Opportunity: Seminar on Producing for FronteraFest 2013 by Christina Moore of Scriptworks, September 18

Dramatis Personae Series


FRONTERAFEST 101

A primer in self-producing for the fringe
A workshop taught by Christina J. Moore

Tuesday, September 18, 7:00 - 9:00pm
Dougherty Arts Center 1110 Barton Springs Rd.
COST: $5 Scriptworks members; $10 general
INFO/RESERVATIONS: 512.454.9727; info@scriptworks.org


The FronteraFest 101 workshop, led by ScriptWorks Executive Director and FronteraFest Producer Christina J. Moore, will guide participants through the process of preparing a piece for FronteraFest. From resources for finding actors, directors, and rehearsal space to the ins and outs of the technical rehearsal, we'll cover it all.

CHRISTINA J. MOORE is a director and producer whose work has been seen at The State Theatre, Zach Scott, Mary Moody Northen Theater, Vortex Repertory Company, Capitol City Playhouse, Frontera@Hyde Park Theatre, Different Stages, and ScriptWorks (formerly Austin Script Works), which she helped found in 1997. FronteraFest 2013 will mark her twelfth year as producer of the festival under the joint enterprise of Hyde Park Theatre and ScriptWorks. 

ABOUT SCRIPTWORKS (formerly Austin Script Works) ScriptWorks is a playwright driven organization that seeks to promote the craft of dramatic writing and to protect the playwright's integrity by encouraging playwright initiative and harnessing collective potential. The Dramatis Personae series was initiated to provide area playwrights a place to experiment with their craft and expand their careers.

This project is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.

Mary Moody Northen Theatre Season 2012-2013, St. Edward's University

2012-2013 Theatre Season

(image: Mary Moody Northen Theatre)

Mary Moody Northen Theatre announces our 40th anniversary season!

That's right: we're celebrating 40 years of top-quality productions blending the talents of St. Edward's University theatre students with professional actors, director and designers from near and far. American realism? Got it. Shakespeare? You bet! A fabulous musical? Well of course! And more! Season tickets go on sale August 24. Come join in the fun at the theatre on the hill.

All performances are Thursday – Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Under Construction
by Charles L. Mee
September 27 — October 7, 2012
Directed by David M. Long

Mee’s postmodern comedy explores the impossibly broad, messy, changeable and non-linear nature of life in these United States. Inspired by the art of Norman Rockwell and Jason Rhoads, this theatrical collage juxtaposes 1950s Thanksgiving dinner with the contemporary blogosphere, explores feminism, dancing and the barbershop quartet, and, ultimately, shines a light on our struggle to define the American experience. Originally produced by the SITI Company at the 2009 Humana Festival of New American Plays, MMNT's production features the talents of guest artists Amy Downing and Greg Holt.

A magical mystery tour of American hipster culture from the 1950s to the present. – Theatre Louisville

Under Construction contains strong adult content and language.

Bus Stop
by William Inge
November 8 — 18, 2012
Directed by Christina J. Moore

In this 1955 romantic comedy, a late-season blizzard forces a highway shutdown and detains five weary travelers overnight at a small Midwestern diner. Stranded together, this motley crew - an aging professor with a predilection for younger women, a rodeo star bent on marrying a woman who doesn’t love him, a struggling young nightclub singer - explores individual hopes and dreams over coffee, donuts and country music. A big-hearted celebration of love and transformation, Inge's delightful play harkens to an earlier era. Featuring guest artists Sarah Gay, David Jones and David Stahl.

A feel good slice of 1950s Americana. – What's On Stage

Measure for Measure
by William Shakespeare
February 14 — 24, 2013
Directed by Michelle S. Polgar

What do you get when you combine an enigmatic and absentee ruler, a zealot surrogate, lustful youth, a pious nun, a dash of hypocrisy and personal desires at odds with the law? Shakespeare’s last comedy tackles these questions, deftly examining who sins most in a congregation of murderers, pimps, politicians, whores and clergy. Add to the moral tale a complement of bawds, a touch of disguise, and some adroit plot management and the result is a marvelous, thought-provoking evening of theatre.

Richly rewarding…an exuberant and memorable evening. - The Daily Mail

The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde
April 11 — 21, 2013
Directed by Richard Robichaux

Join young suitors Algernon, Jack, Cecily and Gwendolyn as they negotiate mislaid babies, mistaken identities, secret engagements, baffled suitors, one overbearing mother and some of the wittiest wordplay ever volleyed over cucumber sandwiches. Its 1895 premiere in London offered a stinging critique of love, sex, and hypocrisy. This glorious comedy of manners features the talents of guest artists Barbara Chisholm, Robert Faires and Irene White.

The Importance of Being Earnest is the rare work of art that achieves perfection on its own terms. – The New York Times

The Secret Garden
Music by Lucy Simon, Lyrics and Book by Marsha Norman
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
June 13 — 30, 2013
Directed by Robert Westenberg

This coming of age story based on the classic children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett is filled with suspense, magic and wonder. 11-year-old Mary, orphaned by a cholera outbreak, is sent from India to Scotland to live with her reclusive widower uncle. Lost in their grief and surrounded by visions and voices from the past, Mary and the rest of the family struggle to regain their footing. The young girl’s discovery of a secret garden, coupled with her dedication to revive the magical space, leads to rebirth and renewal for all. This Tony-award winning musical will set your heartstrings aflutter.

A must-see for any of us that have retained the sense of magic and wonder from childhood. - TalkingBroadway

Tickets Season passes go on sale August 27 through the MMNT box office at (512) 448-8484 and online at www.stedwards.edu/theatre. Single tickets for each production go on sale three weeks prior to opening and may be purchased through the MMNT box office or the website. Box Office hours are 1 – 5 PM Monday – Friday when classes are in session and one hour prior to curtain. All seats are reserved.

Our 40th Anniversary Join us for special events throughout the season as we celebrate 40 years of performances at the Mary Moody Northen Theatre. Events will include special alumni and subscriber gatherings, archival exhibitions and a year-end celebration with our distinguished guest, Robert Westenberg. Mr Westenberg is a Tony-nominated actor and winner of the Drama Desk Award for his performance as Cinderella’s Prince in the Broadway production of Into The Woods. He appeared with Mandy Patinkin in the original production of The Secret Garden on Broadway. Mr. Westenberg makes his MMNT directing debut with The Secret Garden.

About Mary Moody Northen Theatre Through the Mary Moody Northen Theatre, students work alongside professional actors, directors and designers to explore all facets of theatrical production, create dynamic artistic work and earn points towards membership in Actor’s Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Our program is the only undergraduate-only program in the region producing a full regular season under an Equity agreement. MMNT is a member of Theatre Communications Group. For more information, contact the theatre program at 512-448-8487 or visit us online at www.stedwards.edu/theatre.

About St. Edward's University  St. Edward’s is a private, liberal arts Catholic university in the Holy Cross Tradition with more than 5,400 students. Located in Austin, Texas, with a network of partner universities around the world, St. Edward’s is a diverse community that offers undergraduate and graduate programs designed to inspire students with a global perspective. St. Edward's University has been recognized for nine consecutive years as one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report, and has also been recognized by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

FronteraFest 2012: Applications Available Now, Seminar on September 14

Received directly from

and

Applications for the 2012 FronteraFest Theatre festival in .pdf format are now available on-line (click to download)

They're accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until November 1

Dates: Long Fringe (90-minute slots) January 24 - February 5 at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre and the Blue Theatre

Short Fringe (30-minute slots) January 17 - February 18 at the Hyde Park Theatre

B.Y.O.V (Bring Your Own Venue) open

In its "Dramatis Personae" Series, Scriptworks presents

FRONTERAFEST 101
A primer in self-producing for the fringe

A workshop taught by Christina J. Moore

Wednesday, September 14, 7 p.m.
Hyde Park Theatre, 511 W. 43rd St. (click for map)
COST: $5 Scriptwork members; $10 othersl
INFO/RESERVATIONS: 512.454.9727; reserve@scriptworks.org

Hyde Park Theatre and ScriptWorks, co-producers of FronteraFest, a five-week long performance festival held every January and February, announce that applications are now available for download at the Hyde Park Theatre website, www.hydeaparktheatre.org. The application deadline is November 1st and the application fees of $50 for the Short Fringe and $500 for the Long Fringe are discounted for those applying by October 1st.

The FronteraFest 101 workshop, led by ScriptWorks Executive Director and FronteraFest Producer Christina J. Moore, will guide participants through the process of preparing a piece for FronteraFest. From resources for finding actors, directors, and rehearsal space to the ins and outs of the technical rehearsal, we'll cover it all. Christina J. Moore is a director and producer whose work has been seen at The State Theatre, Zachary Scott Theatre Center, Mary Moody Northen Theater, Vortex Repertory Company, Capitol City Playhouse, Frontera@Hyde Park Theatre, Different Stages, and ScriptWorks (formerly Austin Script Works), which she helped found in 1997. FronteraFest 2012 will mark her eleventh year as producer of the festival under the joint enterprise of Hyde Park Theatre and ScriptWorks.

About Scriptworks (formerly Austin Script Works) ScriptWorks is a playwrigh- driven organization that seeks to promote the craft of dramatic writing and to protect the playwright's integrity by encouraging playwright initiative and harnessing collective potential. The Dramatis Personae series was initiated to provide area playwrights a place to experiment with their craft and expand their careers.

About the Hyde Park Theatre. Hyde Park Theatre develops writers, designers, directors, and actors from within the Austin community, while at the same time producing works by exciting new and established voices of the alternative theatre scene.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee, Mary Moody Northen Theatre, St. Edward's University, November 11 - 21

I knew that this was going to be intense. I had invited friends to see it with me, and we had seats in the middle of the front row, south side of the "theatre in the square" at the Mary Moody Northen Theatre. After Michelle Polgar had dedicated the opening night's performance to the memory of Oscar Brockett, that grand old man of Austin theatre, the lights began to fade and I had a feeling similar to that you get when you light the fuse on a fistful of firecrackers and throw them down.

My usual view is that a cinema version of the text is irrelevant to the stage performance, but here I have to admit that in any staging of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? the ghost of Richard Burton and the presence of Elizabeth Taylor roil fitfully about the set. The movie rating code had just been instituted when Mike Nichols' film was released in 1966. The MPAA had relented after a couple of minor revisions of the dialogue and gave it a "suggested for mature audiences" rating. In my town meant that you had to be 18 years of age to get in, unless accompanied by a parent. My father, a secret movie buff, insisted that I see it and he stood behind me as my 17-year-old self bought my ticket.

Thirteen Academy award nominations, including for Nichols as director and all four in the cast, with five wins, including Taylor as the monstrous Martha and Sandy Dennis as an unforgettably inebriated bubble-blowing little wife. So how can a contemporary theatrical production stand up to that?

The answer in Austin is simple but three-fold: by playing to an audience predominantly of college students who do not know the film; by enlisting Babs George for the role of Martha and Ev Lunning Jr. for the role of George; and with Christie Moore's tight direction in Leilah Stewart's starkly effective, almost claustrophobic set.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Mary Moody Northern Theatre, St. Edward's University, November 11 - 21

Received directly:

Edward Albee's

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF

slams onto the Mary Moody Northen Theatre stage

Directed by Christina J. Moore

November 11 - 21

Thursdays–Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.

Mary Moody Northen Theatre, St. Edward’s University, 3001 South Congress Avenue

Campus map: http://www.stedwards.edu/map/

TICKETS: Reserved seating, available through the MMNT box office at 448-8484.

Advance $15 ($12 students, seniors, St. Edward’s community); All tickets $18 at the door.

Box office is open 1-5 p.m. Monday–Friday and 1 hour prior to curtain.

SPECIAL STUDENT NIGHT: Thursday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m. -- All student tickets half price with ID

Mary Moody Northen Theatre, the award-winning producing arm of the St. Edward’s University Theatre Program, presents Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, the lauded American drama by Edward Albee, running November 11 - 21, 2010.

Albee’s powerful 1962 tale of love, politics and marriage slams onto the stage in a dynamic acting tour-de-force. Middle-aged academic George and his wife Martha invite a new professor and his wife over for a nightcap. The night of intellectual fun and games descends into marital warfare as the older couple employs the younger as pawns in their tense psychological battle. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? remains as pertinent, thrilling and, ultimately, devastating today as when it catapulted Albee to fame. Featuring Equity guests Babs George and Ev Lunning, Jr.

Recommended for mature audiences.

“[A] timeless play…unforgettable power.” (Ben Brantley, NY Times)

About St. Edward's University Founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross, St. Edward's University is named among the top five "Up-and-Coming Universities" in the Western Region by its academic peers in a 2011 U.S. News & World Report survey. For eight consecutive years St. Edward's has been recognized as one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report and this year by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. St. Edward's is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university of more than 5,200 students located in Austin, Texas. For more information on St. Edward’s University, visit www.stedwards.edu.

Upcoming: Toxic Assets by Steve Tomlinson at the Off Center, March 11-13

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Fusebox Festival presents

Toxic Assets

by Austin's acclaimed monologist Steven Tomlinson
directed by Christina J. Moore

March 11-13, 8 p.m.
at the Off Center, 2211 Hidalgo (Mapquest map)

Thursday pay what you can
Friday sliding scale $15-50
Saturday reserved for Friends of Fusebox--donors of $1000 or more
All proceeds benefit Fusebox Festival 2010
Tickets can be bought at the door or on-line

In his new play Toxic Assets, Steven Tomlinson (Managed Care, Curb Appeal, American Fiesta) searches for the origins of the financial crisis in the psyche of an economics professor who becomes obsessed with cleaning up litter. His compulsion complicates his work as an economist and his relationships with family, friends and neighbors.

"As an artist, I'm trying to make sense of the disconnect between what we worry about (huge forces like markets and the environment) and what we can actually accomplish as individuals," notes Tomlinson. "These little things we do, picking up trash, making time to help one person get back on track, are they worth doing, even if they can't save us?"

Photo of Steven Tomlinson by Liz Berry

Read more and view image at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .