Madelyn Geyer

When the world is burning, gratitude seems to elude us. But the cast members of TILT Performance Group find that elusive gratitude in spades, and they're sharing it with the world in their virtual concert, GRATITUNES. TILT is an Austin based performance group on a mission to shatter stereotypes surrounding people living with disabilities.

With traditional theatre performances cancelled indefinitely as covid-19 continues to ravage the world, companies must think differently about bringing performances to their audiences. Through THE VORTEX ODYSSEY, they've created a flawed but utterly unique reimagining of the journey of Odysseus.

Madelyn Geyer: We're in the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic. How are you doing?

Madelyn Geyer: We're more than halfway through a historic and heartbreaking year in the world, and especially for the United States. How are you doing and what is this year been like for you so far?

TILT Performance Group's Executive Director Amy Tarver and Artistic Director Adam Roberts discuss the unexpectedly positive impacts of COVID-19, upcoming projects, and shattering stereotypes on and off the stage.

Austin's theatre community faces this uncertain time with resolve and creativity

Thank goodness there's an abundance of artists in Austin providing that much needed escape through their art; much of which has been moved to a virtual medium. One such artist is Maggie Gallant, whose critically-acclaimed show HOT DOGS AT THE EIFFEL TOWER makes its video premiere the Hyde Park Theatre's YouTube channel April 11th at 8pm CDT.

In the last few weeks we've gotten to see what happens when the world stops and waits with bated breath. Though the future feels bleak and uncertain, there's an opportunity to connect as we never have before, exercise problem solving muscles, and create a new normal for the foreseeable future.

Forty-five minutes into Austin Shakespeare's production of Henrik Ibsen's HEDDA, the eponymous main character finally answers a question we've all been waiting for her to answer: why in the world she married her new husband, the well-meaning but blissfully dense professor to be, George Tesman. George couldn't be more delighted with the arrangement, but Hedda Gabbler, not so much. She's concerningly aloof and irritated as though they've been married for years instead of a few weeks. So you yearn to understand, why did she marry him in the first place?

When overwhelmed, we all have different coping mechanisms. Maybe you fall silent, take a nap, or settle into a comforting movie. Christopher, the spectacularly intelligent main character in THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, precipitously counts prime numbers to self-soothe. Or he collapses to the floor and moans until the stressful event subsides. THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME follows Christopher on his mission to find the person who stabbed his neighbor's dog with a pitchfork after Christopher's found next to the newly deceased canine and accused of the murder. Based on the novel by Mark Haddon and directed by Robert Tolaro, it's the only play I've experienced that opens with a (don't worry, it's fake) dead dog in the middle of the stage. But Christopher's not only dealing with clearing his name. He's also reeling from his mother's recent death as well as preparing to take A-level maths (the play is set in England) in school.

I walk into the Romy Suskin Photography Studio serving as the venue for The Filigree Theatre's THE TURN OF THE SCREW. A darkened room and dimly lit candles greet me while classical music playing from a small speaker in the corner blankets the space with paranoia-tinged peacefulness. With just two actors and chairs for only ten audience members, director Elizabeth V. Newman creates an intimate atmosphere that still manages to transport the audience to the drafty halls of a Victorian mansion where THE TURN OF THE SCREW takes place.

Pull out your best butcher knife, pour yourself a steaming cup of coffee, and prance over to the Hyde Park Theatre to experience Street Corner Arts' production of THE BUTCHER OF BARABOO. Playwright Marisa Wegrzyn fashions a world where the snow is white, the blood is red, and the humor is as black as the coffee brewing in the pot.

This winter, Austin's Different Stages theatre company takes on one of the most famous novels of the 19th century: FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley. Different Stages performs Patrick Sanford's 2-act adaptation of the novel, showing at the Vortex Repertory Theatre.

Well, they've done it again. The students of Austin have delivered another knockout production of SPRING AWAKENING. First was Saint Edward's University and now the University of Texas at Austin. After reviewing SPRING AWAKENING back in April, I jumped at the chance to see it again. I was moved, enraptured, and utterly delighted by UT's production and I was not alone. As the audience shuffled from their seats in a buzzing post-show daze, I smiled at the effusive praise tumbling from their lips.

The Butterfly Bar at The Vortex theatre buzzes with anticipation. A TSA agent quietly moves through the space. Suddenly women in white gowns appear, focusing their attention on a figure now standing on the bar. This figure is Dionysus. He regales the crowd with the circumstances of his birth, unrecognized divinity, liberation, and his mother's deportation. The bartender serves patrons as if Dionysus's verbose diatribe is nothing but a hushed conversation.

There's a Hopi Indian proverb that goes: a?oeThose who tell the stories will rule the worlda??. If that's true, how is Maggie Gallant not queen of the universe by now? This masterful storyteller takes the Hyde Park Theatre by storm with HOT DOGS AT THE EIFFEL TOWER; written by Gallant and directed by Ken Webster.

It's #savage season at MacTheatre, the Fine Arts Academy of McCallum High School. #Savage feels firmly planted in 2019 as that word, as every day vernacular, feels like new-fangled millennial vocabulary. But savage essentially means impossibly confident, self-actualized, and fearless disregard for societal norms. There's plenty of savagery in JEKYLL & HYDE.

Seven women. Seven unflinching stories. Last Act Theatre Company powerfully stages SEVEN, a documentary play. Seven actresses command the stage representing real-life woman who, after enduring unspeakable hardships, devoted their entire lives to empowering fellow women and enacting positive change in their communities. As I experienced it, I realized this isn't a play to entertain but to inspire and bring awareness to these women and their causes; what they've done and what they continue to do.

Some of the most talented students in Austin tear up the stage in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, a Summer Stock Austin musical production you won't want to miss this August. They'll overwhelm you with talent, make you laugh until your sides hurt, and astonish you with show stopping musical numbers. This production not only boasts top-tier young talent but quality in all elements merging together to create the final product. Walking into the theater, you're immediately struck by the strength of the production value, most prominently featured by the impressive wrap around set that was sadly underutilized.

You can't write about a work of Shakespeare or about a work about Shakespeare without quoting one of his most famous (and theatrically appropriate) lines: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." But on the stage of the Austin Playhouse, the men and women aren't merely players. They are the driving force behind bringing THE BOOK OF WILL to life with vivacious enthusiasm and well-honed skill.