There’s no doubt that Austin is flush with creative, artistic individuals. Beyond the live music shows that we’re so well-known for, Austin is also home to a thriving performing arts scene. While it make take extra planning and prepping for us busy moms to get a night out at the theatre, it’s such a worthwhile and emotionally satisfying activity. So get out there in 2015! Take advantage of our city’s “culture of creativity”. Enjoy some singing, dancing, and storytelling that will move you, entertain you, and inspire you.
Children’s Theatre Roundup for July:
What’s the Story, Steve?
ColdTowne Theater
Help Steve and his cast of improvisers bring original stories to the stage! These 50 minute live performances feature Steve the improvising poodle. Each show is a unique story inspired by audience suggestion. All ages welcome. Tickets at the door. Volunteer to be a part of the show or enjoy from your seat.
Every Saturday (No show on July 4th)
Steve Scott Solves Them All – A Small Dog Mystery – July 11th
Shows at 10am, pay as you wish
The Flying Theater Machine
Hideout Theatre
In “Dinos!”, the audience and performers will create a prehistoric adventure together. Using suggestions from the audience, a group of dinosaurs will show you what life was like in an era before time. Join us for “Dinos!” to experience a journey through the time of the dinosaurs. In these fully improvised stories, we’ll find many opportunities for the children in the audience (and sometimes their adults!) to participate and guide the story and even play on stage! Feel free to come in your best dinosaur costume and get into the action!
Every Sunday
Shows at 2pm, $5
The Wizard of Oz
Emily Ann Theatre (Wimberley)
Have you ever wanted to travel SOMEWHERE, OVER THE RAINBOW? Come skip down the yellow brick road with Dorothy, Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man this summer at the EmilyAnn Theatre & Gardens. Following our award winning Disney’s Beauty and the Beast last summer (Winner of BroadwayWorld Austin’s Best Musical in Austin and the Surrounding Areas 2014), we are so excited to bring the magical musical, THE WIZARD OF OZ, with a cast of 50 of the area’s most talented actors, to Wimberley. Opening night will feature a party in Munchkin Land, complete with candy goody bags, an ice cream bar, and special appearances by cast members.
June 5 – July 4
Shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:15pm, $15 regular ticket/$10 student or group tickets, $25 for opening night (Children 5 and under are free for outdoor shows)
Eulenspeigel Puppet Theatre Presents: The Monkey and the Crocodile
Austin Public Library branches
The Monkey and the Crocodile is a delightful hand puppet show adapted from a tale in the Panchatantra (one of the earliest collections of fables written in India). Written more than 2500 years ago, it features a tricky monkey, a good-natured crocodile, and his cunning wife!
July 1 at 2pm (Little Walnut), July 2 at 2pm (Carver), July 8 at 2pm (Hampton at Oak Hill), July 14 at 2pm (Southeast), July 22 at 4pm (Manchaca), July 25 at 2pm (Yarbrough), July 27 at 2pm (Spicewood), Free
Magik Theatre Presents: Jack & the Beanstalk
Austin Public Library branches
Would you trade your best friend for three magic beans? When Jack does, he gets high-altitude adventure and more gold than he could ever spend. Even so, Jack is unhappy. Find out what happens when Jack learns that a true friend is the greatest treasure in the world. Don’t miss the chance to bring this classic fairy tale to life for your students – follow us as we climb up to the wondrous world of the beanstalk. Suitable for all ages.
July 1 at 2pm (Ruiz), July 5 at 2pm (Faulk), July 7 at 4pm (Twin Oaks), July 14 at 2pm (Cepeda), July 20 at 4pm (Howson), Free
Literature LIVE! Presents Tortugas del Mar
Austin Public Library branches
Mayan goddess Ixchel watches over two baby sea turtles on their journey across the ocean. Join them as they encounter the enchantment and mystery of the sea, and find out if they will overcome the refuse of humans which threatens their very existence. This dual language show is recommended for ages 5 and up.
