It may be a sign that the end is near when we are able to assemble such an amazingly talented cast like we have for our upcoming production of boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb.  We have gathered two of your favorite austin actors as well as a ridiculously talented recent Austin transplant. We have coaxed the amazing Katherine Catmull back onstage with Capital T for the first time since she was buried up to her waist in a mound of sand in HAPPY DAYS which she was recognized as the Best Actress in town by the B Iden Payne Awards. We are also thrilled that Brad Price is back onstage for Cap T.  Last year Brad took us to a place where centaurs are real in HUNTER GATHERERS playing Tom which earned him a B Iden Payne Nomination for Best Supporting Actor.  We also can’t wait to introduce to Austin a recent transplant from New Mexico and a kick ass actor,  Katy Taylor.  We are sure you will see her onstage in Austin after boom has closed (in fact she has already been cast in Hyde Park Theatre’s upcoming MIDDLETOWN by Will Eno).   Read all about these talented people then get your tickets to the show!

Jo – Katy Taylor

Katy is elated to make her Austin stage debut with Capital T’s production of boom. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she is most recently a transplant from Las Cruces, New Mexico where she served as an AmeriCorp volunteer over the last two years teaching theatre at Alma d’arte, an arts integration charter high school. Her time in the desert also afforded her the opportunity to work under the direction of Mark Medoff as Iris in THE IRIS INCIDENT and Nicole in SANDPIPER. Additionally, she’s appeared as Rosalind in AS YOU LIKE IT, First Witch in MACBETH, and Evelyn in THE SHAPE OF THINGS. Directing credits include Patricia Loughrey’s DEAR HARVEY (Rio Grande Theatre) and Nicky Silver’s FREE WILL AND WANTON LUST (Baldwin-Wallace College). Katy has also worked as a stage manager for American Place Theatre, PlayhouseSquare, and Project in Motion.  Katy will be appearing in Hyde Park Theatre’s MIDDLETOWN by Will Eno in September.

Jules – Brad Price

Boom marks Brad’s second appearance  with Capital T.  It also marks his second appearance in a Peter Sinn Nachtrieb play as he played Tom in Last Fall’s HUNTER GATHERERS (B Iden Payne Nomination Outstanding Supporting Actor). He is a recent transplant from Los Angeles where he was/is co-founder and ensemble member of Furious Theatre Company. Acting credits with Furious include: THE PAIN AND THE ITCH (West Coast Premiere), GRACE (West Coast Premiere), THE SHAPE OF THINGS (L.A. Premiere), SCENES FROM THE BIG PICTURE (U.S. Premiere), MOJO (West Coast Premiere), THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD, IMPROV STUNT SHOW SPECTACULAR. Credits with other theatres include: THE IMAGINARY MAN (staged reading), FESTEN (staged reading) and ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST (staged reading) at Pasadena Playhouse; INTO THE WOODS; LEND ME A TENOR; BOYS LIFE; THE FOREIGNER; BRILLIANT TRACES; THE KUNTUCKY CYCLE. Brads can also be seen in the feature film Pure Shock Value.

Barbara – Katherine Catmull

Katherine Catmull  last collaborated on Capital T’s 2007 HAPPY DAYS playing Winnie, a role for which she won the B Iden Payne Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. Since then, she has appeared in BODY AWARENESS and CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION for Hyde Park Theatre in 2010, as well as in her own short play, “Wool and Water,” in FronteraFest 2009. In all, for her acting Katherine has received six B Iden Payne Awards and thirteen nominations, as well as one Austin Critics Table Award and seven nominations. Her voice acting can be heard in the online games WIZARD 101 and DC UNIVERSE ONLINE. Katherine is also a playwright whose short play “Pizza Apostrophe” was published in NEW MONOLOGUES FOR WOMEN BY WOMEN. Her middle-grade novel SUMMER AND BIRD (Dutton Juvenile/Penguin) will be published this October.

HUNTER GATHERERS

Capital T presents

boom

by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb

Directed by Mark Pickell

Costume Design by Cheryl Painter

May 31st-June 23rd

Thursday-Saturday at 8pm

Hyde Park Theatre 511 W 43rd St

“Sex to Change the Course of the World”—A grad student’s online personal ad lures a mysterious journalism student to his subterranean research lab under the pretense of an evening of “no strings attached” sex. But when a major global catastrophic event strikes the planet, their date takes on evolutionary significance and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Will they survive? What about the fish in the tank? And who is that woman pulling levers and playing the timpani? 

Peter Sinn Nachtrieb tackles our fascination with myths about the origins (and end!) of life with this clever, sharp-witted doomsday comedy.

Cap T is proud to present this explosive comedy by the same playwright and director of the ferociously funny smash hit HUNTER GATHERERS. Directed by Mark Pickell (Austin Critics Table Award Best Director 2010, 2011) and starring the amazing Katherine Catmull (B Iden Payne Best Actress HAPPY DAYS) as Barbara, Brad Price (B Iden Payne Nomination HUNTER GATHERERS), and introducing Katy Taylor in her Austin stage debut as Jo.  

Cast

Jo – Katy Taylor

Jules – Brad Price

Barbara – Katherine Catmull

About the Playwright

Peter Sinn Nachtrieb – Playwright
is a San Francisco-based playwright whose works include boom (TCG’s most-produced play 2009-10), T.I.C. (Trenchcoat In Common), Hunter Gatherers (2007 ATCA/Steinberg New Play Award, 2007 Will Glickman Prize), Colorado,and Multiplex. His work has been seen Off-Broadway and at theaters across the country including at Ars Nova, SPF, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Seattle Repertory, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cleveland Public Theatre, Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep, Wellfleet Harbor Actor’s Theatre, Dad’s Garage, and in the Bay Area at Encore Theatre, Killing My Lobster, Marin Theatre Company, Impact Theatre, and The Bay Area Playwrights Festival. He is under commission from South Coast Repertory and American Conservatory Theater, and is a Resident Playwright at the Playwrights Foundation, San Francisco. He holds a degree in Theater and Biology from Brown and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. He likes to promote himself online at www.peternachtrieb.com.

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P
recious Little Talent Director Scott Tipton was kind enough to answer some questions from our Artistic Director Mark Pickell regarding his childhood, New Directions, and what he wants people to take away from PLT.

How did you end up in Austin and why did you apply for the New Directions program?

I have always wanted to live in the Austin area. So, when an opportunity to move here presented itself my wife and I were to quick to move on it. Life is better in Austin, Texas! I have been a supporter of CAPITAL T for several years and was excited to have an opportunity to be involved with one of their productions – the New Directions program seemed an ideal way to get involved with the company.

What was the first thing you ever directed for an audience?

In high school I directed a One-Act Play adaptation of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW.

When was the moment you got bit by the theatre bug?

When I was 13 (while living in London) I saw one of the closing performances of Lee Blessing’s A WALK IN THE WOODS. This production featured Edward Hermann and Sir Alec Guinness (of STAR WARS fame – thrilling for a teenage fan of the ‘original’ trilogy). The production turned out to be the retirement of ‘Obi-Wan’ from the West End.

If you could direct any show here in Austin what show would you love to share with the Austin community?

A play I’m very interested in directing is Adam Rapp’s THE METAL CHILDREN. In my opinion, it poses some very relevant questions about contemporary issues not discussed enough in current plays (ie. teen pregnancy pacts, abortion, etc). Also, I’m always drawn to ambiguous characters (on a journey towards redemption) who must make a journey
towards some form of ‘truth’? Truth, as we all know, is oftentimes not attractive. It is this darkness (combined with absurdity) of contemporary situations that truly intrigues me.

You are directing the first production in the United States ( or for that matter the first production outside the UK) of Precious Little Talent. What are your thoughts on this honor?

It is ALWAYS an exciting opportunity to direct a production that has had little exposure – but when the script is a US Premiere it seems to double the stakes. Obviously, as storytellers we HOPE our work is innovative and inspiring to others. It is a great honor to be ‘entrusted’ with the responsibility of being one of the first individuals who introduces the playwrights story. In particular, when one is working with a script of the literary quality of Precious Little Talent.

You spent some time in London while you were growing up, how did you end up over there and what was that experience like for you? How do you think this production has benefited from that experience?

In my formative years, I was incredibly fortunate that my father’s executive position led us to several locations across the globe. My favorite of these was London, England. This was not only the place I first discovered theatre but (as a teenager) the place I first began to discover who I was.. I think these personal experiences allowed me some very specific insight into the nature of the relationships and cultural identity of the English characters in the script.

You have never worked with any of these actors before, what has it been like to work with this group of actors?

Working with professionals you have never met is a challenge (in particular, for those who work in educational theatre – where the mantra “YOU are always auditioning!” is key to the development of any young actor).. The professional process is much more like selecting ‘partners’ to go into ‘war’ with – they challenge, make choices, and take risks that students would never have the courage and/or experience to press during a rehearsal. It is VERY inspirational!

What’s next for Scott Tipton?

As a theatre educator in Texas, my next venture will be into the UIL One-Act Play world – we will be working on Steven Dietz’s PARAGON SPRINGS (a free adaptation of Ibsen’s AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE) Also, it has been several years since I’ve acted and have been thinking about auditioning in the near future.

What do you hope the audience is talking about when they leave Precious Little Talent?

I hope people leave PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT remembering a time in their life where they were idealistic and hopeful! A time where obstacles didn’t seem so insurmountable. Also, that revolution and change don’t come easy – it starts with the commitment of one person – its easy to commit to something that is ‘popular’ tickets for the train of change are plentiful at the beginning of the journey but are much more scarce once the train has partially derailed!

Ella Hickson was kind enough to set aside some time to answer some questions from Cap T’s dramaturg Carrie Klypchak. Here is what she had to say about PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT, America, and playwrighting.

You have previously stated elsewhere that PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT contains autobiographical elements. Could you discuss a bit about the inspiration for writing the play and the developmental process of the show’s practical realization?

I wrote the show in the Winter of 2009 My first play ‘Eight’ had just done very well and transferred to New York. I had just graduated from university and was immediately thrown into this huge adventure because of ‘Eight’. The cast and I ended up in Washington for Obama’s inauguration – it was, for me, a moment of huge hope, it felt like everything was possible. I knew, however, that I was returning to a job market that was being thwarted by the recession and that the adventure I was on may soon come to a halt. I suppose the play grew out of this opposition between a moment of huge potential and the fear of falling between the cracks.

The practical realisation of the show came out of a developmental process which used a first draft of the script as a jumping off point. From there we worked through ideas and concepts that eventually led us to the finished article.

THE GUARDIAN describes PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT as a piece about the need to retain your optimism in a cruel world. There also seems to be some interrogation into the concepts of hope vs. blind hope via the characters perspectives and actions. Could you speak to the incorporation of these themes in the play via the current challenges that you see in contemporary society?

There is no denying that the economic climate has changed dramatically over the past few years. This shift has been felt most keenly by those that did not yet have a strong foot-hold in the jobs market. For graduates there have been fewer jobs and the paths to success and security have been much less certain than they were previously – I suppose Precious Little Talent is a call to arms to the generation facing these challenges. It asks if a generation that feels forgotten will have the hope that they’ll need to get them through tough times.

Besides PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT, I know that you have written other plays (for example, EIGHT and HOT MESS), that include an American character amidst British characters. What is it about this construction that attracts you as a playwright?

The inclusion of an American character in a lot of my plays is due to two things, the first practical – the second more ideological. One of my close friends in the theatrical collective that I worked in, and from which my first plays were born, had an American accent whereas the rest of us were British, so I ended up writing an American character for that actor. Having said this – I have just completed a new play that was written to commission – (i.e. I have no idea who will be in it) – and again it features an American. I think on a more ideological note the Anglo-American relationship interests me. It’s a complicated relationship and one that is fast falling from world dominance – that fall from grace I find fascinating.

Capital T is currently producing the American premiere of PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT. Do you feel that British audiences and American audiences will differ in their reactions to the play?

I’ll be very interested to see what the American reaction to the play is. It’s rare to find a British play that is pro-American and I think PLT is. It is occasionally critical but on the whole I think it celebrates American optimism – I’m fascinated to see how an American audience would react to that.

In PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT, the audience is looking back on the years of 2008/2009. What would you like the audience to take away from reflecting on the events of these years from a 2012 perspective?

The play has a very simple message : that we must believe in things. In times of trouble , cynicism must take a back seat. I think this message may even be more valid now than it was in 2008.

What playwrights do you feel have been most influential to your playwriting style? Why?

I have been very lucky with the advice and guidance that I have received. I have been mentored by some great British writers – David Greig and Simon Stephens most of all – I owe both of them a huge amount in terms of the technique that they have taught me. My love of theatre started out with Tennessee Williams and now I like a huge range of writers from Richard Bean through to Caryl Churchill but I wouldn’t say I was directly influenced one way or the other. I just try to learn from everything I read and hope I take the good from those that have gone before me.

What initially drew you to playwriting? Can you speak a bit about your process of getting started in the field?

The story of my starting writing is very simple. My university offered a free slot to the company that was voted to have the most interesting idea for a show. I pitched the idea of ‘Eight’ monologues and it succeeded. Once we had the slot I had to write the show – and so ‘Eight’ was created. From there it was just a case of keeping writing.

As a young playwright, you have already received much critical recognition for your work, such as receiving the Edinburgh Fringe’s Fringe First Award, The Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award, and the NSDF Emerging Artists Award. How do you see that these honors have affected your work as a professional playwright?

I hope they haven’t. Very soon you realise that awards, whilst they are lovely to receive – you can’t allow them to mean very much. If you write in order to try and win awards you inevitably try to please too many people at the same time and you lose faith in what you are doing. It is better to just make the work as good as you can make it and if good things happen then it’s an added bonus.

You are well known for writing scripts that speak to the realities of the “twenty-something” generation. Do you plan to continue this focus, and what do you see next in your playwriting efforts?

I have just completed a commission from Headlong Theatre on the topic of Fossil Fuels and their depletion – so this was not restricted to twenty-somethings at all. And now I am working on a version of Peter Pan – so again, not twenty-somethings. It may be something I go back to at some point but for now it’s nice to have a break and to focus on characters and issues that effect all ages.

“With a true sensitivity to language, serious comic chops, and seamless ensemble work, Gary Jaffe and his superteam of actors transformed The Tempest into something ‘rich and strange.’” – Robert Faires Arts Editor – Austin Chronicle

Cap T’s production of SPIRITS TO ENFORCE by Mickle Maher was recently named a Top 10 Theatrical Wonder of 2011 by Austin Chronicle Arts Editor Robert Faires. The show was listed at the number 2 spot bested only by the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of BLACK WATCH. It is pretty amazing what you can do with 12 phones, 12 amazing actors and a truly innovative and amazing script that includes superheroes, submarines, and the Tempest. We are proud and excited that someone else enjoyed the production as much as we enjoyed producing it.

Directed by Gary Jaffe as part of our New Directions program and starring an amazing ensemble of actors including Karen Alvarado, Travis Bedard, Jay Fraley, Jenny Gravenstein, Allison Gregory, Braden Hunt, Tyler Jones, Stephen Mercantel, Toby Minor, Antoinette Robinson, Blake Smith, and LaTasha Stephens the show became the hit of FronteraFest 2011 and the 2011 Austin theatre season. After the play closed in February SPIRITS went on to to win the Austin Critics Table award for Best Comedy and Best Sound Design (Bret Hamann) as well as being nominated for Best Ensemble.

SPIRITS was also recently nominated for 3 Austin Theatre Examiner awards including Best Featured Actress in a Comedy – Jenny Gravenstein (The Page), Best Ensemble in a Comedy, and Best Director of a Comedy – Gary Jaffe.  You can read the entire list of the Top 10 Theatrical Wonders of 2011 here

We posted some of the photos from the award winning production below. Enjoy!

Best Featured Actress in a Drama

Melanie Dean – A Lie of the Mind

Best Featured Actor in a Drama

Travis Dean – A Lie of the Mind

Best Ensemble in a Drama

Kenneth Wayne Bradley, Joey Hood, Rebecca Robinson, Mark Pickell, Travis Dean, Melanie Dean, Karen Jambon, and Liz Fisher – A Lie of the Mind

Best Direction of a Drama

Mark Pickell – A Lie of the Mind

Best Featured Actress in a Comedy

Jenny Gravenstein – Spirits to Enforce

Best Ensemble in a Comedy

Karen Alvarado, Travis Bedard, Jay Frayley, Jenny Gravenstein, Allison Gregory, Braden Hunt, Tyler Jones, Stephen Mercantel, Toby Minor, Antoinette Robinson, Blake Smith, and LaTasha Stephens – Spirits to Enforce

Best Direction of a Comedy

Gary Jaffe – Spirits to Enforce

Best Set Design

Paul Davis – A Lie of the Mind

Best Lighting Design

Mark Pickell – A Lie of the Mind

Director of the Year

Gary Jaffe – Spirits to Enforce

Best Production of a Comedy

Spirits to Enforce

Company of the Year

Capital T Theatre

When

Auditions will be held Sunday November 27th from 2-5pm.

Roles

Joey – Female – 24 years old – British Accent

Joey’s got a first-class college degree, 20k worth of debt and works in a pub. Shunned by the world, rejected by her estranged father, she finds herself falling in love with an idealistic young American…

Sam – Male – 19 years old

The idealistic young American that Joey falls in love with.  He currently is George’s caregiver, but has big plans for his future.

George – Male 50-60 years old – British Accent

Joey’s father and Sam’s employer.  A former world class academic who is suffering from early onset dementia.

About the Play

Precious Little Talent is the story of two 20-somethings graduating into a world that’s sold them down the river. Londoner Joey’s got a first class degree, 20K worth of debt and works in a pub. It’s Christmas and she flees to New York in a bid to find comfort with her estranged father. Just as the world seems to have shunned her, so will he. Yet in the face of such rejection, world-weary Joey falls in love with an idealistic young American and learns what it is to have hope in the future.

Rehearsal Dates and Performance

Rehearsal will begin in December with performances in the last two weeks of January and the first weekend of February.

We anticipate working around actor’s holiday plans.

Sign Up

Audition by appointment. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.

Contact us at preciouslittletalent@gmail.com with a resume and recent pic.

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