Zeus in Therapy by Douglass Stott Parker, Tutto Theatre at the Rollins Theatre, Long Center, August 16 - 25, 2013

(Tutto Theatre)

by Michael Meigs

Tutto Theatre's Zeus in Therapy by the late UT classics professor Douglass Stott Parker is dazzling, and at times, as his brilliant wordplay coincides with the gesturing and capering of the astonishing Greek chorus, it is simply stunning.

'Stunning' is a word thrown about lightly in the casual talk of our day. But I mean it literally. The brilliance, complexity and sheer entertainment value of this staging and this cast is sufficient to blow your circuits, if you're trying to absorb everything this production is offering you.

Perhaps only literature geeks and poetry lovers stand in danger of that. You may be happy simply to settle back in your seat in the Rollins Theatre and ride with this lengthy evening on any of its several levels.

Set design by Chris Cox

Most of us have at least a rudimentary recall of Greek mythology, perhaps from storybooks in middle school. You can enjoy the revelation of the stories of this quirky, cranky bunch of deities: Zeus himself, the all-powerful principal god with that rampant lust; Hera his demanding wife and sister ("wifster"); the Titans who pre-dated the Greek gods and old Cronus, Zeus's father; trident-brandishing Neptune and hammer-swinging Hephaestus; Dionysus, god of wine, born from the thigh of Zeus; cup-bearer Ganymede; the incarnations of all the lovely maidens who gave Zeus's life its zest; and a vast additional number of mortals and immortals.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Brides of the Moon, Weird Sisters Theatre Collective at the Red Barn, June 20 - 29, 2013

by Brian Paul Scipione

Farce in Space

Describing the new work by Austin’s all-female theatre group the Weird Sisters Collective is like recounting a good Saturday night party at work on Monday morning. While at the party the most inane things take on catastrophic significance, in a dull office space they come off as decidedly dotty. Your cell mates behind their respective desks might smile, nod and chuckle, but try as you might, the terms hamburgoo, sergonic drift and consensual monkey sex will be pretty much lost on them.

Also like a party the renditions of what happened that night are as varied as the priorities and moods of the guests. Sci-fi geeks will want to talk about the futuristic landscape of Brides of the Moon and the intricacies of space travel gone awry. Slyly commenting on an all too likely future, the Weird Sisters have distilled the predominant elements of our society into their most ugly and extreme manifestations. Earth has been dominated by a corporation and renamed IASSWAA, Inc. (the politically correct, Disney-ish ‘It’s A Small World After All’). GMO food products have evolved (more properly, de-evolved) into food-like substances like meat paste (hamburgoo) synthesized out of genetically engineered cattle-derived animals called hamburganimals. Slaving away at the factory from 9 to 5 is still the order of the day but the products used to take the edge of have become even more effective and to the point: sedative-laced sodas, Sed-A-Colas, to relax you or methamphetamine spiked pops like Dr. Upper to pick you up. TV shows like Blameshifters and Crumblestix numb the mind and keep people passively couch-bound. And if this is all not enough, the government may conveniently re-program you with futuristic self-help manuals on tape.

Perhaps personal relationships and human drama are more your bag. Then you might come away from BotM talking about the quiet sadness of sacrificing old friendships for career growth or the confused relations between daughters and mothers. The Brides themselves are sent to the Moons of Pygo to ‘comfort’ the male astronauts stationed there. While on the inter-galactic airwaves they may present themselves with smiles and batting eyelashes, when the cameras are turned off the harsh reality of their situation is openly lamented. The mission may make them get married but it won’t make them fall in love. 

 The monkey, Dai Dai, sums this up best in her own video diaries. “We have fun playing,” she signs “but we are just friends.” The monkey signs the word love many times but in the Shakespearean fashion gives the word a different meaning every time. 

The story begins when Earth-bound factory worker Carmen admits that her mother is a strong, intelligent and powerful woman but sadly didn’t realize it until it was far too late. Another very poignant moment can be read in the tear-filled eyes of the husband who catches a glimpse of the woman he loved years ago when she is able to break temporarily out of the spell of madness the government has imposed on her.

Or perhaps you just go to parties for a laugh, in which case you would still have plenty of material to regale your co-workers with on Monday morning. They were trapped in a space-time warp dominated by 1970’s radio hits by Bad Company, you might say. Then there was the moment when the astronauts' SDIS (sex drive implants) went awry and they all had sex under, next to and on top of the spaceship's dashboard: legs and cleavage were everywhere. Did I mention the space ballet during the moments of zero gravity? Oh yes, they had a cigarette brand called Bitch which provided tons of tongue in cheek jokes. A cheerleader, a butch Russian and a French debutante walked into the room and they all worked for a company called CokTek (with the missing c pronounced). And then they found a RV with old TV dinners. Oh, and did I mention the cleavage?

Whatever you're seeking at a party, or in this case a dramatic production, you'll will find it in this madcap parody. The play was written by five people and is bursting with gibes and witticisms from a wide range of viewpoints, but in the end you realize that its the story of a woman reclaiming her life’s purpose thanks to a chance encounter with a broken microwave. (No, really!) 

Chris Humphrey accomplishes with stellar aplomb one of the greatest challenges to actors of any age: channeling madness. Part King Lear and part Betty Crocker, she begins the play on the periphery, having been pushed aside by the greedy male-dominated government. Addicted to Bitch cigarettes, meat paste, and Dr. Uppers, she wants what many housewives want: a happy family. She is so far gone that it seems she will never realize that to obtain the respect she deserves, she must re-capture her own true self. 

This metaphor about the role of woman in the evolution of society is the central thesis of this piece. It might be easily missed in the near-constant zany antics of this voyage through space and time.

With only seven performances in a remote space in north Austin, The Red Barn at 6701 Burnet (click for map) , this play may pass you by like fiery comet blazing through the sky. Those of us too tired from a day filled with mindless work and mind-altering carbonated beverages to get up and watch that meteor shower at 4 a.m. will indeed miss out. Just keep in mind, even if you missed it, the world, the galaxy, and those you love but don’t take the time truly to get to know, will go on without you.

Brides of the Moon runs from June 20 to June 29. Tickets can be discovered at www.brownpapertickets.com





and more information can be explored at www.weirdsisterscollective.com. Catch it if you can…

ZEUS IN THERAPY by Douglass Stott Parker, Tutto Theatre at Rollins Theatre, Long Center, August 18 - 25, 2013

presents
Zeus in Therapy
by Douglass Stott Parker
directed by Gary Jaffe
August 16 - 25, 2013
Rollins Theatre, Long Center, 701 Riverside at South First, Austin, TX - click for map

Tutto Theatre Company proudly announces the world premiere of Zeus in Therapy, an original theatrical experience adapted from the unpublished poetry of Douglass Stott Parker by the company, and directed by Gary Jaffe. 

When a god has questions, you know those really big questions…life or death…slave or free…savagery or civilization…fair or cloudy…her or her sister…, where does he go? And will there be cashews?

A long-time Austin resident, Parker was an improvisational jazz trombonist, a renowned translator of ancient comedy, an explorer of fictitious landscapes, and a profess of ancient languages and creativity at UT-Austin. He is best known for his work in Greek and Roman comedy, particularly his translations of Aristophanes’ plays Lysistrata (1964), The Wasps (1962), and The Congresswomen (1967). His Lysistrata has had over two hundred productions and is currently the translation published in the Signet Classics series. His The Congresswomen (Ecclesiazusae) was among the Finalists for The National Book Award in the category of Translation in 1968.

In 1979, he began writing Zeus in Therapy, a cycle of 52 poems which imagines Zeus on the therapist’s couch. Parker did not ‘finish’ it, though he stopped writing in about 1993, and left it unpublished during his lifetime. Every new poem in the cycle was shared both on his office door and with his classes on a weekly basis for some 25 years. Parker’s poetry is whimsical and profound, cosmic and quotidian, thoughtful and irreverent, but always heartfelt and true. Our translation of Zeus in Therapy into a theatrical experience will bring the power of his words to an even larger audience.

In our adaptation, a diverse ensemble of eleven performers play Zeus, giving Parker’s words a dynamic range of expression. Beginning with the classic binary image of therapy: therapist in chair, patient on couch, we expand as Zeus’s fracturing mind becomes a multitude of bodies and voices. As Parker’s words reverberate, and as actors scramble about the stage to perform the various travails of his life, we come to understand that Zeus, just like the rest of us, finds himself overwhelmed by expectations. 

The production features the award-winning acting talents of Aaron D. Alexander, Karen Alvarado, John Austin, Suzanne Balling, Joe Hartman, Court Hoang, Chris Humphrey, Annamarie Kasper, Julie Linnard, Nathan Osburn, and Justin Scalise; with Scenic Design by Justin Cox; Lighting Design by Natalie George; Costume and Hair & Make-Up Design by Austin M. Rausch; Choreography by Lynn Raridon; Video Design by Kakii Keenan; and Music by Chris Humphrey & Court Hoang.

Zeus in Therapy runs August 16th through 25th at the Rollins Studio Theater in The Long Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets available via The Long Center for the Performing Arts.

In the last six years, Tutto’s seven most recent productions: The Twelfth Labor (Summer 2012), The Alien Baby Play (Winter 2012), The Dudleys!: A Family Game (Spring 2011), I Witness (Summer 2010), Murder Ballad Murder Mystery (Fall 2009), Black Snow (Summer 2009), and Ophelia (Fall 2008) together have collected 64 nominations, garnered 27 awards, and appeared on 11 annual top listings from local media.


Founded in 2002, Tutto Theatre Company set out to elevate cross-disciplinary communication in the Austin artistic community. In 2008, we fused to our original purpose the artistic ambition to enhance, imaginatively, the expanding arts community in Austin. Imagination is the engine of the impossible, and ours is an Impossible Theatre. Embracing the theatre—a realm where impossibilities interpenetrate—we access the deeper meaning that lies beneath human experience. We create a space to carve into the unexpected, to dissect its viscera, and to lay bare its provocative sinews in ever more impossible ways. Ours is a theatre of dreams and of fantasies, of memory and of nostalgia, of desire and of disorientation, of imagination and of contradiction, an arena where the mundane grapples with the sublime. Thus, we commit tutto (everything) to the exploration of new forms and of new works that inscribe their fearful symmetries and incalculable geometries within our hearts, minds, and bodies.


We feel a profound responsibility both to new and timeless theatre. Our work, therefore, consists in: (1) producing experiences of high-quality both small and large; (2) developing new work and production opportunities for up-and-coming playwrights; and (3) helping our community to nurture its place as a world-class arts destination, providing local educational opportunities, and bringing artists from around the world to develop their work in our city. Thus we defy the grim reality of theatre making in the 21st century, declaring: Everything is possible in this our Impossible Theatre!

This project is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future.

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

EARTH, conceived by Bonnie Cullum, Vortex Repertory, March 22 - April 20, 2013

(Vortex Repertory Company, 2307 Manor Rd.)
presents

Earth

Conceived and Directed by Bonnie Cullum. Original Music by Chad Salvata and Chris Humprey

March 22 - April 20, 2013

Vortex Repertory Company, 2307 Manor Rd., Thursdays - Sundays, 8 p.m.

VORTEX Repertory Company presents the world premiere of EARTH, a new multi-disciplinary show performed in a mountain of dirt. The audience surrounds an actual mound of moist earth that engages the senses as performers sing, dance, play, and tell stories of the Earth from diverse global mythologies.

