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The Fantasticks by Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt directed by Barbara Schuler musical direction by David Blackburn March 26 - April 11, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Matinee on Sunday, April 11 at 3 p.m. Click Here to make Reservations Crystal Falls Playhouse, 10960 E. Crystal Falls Parkway, Leander "Try To Remember" a time when this romantic charmer wasn't enchanting audiences around , the world. The Fantasticks is the longest-running production of any kind in the world, and with good reason: at the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers. Its moving tale of young lovers who become disillusioned, only to discover a more mature, meaningful love is punctuated by a bountiful series of catchy, memorable songs, many of which have become standards.
Featuring Derek Smootz, Eve G. Alonzo, Matt Boehm, Kirk Kelso, Rebecca Stokinger, Michelle Stuckey, Fred Bothwell, and Mark Butler
March 26 - May 2, 2010 Austin Playhouse, 3601 S. Congress, Bldg. C Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 5 p.m . Prices: $26 Thursdays, Fridays, $28 Saturdays, Sundays $35 Opening Night, March 26, 2010 All student tickets are half-price Tickets/Information at (512) 476-0084
It’s 1904 in Paris and a young Albert Einstein is working on a very famous theory. At the same time, a young Pablo Picasso is almost ready to “leave Blue behind.” At the Lapin Agile, a cabaret bar in Montmartre, Paris,frequented by artists, anarchists, and dreamers, these two young visionaries meet and engage in a lively debate on the creative process and the true nature of genius.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile was written in 1993 by famed comedian and actor Steve Martin. It is set on October 8, 1904, a time when Einstein and Picasso were both on the verge of executing a tremendous act of genius. Einstein will publish his theory of relativity in 1905 and Picasso will paint 'Les Demoiselles d’Avignon' in 1907.
A road. A tree. And two guys in bowler hats. Didi and Gogo, two beloved tramps, are stranded at a crossroads, awaiting a mysterious person named Godot. Their struggle with even the simplest tasks is a funny and touching glimpse into man’s ability to survive in an absurd world.
Considered by many to be one of, if not the, most influential play of the 20th century, Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot is a blend of Buster Keaton slapstick, high wit, poetic feats and heartbreaking poignancy. Waiting for Godot asks the big questions with theatricality, tension, humor, and grace: how do we get up every morning, fight through every day, and go to sleep every evening never knowing whether our hopes and dreams might be granted?
Featuring Frank Benge, Craig Kanne, Ben Weaver, William Diamond, Rylei Brown and Ashlyn Nichols.
March 25-28 at 1 p.m. Free admission, limited seating in the Lab Theatre building, between the Jackson Geological Sciences Building (JGB) and the F. Loren Winship Drama Building (WIN) near 24th and San Jacinto.
This absurd comedy takes you swirling into a family where crime is as casual as cleaning the bathroom. This absurd comedy by 2nd year BA Jon Cook tells the tale of Starsky, a young man from Lake Charles, Louisiana, a city bank custodian who longs to own and operate his own floral shop. He was born into a family where crime is no stranger.
Starsky's uncle is a murder-hungry Vietnam veteran set on having Starsky as an accomplice in robbing the town bank, while Starsky's mother is a vigilante on the run to Mexico. Facing unemployment, eviction, and poverty, Starsky seeks a refuge for his pet family of worms and an outlet for his gardening hobby, in the midst of crime, corruption, and lies.
The production, directed by 4th Year BA Stevi Baston, will contain live piano performance in the style of New Orleans rag-time jazz, and segments of silent comedy.
A Slapstick Comedy for the Lighthearted written by William Shakespeare, directed by Ann Ciccolella Friday, March 25 – Sunday, March 27 at 8 p.m. at Richard Garriott’s Curtain Theater on the shores of Lake Austin, 7400 Coldwater Canyon Dr. (click to view Google map) Tickets $24, available at www.nowplayingaustin.com or at the door. Discount tickets available. or follow Austin Shakespeare on Twitter: @austinshakes
After the success of packed houses during the run of Mary Stuart, Austin Shakespeare continues its 25th anniversary season with an all-female cast in a staged reading of the classic Shakespeare comedy. The Taming of the Shrew will play at Richard Garriott’s own Curtain Theater, a scaled replica of an Elizabethan outdoor theater nestled along the banks of Lake Austin, March 25 through 27 at 8 p.m.
“In Shakespeare’s time, only men were allowed on stage, even to play the female roles,” said Ann Ciccolella, artistic director of Austin Shakespeare. “We wanted to turn the tables and see a full cast of charismatic women to bring this comedy to life on a stage that resembles one of Shakespeare’s own.”
City Theatre presentsthree couples, two houses and one dazzling funny Alan Ayckbourn comedy classic How The Other Half Loves
by Alan Ayckbourn
March 25 – April 18 Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 5:30 p.m. Reservations 512-524-2870 or
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The City Theatre. 3823 Airport Blvd. – east corner of Airport Blvd. and 38 ½ Street (behind the Shell station) Nobody writes contemporary farces better than the British, and no British comic playwright concocts livelier free-for-alls than Sir Alan Ayckbourn. Inventive and hilarious, the show cemented Ayckbourn’s reputation as a master of the situation comedy genre. The title pun of How the Other Half Loves pokes fun at marital relationships in general and the class system in particular, with riotous results and plenty of laughs.
The comedy is vintage Ayckbourn – an action-packed, brilliantly written whirlwind which may poke fun at the misgivings and misunderstandings of marriage. However, in the capable hands of director Stacey Glazer and an excellent cast, the play gives you plenty to enjoy. Come find out how the other half lives…and loves.
The Blue Theatre and the Getalong Gang Performance Group present POST-OEDIPUS
a play by Steven Gridley
March 25 – April 11 Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. The Blue Theatre, 916 Springdale Road Tickets: $15 at www.post-oedipus.eventbrite.com The BLUE Theatre and Getalong Gang Performance Group present the Austin premiere of Post-Oedipus, a radical re-working of Euripides' play The Phoenician Women. Post-Oedipus chronicles the tumultuous events of Oedipus' family after his fall, using warped time, musical interjections, chaotic revelries, and intolerable silences to unravel the mental state of a family after disaster. At once a stunning family drama and a jaunt into the absurd, Post-Oedipus will delight and challenge audiences.
Coming off their most recent project, the Austin Critics’ Table-nominated Arthuriosis: A Metal Opera, the Getalong Gang’s Spencer Driggers and Zenobia Taylor join forces to direct and choreograph this memorable production. Designed by Stephen Pruitt and featuring Jenny Gravenstein (Critics’ Table winner and B. Iden Payne nominee), Nicole Portwood, Seth Thomas, Steve Cruz, Michelle Turner, Helyn Rain Messenger, and James Brownlee.
About the BLUE Theatre The BLUE Theatre is a versatile artist-operated performance space on Austin's east side. Post-Oedipus marks the first collaboratively-produced performance by the BLUE and the Getalong Gang.
Received directly on March 11 from the webmaster at TheatreAustin, Yahoo! Groups, a weekly e-mail sent out on Thursdays:
TELL A FRIEND:I want more readers!Ego is a wonderful thing.It encourages us to achieve.It led me to share my knowledge of local theatre and blog about it weekly.I know what the show is, where it is, and more importantly, the quality of the company producing.Even with everyone else out there on the Inter-web, I think my point of view is singular and worthwhile.I’d just like more people reading in the hopes that what I write affects actual theatre-going decisions; helping people navigate the stages to find a good show for them.But, even with all the times I’ve written out the address (www.groups.yahoo.com/group/theatreaustin) and printed it on a card; few have subscribed.Discounting myself (‘…I am large, I contain multitudes’ Whitman), and friends out of town, my followers number just over two dozen.Please send this to someone interested in theatre.I really want to share, help, and enlighten.Thanks.Still thinking of moving to Google so I can be searchable.
CURTAIN UP:
Query:Is a show considered historical just because it’s old? ‘Raison’ is celebrating its golden anniversary, and it’s set in the 50’s.Doesn’t that make it contemporary?‘An Inspector Calls’ is that old, but set in the 1910’s, truly a period piece.‘Misalliance’ is a hundred years old but set in the same period (I think).Many lazy writers now will place mystery novels, thrillers, and movies in 1985 to avoid the nasty complication of cell phones and the Internet.Are these modern pieces historicals because they are set in a significantly different time?Another thing:What do we call shows set in a post-apocalyptic period?Are they historical if the world ended in 1958?Or futuristic if in 2020?What if the world ended now?Is it period or contemporary?
OPENING:
I MARRIED A HOBBIT – Solo artist at City Theatre
Alex Garza’s latest one-man show: stories of characters dealing with romance, heartbreak, desire, and commitment.He’s good and engaging with his autobiographical material.In ’04 he was in FronteraFest’s Short Fringe, and later expanded the piece to full length at Play! Theatre.I remember him spinning around in a spaceman outfit until he was dizzy and telling how hucksters make it appear that water drains in different directions a foot or two on either side of the equator.
Austin Drama Club seeks actors, band and tech support for next 3 shows Posted: March 11, 2010
Romeo and Juliet opens in mid April. Rehearsals have been going for a week now. The cast needs one gal to play the Page to Paris (in our version the Page is in love with Paris and pushes him everywhere in his wheel chair and gives Juliet dirty looks), the part has just a few lines. Rehearsals are 4 or 5 nights a week for the next 5 weeks.
Also in rehearsal now is Merchant of Venice. The cast needs 2 dudes who can handle a supporting role in a Shakespeare production. Bassanio (love interest to Portia) and Gratiano (hot head type of dude). The show goes up in May.
Mother Courage is re-cast and re- scheduled to open in June. It is still under the direction of Aaron Lawhon but with a new actress cast in the lead. We are looking at filling 2 parts. A female supporting role, and an actor who can play many small parts. ( great for an improv type actor)
We will work with un-trained, young, in experienced actors if they are willing to do 2 shows (One where you act and the other where you run lights or curtains or house manage).
As for the local skilled actors; we will do whatever possible to help you receive something extra for your time and effort.
We seek camera operators/ live edit directors for all these shows. (you'd be working older equipment but it is in good working order.) In exchange for running our camera/booth to record/live edit our shows we can trade time in our space to shoot your pilot.
We seek house band (can supply pro equipment sans keys and drums) to play a small set after shows. What we want is four dudes who can take small roles in our plays in exchange for a regular gig at 1030pm on Friday and Sat nights in April, May, and June. Also, we will provide some instruments and storage and a rehearsal space for the band (could be great for some guys who want to play shows downtown afterwards). For the sound we are wanting electric but not too loud, soft drums and a small easy set of jazz/blues/pop/Bongwater meets Nico.
Search us on the web to see pictures, videos, rehearsals, and reviews. Contact us at
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or you can leave a message by phone 512 236 1092
Contact: Austin Drama Club
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512-236-1092
[photo: Japhy Fernandes as Henry V, Austin Drama Club]
A Gaslight-Baker Original Production Fridays and Saturdays, March 12 - 27, 8 p.m. Special Matinee Performances Sunday, March 21 and Saturday, March 27, 2 p.m. Admission is $12/ general, $10/student and seniors, available on-line We are excited to be present the first musical review put on by the Gaslight Baker Theatre! Christy Smith and Tysha Calhoun have taken on the task of creating Divas: An Evening of Music performed by 11 of the most talented female artists that Central Texas has to offer.
The program will showcase tunes from the early 1920's to present day, from show tunes to pop music. The Gaslight-Baker is thrilled to have all these talented DIVAS together together on stage to deliver an exciting, enjoyable night of song and dance.
Directed by Tysha Calhoun with choreography by Christy Smith, this production is a new venture for the theatre, with memorable performances by both individual "divas" as well as light and fun group numbers. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "I Will Survive," "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," "Bushel and a Peck" and "Memory "are an example of the numbers which will be performed.
For more information, check our website at www.gaslightbakertheatre.org or leave a message at 512- 376-5653.
Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun was a triumph for its 29-year-old author in 1959, winning the New York Drama Critics Circle award for best play. It opened career avenues in theatre and in the cinema for a cast that included Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Louis Gossett, Jr.
The play was a victory for African American arts, as well. Hansberry broke both the color barrier and the gender barrier in American theatre -- with a play based on her family's own experience with restrictive real estate covenants in Chicago, a struggle vindicated by the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1940.
Lisa Jordan's production at Austin's City Theatre acknowledges that history but is not burdened by it. She and the cast find the strength of Hansberry's story where it resides: in the resilience of family.
