The Ivy House by Chris Fontanes, Bottle Alley Theatre Company at the Eponymous Garden, February 25 - March 5, 2013

by Michael Meigs

The very venue is a dream catcher. This tidy wood-frame two-story house is situated on Garden Street -- hence its bed & breakfast title The Eponymous Garden -- and it's saturated with atmosphere. Owner Sterling Price-McKinney has written scripts for performance here in connection with the Salvage Vanguard Theatre, and this is the location for the SVT's annual fundraiser. 


This isn't the Austin of of the politicians and high rollers who used the Driskill Hotel just off Congress Avenue; it's the Willow-Spence historical district, built by respectable middle-class folk in the 1920's and 1930's, a time when that neighborhood south of First Street and a bit further east from East Avenue (now I-35) was a cordial middle-class community leafy with oaks and pecan trees. You sense that whole lives were lived here in simplicity and virtue.


The Bottle Alley Theatre Company was pleased to be granted the use of this B&B, and they willingly scheduled their performances of Chris Fontanes' The Ivy House on Mondays and Tuesdays, weeknights usually just as idle for theatrical performance as they are for quaint but well-situated little inns.


The cozy spaces of the ground floor don't permit much of a crowd. The company limits attendance to between 12 and 15 spectators each evening. With an acting company of 7, that's theatre up close and personal, and unless you're already an intimate of at least one of the actors, you won't know which of those present will be presenting the connected stories.


The monologues, dialogues and action shift from sitting room to bedroom to stairway to kitchen-dining room and even out to the rear porch. Playwright-director Fontanes lingers nearby and from time to time may direct your attention with a helpful gesture. At times the intimacy of the setting undercut the actors' craft, leading them to deliver lines with a quietness more appropriate to controlled video production than to a situation where a dispersed and moving audience had to be attracted and informed.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . 

(*) IN THEIR SHOES, a musical by Tova Rubin, Playhouse San Antonio, March 6 and 7, 2013

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE by William Shakespeare, the Baron's Men at the Curtain Theatre, April 5 - 27, 2013

[performing at the Curtain Theatre, Garriot estate, 7400 Coldwater Canyon -- click for map]

present

The Merchant of Venice

by William Shakespeare, April 5 - 27, 2013
at the Curtain Theatre, Austin, TX


 




(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

The Screwtape Letters, adapted by Max McLean, Austin performance of February 16, 2013

 by Michael Meigs



Max McLean certainly looked the part of Screwtape, the senior demon imagined by C.S. Lewis for his 1942 epistolary Christian novela The Screwtape Letters. Portly and with a thinning mane of graying hair, comfortably elegant in a red quilted dressing gown, he was the picture of a sybaritic Victorian gentleman at home in his study with attendant hissing demon.


Attendant demon? Well, yes; one imagines that as a relatively senior member of the administration of Our Father in Hell, a sort of ambassador and mentor to the corps of aspiring tempters and transversers, Screwtape would be entitled to at least one junior assistant. Toadpipe the demon hasn't a word to say in this script but plenty to hiss, and at one point when the word "prayer" is mentioned, Toadpipe has a long and rather nasty spell of visible vomiting.


Lewis's text is a fine exercise in intimate irony, and perhaps it's a little disconcerting to think that it was written as the second great European war got underway in earnest. It's presented as a series of 31 letters written by Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, a new graduate of Tempters' Training. In this staging, Screwtape dictates the letters to Toadpipe, justifying that minor character's existence on stage and prompting a regular bit of business as the attendant demon scales a crazy ladder and dispatches them through a sort of underworldly pneumatic system with a great crash of sound effects and a fiery glow that mounts the pipe.


The Screwtape Letters is an account of a lengthy but ultimately futile coaching session. The aim is to confuse a young human and attract him to damnation at his death, after which the devils will feast upon his soul.


Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . .

(*) La Vengadora De Las Mujeres by Lope de Vega, Cambalache Teatro of Murcia, Trinity University, March 4, 2013 (only)

From Deborah Martin of the San Antonio Express-News, February 26:

Ana Dolores Penalva Luque, Patetes Munt (image: Cambalache Teatro)

Cambalache Teatro — a company based in Murcia, Spain — is touring Texas, and will make an appearance in San Antonio Monday (March 4).

 
The company will perform Lope De vega’s La Vengadora De Las Mujeres, the story about an independent young woman pursued (and largely unimpressed) by a number of men. She comes up with a competition for her hand, asking them to write a book about the virtues of women. What they don’ t know is that she, in disguise as a man, will be amongst the competitors.


The piece will be performed in Spanish at 7 p.m. Monday at the Stieren Theatre at Trinity University. Admission is free; no reservations will be taken. The house will open at 6:30 p.m. and folks will be seated on a first come, first served, basis.

SLOWGIRL by Greg Pierce, Hyde Park Theatre, March 22 - April 27, 2013

[511 W. 43rd Street at Guadalupe - click for map ]

presents

'Night Window' by Rich Evenhouse (via Flickr)

Slowgirl
by Greg Pierce
directed by Ken Webster

March 21 - April 27, 2012 Purchase tickets online or call 479-PLAY (7529).

A hilariously chatty teenage girl visits her withdrawn, soft-spoken uncle in the Costa Rican jungle where he retreated nine years before. As the week unfolds, the true reason behind her visit, as well as the reasons for his long self-exile, begin to emerge. An exquisitely written and extraordinary play.

"Engrossing and impressive. A beautifully crafted play" (Theatermania).

"Superb . . . Excellent and subtle new play" (New York Observer).

The HPT production is directed by Ken Webster and stars Molly Karrasch (Tigers Be Still, Exit Pursued by a Bear) and Ken Webster (Vigil, St. Nicholas, A Behanding in Spokane.)

The show runs at 8:00 PM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, March 21 - April 27, 2013. Every Thursday is Pay What You Can Night. For the first four weeks (March 21 - April 13) Friday and Saturday tickets are $20 ($18 for students, seniors, military, and Austin Creative Alliance members). For the final two weekends (April 18 - 27) tickets are $22 ($20 for students, seniors, military, and Austin Creative Alliance members). Purchase tickets online or call 479-PLAY (7529).

Hyde Park Theatre is located at 511 W. 43rd Street. Covered off-street parking for the patrons of HPT is available during performances in the lot at 4315 Guadalupe Street, just north of The Parlor. You can drive through The Parlor's parking lot to reach it. Evening HPT parking also available at Kenneth's Hair Salon, just south of HPT, and at the Hyde Park Church of Christ on the northeast corner of 43rd & Avenue B. We are grateful to them all for their generosity.

Follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

 

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Auditions for Young Shakespeare summer production of 'Romeo and Juliet,' March 9 and 23, 2013

Young Shakespeare auditions for Romeo and Julietta

Saturdays, March 9 and 23, 2013, 1:30pm – 3:30 pm, Waller Creek School Theater, 710 East 41st Street (off Red River -- alternate entrance from E. 38th St., west of main school buildings -- click for map)

AUDITIONS BY APPOINTMENT - contact youngshakespeare@austinshakespeare.org. Opportunities for teen actors of all ethnic/racial backgrounds. Staged with professional director, and designers. Performance dates: June 20 - 23, 27 – 30 Thurs-Sat at 8 p.m. at the Curtain Theatre, a 220-seat replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, off City Park Rd., Austin TX (click for map)

Rehearsals: May 21 - June 20, weekday evenings and weekends at Waller Creek Theater, 41st &Red River.

Austin Shakespeare, the Austin-based professional theater company welcomes teen actors to audition for its Young Shakespeare production of Romeo and Julietta. The audition is in a workshop style to introduce teens to a nurturing and challenging program in preparation for an intensive month of rehearsals. Now in its fifth year, Young Shakespeare culminates in a professionally staged production at The Curtain Theater, Richard Garriott’s replica of an Elizabethan theater on the shores of Lake Austin.

Artistic Director Ann Ciccolella, who will direct the program, said, “We have had amazing productions by fostering atmosphere of confidence and joy for teen actors to flourish as they tackle Shakespeare’s best-loved script.” Austin Shakespeare produces free Shakespeare in Zilker Park as well as The Long Center’s Rollins Theatre. “Our free audition workshops have always been welcoming and strengthening environment for young people.” Young Shakespeare uses cross-gender casting where girls often play males roles. This production will have some Spanish language along side Shakespeare original script, so bilingual youngsters are especially encouraged to audition.

