Austin Shakespeare To Bring LEOPOLDSTADT To Jewish Community Center
Performances will run from Sunday March 22-23.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Mar. 07, 2025
Austin Shakespeare will present a staged reading of Tom Stoppard’s award-winning play LEOPOLDSTADT on Saturday and Sunday March 22-23 at the renovated Dell Jewish Community Center. Tickets, which start at $25 are available at AustinShakespeare.org.
Leopoldstadt is a deeply personal and poignant play that explores the lives of a Jewish family in Vienna across multiple generations, from the late 19th century through the aftermath of World War II. The play follows their journey from prosperity and assimilation to the devastating impact of antisemitism. Inspired by Stoppard’s own family history, Leopoldstadt examines themes of identity, memory and survival, offering a powerful reflection on Jewish heritage and the tragic cost of history.
The 2023 Tony Award-winning play was described by The New York Times as “a memorial to a lost world.” Renowned as one of the greatest living playwrights, Tom Stoppard launched his career on Broadway in 1967 with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
“From romantic comedy to tragedy, explore this extended Jewish family in Vienna in 1899, 1929, 1938 and finally in 1955 when a young man returns home,” said Austin Shakespeare Artistic Director Ann Ciccolella. “The family had climbed to the heights of social class only to discover the hollowness of their acceptance.”
For this Theatre Authority approved benefit, the cast of 25 includes - new to Austin Shakespeare: Laraine Lasdon, Laura Mazer, Jane Schwartz and her son Lucas who starred in O. Henry Stories, Actors Equity members: Sarita Ocón, Brian Coughlin, Andre Martin, Shelby Davenport, plus Austin Shakespeare alumni Sam Grimes, Peter Shine, Andrew Matthews, A.Y. Oza, Aliya Qureshi. Costume enhancement by Cecelia Gay and light design by Patrick W. Anthony. Directed by Ann Ciccolella. Leopoldstadt is co-sponsored by Jewish Community Center and the Fifth Age of Man Foundation.
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