Meet The Dudleys!

The Full-Stage Premiere of

The Dudleys!: A Family Game

by Leegrid Stevens

Directed by Gary Jaffe

6 – 22 May 2011

Wednesdays – Saturdays, 8:00 p.m., Sundays, 7:00 p.m.

The BLUE Theatre [916 Springdale Road, Austin, TX 78702]

Fridays and Saturdays: $15 General Admission
(GACA/Senior/Student: $12 & Priority Seating: $20)

Wednesdays & Thursdays are Pay-What-You-CAN
Name Your Own Price w/ Donation
of Non-Perishable Canned Food Item(s) to benefit
Hope Food Pantry at Trinity United Methodist Church
[Price without donation is $12]

Featuring the artistic contributions of Actors: Alex Cogburn, Katie Dahm, Robert Deike, Spencer Driggers, Braden Hunt, Jenny Keto, Rachel McGinnis, Blake Smith, David Meissner, and Erin Treadway; Set Designer: Chase Staggs; Lighting Designer: Natalie George; Choreography: Zenobia Taylor; Original ChipTune Music Composed and Performed Live by: Steven Gridley.

This evocative, new play translates the adolescent memories of a young man into a malfunctioning 8-bit video game, the kind he used to play as a child. A life-size video game onstage provides the setting in which the characters must score points and overcome obstacles as they navigate their way through the dangers of their own family. The Dudleys! features original video and a live 8-bit band of Atari's, Gameboy's, and Commodore 64's performing original chiptune songs, a new genre of electronic music in which old video game consoles are hacked and reprogrammed as synthesizers. The Dudleys! pits the two dimensional side-scrolling world of fun and happy endings up against the confusion and aimlessness of real life.

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www.TuttoTheatre.org

* * * * *

Eleven! B. Iden Payne Award NOMINATIONS...

Eleven! B. Iden Payne Award NOMINATIONS for Tutto Theatre Company's joint production with The VORTEX of Murder Ballad, Murder Mystery by Elizabeth Doss directed by Dustin Wills last fall. Congratulations to everyone who collaborated with Tutto on this brilliant project, see you at the awards!

http://www.bidenpayneawards.com/2010/09/2009-2010-nominations/

Austinist.com Really Gets I Witness...

Review: I Witness at The Blue Theatre [Dance]

I Witness
Thursdays - Saturdays, 20 August - 4 September 2010
Blue Theatre (916 Springdale Ave)
8 pm, $15
[info] | [tickets]

When one thinks of meditation, often the image that comes to mind is someone sitting in the lotus position with their eyes closed. However, meditation can take many forms. In some Eastern traditions movement can be a form of meditation. Tutto Theatre Company's new dance and spoken word show, I Witness is, in many ways, a meditation on the concepts of awareness, reality and dreams. However, it isn't simply to be watched. The show engages the audience directly, and brings them into a collective meditation on truly being awake and aware.

While many shows have a chatty atmosphere when the audience is being seated or waiting for the performance to begin, this show is different. Instead, there's a tone of reverence in the theater. The performers are on stage, sitting, lying, still. Then they move, seeming to improvise a brief glimpse of a dance, before again remaining still. They make eye contact with the audience, who is unusually quiet. There's a sense that although the performance has not begun, it is already starting.

I Witness

This serious tone of reflection and ambivalence continues throughout the entire show. The show itself mimics a dream. One of the performers is lying on stage, as if sleeping, at the very top, and at the end we see him again in this position. Hazy images are projected onto the wall, which has a crumpled fabric spread across it. It is as if one could almost make out the images, but not quite, much like remembering a dream. I Witness is a mix of dance and spoken word. Some of the spoken word is original material while other parts you might recognize if you're familiar with Hindu texts or quantum physics. It's divided into 10 parts, 10 original dances choreographed by Amanda Oakley, Shawn Nasralla, and Jennifer Micallef.

The texts and the dances present a call to pause and be mindful of deeper currents, of the connection of all things, of the presence of a deeper reality. There are direct references to quantum theory, pointing out that the observer cannot be taken out of our understanding of the universe. In the beautiful movements there are at times a sense of struggle. A struggle to remain aware, to remain connected. A struggle against loneliness, against the biological and cultural imperatives that make us into walking automatons, robots or puppets. The show seems to be saying that though we are individuals, we are not individuals living in isolation. We are part of a greater system, and that system is part of us. There is a unity at work in the world. The audience is part of the experience. Without the audience, the show does not exist. Without a witness, an event does not take place. Thus the audience is called to reflect upon the meaning of the dances, called to be aware, throughout the show, but is also a part of this meaning and awareness. The show sets out on an ambitious journey by dealing with concepts such as the subconscious, the nature of reality and resistance to the machinations of modern life. While it doesn't give any sort of solid resolution to these questions, it instead asks one to struggle, to strive, to pay attention--to be aware. That is itself, in many ways, a comfort.

In a world where so many people seek quick and easy answers to complex questions, it is nice to see a performance directly access the mystery and paradox present in our lives and accept it on its own terms.

By Patrick Knisely 

Austin 360's take on "I Witness"...

August 30, 2010

REVIEW: 'I WITNESS'

Postmodern is one of those lovely ambiguous labels that tends to get bandied about by critics and academics when we don’t exactly know what to say. It often seems to mean whatever it’s speaker wants it to mean. So in this instance, I’ll be sure to clarify.

“I Witness,” Tutto Theater Company’s current production, running now through Sept. 4 at the Blue Theater, is definitely postmodern. What makes it postmodern? The intentional juxtaposition of “high” and “low” culture, and a disorienting use of fragments, pastiche, montage — to me, these are fundamental aspects of postmodern art. While a collage sort of performance can make it difficult to focus on any given thing, it also allows you options about where to look or listen, which can be nice.

Billed as “an evening of dance (and spoken-word) with choreography by Amanda Oakley, Shawn Nasralla, and Jennifer Micallef,” the show is neither a play, nor a poetry reading, nor a dance recital… it’s all three — sort of.

It’s a play only in the sense that there does seem to be some sort of narrative through line that deals with love, identity and physics. There are performers who speak lines to an audience. And it happens in a theater.

The lines are a mish-mash of poetry, literary excerpts, quotations and explanations of physics by Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, verging dangerously on the edge of pretentious. These “spoken-words” can be difficult to follow despite the actors efforts. Lizzi Biggers infuses her lines with captivating ardor, but Alex Cogburn would have done well to find some emotions to put behind his.

The dancing is certainly not traditional though classical elements appear, and it occasionally reminded me more of pilates than of pirouettes — which actually made it much more enjoyable than that might sound. Seeing legs in the air and not on the ground was disorienting in a delightful way and at times produced a whimsical sort of beauty that can be lacking in more stoic forms of dancing.

The play of shadows orchestrated by Natalie George’s breathtaking light design is worth the trip in itself, but the talented array of dancers really make the magic happen. Unlike a traditional chorus line, each woman stands out with her own shape, size, and costume.

You may have to pick a favorite to focus on with so much happening at once, but it’s not like that’s a new dilemma for anyone living in the age of the world wide web.

8 p.m. Thursday - Saturday. $15 (Thursdays pay-what-you-can).www.tuttotheatre.org

Cate Blouke is an American-Statesman freelance arts critic.

A Review of I Witness by Barry Pineo

Arts Review

BY BARRY PINEO

I Witness

Blue Theatre, 916 Springdale, 522-4045, www.tuttotheatre.org
Through Sept. 4
Running time: 1 hr, 15 min.


I once had the distinct privilege (the distinct pleasure) of standing in front of a painting of some water lilies rendered by Vincent Van Gogh. I had seen many photographs of Van Gogh's paintings and had always loved them. I felt as though,
somehow, he captured the essence of experience and distilled it into an embodiment of that essence while keeping it entirely itself. However, I had never seen one of his actual paintings until I stood in front of those watery flowers. I looked for a long time, allowing the painting to absorb me. This painting that distilled not just the essence of the flowers and the essence of the artist but the essence of what it means to be artful, to be artist, to be art.
As an arts writer, I must be of two minds. I must subjectively experience what I see while allowing room to objectively evaluate it for the reading public. The public wants my opinion – that's why they read the review. What purpose does a review serve if it doesn't, on some level, express the writer's opinion? But occasionally I see something about which I do not wish to be objective. Rather, I wish to experience it entirely subjectively. I want to enter into the art, as I entered into Van Gogh's painting, because I am who I am, at that moment in time, and the art invites me – me, specifically, the essence of me – to become a part of it. Tutto Theatre Company'sI Witness is just such a piece.
I Witness is a collaborative dance/spoken-word production that succeeds in embodying the truth of a dream state. In this dream, words from disparate sources – Fernando Pessoa, St. Augustine, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr – echo in and out of music from equally disparate sources, while seven dancers embody the words and the music and the feelings of the words and the music. The two actors that speak the words wisely understand that the words, in the context of the dream, carry tremendous weight and power, and they do not overembellish, as so many actors tend to do. They simply speak them clearly and directly and allow the words to work on us. The dances are choreographed by three different individuals, yet each dance takes elements from all the others, so all seem to come from one mind. The group mind. Rich and varied lights and distorted, projected images blend in and out, reflecting the moods of the words and movements as thoroughly as the performers reflect and echo one another. And when they are not dancing or speaking, the actors and dancers sit and witness the dream, always a part of it, though they sit apart and alone. This dream of love, of pain, of loneliness, of togetherness. This dream of life. Of what it means to be human.
When it ended, I did not wish it to end, though I know all things end. Oh yes, all things, end they do. And then begin again, though we so often sleep through the beginnings – and the endings, too. We are asleep to ourselves, so we become most ourselves when we sleep. And when we wake, we wake to a dream. I Witnessembodies our waking, sleeping dream, and you should not miss the opportunity to live it.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=oid%3A1073704

I Witness: A Journey

Five weeks ago my close friend & dance partner of six years, Amanda Oakley invited me to perform in I Witness, Tutto Theatre Company’s latest show that includes contemporary dance intermixed with spoken word.  Excited for a new opportunity, I agreed.  She then told me that we had only five weeks to put together a full-length show with almost all brand new choreography.   I laughed at the prospect, but was definitely game for the challenge.

It has been well over a year since I’ve been involved in a dance project so I’d been itching for a performance opportunity for months.   Last May I injured my ankle during a rehearsal, and spent four months in physical therapy.  A month later a mastiff decided to take a bite out of that same ankle, tearing my Achilles tendon & damaging an already tender ligament.  Fourteen stitches, a gawky cast boot for 3 months, and 6 more months of physical therapy later, I was released from the doctor’s care.  Frustration oozed from my soul at the thought that dance may no longer be the thing I had always turned to for release and that it was taken from me much sooner than I ever expected.

During the many months of recovery I felt my life fall away from me in other areas, too – I suffered through a break up with a partner of almost six years, lost my dog to a cancerous tumor, opened my home to strangers I found on craigslist in order to make the mortgage each month…  I’ll stop here.  It was by far the darkest time of my life, my own personal nightmare, and I was blanketed with despair without the first clue on how I was going to get back to a happy place.

Because of the serious nature of the ankle injuries and the amount of work it took just to be able to walk without pain, I witnessed myself lose hope that I could get back out there, that I’d be able to function as a dancer at the same level I had become accustomed to.  So, to be offered the chance to perform again was more than I could hope for, and I immediately connected with the initial concept for this show – that at any given moment, we are witnessing, and often times, more than we realize, are being witnessed by others.

I walked into my first rehearsal nervous about the challenge that lied ahead and my own ability to dig deep into my soul for some other emotion other than that despair I’d felt for so long.  I was concerned that I wouldn’t have the strength or stamina to push through; I lacked trust in myself that I had done enough work to strengthen that area of my body that had suffered for so long; I wondered how in the world we were going to learn almost an hour and half’s worth of choreography in such a short amount of time; and I was somewhat doubtful that I’d be able to rediscover and reconnect with my life passion.  I felt like I had lost the level of confidence I’ve been known to have by those closest to me.

This past month has been a blur of whirlwind activity in the studio, by far the fastest moving project of this magnitude I’ve ever been involved in.  The first two weeks of rehearsal were spent learning loads of choreography at a quick pace from the show’s co-directors.  Amanda, Jennifer & Shawn are three wonderfully talented choreographers with distinctly different movement styles.  We learned pieces with different concepts ranging from the land of dreams where anything is possible, to hiding versus seeing versus sharing what we’ve witnessed, to the never-ending magnetism of romantic love.  At least that’s what the dances mean to me.  The past two weeks have been focused on piecing the show together with the actors who beautifully deliver text chosen from poetry, scientific essays and other various sources.  Their voices add such a delicate layer to the piece, texturing the story the way it was always meant to be.

To me I Witness is an enchanting world of hope where anything is possible.  We speak of love, timelessness, struggle, desire, determination, and we bring it to the audience from a soulful place where wishes come true if you just let go and let them.   It is a haven where fear is accepted as long as we don’t let it drown us in darkness… we must always keep going.  Pain is undoubtedly part of our experience at times, but what comes after is enlightenment.  Our scars are symbols of courage rather than ugly reminders of our past.  This is a world where we are encouraged to believe in our dreams, both the waking and the subconscious, because they are all real, they come from the same place.  Impossibilities don’t exist here.

I am lucky to be a witness of this process, to be part of this family so full of mutual understanding, respect for each other’s personal journeys and acceptance of the differences that unite us.  In the last month I have seen one of us face a family tragedy with bravery and love, another exit a relationship with poise and strength.  I have both witnessed and experienced the personal sacrifices as well as the triumphs.  The level of commitment each of us has given to the project has inspires me. And more significant to my own personal story, I am surprised at the ease in which my body has accepted movement again.  Sure, that ankle has demanded ice on several occasions, but really, the gift of dance never left me, and I’m so incredibly grateful to be reminded of its comfort in my life.  My feelings of despair and self-doubt are just memories now because today is a new day, and I feel differently.

Randi Leigh Turkin

I Witness

an evening of dance (and spoken-word)
with choreography by Amanda Oakley,
Shawn Nasralla, and Jennifer Micallef

20 August – 4 September 2010
Thursdays – Saturdays, 8:00 p.m.

The BLUE Theatre [916 Springdale Road]

For more information about I Witness visit TUTTO Theatre Company online

'I Witness' is in the press...

HOME: AUGUST 20, 2010: ARTS

'I Witness'

I see, therefore I am

BY KATHERINE CATMULL

I Witness 

photo by Daniel Brock

You witness a crime. You witness a wedding. You witness a miracle. It's more than seeing – the witness participates. Without a witness, the wedding cannot take place. The miracle cannot be believed. The crime cannot be exposed. "And I only am escaped alone to tell thee."
Now think about live performance. Why is a play not a movie? How is a concert different from a recording? You might say, "Because the performers are right there," but that can't be right, because the performers were right there when they shot the movie, too. What's different about live performance is you.
And when you come to live performance as a witness (rather than as a crossed pair of arms, or a texter, or a slumper), you can transform a performance. Choreographer Shawn Nasralla says that when an audience brings "presence and willingness to open to the performance and let it in," that creates "the possibility of a deeper experience" on both sides of the stage.
Tutto Theatre Company's I Witness, opening Friday, Aug. 20, at the Blue Theatre, uses dance, music, spoken word, and the audience's own lovely presence to explore witness. The evening springs from a short piece of the same name that Nasralla, who studied in Montana and taught at the Dance Theater of Iowa before landing in Austin, created for the recent Big Range Austin Dance Festival. With the help of musical genie Adam Sultan and videographer Eliot Haynes, she explored the concept of witness, including the Vedic philosophical idea that self-witness can lead to awakening. She was "thrilled when Amanda Oakley and Tutto Theater Company gave us the opportunity to expand on the theme."
For this longer evening, Nasralla, Oakley, and Jennifer Micallef have choreographed a total of 10 short pieces, including Nasralla's original, which approach witness from different perspectives. Nasralla's "Polarity" is "a playful duet about physicists and electrons" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle may – or may not – come into play). Micallef describes her pieces as about "being witnessed in vulnerable and surprising moments, as well as what we witness in our dreams." In "We Collide," she and Oakley "perform a duet about surprise – being together and fully responsive to every moment of touch and separation." Oakley's pieces deal with witness in the context of intimate relationships.
Most of the pieces include texts (performed by actors Lizzi Biggers and Alex Cogburn) from writers like modern-day mystic Eckhart Tolle, old-school mystic St. Augustine, and the multiple literary personalities of Portuguese modernist Fernando Pessoa.
In the past year, Tutto Theatre has won several B. Iden Payne and Austin Critics Table awards for its theatre work. Does the recent departure of Artistic Director Dustin Wills and the production of a dance piece mark a company in transition? Interim Artistic Director Matthew Ervin reminds us that Tutto was "founded to create multidisciplinary works," so the dance/spoken word I Witness is "an opportunity to embrace other aspects of our mission."
Given Tutto's history, it's an opportunity worth checking out. Bring your whole self and see what you can help create.

---

I Witness runs Aug. 20-Sept. 4, Thursday-Saturday, 8pm, at the Blue Theatre, 916 Springdale. For more information, call 522-4045 or visit www.tuttotheatre.org.

Blue Light Special - An event to help after this week's FIRE at the BLUE Theatre!!!

BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL

BLUE Theatre 916 Springdale Road (Blue Genie Hanger, btw. 7th & Airport Blvd) Austin, TX

SUNDAY, AUGUST 1st, 2010
2pm until...

http://bluetheatre.org/

The event will help in raising funds to repair damage to The BLUE Theatre caused by the FIRE that took place this week. The BLUE Theatre also needs new lighting equipment and for those of you who know..that costs $$$.  Please, please come out to show your support to the theatre and join in on the fun.

Help Support the Arts in East Austin!!!

The BLUE Theatre's SUPER-RAD band friends HOME BY HOVERCRAFT (http://www.myspace.com/homebyhovercraft) & ABANDONED WAREHOUSE (http://www.myspace.com/aarondembe) agreed to play what we are calling the BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL - All-Day Music Event Designed To Raise Money For Fire Repairs and Lights!

TITO'S HANDMADE VODKA has generously donated their delicious Texas Tea Cocktails, OLD SCHOOL BBQ & GRILL rolls in at 2pm to fire up the grill and the bands take the stage at 3pm.

Oh..AND did we mention the raffle!! We got some great prizes from local businesses eager to help out the BLUE. AND YOU CAN HELP OUT TO..

By coming out for a FREE Event at the BLUE and enjoying a tasty beverage, having some old school BBQ or by taking a gamble at the raffle. All proceeds go to the BLUE.

The BLUE Theatre will gladly accept lighting equipment donations as well. If you are looking to give or to sell, swing by and introduce yourself to us. The BLUE Theatre love to meet you!!

See you all there! 

MURDER BALLAD MURDER MYSTERY, Last weekend, last 4 shows and basta, finito, you missed it!

"[...Murder Ballad Murder Mystery's] set designer Lisa Laratta's transformation of the Vortex space, which I've never seen used more effectively."

"[...] I can't recall seeing many Austin theatre productions in the last 20 or so years so seamlessly perfect as this one [Murder Ballad Murder Mystery]."

-Barry Pineo, The Austin Chronicle

Tutto Theatre Company

& VORTEX Repertory Company

presents

Murder Ballad Murder Mystery
by Elizabeth Doss | Directed by Dustin Wills

Murder Ballad Murder Mystery unearths a host of dank and dirty bayou bandits whose names once marauded headlines, wanted posters, and LP sleeves. Watch these corpses whittle out new murder tools to make mincemeat of fair maidens and turn your sweetest dream into your worst nightmare. This psychedelic bluegrass symphonic romp through the swamp spins infamous southern-gothic tales of torture and true crime into a circus massacre of whodunits. A blast from the past straight up from the grave.

Featuring an amazing cast including: Alex Cogburn, Andy Tindall, Ben Schave, Cami Alys Frederic, Content Love Knowles, Elizabeth Doss, Emily Tindall, Florinda Bryant, Hilah Johnson, Kelli Bland, Mark Stewart, Phillip Emanuel, and Robert Pierson.

Also Featuring: Set Design by Lisa Laratta, Lighting Design by Megan M. Reilly, and Costume Design by Kim H. Ngo.

CLOSING WEEKEND November 4th - 7th, 2009

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8:00 p.m.


The VORTEX
2307 Manor Road; Austin, Texas 78722
To View A Map Click Here

Tickets:

$30-$25 Priority Seating, $20-$15 General Admission, $10 Starving Artists

Wednesdays: BUY-1-GET-1-FREE with donation of non-perishable food item.
(Donations to benefit Hope Food Pantry of Trinity United Methodist Church)

Tickets for Murder Ballad Murder Mystery
are available NOW at
www.tuttotheatre.org!!!


For reservations call: Available at 512-478-LAVA (5282)
www.TuttoTheatre.org

You can now Follow Tutto Theatre Company on Twitter & Facebook.

Tutto Theatre Company is funded in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division.

CHRONICLE REVIEW!!!!!

Arts: October 30, 2009

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=901610

Arts Review

By Barry Pineo

Murder Ballad Murder Mystery

The Vortex, through Nov. 7

Running time: 2 hr

The older I get, the more I seem to enjoy plays and films that have no obvious linear, narrative plot. When I first saw Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York, I thought it was the finest, deepest, greatest film I had seen in many years, so I was surprised to read reviews that excoriated it for its shallowness and its indulgence. It only goes to show, there really is no accounting for taste.

I have a feeling that some might react to this Vortex Repertory-Tutto Theatre Company co-production of Elizabeth Doss' original musical with similar confusion and, perhaps, even derision. But I can't recall seeing many Austin theatre productions in the last 20 or so years so seamlessly perfect as this one. I'm tempted to give most of the credit to director Dustin Wills, but I hesitate to do so. While certainly Wills was the guiding hand, every element of the production contributes mightily to its overall effect.

Take Doss' original script, which seems set in some unnamed part of Appalachia. Its focus is death, and it's filled with it. Sister kills sister, father kills daughter, mother kills father, strangers kill strangers, and that's just the first act. But rather than stirring horror and revulsion, the deaths are perversely loving or revoltingly comic, and all are set to music. Two of the songs particularly stand out: Content Love Knowles stops the show in the first act with her rendition of "You Got What You Deserved," and Mark Stewart, accompanying himself on guitar, fascinates in the second act with the strange ballad "The Night I Didn't Kill You."

Or look at set designer Lisa Laratta's transformation of the Vortex space, which I've never seen used more effectively. Ramps and platforms span the walls. Actors splash through a pool of water center stage. Rope and spookily glowing lanterns hang suspended from the ceiling, and shanks of rope adorn the walls. Actors crawl onto the stage, slide onto it, scamper up and down ladders, and are hoisted to the roof. And the background for all of this – well, I just don't want to give this delightful surprise away. If you want to know what major scenic element dominates the stage, you'll just have to see it for yourself.

Or consider Mark Stewart and Andy Tindall's original, evocative bluegrass music, which accompanies most of the action, played by a band of four on banjo, guitar, mandolin, and fiddle. And while, for me, Robert Pierson's growling father Tom and Hilah Johnson's detached and weary Agatha stand out, the entire ensemble of actors commits completely and utterly to this broad, bizarre vision of a backwoods community gone completely and utterly mad.

In writing all this, I don't want to imply that the production is transcendent. Nothing is, really. Even I found it self-indulgently ridiculous when Caden Cotard used a dropper to put fake tears in his eyes in Synecdoche, New York. But that moment was the exception that proves the rule: In order to achieve greatness, great risk must be undertaken, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a riskier production in Austin this year than this strange string of ballads and mysteries, best summed up in the final lines of the final song of the show: "How lucky to be dead. How lucky to be singing ... tonight."

www.TuttoTheatre.org

You can now Follow Tutto Theatre Company on Twitter & Facebook.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Murder Ballad Murder Mystery Opens with a BANG! BANG! BANG!

A lowdown & dirty load-in followed by a fast & furious tech week were well worth the dark circles meticulously covered with concealer by the cast. Thank god for adrenaline, ‘else asses would have been draggin’. A sold-out opening crowd witnessed one hell of show! Fourth of July fireworks shot straight from the swamp last Friday night. We wore our inner animals on our sleeves, tackling every scene & song with guts & gumption. Were they mishaps? Sure. Deviations from our best-laid plans? Hell, yes. And shit-ton of heart, too. And some tired, happy tears at the opening night soiree as Bonnie Cullum, toasted the incredible efforts from both Tutto Theatre Company & Vortex that brought this beast of a musical into being.

And there were no “second night blues” on Saturday when we met, once again, a solidly packed house. We were up to tricks old & new, hollerin’, line dancin’, and brandishing plastic pistols. Enough entrances and exits to make your head spin. No time hem and haw! This breakneck play requires an A game. The ensemble on their toes at all times. All except our sweet harp, Agnes, suspended in her swing like upside down anchor, defying gravity. From Lincoln Lady’s gritty ditty “I Killed You”, to the Sleuth’s bad-ass rendering of, “Why’s Everybody Gotta Die?” Murder Ballads ran, yet again, on greased lightening.

And we didn’t stop there ‘cause we packed ‘em in again on Sunday! And we even amped it up a notch for fiddle player and musical director, Andy Tindall’s birthday. We met with surprisingly responsive crowd. Jay and I managed through our rapid fire text with fewer slip-ups than ever before. Some took issue with the Indian Summer heat, but I must say it made the water fight feel like a pool party. So, I couldn’t complain. They say a cold front’s comin’ next week.

In a nutshell? Great stuff all around. The design rocks. The cast rules. The direction from Tutto Theatre Company's Dustin Wills reeks of genius. Who could ask for more? Not me. I’m as happy as a pig in you-know-what.

xoxo

B

www.TuttoTheatre.org

You can now Follow Tutto Theatre Company on Twitter & Facebook.

REVIEW of Murder Ballad Murder Mystery on KOOP Radio...

Two weeks ago we were featured guest on the 91.7 KOOP radio show Off Stage and On The Air hosted by Lisa Scheps. As part of this week's show Lisa interview live and on the air the Murder Ballad Murder Mystery ticket winner.

Click play below and listen to what the winner had to say about Murder Ballad Murder Mystery.

ONLY TWO WEEKS LEFT!!!

Tickets for Murder Ballad Murder Mystery

are available NOW at:

www.tuttotheatre.org!!!

For reservations call: Available at 512-478-LAVA (5282)

www.TuttoTheatre.org

You can now Follow Tutto Theatre Company on Twitter & Facebook.

Murder Ballad Murder Mystery

Tutto Theatre Company & VORTEX Repertory Company

presents

Murder Ballad Murder Mystery
by Elizabeth Doss | Directed by Dustin Wills

Murder Ballad Murder Mystery unearths a host of dank and dirty bayou bandits whose names once marauded headlines, wanted posters, and LP sleeves. Watch these corpses whittle out new murder tools to make mincemeat of fair maidens and turn your sweetest dream into your worst nightmare. This psychedelic bluegrass symphonic romp through the swamp spins infamous southern-gothic tales of torture and true crime into a circus massacre of whodunits. A blast from the past straight up from the grave.

Featuring an amazing cast including: Alex Cogburn, Andy Tindall, Ben Schave, Cami Alys Frederic, Content Love Knowles, Elizabeth Doss, Emily Tindall, Florinda Bryant, Hilah Johnson, Kelli Bland, Mark Stewart, Phillip Emanuel Smith, and Robert Pierson.

Also Featuring: Set Design by Lisa Laratta, Lighting Design by Megan M. Reilly, and Costume Design by Kim H. Ngo.


Three Weeks Only!

23-25 October 2009 (Friday-Sunday 8:00 p.m.),

28-31 October 2009 (Wednesday-Saturday 8:00 p.m.)

& 4-7 November 2009 (Wednesday-Saturday 8:00 p.m.)

with BONUS Halloween show on Friday, October 30th, 11:00 p.m.




The VORTEX
2307 Manor Road; Austin, Texas 78722
To View A Map Click Here

Tickets:

$30-$25 Priority Seating, $20-$15 General Admission, $10 Starving Artists

Wednesdays: BUY-1-GET-1-FREE with donation of non-perishable food item.
(Donations to benefit Hope Food Pantry of Trinity United Methodist Church)

Tickets for Murder Ballad Murder Mystery
are available NOW at
www.tuttotheatre.org!!!


