Claire Grasso

Austin Playhouse announces a workshop production of the new musical The Battlefields of Clara Barton by Suzan Zeder and Jenn Hartmann Luck.

Austin Playhouse announces the full cast of the World Premiere of Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles adapted by Producing Artistic Director Lara Toner Haddock as part of the 2020-2021 Ghostlight Season. This hybrid virtual production will run May 21 – June 5, 2021. Tickets are on sale now.

John Lowell's THE LETTERS, in its regional premiere courtesy of Street Corner Arts, is a two person, one act play. It begins in one place, takes us on a journey, and ends up in a place unrecognizable from where it started, all without leaving one governmental archives office in 1930s Stalinist Russia. Through one seventy-five minute long interaction, Lowell's dialogue and Michael Stuart's direction captures the utter paranoia and perpetual fear felt by citizens and leaders alike living in the Soviet Regime.

THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD (or, as it is sometimes called, the much shorter, 'Drood') is a 1985 musical based on Charles Dickens unfinished novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Written entirely by Rupert Holmes, it was the first Broadway musical with multiple endings determined by the audience. Holmes received Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Score. The production won five Tony Awards out of eleven nominations, including Best Musical. The musical is derived from both Dickens' final unfinished novel and British pantomime and music hall traditions that reached the height of their popularity in the years following Dickens' death. Produced originally by Austin Playhouse in 2005, it was nominated for six B. Iden Payne awards including the winner of Best Director for Musical Theatre (Don Toner). Jill Blackwood, Rick Roemer, and Jacqui Cross reprise their roles from that 2005 production.

Austin Playhouse announces a $1,000,000 lead contribution to their newly relaunched Building Campaign.

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is a 2014 stage adaptation by Lee Hall of the 1998 Academy Award winning film by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard of the same name. It was first created under the auspices of Disney Theatrical Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions. The story concerns an imaginary love affair involving Viola de Lesseps (Claire Grasso) and playwright William Shakespeare (Stephen Mercantel) while he was writing Romeo and Juliet. Many of the characters are based on historical figures, and many of the characters, lines, and plot devices allude to Shakespeare's plays. The production, now playing at Austin Playhouse, is one of their biggest productions to date. This script has become one of the most produced plays in America this season, and rightfully so, as it as entertaining as the 1998 film was.

Currently playing at The Austin Playhouse, BLOOMSDAY is story of love oddly intertwined with the James Joyce's novel, Ulysses. Written by the University of Texas Faculty member Steven Dietz, the play's experimental style and arc is reminiscent of Tony Kushner's fabulously entertaining Angels in America. Taking place over the course of 35 years, Robert and Caithleen meet as fleeting youngsters looking for purpose. The purpose of their meeting is that of the title, BLOOMSDAY. For audience members ignorant to the reference, BLOOMSDAY takes place on June 16th as a day of celebration for acclaimed Irish author, James Joyce. It is observed annually in Dublin, where fans and drunkards alike, traditionally dressed in early 1900s garb, march through Dublin following the events and more specifically the scenes of the famous book, Ulysses. The play BLOOMSDAY however, tells the story of young Robbie (played by Aaron Johnson) and Caithleen (played by Claire Grasso) meeting on a tour during the march of Bloomsday. With time itself being the 5th character of the show, Robert (played by Huck Huckaby) scolds his younger self, while Cait (played by Cindy Williams) wrestles with her slipping mind and preparing her younger self for what is to come. The subtle quips and honest reflections from the future selves make for hilarious interactions on stage. Taking place over 35 years, but set within actual two scenes, the arc of the characters and exquisite writing by Steven Dietz, displays a realistic love story forcing introspection.

SILENT SKY rises above the rest to create a unique little slice of heaven right here in Austin.

At the dawn of modern astronomy, Henrietta Leavitt leaves her home and beloved sister to work in Harvard's male-driven observatory and map the night sky. She forms a new sisterhood with her fellow star "computers," Annie and Williamina, and begins to fall in love with her supervisor, Peter Shaw. As Henrietta makes a revolutionary discovery about where the Earth is in time and space, she must fight to be heard in a world where women's ideas are dismissed until men take credit for them. A celestial romance and a true story of determination, Silent Sky invites you to revel in the magic of the universe on this historic journey of love, family, feminism and science.

At the dawn of modern astronomy, Henrietta Leavitt leaves her home and beloved sister to work in Harvard's male-driven observatory and map the night sky. She forms a new sisterhood with her fellow star "computers," Annie and Williamina, and begins to fall in love with her supervisor, Peter Shaw. As Henrietta makes a revolutionary discovery about where the Earth is in time and space, she must fight to be heard in a world where women's ideas are dismissed until men take credit for them. A celestial romance and a true story of determination, Silent Sky invites you to revel in the magic of the universe on this historic journey of love, family, feminism and science.

SKYLIGHT is a drama by British playwright David Hare. It premiered in London in 1995, played on Broadway in 1996 and was revived in 2015, winning the Tony for Best Revival of a Play. The play also won the 1996 Laurence Olivier Award for Play of the Year. Hare's brutal examination of an extramarital affair gone South, like all of his plays, is unapologetically political. In SKYLIGHT, we see his examination of the Britain that was deeply scarred by Margaret Thatcher. The play, in many ways, mirrors the divide currently happening in this country with our vanishing middle class. It is as much about the state of the nation as it is about the state of the heart.

Austin Playhouse presents Chicago by Fred Ebb and John Kander, directed by Michael McKelvey, May 29 - June 28, 2015. Performances are: Thursday - Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. at Austin Playhouse at Highland Mall 6001 Airport Blvd., Austin, TX 78752.

Austin Playhouse will present She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith, directed by Don Toner and Lara Toner-Haddock, tonight, February 13th - March 8, 2015.

This boisterous and charming comedy of mistaken identities has delighted audiences for over two centuries. Two well-bred young men arrive at the country estate of Mr. Hardcastle, intending to court his daughter Kate and her cousin Constance, but when local mischief-maker Tony Lumpkin plays a practical joke on the two urbanites, the Hardcastle household is launched into a dizzying, deliciously frothy romp that examines romance and social manners as well as the art of love. Our production will be a sumptuous celebration of the gorgeous language, elegant costumes, and outright hilarity of Goldsmith's classic.

Austin Playhouse will present She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith, directed by Don Toner and Lara Toner-Haddock, February 13th - March 8, 2015.

WAITING FOR LEFTY was written in 1935 by Clifford Odets. The play is, and was written as, an immersive piece of theatre. It is, ostensibly, a meeting of cab drivers who are gathering to plan a strike. As an audience member, you become a part of that meeting. While the meeting is going on, we are exposed to a series of scenes which are related to the meeting in that they delve into the lives of the characters to frame what brought them to this meeting. What is striking is that nearly 80 years later, WAITING FOR LEFTY still resonates and has something to say to modern audiences… especially those who struggle to make ends meet on a daily basis.

Voting has now opened for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Austin Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 4th.

Fresh on the heels of receiving its 501(c)(3) non-profit status, Street Corner Arts continues its mission to bring Austin audiences relevant, engaging theatre from all genres and eras, this time around with the American classic WAITING FOR LEFTY by Clifford Odets.

Fresh on the heels of receiving its 501(c)(3) non-profit status, Street Corner Arts continues its mission to bring Austin audiences relevant, engaging theatre from all genres and eras, this time around with the American classic WAITING FOR LEFTY by Clifford Odets.

For the last several weeks, the Austin theatre scene has been buzzing about the World Premiere of Roaring, now entering its final weekend of performances at Austin Playhouse. The original play, written by Austin Playhouse company member Cyndi Williams, has earned fantastic word-of-mouth and glowing reviews, including a rave from BroadwayWorld-Austin's Brian Losoya. Ms. Williams recently shared her thoughts on the play and its development...