June 2 at 2pm (Willie Mae Kirk), July 8 at 2pm (Little Walnut), July 9 at 2pm (University Hills), July 10 at 2pm (Terrazas), July 18 at 2pm (Yarbrough), July 20 at 2pm (Spicewood Springs), July 22 at 2pm (Ruiz), July 25 at 2pm (Recycled Reads), July 29 at 2pm (Hampton at Oak Hill), Free
Bad Spies and Jaded (Double feature)
Ground Floor Theatre
A famous painting has been stolen! Can the four worst spies ever take on an international art thief; or are they once again, doomed to failure? Bad Spies is a spy comedy for all ages. Written by Zia Kinzy, 11. Directed by Lisi Sweeten, 11. Mentored by Katherine Wilkinson of Gale Theatre Co. and Lisa Scheps of Ground Floor Theatre. The second part of the double feature, produced in partnership with Girl Improved and ImprovEd Shakespeare, is Jared. In the chilling horror play, Jaded, an adolescent girl descends into madness… or so everyone thinks. Is it it real or all in her mind? Appropriate for ten and up. Written by Grayce Fischer, 13. Directed by Liliana Sweeten, 13. Mentored by Leanna Holmquist of The Baron’s Men and Patti Neff of Ground Floor Theatre.
July 9 – 18
Shows on Thursdays through Sundays at 7pm, Sundays at 2pm, $5+
Hairspray
Zilker Hillside Theatre
Winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Hairspray is a high-energy musical comedy phenomenon that will have the whole Hillside on their feet! Set in 1962 Baltimore, this musical is chock full of dazzling, toe-tapping production numbers and soulful rhythm and blues. Watching Hairspray is part of the July Austin Summer Fun Checklist, so by attending, you can earn your family’s way towards FREE prizes! Read more about the production here.
July 10 – August 15
Shows on Thursdays through Sundays at 8:30pm, FREE
Sarah the Dinosaur
Long Center
Perfect for Pollyanna’s summer production, this play will be enjoyed by children as young as four and as old as four-hundred. The production is the story of a young girl named Sarah who is tired of no one listening to her. But when her pre-school teacher tells her that she can “become anything she puts her mind to”, Sarah decides that the best way to get attention is to become a dinosaur and ROAR! Sarah soon learns that all attention is not positive when stomping and roaring turns the heads of everyone she encounters. Ultimately, Sarah finds her voice and the adults in her world learn to think twice before speaking. Watching Sarah the Dinosaur is part of the July Austin Summer Fun Checklist, so by attending, you can earn your family’s way towards FREE prizes!
July 11 – 19
July 11 at 2 & 4pm, July 12 at 2pm, July 18 at 2 & 4pm and July 19 at 2pm, $10
Cántaro
Austin Public Library branches
Cántaro is a vocal and musical band that devotes its artistic endeavors to children, creating songs and mixing them together with acting and puppetry. Their performances break the language barrier. Presented in Spanish, they appeal to Spanish speaking audiences, and also become ideal for Spanish-learning audiences. Though specially designed for children under 10 years old, their shows are certainly enjoyed by grown-ups as well.
July 11 at 2pm (Yarbrough), July 13 at 2pm (Windsor Park), July 14 at 4pm (Twin Oaks), July 15 at 2pm (Ruiz), FREE
Arc Attack
Dell Hall at the Long Center
Seen on America’s Got Talent, ArcAttack is a performance art group that specializes in playing music through a combination of homemade, high-tech instruments, and more traditional instruments such as guitar and bass. Creators of the original Singing Tesla Coil, the crew of ArcAttack use their high tech wizardry to generate a truly “electrifying” performance. Combining their love of rock music and their love of science, this is a show you will never forget! Part rock concert, part science experiment, the creators of ArcAttack unveil the science behind the spectacle. Combining their love of music with science, the group invites the audience to explore concepts such as electricity, voltage and current, magnetism, robotics and lightning through a show that’s both entertaining and interactive. The audience is engaged from start to finish as the group’s trusty, completely automated robot drummer King Beat introduces the audience to the show. The show features their signature tesla coils, as members of the group literally walk through lightning, then invite members of the audience on stage to take part in a special faraday cage dance off! Seeing Arc Attack is part of the July Austin Summer Fun Checklist, so by attending, you can earn your family’s way towards FREE prizes!
July 24 at 7:30pm (all ages), $19
Guys & Dolls
Rollins Theater at the Long Center
Get ready to rock, shake and roll, because Broadway’s “perfect musical comedy” is coming to Summer Stock Austin! The Tony-winning Guys and Dolls is rocking the boat in Austin this summer. Guys and Dolls follows a fly-by-night gambler as he attempts to woo a Salvation Army missioner for a $1,000 bet. Meanwhile, a beleaguered showgirl tries to hook her fiancé of 14 years, the founder of “the oldest, established, permanent, floating crap game in New York. Guys and Dolls introduces audiences to a cast of characters who have become legends in the musical theatre world. The world-famous musical comedy has been revived on Broadway four times, and is best known for the 1955 film of the same name, starring Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, and Marlon Brando. Frank Loesser’s toe-tapping score, including fan-favorites such as “Luck Be a Lady,” “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat,” and “I’ve Never Been In Love Before” is the perfect music to complement Runyon’s colorful characters. Go back to the days of classic Broadway- you’ll love it a bushel and a peck and hug around the neck. Presented by Summer Stock Austin, made up of students from across Texas who meet to mount several productions with professionals from Austin and around the country in a one-of-a-kind experience.
July 24 – August 16
Wednesdays-Sundays at 7:30pm, 10am, Saturdays at 2pm, $25
Tortoise & Hare
Rollins Theater at the Long Center
Ancient vs. modern. Brain vs. brawn. Peace vs. war. Sacred vs. secular. Poor vs. rich. Reptile vs. mammal. The ultimate culture clash between two tribes and a fantastical race to decide the fate of them all. Musical styles collide in this energetic new re-imagining of the ancient fable, Tortoise & Hare. Presented by Summer Stock Austin, made up of students from across Texas who meet to mount several productions with professionals from Austin and around the country in a one-of-a-kind experience.
July 26 – August 15
Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10am, Sundays at 2pm, $14
Into the Woods
Rollins Theater at the Long Center
What happens after the “happily ever after?” Take that question, a slew of our favorite fairytale characters, and Stephen Sondheim’s unparalleled score and you have Into the Woods. James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical follows Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and more of our favorite characters in this fractured (musical!) fairytale. A childless baker and his wife endeavor to lift their family curse by journeying into the woods, where they encounter Rapunzel (and her witchly “mother”), Cinderella, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood and other classic fairy tale characters, and they all must learn the responsibility that comes with getting what you want. Into the Woods first opened on Broadway in 1987, was revived in 2002, and most recently became a feature film starring Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, and Emily Blunt. From the depths of the woods, to the steps of the palace, to the Rollins Studio Theatre… sit back, relax, and be careful what you wish for. Presented by Summer Stock Austin, made up of students from across Texas who meet to mount several productions with professionals from Austin and around the country in a one-of-a-kind experience.
July 29 – August 16
Tuesdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm, $25
Theatre Roundup for the Older Kids and Grown-Ups for July:
The Free Fringe
Hideout Theatre
There are hundreds of performers, and every single one of them is prone to saying things like “Wouldn’t it be crazy if…?” or “I just had the most insane idea.” This is where those dreams go, not to die, but to live gloriously on the stage for one night only. Every week will be dramatically different. There could be shows with improvisers tied up in rope, 50 performers onstage, blindfolded actors, improvising dogs, or 1000 other things. THE FREE FRINGE IS FREE. FOREVER. Reserve your tickets in advance to guarantee yourself a spot.Every Thursday
Shows start at 10pm
Movie Riot
ColdTowne Theater
Prepare for MOVIE RIOT— a live improvised comedy double header event. Two teams of comedy juggernauts take the ColdTowne Theater stage to create brand new never-before-seen movies live on stage. From a title or song lyric, the performers will lovingly craft complete improvised films, all made up on the spot. But the fun doesn’t end there. Add in free popcorn and movie candies (and for a limited time FREE MAGARITAS), you’ll get a recipe for a killer cinema-inspired live comedy event.
Every Friday
Show starts at 7pm, $5
Hideout Theatre
The Hideout presents twelve of Austin’s virtuoso improv comedians for a night of games and scenes based on audience suggestions — but only one of them will make it to the end of the show and be crowned MAESTRO for the week and awarded the coveted Canadian five-dollar bill. Also, all Maestro shows are now wheelchair accessible as they are performed in the Downstairs Theater. To guarantee a space ahead of time e-mail Artistic Director Roy Janik at roy@hideouttheatre.com.
Every Saturday (no show on July 4th)
Shows at 10pm, $12
Second Sunday Comedy Showcase
ZACH Theatre
Watch the improv all-stars of Austin, The Known Wizards, headline this improv comedy showcase with spontaneous scenes, hilarious games, surprisingly good songs, and fantastic stories all made up on the spot based on audience input. You say it, we play it–like magic! The July show features Improv 301 & Improv Singing 301 Graduation show & Free Improv Jam Night!
Second Sundays (July 12, August 9, September 13, October 11, November 8, December 22), $9
The Importance of Being Earnest
The City Theatre
At a refined bachelor flat trouble is brewing! The delicious confection follows the romantic misadventures of two English cads, Jack and Algernon, who devise a double life in order to impress the strong-willed women whose hearts they hope to win. But when it is revealed that both friends are not entirely who they appear to be, and must battle the indomitable force of Lady Bracknell, a madcap comedy of tea time pitfalls, unexpected antics, and hilarious revelations ensues. The celebrated classic dazzles with ironic wit, comic invention, razor-sharp subtlety, and bold servings of characters who all discover the importance of being earnest.
June 12 – July 5 (Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 5:30pm), $15+
Heathers, The Musical
Salvage Vanguard Theatre
Based on the 1988 cult classic film, the musical follows Westerburg High School senior Veronica Sawyer through her tumultuous adventures and battles with the original “mean girls”, The Heathers. The story features everything that makes a high school musical memorable: Teen romance, sexy cheerleaders, handsome jocks, cliques, bullying and, yes, murder. HEATHERS features a book, score and lyrics by the award-winning creative team of Laurence O’Keefe (Legally Blonde, Bat Boy) & Kevin Murphy (Reefer Madness, “Desperate Housewives). The hilarious, heartfelt and homicidal new musical won over audiences and critics in Los Angeles playing to sold out houses, and then moved to New York, where it made its official premiere in 2014. HEATHERS and THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW will be performed in repertory, with several double features.
June 18 – July 11 (June 18-20, June 25-27, June 28, July 2 & 3 at 7:30pm; June 21, 28 at 5pm), $20+
Swings Asunder
Rollins Theater at the Long Center
Swings Asunder is an avant-garde exploration of gender roles, sex, and self worth through modern dance, gesture, and innovative aerial movement. It examines gender duality versus fluidity, and how we struggle to fit the molds of masculinity and femininity through life’s rites of passage. Come along on a unique journey toward self-acceptance and ultimately, the power of breaking free to live our own unique truth, discovering our own vulnerability and courage along the way. This show will contain implied nudity and adult themes. Ages 15 and up.
June 20 – July 3 (June 20-21, June 25-27, June 29, July 2 & 3 at 8pm; June 21, 27, 28 at 2pm), $25+
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Salvage Vanguard Theatre
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW is a live stage production of arguably the most popular B-film of all-time. Premiering in the UK in 1973, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW with book, lyrics and score by Richard O’Brien, has played to millions of audience members at theatres around the world. All your favorite characters from the film will be reprising their iconic songs: Dr. Frank-n-Furter (Sweet Transvestite), the lovers Brad & Janet (Dammit, Janet!), the walking dead Eddie and his sweet tap-dancing Columbia (What Ever Happened to Saturday Night/Hot Patootie), and the space travelling siblings Riff Raff & Magenta (The Time Warp). Audience participation is welcome and strongly encouraged. HEATHERS and THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW will be performed in repertory, with several double features.
June 24 – July 11 (June 24, July 1 & 8 at 7:30pm; June 26-27, July 3 and July 10-11 at 11pm), $20+
Leng in Wonderland!
Salvage Vanguard Theatre
Leng stumbles onto Wonderland, a fairytale come true! What creatures and residents will she find there? Come find out! She will spend five fun and trippy nights in Wonderland, playing with and learning from these Wonderland residents. Though fairy tales are always unpredictable, the Great Seer has predicted these are the Wonderland residents she will meet, and that SHE WILL PERFORM WITH EVERY ACT EVERY NIGHT! See acts here. Some shows are inappropriate for under 18. Part of the workshop process for the 2016 Production of “An Asian American Fairy Tale.”
July 3, 9, 10, 11 (Thursday-Saturdays at 8pm, July 11 at 10pm), $10+
The Ladies Room
The Institution Theater
Strong. Worthy. Beautiful. Imperfect. Lovable. Bold. Behind the closed doors of the ladies room you’ll find truth: Real women with real stories that are really funny. The Ladies Room will pass every Bechdel test, showing women in their many roles, with their many faces, and many stories. The Ladies Room will invite you to journey with a group of friends that will support each other through the good, the bad and the ugly! You want to know what women talk about behind closed doors? Come and hear the secrets of The Ladies Room.
July 3, 10, 17 at 10pm, $10
Catch Me If You Can (Wimberley)
The Wimberley Playhouse
An engaging musical based on an incredible true story. A teenager with boyish charm, a big imagination and millions in forged checks runs away and successfully poses as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer—until an FBI agent catches up with him. As the inevitable chase begins, an unlikely friendship is forged and the teen and the agent find a way to work together. Spectacular dance numbers—a big, bold musical delight! Preview benefit performance on Thursday, July 9th at 7:30; 100% of ticket sales donated to flood relief.
July 9 – August 2 (Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:30pm), $15+
When the Rain Stops Falling
The Vortex
The story takes place between two worlds, between a prediction in 1959 and its outcome eighty years later, through the interconnected stories of two families over four generations. Gabriel Law leaves London in search of the biological father he never knew, who disappeared into the wilds of South Australia when Gabriel was seven years old. He meets a vulnerable young woman named Gabrielle, and together they journey into the vastness of the Australian desert, sharing their stories and falling in love. Through their interweaving narratives we are led back to the future, to a time of unceasing rain and a day when fish fall from the sky. Leaping from the intimate to the epic, When the Rain Stops Falling has been widely acknowledged as one of the greatest Australian plays of the decade, winning Andrew Bovell the Sydney Theatre Award in 2009 for Best New Work.
June 26 – July 18 (Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 7pm; no performance on July 5), $15+
60-in-Sixty Summer Shandy
Saengerrunde Halle
Featuring actors, musicians, dancers, painters, thinkers, and unique personalities in wild, original, unpredictable performances. 60 artists. 60 seconds each. The evening will also feature a shandy bar, participatory drinking songs, and a blowout dance party. Arrive hungry so you can enjoy German/Texan eats from some of Central Texas’ finest purveyors of BBQ sausage, pretzels, potato salad, sauerkraut, and beer!
July 9 (doors open at 7pm & show begins at 8pm, VIP Summer Feast starts at 6pm), $25+
Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies
ZACH Theatre
Welcome to Harlem’s famed Cotton Club in this stylish, brassy musical celebration of Duke Ellington’s greatest musical hits. A full on-stage orchestra backs superb jazz vocalists, extraordinary tap dancers, dazzling deco costumes, and unforgettable torch singers who bring classics like “Mood Indigo,” “Take the A Train,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” to vivid life in this grand Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. Never before produced in Austin!
July 15 – August 23 (Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:30pm plus Wilde Night on 7/16, post-show discussion on 7/22 and champagne opening post-show party on 7/23), $25+
RING OF FIRE: The Johnny Cash Musical Show
Kam and James Morris Theatre at TexARTS’ Erin Doherty Studios (Lakeway)
Touching on the life and times of one of the world’s most legendary musical artists, Johnny Cash, the RING OF FIRE is considered one of the best musical revues of our time. Although Cash himself is never impersonated, RING OF FIRE features a company of performers that will guide you on a journey through Cash’s storied life and celebrated music, from the cotton fields of Arkansas to the Grand Ole Opry.
July 17 – 26 (Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm), $48+
MAST
Salvage Vanguard Theatre
On an Air Force base outside Abilene, TX, Anne, a rancher’s daughter, and Walter, a globe-trotting journalist, conceive a child in the heat of wartime frenzy. The two recklessly elope to the Trujillo-oppressed Dominican Republic and face the edges and ends of themselves. Based on the legacy from Doss’s own mid-century Texan relatives, MAST is a photograph that spans the decades of Anne and Walter’s estranged lives, un-posed, only half-exposed and lost at sea.
July 23 – August 8 (Thursday-Saturdays at 8pm), $10+
Activate: Heartbeats
ZACH’s Topher Theatre
Using interviews, creative writing, movement, digital media, and taking inspiration from the title “Heartbeats” you will create an original theatre performance investigating the power of relationships. This production will be an original collage play that gives voice to your own diverse experiences and the stories of others. Does the world of dating boggle your mind or intrigue you? What story will you tell? The camp culminates in a performance at ZACH and in the community. NOTE: Heartbeats is offered in partnership with SafePlace’s Expect Respect program.
July 31 (7pm) – August 1 (2:30 & 7pm), $10
Love! Valour! Compassion!
The City Theatre
Love! Valour! Compassion! is hailed by many critics as McNally at the top of his form. The play centers on eight gay men who vacation together at an upstate New York country home for three summertime holiday weekends. The friends gather together to confront their lives, loves and friendships, exploring the boundaries of their relationships and some of life’s most profound and difficult questions.
July 31 – August 23 (Thursday-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 5:30pm), $15+
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://www.livemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Nicole-Basham-Sara-Marzani-Photography-livemom.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]A native Austinite and soccer-playing mom, Nicole uses her 9-year-old son as an excuse to rediscover her hometown through his eyes. In Thoreau’s words, her mission is to “suck out all the marrow of life”, or in her son’s words, to cultivate in him a love of “advenchers”.[/author_info] [/author]
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