CL(1000)49(P), workshop presentation by the Rude Mechanicals at the Off Center

The Rude Mechanicals ran a workshop performance of some of a new and as yet unnamed piece last Friday at their Off Center stage behind Joe's Bakery in east Austin. They charged nothing to attend the single staging, but prospective attendees had to sign up through an on-line service for the gratis tickets. All available seats were reserved well ahead of time.

The printed program was enigmatic, a single sheet with unexplained designs thrust into the Rudes' generic promo program. The cheerful woman onstage assured us that the Rudes looked forward to our feedback to the staging, so tentative in nature that it didn't yet have a real title. "We've had only one tech rehearsal, so it may be a bit rough." She pointed to a low table to our left, along the wall. "But we have cupcakes for you afterwards, and there are plenty of them! And remember, it's free!"

Was this don't-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you? Probably not, since the evening had been publicized by e-mail blast to the Rudes' devotees. After 50 minutes, when the action had stopped abruptly and without further communication from the company, the devotees descended upon the goodies. I scored a delicious maple-flavored concoction with towering cream swirls, the consumption of which prevented me from scratching my head in puzzlement.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: Lear Workshop Showcase, Austin Shakespeare, November 23

Found on-line:

Showcase: King Lear Workshop

directed by Ann Ciccolella

Austin Shakespeare presents a FREE Showcase of King Lear highlights at 8 pm Tues., Nov. 23 at Salvage Vanguard, 2803 Manor Rd.

Featuring Michael Costello, Justin Scalise, David Boss, Cyrus Cassells, Steve Cruz, Jennifer Davis, Lindsley Howard, Chelsea DuVall, Simon Day, Bridget Farias, Senait Fessahaye, Ciara Flynn, Stacey Glazer, Hanna Haide, Robert Stevens, Ashely McNerney, Lindsey McKenna, and Jason Phelps.

Meet Lear, and his fool, his daughters: Regan, Goneril, and Cordelia, the heroic Edgar, the devious Edmund, and experience the transformation of Gloucester!

Upcoming: Object Theatre Workshop at Trouble Puppet Theatre Company, November 2 - December 7

Received directly from

Object Theater Workshop!
Six Tuesdays, November 2 – December 7

Trouble Puppet kicks off its Working Artist Workshop Series, a six-session workshop series conducted by artist with specializations in the field of puppetry and related arts. The first workshop will be on Object Theater, facilitated by Caroline Reck, who directed FupDuck as the Visiting Guest Artist this year for Trouble Puppet.

The workshop will have a dual focus on manipulation technique and the dramaturgy of storytelling with objects, with particular attention paid to design choices and appropriate materials. Learn manipulation techniques, using everyday objects as your puppets, and use those objects as a medium for storytelling.

Useful for actors expanding their technique repertoire, designers looking for a new angle on materials, and theater-makers interested in storytelling technique. The workshop will culminate in a showing of short works.

Fall Workshop: Six Tuesdays, November 2 – December 7, 7 – 9pm at the Trouble Puppet workshop at Salvage Vanguard Theater. Priced with the working artist in mind at $30 for the entire six sessions. Please submit your completed application (attached) to carolinereck@yahoo.com. Questions? Contact: carolinereck@yahoo.com


Caroline Reck is a graduate of the Lecoq School of Physical Theatre in Paris, France and has an MFA in Theatre from Towson University’s program for self-producing theatre artists. A performer/ director and frequent collaborator on devised work, her background is in mime, object theatre and puppetry. She worked for two years in Europe with the Paris-based Sous Un Otre Angle, performing an object theatre version of The Musicians of Bremen, which won accolades at the Avignon Festival in France. Her company, Glass Half Full, is currently touring The FupDuck Project, a puppet show with live music, whiskey, and a duck; as well as The Orchid Flotilla, a solo puppetry and gestural performance about ecological disaster and the value of stuff.