Conceived and directed by Bonnie Cullum, EARTH is the next in VORTEX’s The Elementals, a series of devised works with sacred intention. As we embrace the power and magic of the elemental forces of Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit, we intertwine ritual and environmental action with our theatrical art.

Tickets:

$30-$25 Priority Seating, $15-$20 General Admission, $10 Starving Artists

2-for-1 admission on Thursdays and Sundays with donation of 2 canned goods for SafePlace.

ASL Interpreted April 5


EARTH features a stellar cast of VORTEX Repertory Company members-- Mick D’arcy, Anderson Dear, Gabriel Maldonado, Betsy McCann, Emerald Mystiek, Mindy Rast-Keenan, and Melissa Vogt-Patterson with the VORTEX debut of Aisha Melhem.

Conceived and Directed by Bonnie Cullum. 

Scenic Design by Ann Marie Gordon. Lighting Design by Jason Amato. Costume Design by Talena Martinez. Choreography by Toni Bravo. Original Music by Chad Salvata and Chris Humphrey. Stage Management by Tamara L. Farley. Production photography by Kimberley Mead.

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Upcoming: The Twelfth Labor by Leegrid Stevens, Tutto Theatre and MacTheatre, August 10 - September 1

Tutto Theatre presents

in Co-Production with MACtheatre

The Full-Stage Premiere of

The Twelfth Labor

 

 

 

By Leegrid Stevens

(Click for AUTHOR BIO)

Directed by Gary Jaffe

10 August – 1 September 2012

WEEK 1—Friday and Saturday
WEEK 2—Thursday through Saturday
WEEKS 3 & 4—Wednesday through Saturday

All Performances are at 7:30 p.m.

The Laboratory Theater, McCallum Fine Arts Academy, 5600 Sunshine Drive, Austin, TX 78756

Thursdays – Saturdays: $15 General Admission
(GACA/Senior/Student: $12 & Priority Seating: $25)

LIMITED SEATING, Reserve Yours TODAY.

Wednesdays are Pay-What-You-CAN
Name Your Own Price w/ Donation
of Non-Perishable Canned Food Item(s) to benefit
Hope Food Pantry at Trinity United Methodist Church
[Price without donation is $12]

Featuring the award-winning artistic contributions of actors: Helen Allen, Wray Crawford, Trey Deason, Chris Humphrey, Skip Johnson, Content Love Knowles, Megan Minto, Rebecca Robinson, Erin Treadway, Fred Winkler, and introducing Annamarie Kasper; the set design of Ia Ensterä; the lighting design of Natalie George; the costume design of Benjamin Taylor Ridgway; and the hair and make up design of Austin M. Rausch.

Leegrid Stevens’ evocative new play, The Twelfth Labor, is epic, utilizing the myth of The Twelve Labors of Hercules to explore the inner workings of a hardscrabble World War II era family in Idaho. We follow a single day in the life of an Idaho farm family, October 15, 1949, as seen through the uniquely damaged mind of the family's eldest daughter, Cleo. Through her fragmented memories, often prophetic dreams, and swirling language, we come to understand the price she and her family have paid for a little dignity, as they await the return of their long absent father, lost somewhere in the war, half a world away.

In addition to the myth of Hercules, The Twelfth Labor draws upon the popular culture (music, literature, and film) of Cleo’s childhood, which frames and colors her experience of the real world—an outer shell of Realism surrounds an inner-shell of Surrealism, which together generate what The Des Moines Register (speaking of the second workshop production) called an “[…] elemental magnetism […]” which pulls the audience in and keeps them thinking of the play days and even weeks after.

The Schooling of Bento Bonchev by Maxsym Kurochkin, Breaking String Theatre Company at the Off Center, March 9 - 31

A style begins to manifest itself in Graham Schmidt's staging of contemporary Russian drama, distinct from his graceful voyages through Chekhov. As in last year's Flying by Olga Mukhina, The Schooling of Bento Bonchev by Maxsym Kurochkin features an ensemble of attractive young persons. Schmidt and choreographer/fightmaster Sergio Alvarado move them smartly about Ia Enstera's starkly functional set at a lively, balletic pace.

Props are minimal and suggestive -- for example, some bicycles are suggested solely by front wheels, cast members tote plastic chairs on stage and clap them down in unison on the stark white stage to establish a classroom. There's a circus-like flourish in the hand offs of props and the changes of scenes.

Beyond the action at deep center stage the playing surface curves smoothly upward to establish a topography used alternately as a rear wall and as a surface for projected images.

Design by Enster, the near kaleidoscopic movement and Steven Shirey's impressive lighting combine to make the piece a visual feast.

Kurochkin's piece is a satire, one that audaciously mocks the enigma of physical love and human attraction. He places his story in some future period when humankind has transcended the urge of hormones and the messy mechanics of procreation. The curious social structures of love in our antique times no longer serve for anything but academic inquiry.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: The Schooling of Bento Bonchev by Maxsym Kurochkin, Breaking String Theatre Company at the Off Center, March 9 - 31

presents

The Schooling of Bento Bonchev

by Maxsym Kurochkin

translated by John Freedman

directed by Graham Schmidt

March 9 - 31, Thursdays - Sundays at 8 p.m.

The Off Center, 2211 Hidalgo Street, behind Joe's Bakery and near 7th St. and Robert Martinez

Tickets: $15 - $25 General Admission
Get Your Seats

Somewhere in the not-too-distant future, a grad student named Bento runs out of patience at his typical American university. He no longer wants to study that ancient relic of human behavior called love. He no longer believes it even ever existed. It was just a myth someone dreamed up to market useless products. As Bento breaks with his mentor-professor, shuns the attentions of a young student named Sandy and feels his life falling apart, he sees the world engulfed in a furious sexual revolution and falls into happily married life - all as he strives to just connect.

Bento's opening weekend coincides with the 2012 Breaking String New Russian Drama Festival, produced in association with Austin's Fusebox Festival and the Center For International Theatre Development's New Voice and attend the 2012 Breaking String New Russian Drama Festival, produced in association with the Center for International Theatre Development through its New Visions/New Voices initiative.

NRDFest 2012 is free and open to the public, and features staged readings of new Russian plays, panel discussions including expert UT commentators Tom Garza and Elizabeth Richmond-Garza and Austin Chronicle Arts Editor Robert Faires, plus opportunities to meet and interact with one of Russia's most popular, important and innovative playwrights (Maksym Kurochkin himself!) as well as Bento translator and Moscow-based critic, scholar and theater-maker John Freedman - considered one of the world's leading authorities on contemporary Russian theater.

Click to view cast and crew information at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Images by Will Hollis Snider: Uncle Vanya, Breaking String Theatre Company, June - July 3

Performance photos taken by Will Hollis Snider for

Anton Chekhov’s

Uncle Vanya

directed by Graham Schmidt

June 16th - July 2nd

Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 5 p.m., Monday, June 27 at 8 p.m.

at the Off-Center, 2211-A Hidalgo Street (click for map)

Chekhov's meditation on hope and environmental stewardship speaks with increasing urgency a century after its first performance.

Tickets available at breakingstring.com/tickets and 512-784-1465

General Admission: $15 - 25, Sliding scale;Monday, July 27th is a Pay-What-You-Will Industry Night

Click to view additional images by Will Hollis Snider at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . .

Upcoming: Uncle Vanya, Breaking String Theatre Company at the Off-Center, June 23 - July 2

Received directly:

presents

Anton Chekhov’s

Uncle Vanya

directed by Graham Schmidt

June 16th - July 2nd

Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 5 p.m., Monday, June 27 at 8 p.m.

at the Off-Center, 2211-A Hidalgo Street (click for map)

Chekhov's meditation on hope and environmental stewardship speaks with increasing urgency a century after its first performance.

Tickets available at breakingstring.com/tickets and 512-784-1465

General Admission: $15 - 25, Sliding scale;

Monday, July 27th is a Pay-What-You-Will Industry Night

Student rush tickets released 10 minutes before curtain for all performances: $10

Breaking String revisits the Russian canon with a production of Chekhov’s 1899 masterpiece, Uncle Vanya. Ironically sub-titled “Scenes From Country Life,” the play chronicle a climactic moment of rural Russian life. Uncle Vanya is about finding meaning, hope, and conservation in a life that seems to promise little. Chekhov revised his early play Wood Demon (1889) into the triumphant Uncle Vanya.

Uncle Vanya’s theme of ecology speaks to the world's ever-more urgent discussions of conservation and sustainability. Chekhov's insight that the fate of humankind is tied to the fate of the environment now seems prophetic: "In all of you there’s a demon of destruction. You spare neither forests, nor women, nor one another…." (Yelena speaking to Vanya)

Breaking String’s Uncle Vanya features direction and an original translation by Graham Schmidt. The ensemble cast of actors includes Robert Deike, Emily Everidge, Liz Fisher, Harvey Guion, Anne Hulsman, Chris Humphrey, Robert Matney, and Matt Radford. The production also features sound design by Adam Hilton, scenic design by Ia Layadi, costume design by Julia Howze, and lighting design by Steven Shirey.

This is the fourth work for which Breaking String Theater has commissioned an original translation from resident translator Graham Schmidt. Of the practice Schmidt observed, “It is integral to our process, our identity, and is a reflection of our desire for direct contact with Chekhov's words, tailored for this moment and for our work.”

BREAKING STRING THEATER is a sponsored project of the Greater Austin Creative Alliance, a non-profit organization. Breaking String presents drama important to Russian history and exposes Austin audiences developing Russian theater. We seek to connect people across time and culture. Our mission is threefold: We create excellent productions of Russian traditional and avant-garde plays; we provide artists with a creative, respectful and professional work environment; we pursue collaboration with Russian theater artists through our partnerships with the Center for International Theatre Development’s Philip Arnoult, and Moscow-based critic/translator John Freedman.

Upcoming: The Elementals: Air, Vortex Repertory, February 18 - March 20

Found on-line:

presents the world premiere of

The Elementals: AIR

Sacred Dance Theatre
conceived andd irected by Bonnie Cullum, music by Chris Humphrey
Feb.18-Mar.20, 2011; Thursdays-Sundays @ 8 p.m.

Tickets: $30-$25 Priority Seating, $20-$15 General Admission, $10 Starving Artists
Thursdays and Sundays 2-for-1 admission with donation of 2 non-perishable food items for SafePlace Pantry.

Limited seating. Advanced purchase recommended.

[image: "Towering Clouds," Shi Yali, www.stockphoto.com

Fresh Breezes. Heavenly Song. Fearless Flying.
Storm Winds. Gentle Floating. Sweet Scent.
Pulsating Didgeridoo. Glowing Sunrise.
Soaring Eagle. Starfinder.

The Elementals: AIR celebrates the gifts and stories of Air through dance, song, poetry, and sacred intention. AIR features aerial dance, live music, poetic narrative, and illuminating imagery on a multi-level playground. Environmental themes focus on the precious Elemental Forces of Air. Spirits of the Air include Eagle, Butterfly, Sylph, Dragon, Phoenix, Harpy, Angel, and Airbender. AIR is the first in a unique series of five sacred elemental explorations (Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Spirit) to be created collaboratively with performers and designers over the next several years at The Vortex.

The Elementals: AIR features VORTEX veteran performers Gabriel Maldonado, Betsy McCann, Andy Agne, Jennifer Coy, Krysta Gonzales, Justin LaVergne, and Alejandro Rodriguez. Making their VORTEX debuts with AIR: Celeste Bliss, Bethany Summersizzle, Courtney Brock, Joanna Wright, Kylie Baker, Jenny Lavery, and Carole Metellus.

Scenic Design by Ann Marie Gordon. Lighting Design by Patrick Anthony and Jason Amato. Costume Design by Talena Martinez.

The Elementals: AIR is funded in part by VORTEX Repertory Company, the City of Austin under the auspices of the Austin Arts Commission, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Auditions: Air, Vortex Repertory, October 25

Received directly:

Vortex Repertory Company announces

Auditions for

The Elementals: AIR

First in a series of five sacred

Elemental theatrical works

Conceived and directed by Bonnie Cullum

Music by Chris Humphrey

When: Monday, October 25, 2010 by appointment

For an audition appointment email vortex@vortexrep.org or call Bonnie Cullum at 512-478-LAVA

Where: The VORTEX, 2307 Manor Rd. Austin, TX 78722

VORTEX announces AUDITIONS for The Elementals: AIR by appointment on Monday, October 25, 2010.

AIR is the first in a sacred series of five elemental explorations to be created collaboratively over the next few years at The VORTEX. AIR features dancers, actors, aerialist, singers, didgeridoo, and reeds in an experimental, imagistic, innovative, and spiritual setting. Environmental themes entwine airy melodies and theatrical dance to create a potent interaction with AIR.

Seeking up to 10 performers who are passionate about creating AIR. Weekly workshops to develop the material in November-December 2010. Rehearsals in January-February 2011. Performances in February-March 2011. Performers will receive a stipend.

Seeking Actors/singers/dancers/aerialist of any gender, any ethnicity.

Audition Preparation: Resume and headshot.

Dancers should prepare 1-2 minutes of dance with music on CD.

Singers should prepare 1-2 minute of song to be performed with accompanist.

Actors should prepare 1-2 minutes of text with linguistic merit.

Aerials should prepare a basic 1-2 minute routine on silk, lyra, or other device and be prepared to demonstrate any special tricks.

Multi-skilled performers may show a mixture of these things.

Bonnie Cullum (Producing Artistic Director) is widely recognized for her original collaborative work. She received B. Iden Payne Awards for her direction of Troades: The Legend of the Women of Troy, Despair’s Book of Dreams and the Sometimes Radio, and Moby Dick with dozens of other nominations in her 25 year career as an Austin theatre director and producer. Her ritual theatre work, Dark Goddess, enjoyed five individual productions over seven years and firmly established her style in collaborative and sacred performance. She was inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in 2009 and has thrice been recognized as Best Director by the Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin.

The Elementals: AIR is funded in part by VORTEX Repertory Company, the City of Austin under the auspices of the Austin Arts Commission, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet, Weird Sisters Theatre Collective at the Cathedral of Junk, July 23 - August 1

The Weird Sisters Theatre Collective's Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet was a very Austin event. The Sisters performed Anne-Marie MacDonald's broad feminist satire of Shakespeare and stuffy scholars in the backyard at the one and only Cathedral of Junk in South Austin, just a few blocks south of 290W/Ben White Boulevard.

Closing night last Saturday was full, as a wide mix of folks filled up the very miscellaneous and inventive collection of chairs. Proprietor Vince Hannemann was rustling up seats right up till the opening, and he received a special ovation from the Sisters and the audience afterward, for his broad-spirited hosting.

This was theatre, but it was also a party and a celebration.

The fun-loving feminist group was doing its fifth summer production. Their lengthy 2004 manifesto remains very in effect. It begins, "WEIRD: We mean WEIRD in its original sense: wayward . We challenge the status quo, for we know that most theater drifts and defaults to old, hegemonic ways of interpreting, casting, directing, and producing."

This is a loopy "what-if?" story about a woman academic, much neglected, misled and patronized by her thoughtlessly arrogant male supervisor.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .