Upcoming: A Christmas Carol told by Bernadette Nason, Austin Playhouse Larry L. King Theatre, December 9 - 21

Found on-line:

Austin Playhouse presents

at its Larry L. King Theatre

Bernadette Nason telling

A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

December 9-December 21

Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m, Sundays at 5 p.m.

Austin Playhouse Larry L. King Theatre, Penn Field, 3601 South Congress (click for map)

Tickets $10 and $20 available from the boxoffice at (512) 476-0084 or on-line

Austin Playhouse is thrilled to bring the wildly popular classic A Christmas Carol back to the stage. A Christmas Carol has been adapted countless ways, but Austin Playhouse presents the play with a new twist for Austinites to enjoy this holiday season.

Austin Playhouse’s presentation of A Christmas Carol features award-winning actress and storyteller Bernadette Nason as the lone actress in the play. Nason will steal the show, capturing over 30 characters to narrate the story to the audience.

Nason dazzled audiences with her performance last year. The Austin Chronicle said “Bernadette Nason's one-woman telling of the tale doesn't feel like a version of 'A Christmas Carol' at all. It feels pure and from the heart, closer to Dickens' novel itself… "

A Christmas Carol, a favorite for all ages, is open to families, but is not geared toward young children and children under 5 are not permitted to this show.

Upcoming: The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris, Zach Theatre, November 26 - January 2

Received directly:

(image by Kirk R. Tuck)

ZACH’s Original “Little Macy’s Elf” Returns !

ZACH Theatre presents
The 2010 Edition of David Sedaris’

The Santaland Diaries

Adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello • Directed by Dave Steakley
Starring Martin Burke and Meredith McCall, winners of The Austin Chronicle’s 2010 Readers’ Poll for “Best Actors,” with Jason Connor on piano.
November 26, 2010 – January 2, 2011
Wednesday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

ZACH Theatre’s intimate Whisenhunt Stage at 1510 Toomey Road (near Riverside Dr. and S. Lamar.)

David Sedaris’ wickedly funny THE SANTALAND DIARIES tells the real-life story of Sedaris’ tour of duty as the Little Macy’s Elf – Crumpet, and what it takes to juggle tots and tottering Santas during a painfully festive time of the year. A laugh ‘til you cry evening of merrily subversive entertainment to delight adult audiences.

Tickets available online at www.zachtheatre.org, ZACH’s box office at (512) 476-0541 ext. 1 or, in person, at 1510 Toomey Rd.
Special pricing available for groups of 8 or more, seniors and students.

For real-time updates on ZACH Theatre news, events and happenings, visit http://www.zachtheatre.org/blog/. Add ZACH Theatre as a friend on Facebook, and follow ZACH on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/zachtheatre.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: 12 Steps to a More Dysfunctional Christmas by Rob Nash, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, December 25 - January 2

Found on-line:

VORTEX Repertory Company presents

12 Steps to a More Dysfunctional Christmas
Written and Performed by Rob Nash
Dec. 25-27, 2009 (Fri-Sun) & Dec. 31-Jan.02 (Thur-Sat.), 8pm !! 6 Nights ONLY !!

Rob Nash returns to The Vortex with his famous dysfunctional holiday show for 6 nights only. This one-man, black comedy is a sure cure for the average, overly-sweetened holiday fare. Rob’s biting wit, sharp writing, and exceptional acting have earned him numerous awards and accolades. Take the edge of the holidays and join us for 12 Steps to a More Dysfunctional Christmas.

Enjoy live holiday musical performances by John & Tyler in the cafe before and after the show Dec 25-27, Dec 31- Jan. 2. Come share some hot spiced wine!

The Vortex Café is now serving fabulous gourmet, sandwiches, tamales, cake from Chez Zee, and hot spiced wine, in addition to our exceptional assortment of beer and wine and homemade sangria. Come early, stay late.

Happy Holidays!

Tickets: $30-$10 ($30-$25 Priority Seating, $20-$15 General Admission, $10 Starving Artists)

Review: 12 Steps to a More Disfunctional Christmas, Rob Nash's one-man show, Vortex, through January 3

From the review by Avimaan Syam in the Austin Chronicle of December 31:

I have a tendency to avoid holiday-themed theatre due to its saccharine nature, but I was won over by Nash's ability and willingness to show the fault lines between families and our attempts to patch them up in a way that is never cheesy. 12 Steps is sweet, honest, funny, and – for anyone who's struggled to hold his or her tongue at a holiday gathering – a welcome relief.

Click for full review

Upcoming: Twelve Steps to A More Disfunctional Christmas, Vortex Repertory, December 18 - January 3

Found on-line:

12 Steps to More Dysfunctional Christmas
Written and performed by Rob Nash. Presented by VORTEX Repertory Company
Dec.18-21, Dec.25-28, 2008, and Jan.01-03, 2009 8pm (Thursday-Sunday)

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VORTEX Repertory Company presents 12 Steps to a More Dysfunctional Christmas by Rob Nash: a Holiday show that everyone and their dysfunctional families can relate to during this special time of year. Award-winning writer/performer Rob Nash brings his hilarious brand of comedy to life, revisiting this classic that first played The VORTEX at Christmas in 1994. That show marked the beginning of the successful series of Rob Nash’s many one-man plays at The VORTEX.

Set your watches back to 1993 and enjoy the New Age-Recovery Industrial Complex’s favorite family, the Smiths! Dust off your Wilson-Phillips, Michael Bolton, and New Kids on the Block. Find your copy of The Road Less-Traveled. Remember when the internet was a pipe dream called "the information superhighway", another George Bush was an ex-president, and your cell phone was called a car phone.

Rob Nash is famous for shifting from character to character, adeptly creating 3 generations of The Smith Family. If you have never met them, you will love them (and hate them). If you already know them, you will want to meet them again.

Sneak Preview: Fred calls his mother for the first time in 3 years. Margot juggles her annual New Year’s Party, The Junior League, Bible Study and Book Club. Ashley gets her heart broken by Maddie (again) at the Spring Dale Mall Taco! Taco! Taco! over a watermelon banana smoothie smoothie smoothie with granola and M&Ms. Matt survives a coma inducing car crash. Windsong creates a Wild Inner Child Weekend retreat experience. And that’s just Scene One! Oh, and Phil Donahue makes a short appearance, don’t forget that!

Enjoy the holidays with the most dysfunctional people we know, our families. The Smiths make almost any family seem more functional. 12 Steps to a More Dysfunctional Christmas plays for 3 weeks only at The VORTEX. When you can’t sit home with the family one more night, take this time to venture out to enjoy live performance in Austin at The VORTEX.

“How do you do that?” –Ann Richards

Top 10 Broadway/Off-Broadway 2005 for Holy Cross Sucks! –Time Out Magazine

Tickets: $30-$10
($30-$25 Priority Seating. $20-$15 General Admission. $10 Starving Artists)
Limited Seating. Advanced purchase recommended. Group Sales Available.
Three weeks only!