Capital T Theatre

Bug by Tracy Letts

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:14:36 +0000

Warning: contains nudity, cigarette smoke, violence, and adult situations.

Capital T presents

BUG

by Tracy Letts
Directed by Mark Pickell

Scenic Design by Mark Pickell and Tommy Grubbs

Sound Design by Adam Hilton

Costume Design by Cheryl Painter

May 20th – June 12th 2010

Hyde Park Theatre 511 W 43rd St

The same critically acclaimed, award winning creative team that brought you last summer’s kick ass KILLER JOE presents BUG by Tracy Letts. We have reunited the entire cast, crew and design team to bring you the most anticipated show of the summer.

This comic thriller pits two lost souls—a crack-addicted divorcee and a young veteran with trouble in his past—against a vast conspiracy of
increasingly scary enemies.

Set in a seedy Oklahoma City motel room, the play centers on the meeting between Agnes, a divorced waitress with a fondness for cocaine and isolation, and Peter, a soft-spoken Gulf War drifter introduced to her by her lesbian friend, R.C. Agnes stays at a hotel in hopes of avoiding her physically abusive ex-husband, Jerry, who was just released from prison. Did we mention the infestation of bugs?

Cast

Kenneth Wayne Bradley

Joey Hood

Katie DeBuys

Joe Reynolds

Melissa Recalde

About the Playwright

Tracy Letts – Playwright
has been a Steppenwolf ensemble since 2002. He was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play August: Osage County, which played on Broadway for over a year, following a sold-out run at Steppenwolf in 2007. August also enjoyed a sold-out engagement at London’s National Theatre and a U.S. National Tour in summer 2009. Other accolades include five Tony Awards (including Best Play), an Olivier Award and six Jeff Awards (including Best Play). Mr. Letts is also the author of Superior Donuts, which had its world premiere at Steppenwolf in 2008 and opened on Broadway in 2009; Man from Nebraska, which was produced at Steppenwolf in 2003 and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize; Killer Joe, which has been produced in Chicago, London and New York; and Bug, which has played in New York, Chicago and London. He has appeared at Steppenwolf in Betrayal, The Pillowman, Last of the Boys, The Pain and the Itch, The Dresser, Homebody/Kabul, The Dazzle, Glengarry Glen Ross (also in Dublin and Toronto), Three Days of Rain, Road to Nirvana, Picasso at the Lapin Agile and the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of The Glass Menagerie. Other Chicago stage credits include The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (A Red Orchid Theatre), Conquest of the South Pole (Famous Door), Bouncers (the Next Lab) and his directorial debut at the Lookingglass Theatre with Great Men of Science Nos. 21 and 22. He also appeared in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, directed by ensemble member Amy Morton. Television credits include: The District, Profiler, Prison Break, The Drew Carey Show, Seinfeld and Home Improvement. Film appearances include Guinevere, U.S. Marshals and Chicago Cab.

Creative Team

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Pictures of Dying City by Christopher Shinn

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:51:43 +0000

Mark Scheibmeir and Liz Fisher in DYING CITY by Christopher Shinn

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3 Rave Reviews for DYING CITY

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:46:55 +0000

Mark Scheibmeir and Liz Fisher in DYING CITY by Christopher Shinn

Critics have fallen in love with every aspect of DYING CITY. They have been blown away by Liz Fisher’s and Mark Scheibmeir’s performances, loved Christopher Shinn’s subtle yet complex play, and gave credit to first time director Derek Kolluri for bringing the story to life.

“Exquisite, powerful, contemporary. Liz Fisher and Mark Scheibmeier resonate with Derek Kolluri’s direction. Deserves a much longer run than the remaining three performances now scheduled”
Austin Live Theatre – read the full review here

“Leave the kids with a sitter, bring a handkerchief, and drive on down to the Blue Theater before February 6th, this is one show that any Austin theatre fan would be mad to miss.”
***** Austin Theatre Examiner - read the full review here

“Intense performances from Fisher and Scheibmeir…If not wholly provocative, ‘Dying City’ bears attention for its accurate snapshot of contemporary emotional life”
Austin American-Statesman - read the full review here

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Facebook Fans – Pay What You Want Wednesday

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:52:02 +0000

If you are a fan of Capital T, you can pay what you want to see Dying City on Wednesday February 3rd 2010

Just follow these steps:

1) Become a Fan of Capital T on Facebook (all members of your party have to be fans)

2) Show up to the Blue Theatre and find your name on the list

3) Pay whatever you like to see the critically acclaimed DYING CITY

SEE YOU THERE!

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Cap T interviews Dying City playwright Christopher Shinn

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:07:27 +0000

It’s not often that Capital T gets to interview a Pulitzer prize nominated playwright, but that’s just what we did after Christopher Shinn agreed to talk about his play DYING CITY with our Literary Manager Carrie Klypchak. The 34 year old playwright, whose adaptation of HEDDA GABLER ran on Broadway last Spring, was nominated in 2008 for a Pulitzer Prize in drama for his play DYING CITY.

His plays have been premiered by the Royal Court Theatre, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, the Vineyard Theatre, South Coast Rep, and Soho Theatre, and later seen regionally in the United States and around the world. He is the winner of an OBIE in Playwriting (2004-2005) and a Guggenheim Fellowship in Playwriting (2005), was a Pulitzer Prize finalist (2008), was shortlisted for the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play (2008), and has also been nominated for an Olivier Award for Most Promising Playwright (2003), a TMA Award for Best New Play (2006), a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play (2007), and a South Bank Show Award for Theatre (2009). In 2009, his adaptation of Hedda Gabler premiered on Broadway at the Roundabout (American Airlines Theatre) and he has also written short plays for Naked Angels, the 24 Hour Plays, and the New York International Fringe Festival (2002 winner, Best Overall Production). He has received grants from the NEA/TCG Residency Program and the Peter S. Reed Foundation, and he is a recipient of the Robert S. Chesley Award. His plays are published in collections from TCG and A&C Black, and in acting editions from Dramatists Play Service and Playscripts. He teaches playwriting at the New School for Drama.

CK: Can you speak a bit about your personal inspiration for writing DYING CITY and the developmental process of the show’s practical realization?

Shinn: I wanted to write about what was going on in the world and at the time I began thinking about the play, the war in Iraq was starting. After Abu Ghraib happened, I started wondering about the ways sex and violence are intertwined, something that had interested me for a long time. At this point I began imagining some characters — I wanted to keep the cast list short because I felt like I could reach something very primal by just placing a man and woman onstage.

CK: Although DYING CITY is imbued with contemporary political perspectives, just as prevalent seems to be each of the characters’ negotiations in establishing his or her individual identity. Could you speak a bit about how you see these two foci intersecting?

Shinn:I don’t think any work of art can be politically effective unless it is psychologically complex. So I really start from trying to create interesting, conflicted characters. It’s not that I don’t think about the political at all, just that I try to think of the individual without in any way imposing an ideological agenda onto them. I’m more interested in exploring the “why” of people than anything else, and that exploration inevitably encompasses the political. But I have no interest in putting forward my political opinions — mostly because I don’t think my opinions are necessarily correct, or all that interesting.

CK: In DYING CITY, the characters not only exhibit clear tendencies toward escapism, but also seem to struggle to achieve connections in their relationships with others. In a script with such contemporary relevancy, how do you see these negotiations as reflective of our current society?

Shinn: I think it’s become a cliche to say that “people don’t connect in our time.” Then follows a rant about the technologies we all use constantly. I actually think that people do connect, just not in ways that satisfy everyone. People are constantly doing things with and to one another that leave one or both (or all) of them traumatized. So for me the interesting question becomes, “Why do people do what they do?” Motivation is the great mystery and a terrific subject for works of art, particularly the theatre since the audience is observing action and trying then to articulate motivation for those actions, without access to the innermost thoughts of the characters.

CK: In the structure of DYING CITY, you navigate “time” in very interesting ways for the audience. Can you speak a bit about how you believe your choices might offer the audience additional insights in such a character-driven piece?

Shinn: Since the play is a lot about trauma, I wanted it to have the structure of a trauma. After a trauma, the past keeps intruding on the present, despite all our conscious efforts to escape it and move forward. I thought by structuring the play this way, it wouldn’t just be about trauma, but the play itself might actually achieve a traumatic force for the audience (in a safe and controlled way, of course).

CK: Besides DYING CITY, I know you have written at least one other play, THE COMING WORLD, that also has twin characters. What is it about this construction that attracts you as a playwright?

Shinn: I don’t think I’m attracted by twins as a playwright as much as I am as a person. From the beginnings of literature onwards there are stories of twins, brothers, doubles — which speaks to a primal, universal power. I think this mechanism in myth and storytelling allows us to access feelings about loneliness, otherness, merger, separation, autonomy, envy, desire, longing, loss, identity — our obsessions (both conscious and unconscious).

CK: Were the roles of Craig and Peter in DYING CITY always intended to be played by one actor? How do you feel that the casting of one actor in these two roles aids your effort at reaching something “primal” onstage?

Shinn: I did always intend one actor to portray these roles, but mostly because I don’t believe there are too many identical twin acting pairs! Certainly not enough good ones to support multiple productions of the play at any one time. But I’d love to see two identical twin actors play the parts. I do think “looking the same” is an important aspect of the play in that it raises questions about how we become who we are apart from our genetic foundation.

CK: As a young playwright, you have already received numerous awards for your work, which includes becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for DYING CITY. How do you see that this honor has affected your work as a professional playwright?

Shinn: I don’t think it’s affected it too much. A lot of people get shortlisted and nominated for awards. I don’t think people remember most of these awards and nominations a few years after they are announced. It’s nice to be recognized and it can be painful to feel one’s work hasn’t been properly recognized, but mostly I feel that awards are just a small part of the artist’s life, and the only thing that really matters in the end is the work itself.

CK: You recently premiered your adaptation of HEDDA GABLER on Broadway, which is only one instance of diversity in your body of work. What do you see next in your playwriting efforts?

Shinn: I wish I knew! The thing inside me that writes the plays is pretty autonomous! All I can do is make room for it to emerge when it’s ready and not fight what it wants to say.

Interview with Dying City Director Derek Kolluri

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:44:47 +0000

We are very proud to introduce Derek Kolluri to the Austin theatre scene. As our finalist for the New Directions program he will be directing DYING CITY by Christopher Shinn which opens January 19th at the Blue Theatre. Derek holds an MFA in acting from the University of Arkansas and a Bachelor of Integrated Studies from Emporia State University and is currently developing his own theatre company Sustainable Theatre Project. He also recently worked as Stage Manager for SICK for Capital T and appeared in Cambiare’s production of ORESTES. Mark Pickell, artistic director for Capital T, shares this interview he had with Derek.

MP: How did you hear about New Directions and what made you interested in the program?
Derek: I had just moved to Austin and was scouring the web looking for different theatre companies in town. So was my fiancee, Molly. She became interested in the company when auditions for I Heart Wal-Mart was auditioning. She actually read about the position and thought I should apply. I had never thought I would break in to directing if I didn’t do it on my own, just producing shows myself, and with friends. But the program (New Directions) offered me an opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up.

MP: Where did you move from and why did you make Austin your new home?

Derek: I finished Graduate School on May 29th or 30th – one day… I went to commencement and two days later I moved to Austin. That was 7 months ago. Why Austin? The weather. Really, though, I wanted to move to a city that had all the makings of a great theatre hub and potential for strong community support for the arts. For most artists L.A., New York, and Chicago are highest on list for places to move. For me, the more I thought about it, the further down the list those three cities moved. I wanted to be in a place where I could start my own theatre company, and not be drowned by the saturation of companies in those three. Also, Austin is a great city. It was an easy choice to move here. Glad I did.

MP: Who was the very first “theatre person” you met in Austin?

Derek: Hmmm… that’s a tough one. I can’t say I remember too well. It all happened so fast. I met Travis Bedard, Will Snider and Liz Fisher at my first audition. Then I met some of the UT grads, um, Sma Cicieuand La Tasha Stephens. I met Gabe Luna at the same time. Working on Orestes. I met Ken Webster within two weeks of being here. Adam Hilton within a month of that. I know so many theatre folks in Austin…

MP: What was the first thing you ever directed?

Derek: first thing I directed was a terribly written play called “Association.” I can say it was terrible because I wrote it. I canalso say I was awful as a director. But, I learned not to directsomething you’ve written unless you’re willing to “cut the fat” as it were. Tough lesson.

MP: When and where did “Association” get produced?

Derek: Goddard High School. my senior year. 1999.

MP: When did you discover that you wanted to direct?

Derek: When I had proven to myself I was capable of it. As an actor I had always admired directors. I was convinced, after the afore mentioned production and other ill-conceived attempts, I was just NOT a director. I studied directors, with those with whom I was working and the theories of those with whom I would never work. Suddenly, one night, in undergrad I decided to direct again. And I loved it. It was terrifying and I loved it.

MP: What show followed “Association”?

Derek: Well between 1999 and 2005, I directed only scenes… as I said I thought directing was outside my reach. The next full length play I directed was “The Pillowman” by Martin McDonagh. That was in undergrad. I read that play and said, “I have to direct this.” So I did – despite knowing I was not a good director. But a good friend of mine (after Pillowman ) pushed me to believe I was good enough. And directing was never an overt aspiration I spoke about, so I knew he was being genuine. That type of encouragement is… priceless.

MP: Why did you chose to direct Dying City by Christopher Shinn?

Derek: It spoke to me. I liked the characters and I liked the relationships. I was drawn to the story. I like telling a story. Dying City is a great story (it’s painful and awful) but it’s a great story. Short answer: Story, story, story.

MP: What play are you afraid to direct?

Derek: The play I long to direct most… Waiting for Godot.

MP: What play would you never want to see or read again?

Derek: “Association”

MP: What are you plans after New Directions?

Derek: In March, Sustainable Theatre Project opens a full-length production called “Jack & Jill” by Jane Martin. I’m acting in it. Which I love doing. After that… just working with my friends and fiancee to run our theatre. We have a deep list of plays that we want to produce so that’s what we’re doing.

MP: Tell me about sustainable theatre project. How is it different from other producing companies?

Derek: The most obvious difference between STP and other companies in the theatre community at large is the initiative to create theatre without producing an excess of waste. Our goal is to be “zero waste.” We are working from the ground up to build a theatre company that leaves no trace, no imprint on the earth, but strives to make lasting impressions on audience members. Sustainability doesn’t just mean that we recycle and re-use and reduce… it means we plan ahead and make our practices more efficient. We also believe sustainability applies to the theatre we do in an artistic way. Sustainable practice enriches our world and theatre enriches our lives… the two ideas work really well together.

MP: When did this idea strike you as a concept for a theatre company?

Derek: I was talking to a friend of mine, Will Grayson, the night I moved to Austin. We were going on and on about how to make theatre more effective artistically and more efficient. Not because we felt other companies weren’t artistically valid or inefficient, (remember, it was my first night in Austin) rather it was a way to make all of my aspirations come true. On paper it made sense. So, I started doing research and it made sense as a business model. Sustainability is all about efficiency, the more efficient our practices the more time we have to be artists. Once the first domino fell the rest followed quickly. Another thing about Sustainability is that operating in a space that runs on solar power and wind, that uses water recycling etc. is that the overhead for production is significantly reduced. That space doesn’t exist, so our long view is to be the company that pushes for and opens that space. When that becomes a reality then all the funding we will get that would, in the past, go to rent or bills could be used to pay artists more and lower ticket prices. It just makes theatre more vital. If artists are paid more, they can devote more time to the work. If audiences can pay less, they’ll come out more often.

MP: You have already cast the show and are working on Dying City, anything surprise you this far into the process?

Derek: Honestly, no… everything is just as it should be at this point. I knew the production team were all talented and driven people, so, there’s no surprise that everyone is doing great work.

MP: What is it like to work with Mark Scheibmeir and Liz Fisher?

Derek: A treat. I feel that I push them too hard at times, but when I try to back off they are always ready to be pushed further. I couldn’t ask for more from them. I appreciate their commitment, and the trust they have put in me.

MP:What do you hope that the audience is talking about when they leave the theatre after Dying City?

Derek: I have no idea. When I think about an audience watching the show I only think about how to make Christopher Shinn’s story as clear as possible. I hope they are moved by the story and find the play hits close to home. It’s a play about so many things, violence, love, grief, war, identity… there is one thing the story is about to me, but I don’t want to say what it is. I guess I’ll know the show was a success if people take away the thing I won’t mention.

MP: Why are you guarding that thought?

Derek: I don’t want to give anything away…

Cap T Nominated for 17 ATE Awards and Wins 5 including ‘Company of the Year’!

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:21:03 +0000

Capital T Theatre won 5 Austin Theatre Examiner awards including Company of the Year. KILLER JOE struck again collecting Best Production of a Comedy, while Melissa Recalde and Tayler Gill closed out the lead actress category of both comedy and drama. Last and not least, Adam Hilton was also cited for his amazing sound design of THE BIRD and THE BEE, KILLER JOE, and SICK. The nominations rolled in from Ryan Johnson at the Austin Theatre Examiner at the end of 2009. In their first year to offer the awards Capital T was nominated for 17. To see a list of the nominations and winners check out the Austin Theater Examiner.

Tayler Gill - Best Lead Actress in a Drama

Awards

Company of the Year

Capital T Theatre

Best Production of a Comedy

KILLER JOE

Best Lead Actress in a Drama

Tayler Gill – Chloe, THE BIRD and THE BEE

Best Lead Actress in a Comedy

Melissa Recalde – Dottie, KILLER JOE

Special Technical Achievement

Adam Hilton – Sound Design, THE BIRD and THE BEE, SICK, and KILLER JOE

Melissa Recalde - Best Lead Actress in a Comedy

Nominations

Best Direction of a Production

Mark Pickell , KILLER JOE

Best New Play Written by Austinites

I ♥ WALMART

Mark Pickell, Jim Fritzler, Brad Klypchak, Kenneth Wayne Bradley, Aimee Gonzales, Larry Hill, Spencer Driggers, Elizabeth Orndorff, Craig Kenworthy and Al Pergande

Special Technical Achievement

Steve Shirey – Light Design, THE BIRD and THE BEE

Best Production of a Drama

THE BIRD and THE BEE

Best Lead Actor in a Drama

Chase Wooldridge – Jakob, THE BIRD and THE BEE

Best Ensemble in Comedy

KILLER JOE
Kenneth Wayne Bradley, Melissa Recalde, Joey Hood, Katie DeBuys, and Joe Reynolds

SICK
Joey LePage, Joe Reynolds, Rebecca Robinson, Tayler Gill and Stephen Mercantel

Best Lead Actor in a Comedy

Kenneth Wayne Bradley – Joe Cooper, KILLER JOE

Best Lead Actress in a Comedy

Killer Joe - Best Production of a Comedy

Rebecca Robinson – Maxine, SICK

Best Featured Actor in a Comedy

Adam Hilton – Bob, I WALMART

Stephen Mercantel – Davey- SICK

Best Featured Actress in a Comedy

Katie Debuys Sharla Killer Joe

Statesman and Chronicle place Cap T in top 9 of 2009

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:07:11 +0000

Both the Austin American-Statesman and the Austin Chronicle recognized Capital T Theatre in their end of the year honors.

THE BIRD and THE BEE picked up another accolade last week being named one of the top 9 art happenings of 2009 by the Austin American Statesman while the Austin Chronicle placed KILLER JOE in the top 9 of 2009.

Under the heading “Original and authentic Austin-made theater” THE BIRD and THE BEE by Matt Hartley and Al Smith were honored alongside four other local theatre companies.

Directed by Kelli Bland and starring Chase Wooldridge, Tayler Gill, Melissa Recalde, Blake Smith, Mary Katherine Dickey, and Matt Wasson, the production also received 2 Austin Critics Nominations last summer including Best Production of a Drama.

KILLER JOE appeared in the “Top 9 Most Memorable Locally Produced Live Performance Offerings That I Chanced to See in 2009″ list as no. 5. Also mentioned in the article is the memorable performance of Joe Reynolds as Ansel in the production and the fight choreography of Travis Dean.

Directed by Mark Pickell and starring Kenneth Wayne Bradley, Katie DeBuys, Joey Hood, Melissa Recalde, and Joe Reynolds the production has already received 6 B Iden Payne Nomination winning Outstanding Director of a Comedy and Outstanding Fight Choreography.

For the full list of honorees read the Austin American-Statesman article here or look at the Chronicle’s article here.

Cast for Dying City Will Have You Seeing Double

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:10:06 +0000

Capital T is excited to announce two of Austin’s best actors will be fielding the three roles in Christopher Shinn’s Pulitzer nominated DYING CITY.

Liz Fisher – Kelly

Liz Fisher was last seen on stage as Varya in Breaking String’s production of THE CHERRY ORCHARD . Favorite roles include: Hyde Park Theatre’s BOMBS IN YOUR MOUTH (BIP nomination, Austin Critics’ Table nomination), FEATURING LORETTA (BIP nomination, Austin Critics’ Table nomination), HUMANS, and THE PILLOWMAN; MINUS TIDE (BIP nomination) for the Rude Mechs and Bayou Radio; Austin Playhouse’s DUG UP;Austin Shakespeare’s MACBETH and DOG IN THE MANGER (BIP nomination); REEFER MADNESS and LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST for The Bedlam Faction; HBMG Foundation’s STROKE; THE SEAGULL (Austin Critics’ Table nomination) for Breakin’ String Theatre; Unlimited Automotive’s THE SWEETEST SWING IN BASEBALL; and ELEPHANT’S GRAVEYARD for UT Department of Theatre and Dance. Film credits include HOLY HELL (recently screened at the Austin Film Festival),THE HAPPY POET , NIGHTLIFE, and SIX MINUTES. Liz is a Core Company Member of Hyde Park Theatre.

Mark Scheibmeir – Peter/Craig

Mark was most recently seen onstage as Mr. Darcy in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE at UT. He last appeared for Capital T in the summer hit I ♥ WALMART as Chris Carmichael the corporate greeter trainer. Some of his favorite roles include “Virgil” in ARTOIS THE GOAT (film), “Ray X” in BAD PENNY and “Cheswick” in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST. He was recently seen in Austin Shakespeare’s production of AN IDEAL HUSBAND and as Eros in the Cohen New Work’s Festivals Production of THE PSYCHE PROJECT. Mark is represented in Austin by Liz Atherton at Tag Talent. He won the W.H. “Deacon” Crain Award at the 2009 Austin Critics Table Awards this year. He received his B.S. in Radio-Television-Film at The University of Texas at Austin. He returned to UT as a member of the MFA in Acting Program where he is in his final year.

Dying City by Christopher Shinn

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:40:24 +0000

Capital T presents

The regional premiere of the Pulitzer Prize nominated

Dying City

by Christopher Shinn
Directed by Derek Kolluri

Stage Manager – Cathrin Winsor

Scenic Design – Mark Pickell, Derek Kolluri, and Dan Farrar

Lighting Design – Dan Farrar

Costume Design – Heather Lesieur

Running Crew- Josh Singleton, Isaac Buckland, and Jeff Smith

January 19th – February 6th 2010

The Blue Theatre 916 Springdale Rd Austin, TX 78702

The first casualty of war is the truth. Christopher Shinn’s crafty and unsettling new play Dying City seeks that truth in a a quiet, transfixing tale of grief and violence, set in the shadow of the Iraq war.

When an Iraq war widow is unexpectedly visited by her dead husband’s twin brother, the two are forced to explore the repercussions of their loss, confront the secrets of the past, and admit the truth about the tragic legacy that connects them. Capital T proudly presents the regional preimiere of this Pulitzer-nominated play examining the politics of the American soul starring Liz Fisher and Mark Scheibmeir.

Cast

Kelly – Liz Fisher

Peter/Craig – Mark Scheibmeir

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About the Playwright

Christopher Shinn – Playwright
was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and lives in New York. His plays have been premiered by the Royal Court Theatre, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, the Vineyard Theatre, South Coast Rep, and Soho Theatre, and later seen regionally in the United States and around the world. He is the winner of an OBIE in Playwriting (2004-2005) and a Guggenheim Fellowship in Playwriting (2005), was a Pulitzer Prize finalist (2008), was shortlisted for the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play (2008), and has also been nominated for an Olivier Award for Most Promising Playwright (2003), a TMA Award for Best New Play (2006), a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play (2007), and a South Bank Show Award for Theatre (2009). In 2009, his adaptation of Hedda Gabler premiered on Broadway at the Roundabout (American Airlines Theatre) and he has also written short plays for Naked Angels, the 24 Hour Plays, and the New York International Fringe Festival (2002 winner, Best Overall Production). He has received grants from the NEA/TCG Residency Program and the Peter S. Reed Foundation, and he is a recipient of the Robert S. Chesley Award. His plays are published in collections from TCG and A&C Black, and in acting editions from Dramatists Play Service and Playscripts. He teaches playwriting at the New School for Drama.

Creative Team

Mark Scheibmeir – Peter/Craig
Mark was most recently seen onstage as Mr. Darcy in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE at UT. He last appeared for Capital T in the summer hit I HEART WALMART as the Greeter Trainer. Some of his favorite roles include “Virgil” in ARTOIS THE GOAT (film), “Ray X” in BAD PENNY and “Cheswick” in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST. He was recently seen in Austin Shakespeare’s production of AN IDEAL HUSBAND and as Eros in the Cohen New Work’s Festivals Production of THE PSYCHE PROJECT. Mark is represented in Austin by Liz Atherton at Tag Talent. He won the W.H. “Deacon” Crain Award at the 2009 Austin Critics Table Awards this year. He received his B.S. in Radio-Television-Film at The University of Texas at Austin. He returned to UT as a member of the MFA in Acting Program where he is in his final year.

LIZ FISHER – Kelly
Liz was last seen on stage as Varya in Broken String’s Production of THE CHERRY ORCHARD. Favorite roles include: Lily in Hyde Park Theater’s Bombs in Your Mouth (BIP nomination, Austin Critics’ Table nomination)Hyde Park Theatre’s Featuring Loretta (BIP nomination, Austin Critics’ Table nomination), Humans, and The Pillowman; Minus Tide (BIP nomination) for the Rude Mechs and Bayou Radio; Marci in Austin Playhouse’s Dug Up; Austin Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Dog in the Manger (BIP nomination); Reefer Madness, Reefer Madness: Rehashed, and Love’s Labour’s Lost for The Bedlam Faction; HBMG Foundation’s Stroke; The Seagull (Austin Critics’ Table nomination) for Breaking String Theater; Unlimited Automotive’s The Sweetest Swing in Baseball; and Elephant’s Graveyard for UT Department of Theatre and Dance. Film credits include Holy Hell (recently screened at the Austin Film Festival), The Happy Poet, Nightlife, and Six Minutes. Liz is a Core Company Member of Hyde Park Theatre.