TUITION: $500 fee for everyone cast.

Auditioners should familiarize themselves with scenes and speeches from the play provided by Austin Shakespeare for Romeo and Julietta. Sides will be available via email on February 28th. Alternate Shakespeare monologues may be used in the audition, but are not required. Auditioners will all audition in a closed group setting and are required to be present for the entire audition workshop.

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays; it is a tragic romance of teenagers and their parents in a world in conflict. The poetry of the play is some of the most beautiful Shakespeare ever wrote.
Click 'Read more' for additional information and character list

Click for more information and cast list at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

 

DEATH AND THE MAIDEN by Ariel Dorfman, Sam Bass Community Theatre, Round Rock, March 22 - April 6, 2013

(Sam Bass Community Theatre, 600 Lee Street, Round Rock)

presents



(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

DYS Function: THE WINTER OF OUR DYSCONTENT, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, March 1 - 9, 2013

Friends, Austonians, Countrymen: lend us your minds!
Do You See Theatre? Well, it's time.






presents

DYSfunction: The Winter of Our Dyscontent
 
The players are all met! Dystheatre has garnered the forces of a dozen Austonian Theatre Troupes for a fine display of piteous moans, resplendent visions, undying love, and pontiferous fissions, to celebrate the Bard of Avon's grande influence on our global communities.

March 1-2 and 8- 9
Four nights only at Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2807 Manor Rd (click for map) the first two Fridays and Saturdays of March at 8pm.
~
The lovers are here on a Midsummer's Night.
Courtiers be near with questions a'flight.
Dancers tame chaos with sonnets a'dueling.
Puppets teach Titus with fabrics a'spooling.
And Hamlet's around, though he daren’t make a sound,
with the bones of three Richards a'ghouling.
~
FEATURING:
ROBIN GOODFELLOW as HAMLET.
Scenes from the bones of Richard III.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare at Winedale.
Sonnets 18, 34, 46, 47, and 57 by RADdancers.
The Tempest Japanese Noh-inspired by LuckyChaos Theatre.
Shakespeare 101 with puppetry by Batshyt Crazy Theatre.
Wayne Alan Brenner’s “Fathers and their Ghosts,” by Jeff Britt.
Much Ado About Nothing by Bowie High School.
“Romeo & Juliet Got It On” by Italian playwright Mimmo Strati,
with Davide Novelli and Luis Salinas
“Rosencrantz &Guildenstern are Dead”
by Audrey Sansom, Bob Jones, and Curtis Luciani.
Improvised Shakespeare from The Hideout Theater
And music from April Porter, and more!
~
Find the complete schedule TONIGHT at http://dystheatre.com/.
~
"What is love? ’tis not hereafter;
Present mirth hath present laughter;
What’s to come is still unsure:
In delay there lies no plenty,—
Then come kiss me, Sweet-and-twenty,
Youth’s a stuff will not endure."
~
Hosted by LuckyChaos Theater Projects: http://luckychaos.com/
Produced by Dystheatre (Do You See Theatre): http://www.dystheatre.com/dysfunction/
Buy Tickets Now: http://dyscontent.eventbrite.com/?discount=fb
(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT touring company at Bass Hall, May 8 - 12, 2013

Broadway In Austin at Texas Performing Arts presents
 

The first national tour of 

Priscilla Queen of the Desert,The Musical

May 8 -12, 2013
Wednesday–Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Bass Concert Hall | 2350 Robert Dedman Drive | Austin, TX


Tickets start at $30 ad are available at the Bass Concert Hall box office, all Texas Box Office Outlets, by phone at (512) 477-6060 or online at BroadwayinAustin.com. For groups of 10 or more, call toll free at (877) 275-3804 or e-mail Austin.groups@broadwayacrossamerica.com. 

Recommended for ages 13+ due to explicit language and mature situations.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical will star Wade McCollum (“Tick/Mitzi”), Scott Willis (“Bernadette”) and Bryan West (“Adam/Felicia”) as the trio of friends, on a road trip of a lifetime, who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship in the middle of the Australian outback and end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed. Joe Hart stars as “Bob.”


With more than500 dazzling 2011 Tony^® Award-winning costumes, Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical features a hit parade of over 20 dance-floor favorites including “It's Raining Men,” “Finally” and “I Will Survive.”


The new musical opened on Broadway to critical acclaim on March 20, 2011 at the Palace Theatre. The Hollywood Reporter called Priscilla “funny and fabulous! Joyous entertainment with eye-popping visuals and unexpected heart!” NY-1 News raved “Beneath all that glitz beats a great big sequined heart!” WOR Radio sang “All the songs you’ve loved for years will blow you out of your seat!”


Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical won a 2011 Tony Award^® for Best Costume Design for Academy Award^® winners Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner’s designs. The new hit musical received three Best Musical award nominations from the Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Award organizations. Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner were also honored with 2011 Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Costume Design.


Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical, the most successful Australian musical of all time, had its world premiere in Sydney in 2006. Adapted from the 1994 Academy Award^® winning film
The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical is written by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott. Direction: Simon Phillips, choreography: Ross Coleman, musical supervision and arrangements: Stephen ‘Spud’ Murphy, set design: Brian Thomson, costume design: Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, lighting design: Nick Schlieper, sound design: Jonathan Deans & Peter Fitzgerald, make up design: Cassie Hanlon.



TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS is situated on the main campus of one of the largest and most prestigious research universities in the country, Texas Performing Arts serves The University of Texas at Austin campus and the Austin community at large through a diverse season of world-class fine arts performances, educational activities, and collaborative partnerships.

Texas Performing Arts presents an international season of music, theatre, dance, and conversation in our multiple venues, as well as the best in touring Broadway productions and concert attractions. As a university-based arts center it is also committed to serving the academic mission of the College of Fine Arts by supporting the work of our students, faculty and staff on our stages, classrooms, studios and production shops; and in the educational outreach programs it provides for the Austin community.







BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA, part of the Key Brand Entertainment family of companies which includes Broadway.com and is operated by British theatre producer John Gore (Owner & CEO). Broadway Across America presents first-class touring musicals and plays across 40 North American cities and, under the supervision of Beth Williams (CEO – Theater Division), is dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse theatre. Recent Broadway productions include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; Memphis; Million Dollar Quartet (Broadway, off-Broadway, West End, US Tour); One Man, Two Guvnors; The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess; and the Toronto production of War Horse. Upcoming: Hands on a Hardbody, Tuck Everlasting, Little Miss Sunshine, Big Fish, The Blonde Streak and the Las Vegas production of Million Dollar Quartet. Broadway.com is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. For more information please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Auditions in Leander for Fox on the Fairway by Ken Ludwig, Way Off Broadway Community Players, Leander, March 4, 2013

Way Off Broadway Community Players will be holding open auditions on Monday, March 4, 2013 at 7pm for the farcical comedy Fox on the Fairway by Ken Ludwig, which is being directed by Debbie Bishop. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. There are roles for 3 women and 3 men. A tribute from Ken Ludwig (Lend Me A Tenor, Leading Ladies, Moon Over Buffalo) to the great English farces of the 1930s and 1940s, The Fox On the Fairway takes audiences on a romp which pulls the rug out from underneath the stuffy denizens of a private country club, including the heated rivalry between the heads of the Quail Valley Club, and the Crouching Squirrel Golf and Racquet Club, who are fighting over a golfer they both want to make them the winner in the annual golf tournament. 

Filled with mistaken identities, slamming doors, and over-the-top romantic shenanigans, it's a furiously paced comedy that recalls the Marx Brothers' classics. A charmingly madcap adventure about love, life, and man's eternal love affair with… golf. This is a wonderfully manic satire not just of the golf world, but of human nature…full of the idiosyncrasies that are hidden, just barely, inside us all. 

“A belly laugh marathon! An amazingly ingenious satirical farce.”− Showbizradio.net
The Characters:

• Justin - 20’s - 30’s: Nice guy, a little nervous and awkward

• Louise - 20’s - 30’s: . Your typical ditzy knock out

• Bingham - 30’s - 50’s: Likes to put on airs, but is a likable and fun fellow

• Pamela - 30’s - 50’s: A "cougar“, but smart with a dry wit.

• Dickie - 30’s - 50’s: A snake in the grass, womanizer who is always scheming

• Muriel - 30’s - 50’s:. A forceful woman, bit of a "hen pecker"

Performances will be April 19,20; 26,27; May 3,4; 10,11, 2013 at 8 pm and a Sunday Matinee April 28 at 3 pm.  Auditions are open to the public and will be held at Way Off Broadway Community Player's theater, located in the 2243 Business Park at 11880 West FM 2243, Leander, 1 mile west of Hwy 183, just east of Bagdad Road. (click for map) All interested parties are encouraged to audition.

Way Off Broadway Community Players is continually searching for performers, technicians, and other volunteers of every experience level. Additional information is available at our website, http://www.wobcp.org .

GETTING SARA MARRIED by Sam Bobrick, Way Off Broadway Community Players, Leander, March 1 - 23, 2013

(Way Off Broadway Community Players, Building 4 at 11880 W. FM 2243 in Leander, TX, between US 183 and Bagdad Road)

presents


Getting Sara Married
by Sam Bobrick
directed by Jo Rake.

Performances will run Fridays and Saturdays from March 1 through March 23, 2013 at 8 PM, and a Sunday Matinee at 3pm on March 10, 2013.
 
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students (with ID), seniors (60 Plus) Military (with ID), and $10 for children (6 and younger). While tickets will be sold at the door, reservations are encouraged.
To reserve tickets, call (512) 259-5878 or visit http://www.wobcp.org.
Sara Hastings is an unmarried lawyer in her mid-thirties, much too busy to get involved in any romance. Her Aunt Martha has decided to take matters into her own hands and find her a husband. Unfortunately, Aunt Martha’s method of doing it amounts to having the prospective groom bopped over the head and brought to Sara’s apartment. Aunt Martha’s choice is Brandon Cates, a young man who handles her finances. Although Brandon is already engaged to be married, this does not deter Aunt Martha. After being bopped on the head a few times, having a temporary loss of memory and experiencing several instances of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and a confrontation with a very angry fiancé, Brandon slowly comes to realize that Sara is really the girl for him

The Cast Includes:
Marci Journey as Sara
Konrad Zappler as Brandon
Misty Barham as Heather
Susan McWilliams as Aunt Martha
Russ Jernigan as Noogie
Ed Trujillo as The Chiropractor


The Crew Includes:
Director – Jo Rake
Assistant Director/Stage Manager – Geoff Rake
Lights – Ron Revell
Sound – Nona Whittington
Backstage Crew – Bridget Plaster
Backstage Crew – Lora Plaster
Way Off Broadway Community Players theater is located in building 4 of the 2243 Business Park at 11880 West FM 2243 in Leander, 1 mile west of Hwy. 183, just east of Bagdad Road.

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

THE MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET touring company at Bass Concert Hall, April 9 - 14, 2013

Texas Performing Arts and Broadway Across America - Austin present

Tony® Award winning musical,

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET

April 9 – 14, 2013

Tuesday–Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. &7 p.m.

Bass Concert Hall | 2350 Robert Dedman Drive | Austin, TX

Tickets start at $25. Available at the Bass Concert Hall box office, all Texas Box Office Outlets, by phone at (512) 477-6060 or online at BroadwayinAustin.com. For groups of 10 or more, call toll free at (877) 275-3804 or e-mail Austin.groups@broadwayacrossamerica.com.

The international Tony® Award Winning musical, Million Dollar Quartet is set on December 4, 1956, when an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together. Sam Phillips, the “Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll” who was responsible for launching the careers of each icon, brought the four legendary musicians together at the Sun Records storefront studio in Memphis for the first and only time. The resulting evening became known as one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll jam sessions in history.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . . 

Auditions: The Yelp Monologues, Dougherty Arts Center, March 5, 2013

Auditions for The Yelp Monologues on Tuesday, March 5th, 7 - 9 p.m. at the Dougherty Arts Center.

