Closing Week Video Promo: THERE IS A HAPPINESS THAT MORNING IS, Mickle Maher, Capital T at Hyde Park Theatre, October 24 - November 23, 2013

Capital T's video prequelfor the final (extended) week of performances, November 21-23, 2013:

by Michael Meigs, Nov 9

by Dr. David Glen Robinson, Nov 19

Video Promo: THERE IS A HAPPINESS THAT MORNING IS, Mickle Maher, Capital T at Hyde Park Theatre, October 24 - November 16, 2013

Promo video for the










production of

There is a Happiness that Morning Is

by Mickle Maher

directed by Mark Pickell

October 24th – November 16th, 2013

Thursdays-Saturday sat 8 p.m.

Hyde Park Theatre 511 W 43rd St at Guadalupe - click for map

Two college professors, overcome by the poetry of William Blake, have sex on the lawn of their campus in front of their students. Now they owe everyone an apology. 




Capital T Theatre is proud to present Mickle Maher’s (Spirits to Enforce) outrageously funny and thought povoking ode to love, sex, and the poetry of William Blake. Two-time Austin Critics Table Award winning director Mark Pickell (Lieutenant of Inishmore, Killer Joe) directs Austin favorites Katherine Catmull (Boom, Happy Days) and Jason Phelps (Intergalactic Nemesis)




Running Time: 1 hours15 minutes with no intermission

Auditions for Gidion's Knot by Johanna Adams, Capital T at Hyde Park Theatre, October 27, 2013

Auditions for Gidion’s Knot by Johanna Adams on Sunday, Oct 27 at Hyde Park Theatre. Timeslots available 1 pm - 4 pm

(www.capitalt.org)

Over the course of a 90-minute parent/teacher conference, a grieving mother and an emotionally overwhelmed primary school teacher have a fraught conversation about the tragic suicide of the mother’s son, the teacher’s student, Gidion. Gidion may have been bullied severely — or he may have been an abuser. As his story is slowly uncovered, the women try to reconstruct a satisfying explanation for Gidion’s act and come to terms with excruciating feelings of culpability.


Audition Format: Cold readings from the Script. Click here to sign up for an audition slot. Please bring headshot (or current pic), resume, and personal calendar to note specific rehearsal availability.

REHEARSALS for the show will start mid November – primarily weeknight rehearsals with some weekend afternoon rehearsals possible (holiday travel plans can be negotiated for the final rehearsal schedule). PERFORMANCES The show will run as part of the Long Fringe of Frontera Fest at Salvage Vanguard Theatre on assigned dates between January 20 through February 2; the run will continue 1 week after the festival closes ending on Feb 8th.


*** Please contact the Production Manager, Carrie Klypchak, with any questions at klypchakcarrie@gmail.com

Auditioning for the following paid non-Equity roles:


Heather Clark (female; age 35-50; any ethnicity) – A 5th teacher in Lake Forest, Chicago. Formerly in advertising – things didn’t go so well – she holds a BA in Marketing and an MBA. Two years previously she went back to school to get a Master’s in education. Heather believes that children are “fragile.” She lives with her cat; there’s a photo of him on her desk. He has diabetes. At the start of the play the cat is at the vet. Heather is waiting for a call to find out if he has to be immediately put down. She doesn’t have anyone to go with her and has been told by the vet that she doesn’t have to be there when they do it. On Friday, she suspended Gidion, a boy in her class, after seeing a story that he wrote and was circulating amongst his peers. His story makes specific reference to her. A conference with Gidion’s mother was scheduled for Monday. Gidion killed himself that Friday evening. She has been told by the school’s legal team not to speak to Gidion’s mother and does not expect her to show up for the meeting. Today is Monday and Gideon’s mother has suddenly arrived.


Corryn Fell (female; 35-50; any ethnicity) – Gidion’s mother, not “the mother he needed…just the one he got.” A graduate professor of medieval and earlier forms of poetry at Northwestern, she read her son stories about the Great Poet’s War when he was a little child. He wanted to be a writer, a poet. Gidion’s father is dead. There is no sense of a family unit besides Corryn and Gidion. She seems to have experienced a lot of death, but has survived it. She says that she believes in Shiva and thinks that children “are stronger than any of us.” She blames Heather for her son’s death and thinks that Heather didn’t like Gideon because she wasn’t able to fit him into one of her boxes. She has not yet made arrangements for Gidion’s funeral and arrives to discuss with Heather the reason for Gidion’s suspension. grade public school

Capital T's Annual 'New Directions' Opportunity for a First-Time Professional Director, Application Deadline August 31, 2013

2014

Call for Promising Young Directors
 
When is the deadline?
August 31st 2013 at 11:59pm.

What is New Directions?
The New Directions program offers a young director with no professional credit the opportunity to direct a full-length play and bring a fresh new voice to Austin theatre while getting paid. The show will be fully produced by Capital T Theatre, and the director will have the opportunity to develop a piece of theatre that both reflects and contributes to the diversity of the Austin/Central Texas arts scene. As part of the New Directions program, Capital T is currently searching for a promising young director for the company's contribution to the Long Fringe of FronteraFest. The Austin American Statesman calls this festival the fringe theater event of the Southwest.

All applicants need to be available in the Austin area during the rehearsal and performance processes (early December through early February). The company currently has several exciting scripts under consideration for FronteraFest, but welcomes suggestions from applicants as well.

Plays must meet the following criteria:

• newer, edgy, and engaging full-length scripts (90 minutes or less);
• up to approximately 3-4 characters;
• minimal technical requirements;
• ability to be produced in six weeks or less.

Who can apply?
 
Anyone under 35 years of age who does not have a professional directing credit on their resume may apply. We consider any paid directing job a professional credit.
 
What do I need to do to apply?
 
To be considered for New Directions an applicant must submit a full theatrical resume and cover letter. The resume should include all theatrical credits. The cover letter should address why you are interested in being the next New Directions Director. It should also answer the question:"How can the New Directions program help you reach your next goal?". Forward the resume and cover letter to info@capitalT.org
 
What happens next?
 
After the deadline has passed, the resumes and letters of interest will be read by a committee who will then select up to 10 finalists to invite to formal interviews. At these interviews each candidate will be given the opportunity to share a visual portfolio as well as discuss plays that are being considered for production. After this first round of interviews 3 finalist are selected for final interviews. Final interviews will be conducted with the artistic director, past new directions directors, and company members.
 
Who are the past New Directions directors?

Most recently, Kelsey Kling directed the Austin premiere of GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES. This was Kelsey's first collaboration with Cap T. It was a critical and box office hit. The Austin Chronicle boasted “Kelsey Kling makes a distinguished directorial debut with Rajiv Joseph’s gem of a love story”.

In 2012 Scott Tipton was selected to have the honor of directing the United States premiere of Ella Hickson's PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT. Scott said of the experience, "It is a great honor to be ‘entrusted’ with the responsibility of being one of the first individuals who introduces the playwrights story." This was the first time he had worked with Cap T. After directing PLT he has since relocated to the Houston area and continues to direct theatre.

In 2011 Gary Jaffe directed the smash hit SPIRITS TO ENFORCE by Mickle Maher. Not only gaining rare unanimous praise fromcritics and audiences alike, it was nominated and won the 2011 Austin Critics' Table Award for Best Drama. This was Gary's first time to work with Capital T. Gary was recently named Artistic Director for Tutto Theatre Company here in Austin.

In 2010 Derek Kolluri directed the critically acclaimed DYING CITY for Capital T. The show, which was the most well received of fronterafest longfringe, was given extended performances outside of the festival. Since directing for Capital T Derek has gone on to found The Sustainable Theatre Project. A new theatre company in Austin, STP plans to offer fresh, professional theatre to the Austin theatre community while maintaining the highest possible respect for the environment.

In 2009 Kelli Bland was selected as for our New Directions program to direct the US premiere of THE BIRD and THE BEE by Al Smith and Matt Hartley. This was her first time to work with Capital T. The plays THE BIRD and THE BEE were nominated for Outstanding production of a Drama by the Austin Critics Table Awards. The plays were also the highest attended theatrical event of FronteraFest 2009. Since directing for Capital T she went on to direct and produce the world premiere of the independent musical FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT at Salvage Vanguard Theatre and now collaborates with PAPER CHAIRS.

In 2008 John Carroll was selected for the New Directions program. It was his first time to work with Capital T. He directed the regional premiere of I GOOGLE MYSELF by Jason Shafer. The play earned great critical success in it fronterafest run and was subsequently remounted at Hyde Park Theatre in the summer of 2008 becoming the highest earning production of Capital T's at the time. John has gone on to found the Weird City Theatre Company, a company that produces re-envisioned classics and original works while merging a new audience with the traditional.

Photoshoot: The Motherfucker with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis, Capital T Theatre, August 8 - 31, 2013

Photo shoot for posters for the

presentation of

Indigo Rael, J. Ben Wolfe (photo: Capital T)

The Motherfucker with the Hat

by Stephen Adly Guirgis

Directed by Carrie Klypchak

August 8 – 31, 2013

Thursday-Saturday at 8pm

Hyde Park Theatre 511 W 43rd St at Guadalupe - click for map

Things are looking up for recovering alcoholic Jackie and his girlfriend Veronica—until Jackie spots another man’s hat in their apartment and embarks on a sublimely incompetent quest for vengeance. Fast-paced and uproarious, Motherfucker is a gleefully foul-mouthed look at modern love and other addictions.

Capital T Theatre is proud to present the regional premiere of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ outrageously funny and touching comedy directed by Cap T company member Carrie Klypchak starring Austin favorites Ben Wolfe (The Pain and the Itch), Indigo Rael (Exit, Pursued by a Bear), Antoinette Robinson (Mr. Marmalade), Rommel Sulit (Men of Tortuga) and Aaron Alexander (Behanding in Spokane).

Antoinette Robinson (photo: Capital T)

Aaron Alexander (photo: Capital T)

UPDATE: Review by Jeff Davis at www.austin.broadwayworld.com, August 16

Click to view additional photos at AustinLiveTheatre.com

Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph, Capital T Theatre at FronteraFest 2013, January 25 - February 6

by Michael Meigs



Rajiv Joseph's collection of two-character scenettes for Gruesome Playground Injuries appeals to the young and restless.  Students at Texas State did it last semester, and Capital T confided it to Kelsey Kling via their New Directors Program for presentation at the FronteraFest Long Fringe.

Many audience members at both venues can identify strongly with this pair of awkward losers.  They're searching for something, but they don't know what it is.  Doug and Kayleen first become aware of each other in primary school.  For some inexplicable reason, over the course of perhaps 15 years they never really find one another, perhaps because they're too much alike; the subtly resonating theme in the piece is one of precisely self-guided defeat.  If you care about each other, why aren't you able to take care of one another?




Director Kling provides a dressing area for each actor, situated on either side of a central playing space.  We experience the satisfaction of voyeurs and theatre fans as we glimpse Jason Newman and Laura Artesi, each in a personal space, changing costume, props and makeup between scenes.  The transformations are entertaining in themselves. Newman's assorted bandages, patches and bloody shirts establish his maladroit character with a certain affectionate humor.  The isolations of staging reinforce the theme of the piece.

The actors open the action by entering the central area and perching on a couple of institutional examining tables.  We quickly understand that they're in the nurse's office at school, probably waiting to be picked up by concerned parents.  Doug has smashed his face in a playground accident; Kayleen is ill.  Much of the comedy in this initial scene comes from body language -- splayed limbs, spontaneous moves, sudden jerks, all the awkwardness and coltishness of young persons who haven't yet mastered the functioning of their own bodies.  Doug's a goofus; Kayleen's a worried, distracted dreamer.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .
 

Images by Ryan Joy: A Lie of the Mind by Sam Shepard, Capital T Theatre, May 12 - June 4

Images by Ryan Joy, posted at www.capitalt.org:

Capital T

presents

A Lie of the Mind

by Sam Shepard

directed by Mark Pickell

May 12-June 4

Salvage Vanguard Theatre, 2803 Manor Rd. (click for map)

Jake has brutally beaten his wife Beth and left her for dead. Her brain damage is significant. His guilt is crippling. Jake’s brother, Frankie, searches for the truth of Beth’s condition, while Jake’s father haunts him from the urn beneath his childhood bed.

A Lie of the Mind is both a chilling indictment of true love and an affirmation of its abiding ties. Capital T is proud to present this gritty, darkly humorous American drama by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Sam Shepard.

Click to view additional performance images by Ryan Joy at AustinLiveTheatre.com