Austin Playhouse announces Austin Playfest, a collaborative virtual theatre festival celebrating Austin’s creativity and resilience during the pandemic running November 11–15, 2021. Featuring works from Austin Playhouse as well as other companies including Deaf Austin Theatre, Ground Floor Theatre, Hyde Park Theatre, Jarrott Productions, New Manifest Theatre Company, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, ScriptWorks, Summer Stock Austin, TILT Performance Group, and The VORTEX. Virtual passes and single tickets on salemid-October at austinplayfest.com.

 

In March 2020, companies pivoted, re-imagined, re-worked, collaborated, and created new ways to reach their audiences. For many that meant virtual performances: livestreams, zoom readings, and works created whole cloth for this new medium. 

 

“During this time, I have seen an incredible burst of creativity from so many in the community.” said Producing Artistic Director Lara Toner Haddock. “Melissa Vogt at The VORTEX hosted livestreams for months, Scriptworks turned their annual 10-minute play festival into a multimedia event, and so many more. Austin Playfest celebrates the depth and breadth of Austin Theatre during the pandemic as we return to live performances.”

 

Various pieces were performed online only, such as A Portrait of My Mother from Jarrott Productions and Austin Playhouse’s Confessions of an English Danger Girl, while others like Taji Senior’s Amendment for Salvage Vanguard were performed live and streamed, putting theatre professionals’ skills to work in the medium of film. All of which were conceived and created when the world suddenly changed in March 2020.

 

Offering over a dozen performances throughout five days, the virtual festival will additionally include livestreams, Q&As with the creative community, and an in-person mixer on Sunday, November 14 at The Butterfly Bar at The VORTEX, 2307 Manor Rd.

 

Produced by Austin Playhouse, Austin Playfest will include context for each piece to help audiences better understand the challenges each theatre and its creatives faced and their goals for each work. Proceeds of Austin Playfest will benefit all featured theatre companies of the festival.

 

Full offerings and lineup to be announced later in the month.

 

Tickets: Festival passes start at $42; individual event tickets are $7. Passes and individual tickets will go on sale mid-October at austinplayfest.com.

About Austin Playhouse:

Austin Playhouse is dedicated to providing opportunities for Austin artists and audiences to celebrate the human experience. Austin Playhouse will nourish your mind, delight your spirit, and enrich your life through professional productions of classic, contemporary, and musical plays. For more information visit austinplayhouse.com.

 

Austin Playhouse is a professional theatre in its 22nd season. Under the leadership of Co-Producing Artistic Directors Don Toner and Lara Toner Haddock, Austin Playhouse has grown from a three-play season on the campus of Concordia University, to a year-round operation producing an average of six mainstage plays, theatre for youth productions, and a new play festival. Austin Playhouse plans to build a permanent home for the veteran theatre troupe and all of Austin’s artistic community.