Stolen Good Productions is casting actors for a sort-of-original show. The Yelp Monologues will take actual Yelp reviews from actual people and stage them as a series of zany characterizations by insanely talented actors. The show will be a ton of fun, require minimal rehearsal time, and provide actors an opportunity to drink alcohol and meet attractive members of the opposite sex. We may even convince some agents to come out.

We are booked on April 20th & 27th at Cheer Up Charlies and May 4th at Fliptonics. More dates are to come, but actors will not necessarily be needed for every show. If this sounds like fun to you, please submit a headshot and resume to stolengoodproductions@gmail.com to schedule an audition. Walk-ins will be seen as time permits. Please bring your best and shortest comedic monologue and be prepared for a cold reading.

The Interior Landscape of the Emotional Mind, Chaddick Dance Company at Ballet Austin, February 22 - March 3, 2013

by David Glen Robinson

It was a cold night in Austin, made worse by the biting wind that swirled around its towers and roared down its streets. Inside Ballet Austin studios, Cheryl Chaddick and company lay in wait for their audiences with a well-prepared dance show that eventually took us to the forefront of Austin and regional contemporary dance. The Interior Landscape of the Emotional Mind was presented as a site-specific dance, or site dance. 

How fitting that an appropriate environment for the performance is within the offices and rehearsal studios of an award-winning dance company, Ballet Austin. Perhaps this setting turned the corner on the site-specific concept -- with or without tongue in cheek, I don’t know.


Production in unconventional spaces presents exceptional challenges, but the audience got the metaphor from the beginning. The Chaddick company performed the dances of this integrated show in the hallways, balconies, rehearsal studios and alcoves of Ballet Austin, shifting the setting metaphorically into a many-chambered mind to show us facets of that often perplexing house within us all. We saw six such meditations on the house. 

It all worked because choreographer Chaddick remained true to the basics of choreography and theatrical production. She crafted dances with attention to shape, gesture, rhythmic steps, floor patterning and overall structure. All the separate performances here were well lit, with clearly audible soundtracks and sightlines. Do these production elements seem too trivial to mention? I assure you that other recent site-specific performances in Austin have shown very little consideration for these basics. They're anything but trivial.

Usher-guides led us to the spacious foyer and directed our attention to the second story balcony for Going In. Two plain white masks wrapped in red robes rose up and peered down at us through the railing. They perched at the head of the stairs, silent, impersonal and persistently ominous, their trailing red robes giving them monstrous size. Obviously, they had missed the bus when Where the Wild Things Are left town and had pawned their horns and earrings in order to eat. Soloist Katie Mae Hebert, unmasked and clad in black, danced gymnastically on, around and through the balcony railing. Her dance established a great contrast to the forbidding forms nearby; she ended it with her feet protruding through the railing bars, slowly relaxing to stillness. I wasn’t quite sure of the intended takeaway of this piece, and I wondered why such a powerful blast of fantastic imagery exploded on us at the beginning of the evening. But I was definitely along for the ride.


Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . .

TIME - A JOURNEY TOWARD PRESENT GRACE, Tapestry Dance Company at the Rollins Theatre, April 12 - 14, 2013

(Click image to buy tickets on-line)

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Video: Pollyanna Theatre Company Funding Appeal

A charming, clever and very low pressure appeal by Pollyanna Theatre Company for support for their ingenious original theatre for children:

ALT Video for Georgetown Palace's 'South Pacific': Interviews and Dress Rehearsal Scenes

AustinLiveTheatre interviews leads Christine O'Connor Jean-Jacques and Bob Beare and offers dress rehearsal scenes from the

 

presentation of

South Pacific

the musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein

directed by Ron Watson with musical direction by Justin Langford and choreography by Jesse Smart

playing February 22 - March 24

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

Special Needs inclusion show on February 28; Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. on March 9

Georgetown Palace Theatre, 810 S. Austin Avenue, Georgetown, Texas

Ticket prices are $24 General Admission, $22 Seniors (55+), $14 Students (10-22) and Active Military, and $10 Children (9 and younger).  Select your tickets on-line at www.georgetownpalace.com.

Rated for General Audiences

Dance Auditions for Om Shanti Om, Austin's First Indian Musical, March 9 at UT and March 24 at Ballet Austin

Have feet...Will dance! Do you want to be a part of the first ever Bollywood Musical in Austin? No prior Bollywood dance experience required.
Music you can’t stop dancing to, costumes that scream color and shimmer, a drama that speaks to your soul telling stories of love, revenge and life… it’s Bollywood and more! Agni Productions is looking for dancers of all genres for Om Shanti Om, the first ever Bollywood Musical, going on August 22nd, 23rd and 24th 2013 at the Long Center. 
 
Auditions will be held Saturday, 03.09.13 | 12:30pm - 3:30pm at the UT Art Building | 23rd & San Jacinto and Sunday, 03.24.13 12:30pm - 3:30pm Ballet Austin | 501 W. 3rd St, Austin

If you fit the bill, please RSVP at agniproductions@gmail.com

Opening in Central Texas, February 25 - March 2, 2013

Opening This Week

in Central Texas

February 25 - March 2, 2013

Click images for additional information

Click HERE for a list of all productions CONTINUING on stage

Opening in Austin . . .
 

Mondays & Tuesdays, Feb 25 - March 3

INTIMATE APPAREL by Lyn Nottage, University of Texas, March 1 - 9

=======================================
IN SAN ANTONIO
======================================

SEX PARTY by Noah Finn, March 1 - 23

Vagina Monologs at the Woodlawn Theatre, Feb. 25&27 (English), Feb. 26 (Spanish)

Video: Director Melissa Maxwell Discusses 'Intimate Apparel' by Lynn Nottage, University of Texas, March 1 - 9, 2013

(University of Texas theatres, Winship Drama Bldg. (WIN), near 23rd St. and San Jacinto, Austin)

presents

Intimate Apparel


by Lynn Nottage

directed by Melissa Maxwell


 March 1 - 9, 2013
Oscar G. Brockett Theatre, tickets $15.00-25.00

It’s 1905 in Manhattan. Esther, a gifted seamstress, crafts lingerie for a variety of clientele, including Fifth Avenue socialites and Tenderloin district prostitutes. She dreams of finding a husband and beginning a love-filled marriage. She also longs to open a beauty parlor in Harlem with the money she has quietly saved over the years. Through a series of long distance letters, Esther meets George, and her aspirations appear within reach.


 

Special Needs Performance of South Pacific at the Georgetown Palace, February 28, 2013

[810 S. Austin Street, southwest of Georgetown Courthouse - click for map]



The Historic Palace Theatre in Georgetown presents a special FREE performance of South Pacific (by Rodgers, Hammerstein, & Logan) for persons with special needs and their families on Thursday evening, February 28, 2013. 


This will be a shortened version of South Pacific and will run for approximately one hour. American Sign Language interpreters will be present, as well as audio describers for the blind (if needed). The show starts at 7:30 pm; seating starts at 6:50 pm for those in wheelchairs, and for all others at 7:00 pm. One evening only, Thursday, February 28, 2013.


Please feel free to invite a special teacher, paraprofessional, or support individual so that you and your child/family can enjoy our show together! For this performance, the Palace will seat about 250, and all seats are FREE.


A number of Palace patrons have donated money to the Palace to help cover the expense of this special showing. More donations are not only needed but will be greatly appreciated!


Because seating is limited, reservations should be made in advance by calling (512) 869-7469 or (512) 869-5081, visiting the Palace office (open M-F 10 am to 4 pm), or by emailing guild.georgetownpalace@gmail.com.


The Palace Theatre is located at 810 South Austin Avenue in Historic Georgetown, just a half-block off the Square.

Auditions in San Marcos for dramatic musical comedy Canterville Ghost, Wimberley Players, February 26, 2013

*Auditions at Texas State* for Wimberley Players' production of Canterville Ghost, a dramatic musical comedy directed by Laura T. Garza, Tuesday 2/26 @ 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. TX STATE THEATRE BLDG – ROOM 206. PLEASE ARRIVE TO SIGN UP FOR AUDITIONS @ 5pm.

Rehearsal dates 2/27 – 3/25: 4 days a week (Off for Spring Break: 3/11 - 3/17); 3/25 – 4/11: 5 days a week. Performance dates: 4/12 – 5/5: Friday and Saturday @ 7:30 and Sunday @ 2:30

We will begin auditions with vocal warm-ups and group vocal auditions of selected pieces from the musical, and choreography. Please come appropriately dressed for movement. Prepared monologues and readings will conclude the auditions.

Actors are encouraged but NOT REQUIRED to prepare 16 bars of any song that best shows their range and/or a monologue of up to 2 min. in length from any comedy of manners, or a musical comedy. (Actors are welcome to bring recorded or live accompaniment or sing a cappella if they prefer) The script, score, and some of the demos are available on www.cantervilleghost.com under media.

If you are interested in auditioning but absolutely cannot make the audition, please contact Laura by email to set up an individual appointment - ltgarza87@gmail.com

CANTERVILLE GHOST is a musical based on the Oscar Wilde novella by the same name. Set in the 1920s, it is the tale of a young American family moving into a medieval English manor haunted by a fine and respectable ghost of the grand tradition; an expert performer and master of his craft. Unfortunately for the ghost, modern American sensibility leaves little room for such nonsense as haunting. The story maintains the subtle wit and dry humor of the Wilde original, while adding a musical score with more than twenty original songs. It plays liberally with American and British customs, politics, and age-old stereotypes, lambasting both countries to riotous effect.

Click to view the cast of characters at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . .

Reviews from Elsewhere: Deborah Martin on 'Black Box-er Shorts,' One-Act Plays by Bexar Naked Playwrights at Northwest Vista College, San Antonio, February 21 - March 2

Review by Deborah Martin, San Antonio Express-News, of the program of Black Box-er Shorts, via www.mysanantonio.com, February 21:

The Bexar Naked Playwrights (formerly the SAT Playwrights) are offering theater-goers quite a deal: Five short plays for $10.

It’s good stuff, too. All five plays are fully realized, offering laughs, poignancy and strong production values. The action takes place in five different diners; the set, designed with an eye for detail by the gifted Nathan Thurman, accommodates the very different circumstances for each piece. And it’s fun to watch the stage crew transform it.

The evening begins with Rebecca Burroughs’ “The Guessing Game,” in which a couple (Lindsay Van de Kirk and Evans Jarnefeldt) stops into a diner to confront a young man (Louis Valdez) whom they believe impregnated their teen-aged daughter. The piece, directed by Marisela Barrera, is well-structured and well-acted.

Next up is Van de Kirk’s “American Optic,” the often laugh-out-loud funny tale that spins from things having gone awry at the ill-considered Mountain Cedar Festival, which an old codger named Gordon (Evan Frazier) believes has been ill-planned. He winds up hiding out from his daughter (Hannah Brogdon) in the diner, run by the cedar-fever-afflicted Lyle (Esteban Reyna). Van de Kirk weaves a bit of romance into the tale, directed with wit by David Rinear.

“The Roadside,” written by Alejandro Urdiales and directed by Barrera, is the magical realism-laced tale of a diner that helps lost souls find what they need. It’s run by Tom (Peter Northrop), who helps a drifter named Finn (Anthony Ross) and a troubled single mother (Alexandra Perez) get together. The actors sell the concept well, and the piece ends on a lovely note.

“The Outskirts,” written by Sheila Rinear and directed by her husband David Rinear, opens with an older woman (Laurie Fitzpatrick) arriving early one morning at the diner run by Gabbie (Sonya Schuler). The older woman talks about the difficulties she’s been having with her daughter (Heather Kelley), who seems to be more interested in her inheritance than in caring for her mom; she finds a friendly audience in Gabbie, a caring woman whose own mother recently passed away. The piece is moving, funny, and whets the appetite for more tales of Gabbie and her new friend.

The evening ends with its darkest, funniest and most romantic piece: Mike Greenberg’s “Max and Maggie,” directed by Aaron Aguilar. In it, three people (Jarnefeldt, Ross and Brogdon) in blood-spattered clothes are waiting; eventually they are joined by a fourth (Lisa Valle). To say more would ruin some of the fun of the piece.

“Black Box-er Shorts” plays through March 2 in the Black Box Theatre at the Palmetto Center for the Arts at Northwest Vista College. Call 210-486-4527 for reservations.

Click for additional information at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .