Upcoming: A Marvelous Party fundraiser, Penfold Theatre at Kindred Oaks, Georgetown, June 3

throws its second annual fundraising gala

A Marvelous Party 

in the heart of the Texas Hill Country
scenic background, fine dining and live music by local favorites
June 3rd at the beautiful Kindred Oaks estate in Hill Country

Guests will enjoy an elegant meal while live performers serve up melodic treats from the golden age of musical theatre. Music-lovers familiar with classics like "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Luck be a Lady," and "Love Walked In" will be delighted by this sampling of songs from composers like Irving Berlin, Frank Loesser and the Gershwins. The evening will also include a live and silent auction to support Penfold's efforts to bring professional theatre performances and education programs to north Travis and Williamson counties.

The night's crooners include Robert Faires of the Austin Chronicle, as well as artists from recent Penfold productions including Andrew Cannata, Amy Downing, Jill Leberknight, Michael McKelvey and many more. At the helm will be director Adam Roberts, who was recently named Artistic Director of Theatre at the J.

A Marvelous Party! compiled and directed by Adam Roberts.
Featuring Katie Blacksmith, Andrew Cannata, Ryan Crowder, Sarah Marie Curry, Amy Downing, Robert Faires, Stephen Jack, Nathan Jerkins, Jill Leberknight, Michael McKelvey, Andrea Smith and Haley Smith.

 
Held at Kindred Oaks, 2100 C.R. 176, Georgetown TX 78628.
Sunday, June 3rd, doors open at 6:30pm and dinner begins at 7:00pm.
Dinner is catered by Bowties 2 Blue Jeans.
Reservations may be made at (512) 850-4849 or online at www.penfoldtheatre.org.

ABOUT PENFOLD THEATRE COMPANY   Penfold Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to opening and operating a professional theatre for north Travis and Williamson counties. Following three years of award-winning programming that has made a pioneering impact on arts in the north, 2011-12 has been Penfold’s most ambitious season to date. The line-up includes a mix of classic and modern favorites: Servant of Two Masters (August 2011), Ghosts (October 2011), It's a Wonderful Life: a live radio show (December 2011) and The Pavilion (April 2012).

Upcoming: The 21 Would-Be Lives of Phineas Hamm by Rachel McGinnis, Paper Moon Repertory at the Blue Theatre, February 17 - March 4

Received directly:

presents

The 21 Would-Be Lives of Phineas Hamm

by Rachel McGinnis

February 17 - March 4

Thursdays - Saturdays, Mondays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 6 p.m.

Playing as the first part of a double bill with Will Hollis Snider's Messenger No. 4

Blue Theatre, 916 Springdale (click for map)

Purchase double-bill on-line ($26.72 per ticket) or call to reserve: (512) 524-3761

When a powerful invention lands in the hands of impulsive Phineas Hamm on his 25th birthday, he’s faced with the possibility of altering his reality with the single pull of a lever. What happens when desires and abandon trump resilience and loyalty? Set to music with choreography by Ballet Austin’s Kaitlyn Moise, Phineas is an exploration of tempting fortunes and their immediate outcomes.

The cast features Austin favorites Aaron Alexander (Big Love), Katie Blacksmith (Servant of Two Masters), Molly Fonseca (Going with Jenny), Jay Fraley (Spirits to Enforce), Omid Ghorashi (The Assumption), Toby Minor (Spirits to Enforce), Andrea Smith (Big Love), Breanna Stogner (Down the Drain), Brie Walker (The Tempest), and newcomer Gabriel Peña as Phineas.

The late 1800s. Dancing and indulgence. Invention and industry. The world of Phineas Hamm is ever-changing, swiftly shifting from opulence to poverty and barreling through 21 versions of reality in an age of mass produced workhouses, manors, tenements and brothels. A visual feast set to music with choreography by Ballet Austin’s Kaitlyn Moise, The 21 Would-Be Lives of Phineas Hamm is a tender look at the power of choice, the pressure of the future, and the spectacular possibility of changing the past.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: A Servant of Two Masters by Goldoni, Penfold Theatre , Round Rock Amphitheatre, August 4-21 & EmilyAnn Amphitheatre, Wimberley, August 26-27

Received directly:

presents

Servant of Two Masters
By Carlo Goldoni
Adapted and directed by Beth Burns
Featuring Katie Blacksmith, Ryan Crowder, Robert Deike, Joseph Garlock, Nathan Jerkins, Alex McDonald-Villareal, Toby Minor, Gricelda Silva and Andrea Smith
Comedy, "Penfold in the Park" series
Running time: About 1 hour 40 minutes, with one intermission.
Content advisory: For all ages.

August 4-21, 2011
Round Rock Amphitheater, 301 W. Bagdad Ave, Round Rock TX 78664 (Map it)
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm
Special encore performance Sunday, August 21, at 8:00pm
Free admission (donations accepted)

August 26-27, 2011
EmilyAnn Theatre & Gardens, 1101 Ranch Road 2325, Wimberley TX 78676 (Map it)
Friday and Saturday at 8:15pm
Regular $15, Students $10
To make reservations, visit the EmilyAnn website or call (512) 847-6969 .

Mistaken identities, reunited lovers, and over-the-top hilarity! When a man thought dead shows up at the house of his former fiancee, all sorts of madcap mayhem breaks loose! Filled with disguises, plot twists and Marx brothers-style slapstick, Servant of Two Masters is a laugh-out-loud comedy for all ages based on the beloved characters of commedia dell’arte. With nightly pre-shows by other performing arts groups around Austin, this free outdoor performance at the Round Rock Amphitheater is pure summer fun.

The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, City Theatre, June 10 - July 4

Paul Rudnick's play is cleverer and better crafted than you might suspect, given all the no-neck scandal over his playful recasting of biblical stories in goofy, unabashedly gay terms. The company plays the first act hysterically over the top, with flamingly naughty versions of the creation story and of the tale of Moses and the pharaoh, and almost -- almost -- a lesbian immaculate conception.

Adam and Eve become Adam and Steve, for example. In the paradise created progressively by that disengaged female stage manager ("Cue third day!"), they find one another dressed only in green jockstraps with fig leaves, and they explore the unexplained deights of the body like a couple of unsupervised kindergartners. The stage manager calls a timely blackout when the boys check out one another's little things, but we do get an eyebrow-raising simulacrum of anal intercourse.

Adam (Austin Rausch) follows his tempted curiosity out of the garden, plunging them all into the harsh world. Two women, firmly attached to one another, turn up -- Jane and Mabel (cf., Cain and Able, though the only close resemblance is in the names).Through their comic trials, flouncing Adam and sweet-natured Mabel (Chrissy Shackleford) intuit something more, something spiritual, but they're never quite able to express it. Neither matter-of-fact Steve (Marco Bazan) nor grumpy Jane (Katie Blacksmith)is buying that idea. Adam catches his breath, stunned with the happiness of the present moment and yearning to celebrate and to express thanks to someone - something. God? "Not in my house," returns Steve, his mouth tight and dismissive.

Click to read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .