Upcoming: The Duck Variations by David Mamet, Sidetrack Productions at the Hyde Park Theatre, August 19, 26, September 23, 30

THE DUCK VARIATIONS by David Mamet with David Stahl and Michael Stuart, Sidetrack Productions at Hyde Park Theatre, Sundays, August 19 , 26, September 23, 3030

Two gray haired old friends, George and Emil, meet in the Park and ponder the important issues that shape the World. The Law of Life, the Meaning of Death and,,,,,Ducks Starring David Stahl and Michael Stuart at The Hyde Park Theatre 511 W. 43rd street, Austin, Texas

four performances only, August 19 & 26 -- September 23 & 30 (sundays) at 5pm

tickets $15.00 call (512) 825-1623 or e-mail: sidetrackmail@aol.com

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Upcoming: The Duck Variations by David Mamet, Confidence Men for Dys Theatre at Hyde Park Theatre, December 3

Found at AustinOnStage.com:

Confidence Men: Improvised Mamet

star in David Mamet's play

The Duck Variations

10:30 p.m., December 3 at the Hyde Park Theatre, 511 West 43rd Street (at Guadalupe)

To help raise funds for their 2011 production of Sam Shepard's True West, local theatre troupe Dystheatre stages the comedy The Duck Variations, a play by David Mamet. Featuring the B. Iden Payne award-winning improv troupe, 'Confidence Men: Improvised Mamet,' the one-night production runs Friday, December 3rd, at the Hyde Park Theatre.

"We're directing all our emphasis on the 'variations' portion of the play's title," said Dystheatre's Michael Ferstenfeld. "Mr. Mamet makes a note in the script's stage directions that there is a similarity between the fourteen scenes in the play and movements in a symphony."

"We'll have a live original score by Jackie Myers, each piece a unique variation on an original riff, and the scenes themselves will explore myriad relationships - from mother and son, to brothers, to a married couple, to a pair of hardened gangsters taking a break in the city park," he said. "As far as we can tell, nobody has ever attempted such a diverse interpretation of The Duck Variations, so we promise a profoundly unique experience."

Written in 1972, The Duck Variations centers around two elderly men sitting at a park talking about ducks. The dialogue moves from the mating habits of ducks and to discussions of law, friendship and death.

The December 3rd performance begins at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are a suggested donation of $20 to $30, possible on-line at the website.

The Hyde Park Theatre is located at 511 West 43rd Street. For reservations and more information, visit www.Dystheatre.com.

Upcoming: The Duck Variations by David Mamet, Paradox Players, April 17-18

Found on-line:

in celebration of their 10th anniversary
Paradox Players present a staged reading of

The Duck Variations

by David Mamet
with Bob Brody and Ed Nichols
directed by Chris Jimmerson

Two performances only: Saturday, April 17 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 18, at 3 p.m. (sold out)
Howson Hall Theater, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, 4700 Grover Avenue

RESERVATIONS NECESSARY, AS SPACE IS LIMITED. Reservations on-line or by telephoning (512) 744-1495.

Watching ducks and ruminating on their behavior, two elderly men compose a beautiful fugue on the human condition - on family and friendship, the possibility of happiness and, not incidentally, the mating habits of water fowl.

"A brilliant little play" --The Guardian

"A gorgeously written, wonderfully observant piece whose timing and atmosphere are close to flawless." --New York Magazine