Upcoming: The Boar's Head Pageant, St. Albert the Great Catholic Church, January 8

Received directly:

The Boar’s Head Pageant

January 8, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.

St. Albert the Great Catholic Church

12041 Bittern Hollow, Austin, TX 78758 (corner of Bittern Hollow and Metric, one block north of ACC Northridge Campus.)

(512) 837-7825

www.boarsheadaustin.com

info@boarsheadaustin.com

Reserved seats and VIP reception: $10 each; General Admission tickets are free. Free lighted parking.

http://boarsheadaustin.eventbrite.com/

Join us for the only medieval celebration of the Christmas season and New Year in Austin. This theatrical presentation takes you back in time to the royal court of England with an elaborate musical presentation, featuring a magnificent orchestra, traditional songs and professional performers in elaborate period costumes and the dramatic arrival of the Magi. Complimentary hot wassail (spiced apple cider) is served after each performance. Guests are encouraged to wear period costumes.

Purchase tickets or make donations on-line: www.boarsheadaustin.com http://boarsheadaustin.eventbrite.com/

Read about the boar's head legend and more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: Steel Magnolias, Sam Bass Community Theatre, Round Rock, January 28 - February 14

Received directly:

Sam Bass Theatre, Round Rock, presents

Steel Magnolias

Written by Robert Harling

Directed by Olin Meadows

January 28 - February 19, 2010
Sam Bass Community Theatre, 600 Lee Street, Round Rock

Sam Bass Theatre of Round Rock is pleased to announce its first production of 2011, STEEL MAGNOLIAS, Written by Robert Harling, and Directed by Olin Meadows. This production features some of the top actresses of the Austin area. Come join us as we take you take you back to the 1980's in the heart of Louisiana to Chinquapin Parish and meet the colorful and vibrant ladies of this small southern town.

This show is sure to be a hit, with Joan Baker as Claree Belcher, the former First Lady of Chinquapin, along with Veronica "Ronni" Prior as Ouiser Boudreax, the crotchety but lovable old crow of the town, followed up by Alicia "Cici" Barone and Kat Connor, doubling in the role of Shelby Eatenton Latcherie, the prettiest girl in town and the conductor of this roller coaster ride of emotions, aided by her mother, M'Lynn Eatenton, played by Cathie Sheridan. And featuring Meagan Henderson as Annelle Dupuy, the young budding beautician and her mentor Truvy Jones, played by Edie Elkjer, the proprietor of Truvy's Beauty shop where all the action happens in this rollercoaster of fun, laughter, tears and heartwarming moments.

Director Olin Meadows has directed many productions across the state of Texas and is best known for his creation of Saffire T. Stone one of the top female impersonators in the state of Texas, as well as Sam Bass Theatre's annual "Evening Under the Stars," staged every New Year's Eve as a fundraiser for local arts in Round Rock. Additionally, his productions of "The Dames of Deception" and his "Legendary" drag brunch have garnered waves of critical acclaim, and brought joy to audiences across the state. Stay tuned for future productions featuring an array of colorful characters and thought provoking stories from this young and innovative director.

This show is sure to be a favorite that you will want to return to again and again, so get your tickets now before they are gone. The production will run for fourteen shows, opening January 28, 2011 running Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm with Sunday matinees at 2:00pm until February 19th, 2011. Tickets are fifteen dollars for general admission and thirteen dollars for students and seniors, with special Thursday night prices of ten dollars, A perfect Valentine gift for that special some one!

Auditions for A Cole Porter Valentine, Playhouse Smithville, January 8

Received directly from April Daniels at Playhouse Smithville:

Auditions on January 8 for

A Cole Porter Valentine

at Playhouse Smithville

Playhouse Smithville sends out an audition call for the next show, A Cole Porter Valentine. This show will be the first musical revue and the first dinner theatre at the Playhouse. The cast size of the show is yet to be determined, as john daniels, jr. (sic) the Artistic Director and playwright will be fashioning the show around Cole Porter’s timeless music and the singers, dancers, actors, and first time performers chosen for the cast. No experience is necessary. The Playhouse is looking for performers 14 years old and up. Bring energy, excitement and charm to the auditions, because Cole Porter’s music has energy, excitement and charm.

Cole Porter was an enormously prolific American composer and songwriter spanning five decades from 1916 to 1958. Porter wrote one thousand songs, twenty-six Broadway Musicals and songs for eleven films. The list of his songs includes, “Night and Day,” “Delovely,” “Begin the Beguine,” “Let’s Misbehave,” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Two of Porter’s musicals, Anything Goes and Kiss Me Kate, are still very popular and are frequently produced today.

A Cole Porter Valentine will feature more than twenty Cole Porter tunes as well as comedy, atmosphere and dinner. Smithville's own Comfort Café caters the affair to include a dessert to die for. It promises to be a great date.

Auditions for A Cole Porter Valentine will held at Playhouse Smithville, 110 Main St. Smithville, Texas on Saturday January 8 at 2:00 PM. For more information visit www.playhousesmithville.com or call (512) 360-7397.

Auditions for Penfold Theatre's I Love You Because, January 9 at St. Edward's University

Received directly from Ryan Crowder, Producing Artistic Director for Penfold Theatre:

Penfold Theatre auditions for

After tackling chamber musicals like John & Jen and The Last Five Years, we're now looking to the off-Broadway musical comedy hit, I Love You Because. While the show has gained quick favor from regional theatres around the country, this production will be its Texas premiere.

I Love You Because runs June 9-26 at Hyde Park Theatre. Michael McKelvey directs and David Utley is set designer. For more about the production, visit the show page of our website.

Audition Information

When: January 9, 2010 from 7-10pm
Where: St. Edward’s University Carriage House

What to prepare: 32 bars of a song in the style of the show (contemporary musical, a little on the pop side). You may audition with a selection from the show. Please bring sheet music as an accompanist will be provided. No acapella! Please pick something that shows your range and acting ability. A synopsis and character descriptions are provided below.

To schedule an appointment: Please email Michael McKelvey at mmckelvey3@gmail.com to schedule an appointment. No walk-ins please.

Synopsis I Love You Because is a modern twist on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Set in New York City, this sweet and quirky romantic comedy follows Austin Bennet, a young greeting card writer, whose life is turned upside down when he finds his girlfriend with another man. Forced back out into the treacherous urban dating scene, Austin meets Marcy, whose spontaneity is matched only by her ability to drive him insane. I Love You Because explores the bewildering rules and nuances of dating and reminds us that true romance is learning how to love someone, not in spite of their differences, but because of them.

For a more detailed synopsis visit the publisher's website.

Character Descriptions

Austin Bennet (25, tenor to A): greeting card writer.

 (This role has been cast.)
Jeff Bennet (28, baritone to G with optional A): pedi-cab driver.


Marcy Fitzwilliams (24, soprano with strong mix to F and belt to D): photographer.


Diana Bingley (27, alto to D): actuary.


Cocktail Watress, Baristress, Neighbor, Chinese Food Restaurant Manager, Woman (soprano)


Bartender, Barista, Waiter, Chinese Food Restaruant Waiter, Man (bari-tenor)

, Austin T

Upcoming: The Fantasticks, Silver Spur Theatre, Salado, January 14 - 15

Received directly:

The Fantasticks

50-year-old Show Still Going Strong;

Two Shows Only at Salado Silver Spur, Jan. 14-15

Admissions are $15 for adults; $12 for senior citizens, military personnel and students with ID; and $8 for children aged 12. Group rates are available. For reservations, call the box office at 254-947-3456. For directions or more play info, visit www.saladosilverspurtheater.com.

When the “Fantasticks” opened at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York City in the spring of 1960, little did anyone know that 50 years and 11,000 productions (Not just shows!) later, it would be America’s longest-running musical.

Barbara Schuler Productions of Cedar Park, TX, will reprise its 2010 anniversary production of the popular musical with two performances only at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 14 and 15 at the Silver Spur Theater, (108 Royal St.) in historic Downtown Salado.

“We hope theatre-goers who’ve seen this romantic but bittersweet charmer before will enjoy it again, and those patrons who’ve never seen it will discover the magic that has made it a worldwide success,” said Grainger Esch, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Silver Spur Theater, a seven-year-old professional theater.

“Don’t expect a glitzy Broadway musical,” Esch noted. “At the heart of ‘The Fantasticks’” breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers.” Video clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK8Q4lZEqVs.

The Silver Spur Theater serves wine, beer, cider and expanded food choices at evening shows (only) at The Spuradical Social Club in its lobby. http://www.spuradicalsocialclub.net/ Membership is achieved by swiping your driver’s license before purchasing.

“We’ve got a great cast and a brilliant music director” (David Blackburn), said Barbara Schuler, a professional actress and director of the show. “We are all thrilled to have a chance to work together again in this revival of our March production.”

Click to view images and more information at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: Dance Your Debt Off marathon, Palindrome Theatre, January 7

Received directly:

DANCE YOUR DEBT OFF

A DANCE ENDURANCE COMPETITION FT. $500 PRIZE

Presented by Palindrome Theatre

at The Blue Theater, 916 Springdale 78702. Just behind the Blue Hanger Goodwill

Friday, Jan. 7- doors/registration @ 7, DANCING BEGINS 8 pm (and goes until there's a winner)
Ticket Price: $20 competition ticket, $15 non-competitive guest. *must be 21+
Box Office phone and website: 512-939-6829, www.palindrometheatre.com


Palindrome Theatre is hosting its first annual dance endurance competition, for you, lovely people of Austin!

Here's an opportunity, FOR THE PRICE OF ONLY $20:
-Fill yourself on FREE HOMESLICE PIZZA
-Drink yourself on FREE BEER
-And compete to win our $500 CASH PRIZE, as well as other wonderful prizes and giveaways from local joints.

Special Guest Emcee Matt Hines of The Eastern Sea to keep the beats fresh and the jams hot, as well as the competition moving, while judges will watch your every move to make sure we have a fair competition- so come try your hand (or those feet), and see if you can swing into 2011 with style, DEBT FREE.
MUST BE 21 AND UP!
For Rules & To register, visit www.palindrometheatre.com, or call 512-939-6829.
*those looking to just eat some food and wet their whistle, or come late and leave before the cryin's started and dance some without all the hullabaloo, be our guests for $15.

Upcoming: New Year's Eve Comedy by Coldtowne Theatre at Salvage Vanguard

Found on-line:

Coldtowne Theater & Gnap! present a New Year's Eve Night of Comedy!

Dead Uncle Ted and Loose Fish

Dec. 31, shows at 8 & 10pm, and a dance party from 11:30 on...

Salvage Vanguard Theatre, 2803 Manor Road

Tickets are $20 for each show or $30 for both. This event and the post show dance party is BYOB. Tickets can be had at coldtownetheater.frontgatetickets.com

ColdTowne Theater (in conjuction with Gnap! Theater Productions) is hosting an evening of comedy, dancing and carrying on this New Year’s Eve at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre. Two comic plays, originally performed by L.A.’s Dasariski, are being cast with performers from the Austin comedy community (including members of ColdTowne, the Frank Mills, Midnight Society, Dusk, Get Up and more) and mounted on New Year’s Eve.

The plays, Dead Uncle Ted (8pm) and Loose Fish (10pm), are character driven pieces whose plots ebb and flow along absurd tangents. People’s lives intersect with one another as their comedic flaws are unearthed. Ultimately, no one learns anything too important, and their behaviors remain predictable to the point of being goofy. The inevitability of the whole thing could boarder on tragedy, if it weren’t so damn funny (see 'readmore' for play descriptions).

>Each performance will be opened by a short set from sketch workshops taught by visiting instructor, performer and Dasariski member Rich Talarico (SNL and Mad TV). Talarico is making his second New Year’s Eve appearance in Austin on the heels of last year’s successful Eye for an iPhone revue. At 11:30pm, after the shows, the SVT stage will open for a ’60s dance party!

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree, musical at Bastrop Opera House, January 14 - 23

Found on-line:

presents

The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree

Book by Martin A. Follose

Music and lyrics by Bill Francoeur

Directed by Engela Edwards

Produced by special arrangment with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., Englewood, Colorado

Rated G.

Fridays and Saturdays, January 14, 15, 21, 22, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 2 p.m.

Ye Ol' Tickets: $10 Adults; $9 Seniors 60+; $8 Students (High School and College), Active Military and Veterans; $5 all children 14 and under.
VIP Tickets: $12 (reserves best available seats at time of purchase.)
No added fees!

When Captain Jennings crew jumps ship upon sighting the pirates in the distance, he is left with a makeshift crew of motley prisoners and Fergus, a sailor who can't swim, to protect his wealthy passengers, the Prescots, from the inevitable attack. Bree and her lady pirates take over the defenseless Kayla May. This is a swashbuckling musical comedy with a host of hysterical characters on deck and a spectacular Bill Francoeur score.

Along with Captain Bree's hearty crew of mean and nasty mates (and a couple of new recruits in training who keep forgetting to be rough and tough), you'll find the haughty Professor Bidwell and the pretentious Madam Prescot constantly battling for special treatment and respect (ha!) from the pirates, Samuel Prescot masquerading as a girl to avoid becoming shark bait, and Julia Prescot bursting with desire to join the lady pirates — much to her aunt's dismay! After the pirates send Thomas, the cabin boy, out to sea with a ransom note demanding gold from the British in exchange for the Prescots' lives, they amuse themselves by auctioning off the male prisoners to do their dirty work and showing Julia the ropes of pirating. But what is in store when Thomas returns with a British fleet, set on hanging the pirates for their deeds? Madam Prescot and Bidwell are equally set on seeing Captain Jennings hang for his defenseless approach to the lady pirates. You'll love the swashbuckling ending as the two captains work together to save their crews from the British.

Bill Francoeur's zesty music adds the perfect touch of authenticity to this spirited pirate play.

See cast list and picture at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: A Night of Horror, two plays by David Skeel, Chaotiic Theatre Company, January 6 - 15

Found on-line:

presents

A Night of Horror, Two Plays By David Skeele

Jan 6th – 15th 2011 at the Austin Playhouse Larry King Theatre.
Directed by Justin LaVergne.

Chaotic Theatre Presents: A NIGHT of HORROR, 2 plays by David Skeele.
This will be no ordinary night as it will be filled with screams of terror and chaos. We will show you things that will shock you, unsettle you, and drive you mad. You shall bare witness to possessions, and murders. You will be on the edge of your seat until it is ripped out from underneath you. Come see A Night of Horror and fill your dreams with nightmares. Muahahahahahahah…

The Margins

Inspired by an experiment done in the 70’s, a group of powerful psychics get together to create an artificial ghost. It should be a simple, harmless experiment. But someone, or something, has a different agenda.

Dark North

Television psychic Daniel Dark North has made a lucrative career out of communing with the dead. But one day, in the bowels of a crumbling Connecticut mansion, he discovers that sometimes the dead and gone really ought to stay that way…

Upcoming: Rumors by Neil Simon, Way Off Broadway Community Players, January 7 - 29

Found on-line:

presents

Rumors

by Neil Simon

Directed by Christien Bumpus

January 7 - 29, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sunday, January 16 at 3 p.m.

at the WOBCP Theatre, 11880 W. FM 2243 in Leander, TX, between US 183 and Bagdad Road (click for map)

Click Here to make Reservations

At a large, tastefully appointed Sneden's Landing town-house, where friends are beginning to gather to celebrate the 10th wedding anniversary for Charley (the Deputy Mayor of New York) and his wife, Charley has just shot himself. Although he’s only suffered a flesh wound, four couples are about to experience a severe attack of Farce.

As the time for the rest of his guests to appear ap-proaches, the host lies bleeding in the other room and his wife is nowhere in sight. His lawyer, Ken and Ken’s wife must get "the story" straight before the other guests arrive. Due to the rapidly mounting confusion and mis-communications, the evening spins off into classic farci-cal hilarity.

"Light, frothy and fun."-New York Post

"Has nothing on its mind except making the audience laugh."-The New York Times

Click to view additional images at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: Romulus Ate by Michael Howell, I Heart Mom Productions, University of Texas and on Tour, January 1 - 6

Found on-line:

I Heart Mom Productions,

a student organization at the University of Texas,

presents

Romulus Ate

by Michael Howell

Video created by: Georgia Latcham and Nicole Boutin

SHOW DATES

1/1/2011 8:00pm Romulus Ate Launch Show UT Lab Theatre, Austin, TX

1/2/2011 8:00pm Romulus Ate San Antonio, TX

1/3/2011 8:00pm Romulus Ate South Padre Island, TX

1/4/2011 8:00pm Romulus Ate Houston, TX

1/5/2011 8:00pm Romulus Ate Dallas, TX

1/6/2011 8:00pm Romulus Ate Homecoming! Austin, TX

Auditions: Defiant by George Brant, Debutantes and Vagabonds

Received directly:

Auditions for

Defiant

by George Brand

Debutantes and Vagabonds, Non-Equity Theater


Auditions at Dougherty Arts Center (1110 Barton Springs Rd) onTuesday, January 4th from 6:30PM - 9:30PM and Wednesday, January 5th from 6:30PM - 9:30PM

Rehearsal Dates: January 17th - February 23rd. At least 4 - 5 rehearsals per week. Typically Mon-Friday from 7PM - 10PM.
Show Dates: February 24th - March 13, 2011 (Thursdays - Saturdays at 8:00PM and Sundays at 5:00PM) at the Larry L. King Theater at the Austin Playhouse


Synopsis: DEFIANT is the story of Ann, a woman who incurs the wrath of a grieving country when she refuses to memorialize her husband following his death in a national tragedy. DEFIANT explores the nature of grief, hate, and the need to forgive.

Cast of 4W, 3M - All Roles are Available. Send headshots and resumes to artists@dvtheater.org and include your preferred role and audition date. We will respond with a scheduled time slot and appropriate sides.

Roles

Ann Martin, a teacher (30's or older)
Mr. Taylor, an accountant (late 20's or older)
The Chorus of Taxpayers, who also play:
A Wife (late 20's or older)
A Widow (late 20's or older)
A Pizza Delivery Boy (teenage to young 20's)
A Principal (30's or older)
A Mother (20's -30's)

Debutantes & Vagabonds is a sponsored project of the Greater Austin Creative Alliance, a non-profit arts service organization, working to advance, connect and celebrate Austin's creative life. This project is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division.

Upcoming: The Ancestor and the Archive, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, Women and their Work, January 20

Found on-line at Women and their Work:

The Ancestor and The Archive
with Wura-Natasha Ogunji and guests.
Thursday, January 20, 7:00 PM

Women and their Work gallery, 1710 LaVaca (click for map)

An evening of performances, discussion to follow. Artists Wura-Natasha Ogunji, Annelize Machado, Amanda Johnston, Omi Osun Joni L. Jones, kt shorb, Matt Richardson and Nicole Vlado each perform a short work and then engage in discussion which addresses how they connect to ancestors, history, memory, the archive (history, personal, the body) and each other.

This exhibit will feature paintings and videos based on performances by the artist. Ogunji uses physical actions of the body to explore her connections to place, land, history and memory. Ogunji's most recent video works portray the journey of a Nigerian Ife head artifact who longs for her descendents in the Americas. Ogunji paints her face to suggest the striations of this artifact and then makes the difficult attempt to fly across the land in search of history and a future. Her stop-motion animation techniques give the viewer a sense of strained movement and flight. Ogunji's large-scale paintings speak of a similar journey between physical and spiritual planes as white charcoal and graphite masks hover over painted figures moving through sea and sky.

Arts Reporting: The Success of Broadway Flop 'Almost, Maine'

Thomas Cott's 'You've Cott Mail' publishes an excerpt from the December 17 article by Cara Joy David profiling the widespread success of the multicharacter piece done in January, 2009 by the Gaslight Baker Theatre in Lockhart and by McCallum Fine Arts Academy at the Blue Theatre in May, 2010:

New York flop becomes a hit everywhere else

From The New York Times, December 18, 2010

by Cara Joy David

It closed a month after it opened Off Broadway. Most New Yorkers don't even remember it. Yet John Cariani's Almost, Maine, an earnest 19-character play about the romantic happenings one cold night in northern Maine, has since been produced around the world, including in Australia, Dubai and South Korea. More than 600 companies have put it on in the United States and Canada. And move over, Our Town, and other staples of the school auditorium stage. Almost, Maine was the most-produced play in North American high schools this year. It unseated Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream from the No. 1 high school slot.

Craig Pospisil of Dramatists Play Service described its slow build as a "real Cinderella story." Perhaps it helped that Dramatists representatives handed out colorful Almost, Maine buttons (left over from Off Broadway) at conferences. Or that Mr. Cariani and Jack Thomas, the show's original producer, sent out mailings to artistic directors, putting it on the regional circuit's radar.

Maybe it was because the play offered material students could perform at drama competitions and professional actors could present at auditions. Or could the key to success be that the text can be performed by as few as 4 people or as many as 19? "If you are a professional playwright looking to make it in New York, you write something with the smallest possible cast," said Doug Rand of Playscripts. "Amateur theater groups want to have as big a cast as possible. New York really hasn't generated that kind of work in decades. So, when you come across that work, it's like water in the desert."

Read more at the New York Times. . . .

Arts Reporting: Germany's Leading Playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig, J.S. Marcus in the Wall Street Journal, December 17

Via ArtsJournal.com, a look at Germany's leading contemporary playwright, published at the Wall Street Journal:

The Future of German Theater
Celebrated playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig mixes the abstract with the naturalistic in his work

By J. S. MARCUS for the Wall Street Journal

The names of the most popular playwrights on German-language stages haven't changed much in decades, even centuries. Recently, however, marquees from Hamburg to Vienna have to add a new name alongside Shakespeare, Goethe, Schiller and Ibsen—Roland Schimmelpfennig, a 43-year-old Berlin-based author and director, who in the course of a few seasons has become German-speaking Europe's most celebrated younger playwright.

This has been Mr. Schimmelpfennig's year. In the summer, he was awarded the Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis, regarded as the highest honor for a playwright in the German language. (Previous winners include Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek and East German playwright Heiner Müller.) Last month, his latest play, "Peggy Pickit Sees the Face of God," premiered nearly simultaneously at Germany's two most prestigious theater companies, Hamburg's Thalia Theater and Berlin's Deutsches Theater. And this Sunday, Mr. Schimmelpfennig will cap the year at the Akademietheater, the second stage of Vienna's legendary Burgtheater, with a version of the play that he has directed himself.

Read more at Wall Street Journal.com . . . .

Upcoming: Going with Jenny, Penfold Theatre, Round Rock, January 14 - 30

Found on-line:

Penfold Theatre presents

Going with Jenny

By Thomas and Sherry Jo Ward
Directed by Ryan Crowder
Regional premiere

January 14-30, Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3 p.m.

Round Rock Public Library Complex (Map it), 216 E. Main Street, Round Rock, TX 78664

A special Chocolate & Champaign Reception will be held opening night after the show.
A special Saturday matinee at 3pm on January 29th.

Free parking is available on the street and in adjacent lots.

Ever wish you could read your spouse's mind? Join us as we eavesdrop on the secret thoughts of a young married couple on the brink. While sharing their sometimes laugh-at-loud inner monologues, this Mr. and Mrs. grapple with deep-rooted anxiety over domestic life, fleeting youth, regrets, fidelity, and the captivating notion that a person’s entire life-course can hinge on one hasty decision.

This production will be the second time Going with Jenny has been produced anywhere. Playwrights Thomas and Sherry Jo Ward of Baylor University are collaborating with the rest of the artistic team to re-imagine parts of the story. Penfold is honored to support this dynamic writing couple on an exciting new work!

Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Family rating: PG-13

"An ingeniously structured comedy."
-The Sunday Paper (Atlanta)

"Going with Jenny is a sweet play that draws honesty and truth from real life. The Wards are writers to watch."
-Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tickets go on sale this winter. For more information, call (512) 850-4849 info@penfoldtheatre.org.

Upcoming: All Good Things, third in a noir trilogy by Scott McDowell, Overtime Theatre, San Anton io, January 14 - February 12

Received directly from the Overtime Theatre, San Antonio:

ALL GOOD THINGS

The Final Chapter in the Overtime’s “Stage Noir” Detective Series

at The Overtime Theater, in the Blue Star Complex, 1414 S. Alamo, #103, San Antonio, TX 78210.

January 14 – February 12, 2011. 8 pm Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with one 3 pm matinee on Sunday, January 30.

$12 general admission, and $9 for teachers, students, seniors 65+, active military, and SATCO members. Tickets can be purchased online at www.theovertimetheater.net.

Information & Reservations: www.theovertimetheater.net, info@theovertimetheater.net, and (210) 557-7562.

In January-February 2011, the Overtime Theater will stage the third and final installment of its original “Stage Noir” series: All Good Things, written by Scott McDowell and directed by Andrew Thornton.

Staged with the gritty feeling of a classic film noir movie, All Good Things brings back San Francisco homicide detectives Blake and Winters from the hard-boiled detective plays The Good Samaritan (August 2008) and The Hard Bargain (January 2010), both of which played at the Overtime Theater. Scott McDowell wrote and Andrew Thornton directed the first two plays as well.

In this final chapter, Blake and Winters find themselves facing a serial killer who crosses boundaries that rattle even the most hardened cop. When the detectives cross their own moral lines to stop this killer, their partnership and lives will be in jeopardy.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: A Beckett Cabaret,Salvage Vanguard Theatre, January 19 - 30

Fourthworld Theatre Projects presents its first Austin-grown production

A SAMUEL BECKETT CABARE:

Catastrophe, Krapp's Last Tape, and Ohio Impromptu by Samuel Beckett

with Rick Roemer, Kinsey Keck, Matthew A. Harper, and Sam Allen on bass; directed by Jared J. Stein; designed by Desiderio Roybal; produced by Fourthworld Theatre Projects and Edward Coles; associate producer & assistant director, Becca Plunkett.

At the Salvage Vanguard Theatre (2803 Manor Road, 78722) as part of FronteraFest: Wednesday, January 19^th at 7:00 PM; Saturday, January 22^nd at 3:15 PM; Tuesday, January 25^th at 9:15 PM; Sunday, January 30^th at 1:00 PM.

Reservations can be made online at www.hydeparktheatre.org or by calling 512-479-PLAY. All tickets are $14.

The production stars Rick Roemer (Austin acting credits include Amadeus, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Exits and Entrances, and A Man of No Importance) and is directed by Jared J. Stein (local credits include Lysistrata, Buried Child, and The Man Who Came to Dinner at Southwestern University). The piece will be presented as part of FronteraFest's Long Fringe (produced by Hyde Park Theatre in association with Austin Script Works) at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre, starting January 19, 2011.

A SAMUEL BECKETT CABARET celebrates absurdity and rejects regret. Or rejects absurdity. Or celebrates regret, or even regretting regret. But most certainly it lambasts the triviality of the differences. Krapp's Last Tape, perhaps one of Beckett’s most accessible plays, is sandwiched between two of his most perplexing shorts, Catastrophe and Ohio Impromptu. A regrettable experience for the entire family!

Fourthworld Theatre Projects has been partnering with organizations throughout the world since 2004 in order to create work for the stage that transcends cultural boundaries. Fourthworld's international collaborations have resulted in pieces performed and further developed throughout North America and Europe (e.g. in the United States: La Mama E.T.C., the Chocolate Factory Theater, Lark Play Development Center, Mixed Blood Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, InterAct Theatre, The Playwrights Center, and numerous universities). Amongst its intensive workshop projects is the annual Rhodopi International Theatre Laboratory in Smolyan, Bulgaria, which, since 2005, has allowed theatre artists, scholars, and students from six continents to work together each summer in the mythological birthplace of Orpheus, Eurydice, and the cult of Dionysus (www.rhodopi.org). In 2010, the company decided to make Austin its new United States base.

Auditions: The Story Seekers, Exchange Artists at the Elizabeth Ney Museum

Received directly from Rachel Martsolf of the Exchange Artists:

The Exchange Artists are seeking actors for The Story Seekers: A Site Specific Production on the Grounds of The Elisabet Ney Museum by Katherine Craft, directed by Rachel Wiese. The performance will transform the grounds of Hyde Park’s landmark castle into the setting of a fantastical, participatory drama, with actors leading the audience throughout the grounds as the story and the mysteries of the space unfold.

Synopsis A band of children live as prisoners in an alternate, unchanging world, trapped for as long as a domineering storyteller holds the endings to their tales in his book. Some of these characters are familiar: Lupe, who escapes La Llorona; Abini, the Yoruban miracle child; and Hans, who followed the Pied Piper out of Hamlin. But there are other children, from forgotten or untold stories, caught in the forest as well.

When a young girl, Bet, flees her comfortable castle-home after catching a glimpse of the future through a magic window, she finds herself ensnared in the storyteller’s world. And only then do the children find hope of escape – hope in the form of a gardener’s son, Bet’s best friend Gil.

Characters This production demands flexible, creative and collaborative actors who may also be able to sing, dance, fight, climb trees, play an instrument, and feel comfortable working on film. For auditions, please come warm and dressed to move. We will do cold reads from the script and some group work. Be prepared to stay for 30 minutes.

Dates Auditions are January 6 & 7 in the evening, and January 9 during the day. Rehearsals begin in February, Performances March 25 – April 10, 2011. An intense script development workshop is scheduled for January 22 and 23. Some filming will occur in January as well.

To schedule an audition email resume, headshot and desired audition day to exchangeartists@gmail.com. Auditions will take place in Austin, TX.

CL(1000)49(P), workshop presentation by the Rude Mechanicals at the Off Center

The Rude Mechanicals ran a workshop performance of some of a new and as yet unnamed piece last Friday at their Off Center stage behind Joe's Bakery in east Austin. They charged nothing to attend the single staging, but prospective attendees had to sign up through an on-line service for the gratis tickets. All available seats were reserved well ahead of time.

The printed program was enigmatic, a single sheet with unexplained designs thrust into the Rudes' generic promo program. The cheerful woman onstage assured us that the Rudes looked forward to our feedback to the staging, so tentative in nature that it didn't yet have a real title. "We've had only one tech rehearsal, so it may be a bit rough." She pointed to a low table to our left, along the wall. "But we have cupcakes for you afterwards, and there are plenty of them! And remember, it's free!"

Was this don't-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you? Probably not, since the evening had been publicized by e-mail blast to the Rudes' devotees. After 50 minutes, when the action had stopped abruptly and without further communication from the company, the devotees descended upon the goodies. I scored a delicious maple-flavored concoction with towering cream swirls, the consumption of which prevented me from scratching my head in puzzlement.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

A Christmas Carol, told by Bernadette Nason at the Larry L. King stage, Austin Playhouse, December 9 - 21

Austin Playhouse provides an atmospheric little set for Bernadette Nason's telling of A Christmas Carol, and she's in costume when she enters primly from the single door at upstage right. Nason smiles an acknowledgment of us as she hangs up coat and scarf, then turns to address us.

From that point the story takes over, for Bernadette delivers Dickens' quick-moving, vivid text with crisp assurance and deft, economical mime. No exaggerations or mugging here; a shift of the shoulders, a roughening of the voice, a glint in the eye and she creates Ebenezer Scrooge in our minds, not in pantomime on the stage. Hers is the opposite of a bravado performance. She invites us into the fable, sketches the characters, and articulates the text with such precision and relish that we realize for the first time that Dickens has created a prose poem.

Yes, it's a morality play, and a powerful one. One may question the enthusiasm of those who propose that this short creation, which runs barely an hour in Nason's re-telling, gave shape to the English and eventually to the American celebration of the holiday, with gifts and roast meats and hearty family gathering. After all, the bleak mid-winter has been since pagan times a period for huddling together and sharing, and early church fathers had good reason to set the Christmas story at that season of the year.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Video by TerrKatok: The Taming of The Shrew,original practices production by Hidden Room Theatre

A two-minute "trailer" as memory document, posted by TerrKatok on YouTube six months after the sparkling production of The Taming of The Shrew by the Hidden Room Theatre in Austin:

Click for ALT review of the production, May 7, with links to additional reviews

Upcoming: Riddley Walker workshop presentation, Trouble Puppet Theatre Company, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, January 8

Received directly from Jenny Larson at the Salvage Vanguard:

Riddley Walker
adapted by Trouble Puppet Theater

January 8th @ 8pm in the Studio, $5 admission

Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 E Manor Rd
www.salvagevanguard.org
purchase$5 tickets online here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/140859

Trouble Puppet will be experimenting with the format of their upcoming show, Riddley Walker, based on Russel Hoban's darkly poetic novel of the future. This adaptation combines puppetry, live actors, and music, in a ritualistic performance modeled on the roving puppet shows in the novel.

Trubba not, and no trubba back, or itwl be arga warga right a nuff.

Works Progress Austin (WPA), an annual development project, gives artists a playground to develop new works. Over the course of one week actors,
writers, directors, filmmakers, dramaturges, comedians, and musicians are given the opportunity to incubate and experiment. Come to the WPA and witness the construction of the future of American art!

Upcoming: Self Doubt, the musical, workshop production, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, January 7

Received directly from Jenny Larson at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre:

Self Doubt: The Musical (working title)

a workshop production, one night only

Written by Andy Bayiates, Chicago-based Neo-Futurist alumnus
Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Mastro, New York playwright and Neo-Futurist
alumnus
Directed by Halena Kays, UT MFA directing student and former artistic
director of Chicago’s Barrel of Monkeys

January 7th @ 8pm on the Mainstage, $5 admission

Charlie is a 32-year-old copywriter who never really "went for it" as a musician. Now he's married with a mortgage, feeling lost and not quite sure what he wants out of life. His advertising job is troubled, and he's at a career crossroads in the middle of a down economy. Were he just dealing with this career crisis, that would be enough to keep him awake at night; however, he's visited by a mysterious ghost who warns him that he'sabout to lose everything: his job, his house and his super awesome wife.

Self Doubt: The Musical is funny, twisted and full of angst. Also, there are rock songs.

Followed at 10pm on the Mainstage, free --A beer blast!
Come and mingle with the WPA collaborators over a beverage or two.

Works Progress Austin (WPA), an annual development project, gives artists a playground to develop new works. Over the course of one week actors,
writers, directors, filmmakers, dramaturges, comedians, and musicians are given the opportunity to incubate and experiment. Come to the WPA and witness the construction of the future of American art!

Upcoming: A Very Pink Christmas, Austin Babtist Women at Oilcan Harry's, December 19

Received directly:

Austin Babtist Women host

A Very Pink Christmas

on December 19th

The all-male, all-volunteer comedy fundraising troupe, the Austin Babtist Women, will host their 25th annual holiday show to benefit the Breast Cancer Resource Center on Sunday, December 19th. Joined by special guest entertainers, the free holiday comedy show takes the stage at Oilcan Harry’s in Austin’s downtown Warehouse District.

The preshow at 6:30 p.m. features jazz singers Scotty Hardway and Kit Kat, with cabaret entertainer Sandra O’Neal. Then at 7 p.m., the Austin Babtist Women perform with special guest entertainers Victoria Weston and Shegotta Mustache from Dallas. Local performers Christine King and Dana Woodrow will also bring their unique performances to the stage.

Country singer and songwriter Weldon Henson, along with cabaret star Brooklyn Barbieri, perform during the “A Very Pink Christmas” benefit performance. A lavish silent auction will also be available from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Created in 1986, the Austin Babtist Women have become an incredibly and respected charitable force, performing throughout the nation to raising money for HIV/AIDS, breast cancer and other charitable causes. The group of four men takes on the personas of little old church ladies and stage elaborately choreographed, side-splitting routines - raising more than $7 million dollars along the way for charity.

Admission is a suggested $5 at the door. Oilcan Harry’s is located at 211 West 4th Street. For more information, visit www.BabtistWomen.com.

Upcoming: Howl by Allen Ginsberg, performed by Teresa Harrison, Blue Theatre, January 26 - 30

Received directly:

Boulder’s

presents

Allen Ginsberg’s HOWL

Adapted and performed by Teresa Harrison

Collaboratively directed by Emily K. Harrison & Teresa Harrison

presented as part of the 2011 FronteraFest Long Fringe

Run dates and times:

7 p.m., January 26

9:15 p.m. January 27

1 p.m., January 29

5:15 p.m., January 30

at the Blue Theater, 916 Springdale Rd.

Tickets are $10, available at the door or in advance @: www.fronterafest.org

Boulder, Colo. – Award-winning square product theatre presents the World Premiere of a new theatrical adaptation of Allen Ginsberg’s HOWL as part of the 2011 FronteraFest, January 26-30, 2011 at the Blue Theatre in Austin.

This evening’s HOWL is not an homage: it’s a portal. It’s a beckoning into a real-time, off-line, be-bop lean into the “visions! omens! hallucinations! miracles! ecstasies!” of America “then” and “now.” It’s a reminder, a wake up call, an invitation to Howl about the Road we’ve been on. This adaptation of Howl for Carl Solomon plays itself out against the “harsh wall of America” in 2011, using poetry and music to investigate the same obstacles, epiphanies and fears Allen Ginsberg channeled into his controversial, seminal text five decades ago. HOWL looks back to a generation “destroyed by madness” to find a mirror for our own Facebook walls and Twittered souls. HOWL digs in to the question of how we as a culture communicate, and how that has changed in the last 50 years: who are those pressing into the questions and challenges, who are those who don’t want to hear it, and who are those “with the absolute heart of the poem of life butchered out of their own bodies good to eat a thousand years?” An evening of HOWL is a link with or without http:// : from these words to the timeless ocean of Jack Kerouac, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Carl Solomon. Howl for Carl Solomon is a watershed conduit of a poem that is as provocative now as it was then.

Praise for Ginsberg’s HOWL, 1956:

“Incantatory.” - The Guardian

"..the most remarkable poem of the [Beat generation]." – The New York Times Book Review

"..the poem left us standing in wonder, or cheering and wondering, but knowing at the deepest level that a barrier had been broken, that a human voice and body had been hurled against the harsh wall of America..." – Michael McClure, poet

*This adaptation of “HOWL” made possible by special arrangement with the Wylie Agency, LLC and the Allen Ginsberg Estate.

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

The Trip to Bountiful by Horton Foote, Austin Playhouse, November 19 - December 18

This is a memory play, an exercise in yearning -- not only for the principal character Carrie Watts, but also for playwright Horton Foote and for the audience. Where are they, those vanished earlier times, and what were they really like? Depending entirely on her son and her daughter-in-law in their apartment somewhere in the Houston of 1953, Carrie Watts longs to return to her home, a house somewhere in rural Texas at a crossroads with the melancholy, ironic name of "Bountiful."

The place still exists, as we learn while following Carrie's great escape, but as she inevitably discovers, there's no longer much of "home" about it, other than the sagging structure of the homestead.

Christopher Loveless's images make the point powerfully. In the publicity photo Carrie and her bags sit before a light-filled rural road -- as out-of-place and as photo-shopped as a 19th century portrait taken before a painted backdrop. In performance all that light and liberty disappears, for director Toner situates these actors in a virtually featureless black box, provided with minimal props and simple furnishings. The concept is so stark and featureless that the Playhouse lists no credit for stage design.

The story is intimately tied to the simple human ity of the characters and the authenticity of the voices given to them by the cast. The accents, rhythms and the perceptive costuming by Buffy Manners situate them in that specific moment in urbanizing Texas as director Toner and the cast deliver Foote's simple, powerful parable.

Read more and view additional images at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . .

Upcoming: The Black Nativity by Langston Hughes, Renaissance Guild, San Antonio, December 11 - 12

UPDATE: The Renaissance Guild's video for Langston's Hughes' Black Nativity, December 11-12 in San Antonio:

The Carver Community Cultural Center & The Renaissance Guild, San Antonio,
present the Gospel Song Play

By Langston Hughes
Director: Danielle King, Asst Director: Sharon Lisa Smith
A retelling of the Christmas story with a predominately black cast, with narrative, pantomime, gospel songs and folk spirituals, a unique creation of the prolific poet and playwright Langston Hughes.
2 performances only! Saturday, Dec 11, 7:30 pm and Sunday, Dec 12, 4 pm
The Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry, SATX, 78202
Tickets are $21 Click here to purchase or call ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000
Discounts for Seniors, Military, and Students $17 ( ID required) SATCO – $16 and ATAC $11 ( ID required)
For more information contact The Carver (210) 207-2234

La Pastorela, Austin Latin Theatre Alliance, December 2 - 18

La Pastorela, the tale of the shepherds on their way to Bethlehem in search of the promised newborn babe, has a lot of history behind it. That Bible story came to the New World with the Spanish troops and frailes who occupied the New World, of course, and while accepting that account, the indigenous peoples interpreted in terms of their own experience. La Pastorela tells the story of Gila, the shepherdess who receives a visitation by the Archangel Gabriel, with the mission of persuading her family of pastoral people to travel to witness the promise of new birth and salvation. The zip and the zest of the spectacle comes from the arrogance and determination of Luzbel the beefy devil and his forces as they try to stop the shepherds' progress.

This Christmas enactment has as strong a place in Mexican and Tejano culture as does the Santa Claus tradition for the Anglos, and it makes for a much more exciting story. We take it for granted that Santa will clock in on time every Christmas Eve, but the humble human striving of this band of rural folk faces really fearsome opposition.

Austin's Tejano community began staging La Pastorela back in 1997 in a City of Austin warehouse that stood at the current site of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican-American Cultural Center. It was a cooperative effort from the very first. The pride of the community and their attachment to this celebration are evident in the meticulous two-page chronicle of the evolutions of the play over the years since that time.

The first script was a compendium, drawn from ten other versions. Directors, versions and approaches have changed, and the relatively informal Austin Latino Theatre Alliance has evolved the approach of using a different director every year. As in much popular theatre and street theatre, the texts have frequently referred to contemporary issues and events, integrating them into the action. For example, director Patricio Villarreal Ávila's text for this year's version has one of the campesinas make a couple of tart observations about Arizona, and the hermit traditionally featured in the story is a homeless woman.

Click to read more and view additional performance images at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .