What's Up With Round Rock Arts? [New Theater Space, The Lair, Opens Off Of I-35 Today]

So why are the people at The Lair and Penfold Theatre Company interested in doing theater in Round Rock instead of Austin? According to Penfold's Ryan Crowder, "There's a window here. There's a hole."

Gray echoes Crowder when explaining why the location was right for The Lair. "This is a better area, up north, for me and my kids. A lot of what makes Austin Austin is central." With the area growing rapidly, there's a large demographic just waiting to be tapped into, as residents of Round Rock and the surrounding areas travel 30 minutes or more to get into downtown Austin. When Austinites launched their "Keep Austin Weird" campaign, Round Rockers responded with the slogan "Keep Round Rock Mildly Unusual." "Well, okay," Gray says, "We can settle for that, but I'm not much for settling."

If you haven't been paying attention for, oh, the past five years or so, the local improv scene has grown in leaps and bounds. The number of venues showcasing improv has increased tremendously, as has the amount of improv training centers. Gray points out that as far as improv goes, "Austin has a lot of really talented performers, and beyond that, a lot of really good teachers. The upside to that is if you want to be an improviser, you're covered. The downside is we're cranking out improvisers faster than we can create places to showcase what they've learned." Show slots for improv performers and troupes has become more and more competitive, and The Lair is hoping to bring some of that talent itching for stage time north. Beyond simply showcasing various Austin area improv troupes, The Lair is developing a competitive game show type format for improvisers. "The improv community has been incredibly supportive," Gray says. While there may have been some initial skepticism because of the speed with which his crew decided to open their space, (and because they chose April Fool's Day as their opening date) The Lair is serious about providing a space for improv up north.

In addition to improv, the folks at The Lair Theater have a lot of ideas for all kinds of other shows. These include scripted and semi-scripted shows, such as a regular piece inspired by Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere series, and a serial about the day to day lives of a super villian's henchmen. In addition, The Lair has plans to do "Jim Henson-esque" kid shows—the kind that appeal to adults as well. In fact, the sky seems to be the limit for The Lair, in terms of the type of acts they're considering. Gray is open to all kinds of other alternative acts. "I would love to book burlesque, one act shows, variety, magicians. I would love to have a puppet show," Gray says. His hope for The Lair is that it will be a place that audiences come to "because you're never quite sure what's going to happen," and not just because of improv.

Penfold Theatre Company, meanwhile, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit production company, founded in 2007 by Crowder, Sean Martin and Nathan Jerkins. Penfold has been in discussions with the City of Round Rock to be a part of Round Rock's plan for redeveloping their downtown. Penfold spent their first year of existence setting up the business, and since 2008 has been producing contemporary theater in the Austin area. They became aware of Round Rock through the Downtown Master Plan, a project for redesigning Round Rock's downtown to be a more walkable and active city center. "Venue has been a challenge," Crowder says when explaining why the company's productions to date have been staged in Austin (primarily at The Hideout), but as they prepare to move up north, he says the plan is to be "very creative" to build more of a following in the area. The long-term plan involves opening a permanent venue as part of the renovated downtown Round Rock, and the short-term solutions include limited runs at the Round Rock Public Library and staging their next show, The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (Abridged) outside at the new Round Rock Amphitheater.

Penfold Theatre Company

Penfold's vision for a permanent space downtown has been embraced by the movers and shakers in Round Rock. Kris Whitfield, a Round Rock City Council member and member of the Round Rock Area Arts Council, is on Penfold's board of directors, along with other notable individuals. Crowder says "Once we got into that circle, it was like the world opened up." The current Master Plan for downtown Round Rock includes a venue for Penfold Theatre Company, and while the process of implementation is slow, Crowder says, "Everyone is very excited about it."

The Round Rock Area Arts Council maintains a website which declares "Check out the arts and cultural scene in Round Rock!" and follows that up with the qualification, "While that sentence may be considered a stretch today, that is what a newly formed group hopes the community will soon be saying." With The Lair opening today, and Penfold producing work in the area, that hope is on its way to becoming a reality.

Main image via flickr.