physical theatre. We are seeking non-AEA actors. Actors will be seen by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, please click here to sign up online. Please be prepared to read sides from the play which are available on ZACH’s website: www.zachtheatre.org/auditions

All actors should bring a headshot and resume to the audition. For general information about ZACH please visit us at www.zachtheatre.org.

Rehearsals begin on Monday February 2, 2014. The show will run for schools and families in the Kleberg Theatre February 20 through May 4, 2014. The first school performance will be on Thursday February 20 and opening day for the public is Friday, February 21, 2014. Performances will be weekly on Tuesday through Sunday. Actors should audition only if they will have daytime availability in February, March, April, and May. Matinee performances will be at 10 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday. Evening performances will be: Fridays at 6:30 p.m., Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sundays at 4:30 p.m.


Click to view cast list and descriptions at AustinLiveTheatre.com