Trouble Puppet's THE CRAPSTALL STREET BOYS Runs Now thru 3/15

Czech marionettes and bunraku-style puppets tell the darkly hilarious, wickedly smart story of You Lad, a workhouse boy dodging boy-eating monsters.

Mister and Missus can't help thinking that if only they didn't have the expense of clothing and feeding You Lad, they could afford the Household Weapon for Monster Defense (Household WMD), the very latest in Anti-Monster technology. They hit upon a brilliant solution that gets the boy off their hands, brings in the money for the Household WMD, and ultimately brings about the realization of their worst nightmare. A darkly funny, post-industrial, Dickensian fable featuring a variety of styles of puppets, including Czech marionettes and bunraku-style (tabletop) puppets.

The Crapstall Street Boys, created by Trouble Puppet's Artistic Director, Connor Hopkins, was originally part of Frontera Fest's 2011 Long Fringe. Trouble Puppet is remounting it in much fuller glory this season. This show is a completely original work by the company that brought Austin award-winning productions of The Jungle, Frankenstein, Riddley Walker, The Cruel Circus, and most recently The Head (featured in two of theChronicle's Top-10 lists for 2013!).

Written and directed by Artistic Director Connor Hopkins, The Crapstall Street Boys features music by Justin Sherburn, lighting by Stephen Pruitt, sound by K. Eliot Haynes, costumes by Lucie Cunningham, graphic design by Chris Owen. Performers: Jose Villarreal, Noel Gaulin, Travis Bedard, Nathan Lahay, Elyce Lahay, Caroline Reck, Gricelda Silva, and Dallas Tate.

The show runs today, Feb. 20 - March 15, 2014: Thursdays - Sundays, with a Wednesday show closing weekend. Shows are 8 pm every night except Sundays.Sunday shows are at 6 pm. All performances take place at the Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Road, Austin, TX. Tickets $12-$20 at http://crapstall.brownpapertickets.com or at the door. ASL interpretation offered on selected nights. Group sales welcome. Director/cast talkbacks available for groups of five or more.

** Though made by TPT for grownups, this show will entertain anyone mature enough to enjoy a feature-length production (approx 1.25 - 1.5 hours). There is a fair amount of Trouble Puppet's hallmark grotesquerie (decapitations, monsters, etc.), of course, and possibly occasional off-color language or humor.**

On March 1, 10 pm, Trouble Puppet will also present Boo Town Theatre's The Curio Show, a work of shadow puppetry-a double bill! (separate PR to come)

Trouble Puppet Theater Company: Founded in 2004, Trouble Puppet is dedicated to the creation of exceptional works ofpuppet theater, to the promotion of the art of puppetry, and to the support of its practitioners. Trouble Puppet is a sponsored project of Salvage Vanguard Theater. This project is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Economic Development Department/Cultural Arts Division, believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin's future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com. This production has also been funded in part by The Creative Fund's Q Rental Subsidy Grant program. The Creative Fund is a funding mechanism that provides much-needed support to local performing artists, enabling them to further their creative endeavors.