To call Zach Scott's current production of Doubt "rock solid" doesn't do it service. The acting is terrific, the lighting design is gorgeous, the costumes, the set, the sound—they all support the piece perfectly. For lack of better words, it's spot-on....

Photo by Kirk R. Tuck Doubt: A Parable4/3-5/11, Wed-Sat @8pm, Sun @2:30pmZach Scott Theatre (1510 Toomey Rd)[info] | [tickets]If you've never heard of John Patrick Shanley's multiple award-winning play, Doubt, your head must be deeply buried in sand. Garnering Obies, Tonies, and the Pulitzer, the play was a blockbuster a few years back. Heck, they're even making it into a film. Starring Meryl Streep, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, no less. This is our way of......

Last night, Austin Circle of Theaters ushered in a whole new batch of B. Iden Payne Award winners. The event took place on the lovely St. Ed's campus; MMNT artistic director Ev Lunning Jr. hosted, along with members of the Actor's Equity association. Local heroine Karen Kuykendall was this year's Outstanding Honoree; Austin Chronicle Arts Editor Robert Faires presented her award. It was an elegant and exciting evening, to be sure! We weren't shocked by......

Why does a production company in general, or a director in particular, choose a difficult script? Is it the challenge? The thrill of potentially succeeding where others have failed? Certainly an easy script can be dull to work with, especially if it's something that's been done to death, such as many of the straightforward, heartwarming, popular theatre pieces that make up so much of community theatre fare. We mulled over this question while we recently......