It's a year of growth and change, as we expand into the larger downstairs theater, and begin to integrate the theater with the coffee house more (aka drink specials!).
So as the first of the big, good things for the new year, here is the 2013 Mainstage schedule.
I'm super excited for this year.
In many ways, we've been leading up to a show like Fandom for YEARS. We love taking on different worlds to improvise in at The Hideout... from Hitchcock to film noir to Star Trek to Twilight Zone, to name just a few. Our goal is always to do them justice... to truly live in those universes, and not to make fun of them. In Fandom, we'll be tackling a different, but much-beloved creation each week, with the same cast... and deconstructing what it means to be a fan along the way.
I'm excited for Strange Worlds for two reasons. For starters, the world of the pulps is rife with rich characters and dramatically painted vistas of the imagination. But even just as exciting, Jordan T. Maxwell will be the director. A staple of the Austin Improv scene all the way back to the days of the Well Hung Jury, and known for his boldly heroic style, Jordan is the perfect person to helm this project.
You probably know that we put on a competitive improv show called Maestro every Saturday. This format was created by Keith Johnstone, the man whose improv teachings form the basis of the work we do at The Hideout. But what you may not know is that Keith's most popular and most performed format is not Maestro, but Theatresports. I love Theatresports. It's more than a competition, and much more than an improv game show. In the perfect Theatresports show, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. And it's in that spirit that this year's run will be put on.
We've done our fair share (2 seasons) of improvised Shakespeare in the past. It's a fun, challenging show that seems impossible to do. But we've never done a show like this one before. For the first time ever we'll be starting with a scripted play. For a month leading up to the normal run of Fakespeare, we'll be putting on an honest-to-goodness scripted Shakespearian play (to be determined). Then the same cast will roll over and throw out the script... and make up their own plays for the next 2 months.
Austin Secrets will enter its 4th season in a row. Ordinarily I would feel weird about bringing the same show back year after year, but the shows continue to inspire and thrill audiences and performers alike. Personally, I also feel like we're still breaking new ground. It's a learning experience, in the best way possible.
Finishing out the year will be a delightfully macabre show, directed by Valerie Ward. Inspired by the works of Edward Gorey, A Bedtime Gorey will combine elements of Victorian parlor games, gruesome story telling, pantomime, and the Christmas spirit.
Oh, and it's definitely worth mentioning that many, if not all of these shows will be in the larger, downstairs theater.
It's going to be a crazy, exciting year, and this is only the beginning.
Wanna join us? We're offering season passes, good for a ticket to each of our six 2013 Mainstage shows for only $55 ($60 after Christmas).
You can purchase a season pass here: http://www.hideouttheatre.com/giftcertificates
See you in 2013!
Roy Janik
Co-Owner & Artistic Director
: tee-hee! thanks, Roy!
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