What, exactly, is postmodernism? We ask ourselves this question whenever the work of a postmodern playwright makes the stage in Austin. Charles L. Mee is one such playwright. Did you know that he encourages writers to "pillage [my] plays as I have pillaged the structures and contents of the plays of Euripides and Brecht and stuff out of Soap Opera Digest and the evening news and the internet, and build your own, entirely new, piece..."? If that's postmodernism, we like it.

St. Edwards University begins its season with the Mee play Full Circle. Described as "a wild postmodern romp about the end of communism, a mother's love, and a search for a better way," the work has been called an uproarious spectacle, a fairy tale, and a jumbled universe. With a little vaudeville and social satire thrown in for good measure. So yeah. It's postmodern! Oh, and it's for mature audiences only. Eh!

We've got four pair of tickets for this weekend to hand out—one pair for each of four lucky readers. Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm, or Sunday at 2pm. Winner's choice!

Congratulations to our winners!

If you weren't fast enough, don't fret. Just give the good folks at MMNT a call (448-8484, 1-5pm Mon-Fri) and order up your own. $10-12 in advance, or $15 at the door.

Photo of Helyn Rain Messenger and Jill Blackwood (c) Bret Brookshire.

Full Circle
Wed-Sat at 7:30pm / Sun at 2pm
Through 10/07
Mary Moody Northen Theater [map]
Tickets: 448-8484

Local writer Spike Gillespie (along with a dozen of her closest friends) has been holding forth on the subject of wookin pa nub in all the wrong places. The Dick Monologues run once a month at Hyde Park Theater. When we walked in, there was a sea of women with tiny plastic cups of red wine. Any trepidation over being surrounded by that many sleeveless tops quickly dissipated as the raucously hilarious women (and two men) took the stage, one by one, to tell their stories. At times harrowing, but mostly just flat out funny, it's like hanging out with a big group of your favorite girlfriends and talking about the time you dated that one guy who was an incredibly dedicated daschund owner. Plus, you get to hear someone say "Spam javelin" on a stage. Austinist was able to catch up with Spike for a couple of questions.

Why the dick? What spurned this particular subject matter?
I actually explain this in the introduction so I don't want to give it away here. Let's just say that I got dicked over, yet again, recently, and that inspired the show.

Who are the talented women involved and how did you go about developing the show?
We have a pretty solid cast but some months people rotate out and in depending on their schedules, menstrual cycles, due dates, and biker rallies. I didn't really develop the show, I just asked the most talented people in Austin to show up and do their thing and they agreed. We have two men in the show — Southpaw Jones (straight!) and Rudy Ramirez (gay!). The women include: Suzi Galletti, Diane Fleming, Sara Hickman, Marrit Ingman, Sarah Barnes, Katherine Tanney, Sarah Bird, Kristine Kovach, Robin Chotzinoff, Genevieve Van Cleve, and Laura Lane.

Just how much do you know about local artist Daniel Johnston? Enough to play Captain America or Joe the Boxer on stage? Convincingly?

If you happen to have two Johnston pieces in your repertoire, check out this little gem we spotted in the current issue of the Austin Chronicle:

"After two wildly successful runs at Houston's Axiom last year, Jason Nodler's original rock opera Speeding Motorcycle, based on the life and music of Daniel Johnston, is coming to the Zach Scott Theatre in February. All roles, including Joe the Boxer, Captain America, and Casper the Friendly Ghost, are available. Auditions are by appointment only and take place Saturday. Performers should prepare two Johnston original pieces, with bonus points for faithful renditions of 'King Kong.' More information is available at www.zachscott.com."

We couldn't find any other details on Zach's website, but if you want to audition, try calling them up! 476-0541.

Photo of collectible figure (c) Bruce Levenstein on Flickr.

Fall finally arrived on Sunday, not that anyone would notice. However, autumn also brings a start to most theatre companies' 2007-08 season. Things are kicking on Austin's boards. Here're a few shows we're excited about.

If you need to warm up, consider taking in Naughty Austin's Cellbloq. In the words of writer-producer Blake Yelavich, who says it best, "Yes, it's about a bunch of muscular guys in prison, but that doesn't mean it is strictly a gee-aay-why play, as our treatment of Making Porn and Debbie Does Dallas proved. I guarantee everyone with a slightly-off mindset will enjoy it, blush a little and laugh a LOT.... In short, we know how to have fun without making anyone feel 'icky.'" Sounds like a blast to us! Th/Fr/Sa through October 27 at Arts on Real.

Hyde Park Theatre closes its well-received, hot-selling Featuring Loretta this weekend. "A beautiful young woman is pursued by two suitors: one who wants to put her on a pedestal, and one who wants to put her in pornographic films." Great subject, great cast, and a theatre company that does comedy exceedingly well. If you want a lively date night, check this one out. Th/Fr/Sa through September 29 at Hyde Park Theatre.

It's also closing weekend for Hot September Flurries, the dance extravaganza that's been going on all month. Refraction Arts co-hosts, and the final weekend showcases Flurries producer Spank Dance Company. Go see this highly anticipated, annual dance event before it's too late. Fr/Sa/Su through September 30 at the Blue Theater.

Last but not least, the 06-07 B. Iden Payne nominations have been announced! The ceremony, hosted by Austin Circle of Theaters, is on October 21st at St. Edwards University. Take a look at ACOT membership if you want to vote for your favorites!

Check the Ist List for a full listing of this week's theatre doings.

Image from the Arts on Real boxer fundraiser.

Spank Dance Company and Refraction Arts are hosting a festival this month celebrating modern dance. Because most of you were probably out at that little music festival last weekend, you might have missed some seriously rockin’ dance performances during opening weekend. Don’t be sad, though, because there are two more weekends in September for you to get your contemporary dance on.

Hot September Flurries is a massive collaborative event with involvement from Salvage Vanguard Theatre, The Blue Theatre, Amanda Butterfield of Yellow Tape Construction Co., Wicked Cricket Dance Theatre, Zenobia Taylor/Getalong Gang and more. The Festival started last weekend and runs for three weekends this month, featuring a different format each weekend.

This weekend’s festivities feature group performances by Mary A. Chase Dance Arts Collective (MACDAC) Andrea Comola, Chika Aluka & Paula Higa, David Justin of American Repertory Ensemble, Sharon Marroquín, Lisa Nicks, Leslie Scates, and Kate Warren. Tickets are available cash or check at the door for $10 per show, but we recommend you buy the $25 pass that will get you into all performances. You won’t regret it.

[Schedule of Performances]

Hot September Flurries
September 20-23 & September 28-30
The Blue Theatre, 916 Springdale Ave.
$10 per show, $25 for full pass

There comes a day when one must ask oneself: WWTDD? What Would Tyler Durden Do? If not that, then WWDD? What Would Dolly Do? In the former case, the answer is available via one pretty damn entertaining celeb blog—if that's not an oxymoron. The latter? The Getalong Gang Performance Group explores all things Parton with Dolly Would: a cast of characters who stumble, fight, and dance their way through a series of obstacles, searching for love, happiness, and a little peace and quiet. All set to the tunes of the irrepressible DP, of course.

GGPG has added a few players and some snappy new choreography to this Frontera Fest '07 success. The show runs this weekend only (Thu-Sun) at Salvage Vanguard Theater. We're pleased to drop a pair of tickets to Saturday's performance, which features an afterparty with booze, tunes, dancing, and food from Mars restaurant.

Congratulations to our winner!

In case the spirit of Dolly was not with you, don't get all wispy-eyed. Just hoof it over to SVT and check out the Dollyrific action on your own dime (a mere $10 in advance, $12-20 at the door).

Poster design by Foundry, Int.

Dolly Would
Thu-Sun at 8pm, this weekend only
Salvage Vanguard Theater [map]
[tickets]

[Ed Note: Our favorite Dolly Do? Her cover of Stairway To Heaven. There's no topping it.]

[This review courtesy of new Austinist contributor Anna Hanks! -Ed.]

As much as we'd like to change a few things about our first time, we regret we’ll never be able to repeat the experience. We also can’t change history, so catching the currently playing, slick incarnation of the Rude Mechanicals' Get Your War On also wasn't our first time. (We reviewed the show last January as well.)

Directed by Shawn Sides, Get Your War On consists mainly of actors Lowell Bartholomee, Ron Berry, Lana Lesley, Jason Liebrecht, and Elizabeth Wakehouse on the phone with each other, trading quick quips about 9/11, North Korea, and the ominous involvement of Vice President Dick Cheney and former White House Political Adviser Karl Rove in national policy. Sometimes the actors eat doughnuts and read magazines while they bitterly quip. Sometimes a dude walks around wearing a map of North Korea. Often, pictures of George Bush or the robotic cartoon giant Voltron are projected in the background.

Based on David Rees’ Internet comic strip of the same name, this clever adaptation by brilliant Rude Kirk Lynn premiered as a workshop production in 2005. We loved the show then. In the time being, it’s toured the universe, gathering rave reviews and a lot of praise—including the Total Theatre Award for Best Original Work from an Ensemble at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

For the sixth year in a row, though this time in a spankin' new space, Salvage Vanguard Theater is hosting their big ol' Labor Party, this Saturday at 7:07pm. They'll have tunes spun up by DJ Manateemann, a "Presentation Fantasmical" at 7:27pm, and a Silent Auction with all sorts of goodies to bid on.

The purpose of the Labor Party is to raise funds for SVT's Resident Company Member program, which pays an annual stipend of $5,000 to support four local artists who live and work in Austin. Current members are Dan Dietz, Lee Eddy, Jenny Larson, and Graham Renolds. SVT"s goal is to raise $40,000 and add another member, local lighting designer Diana Duecker. Although it can be tough for an artist to earn a living wage in Austin, programs such as this can make our fair city an attractive place for actors, playwrights, directors, designers, and composers to live and thrive.

While all that is reason enough to drop by the shindig, we can also assure you that a fun time will be had by all, and you're sure to rub elbows with Austin's best and brightest at this eagerly anticipated, annual affair. So hop on the #20 and get yourself over to SVT this Saturday!

SVT's Labor Party 2007
Saturday at 7:07pm
Salvage Vanguard Theater [map]
Free entry / Donations welcome / Cash Bar

[This review comes from new contributor Anna Hanks! -Ed.]

In our culture, children are usually considered innocent until sullied by the grown-up world. Otherwise, why would we have family-friendly TV programming, G-rated movies, and continual furor about “inappropriate” books being taught in public schools? Noah Haidle’s dark little comedy, Mr. Marmalade, brilliantly twists the preconception of childhood innocence into an inspired script.

We attended the final weekend of this just-closed, Capital T Theatre production at Hyde Park Theatre. Directed by Mark Pickell, the show deftly details the dark relationship between lonely four-year-old Lucy (Tiny Robinson) and her twisted imaginary friend, the title character Mr. Marmalade (David L. Bowers).

Frenetic and wired, the gifted Bowers rocked the stage. His riveting “Mr. M” bounded around the small living-room set as the demanding, manic-depressive center of attention. In a parody of the grown-up world, Mr. M’s traumatized personal assistant Bradley schedules tea parties and play dates days in advance. Noah Neal gives a spot-on performance as the underling, in thrall to an abusive and volatile boss.