For reservations call: Available at 512-478-LAVA (5282)
www.TuttoTheatre.org

You can now Follow Tutto Theatre Company on Twitter & Facebook.

Tutto Theatre Company is funded in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division.

Tutto wins BIG at the 2008-2009 B. Iden Payne Awards

Thank you so much Austin and many congrats to all who put themselves out there to make the world a prettier place. DON'T WASTE THE PRETTY!!!

2008-2009 B. Iden Payne Awards

PLAYS FOR YOUTH

Outstanding Production of a Play for Youth
Pattern Nation (Pollyanna Theatre Company)

Outstanding Director of a Play for Youth
Judy Matetzschk-Campbell (Pattern Nation)

Outstanding Actor in a Play for Youth
Nathan Jerkins (Hansel, Hansel and Gretel)

Outstanding Actress in a Play for Youth
Karen Jambon (Witch, Hansel and Gretel)

MUSIC THEATER

Outstanding Production of Music Theater
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Summer Stock Austin)

Outstanding Director of Music Theater
Michael McKelvey (Sweeney Todd)

Outstanding Lead Actor in Music Theater
Andrew Cannata (Sid Sorokin, The Pajama Game)

Outstanding Lead Actress in Music Theater
Kathleen Fletcher (Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney Todd)

Outstanding Featured Actor in Music Theater
Aaron Moten (Judge Turpin, Sweeney Todd)

Outstanding Featured Actress in Music Theater
Julia Duffy (Gladys, The Pajama Game)

COMEDIES

Outstanding Production of a Comedy
Black Snow (TUTTO Theatre Company)

Outstanding Director of a Comedy
Mark Pickell (Killer Joe)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy
Martin Burke (Bastian, House of Several Stories)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy
Lauren Lane (Sue, House of Several Stories)

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Comedy
Travis Dean (mugged shopper, “Windchimes and Varicose Cream,” I ♥ Walmart)

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Comedy
Suzanne Balling (Maryamma, Miss Witherspoon)

DRAMAS

Outstanding Production of a Drama
Ophelia (TUTTO Theatre Company)

Outstanding Director of a Drama
Dustin Wills (Ophelia)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama
Andrew Varenhorst (Kyle Kalke, Touch)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama
Xochitl Romero (Una, Blackbird)

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Drama
Wray Crawford (Shelley Levene, Glengarry Glen Ross)

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Drama
Miriam Rubin (Agnes, The Shadow Box)

TECHNICAL

Outstanding Set Design
Lisa Laratta (Black Snow)

Outstanding Lighting Design
Megan M. Reilly (Ophelia)

Outstanding Sound Design
Roy Taylor (Oceana)

Outstanding Costume Design
Pam Fletcher-Friday (Sweeney Todd)

Outstanding Music Director
Michael McKelvey (Sweeney Todd)

Outstanding Dance Choreographer
Danny Herman and Rocker Verastique (The Pajama Game)

Outstanding Fight Choreographer
Travis Dean (Killer Joe)

Outstanding Original Script
Beth Burns (The Long Now)

Outstanding Original Score
Aaron Brown (The Secret Lives of the InBetweeners)

SPECIAL

Outstanding Cast Performance
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (North by Northwest Theatre Company)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance
Amie Elyn, Andreá Smith, David Yeakle, Mikaela Thomas, Angelica McAuley and Carlos Treviño (Maids, Mister Z Loves Company)

Outstanding Youth Performer
Angela Loftus (Marjorie, Scotch Doris, Natalie, Policewoman, Helena, Good Things)

Outstanding Theatrical Event
The Casket of Passing Fancy (Rubber Repertory)

Rudy Kloptik Award for Outstanding Work in Improvisational Theater
Parallelogramophonograph

People’s Choice Award
God’s Man in Texas, Georgetown Palace Theatre

Did you miss us on the radio? Fear Not...

This week we were honored to be the guest production on 91.7 KOOP radio show Off Stage and On The Air hosted by the every amazing Lisa Scheps. There was some great Q&A as well as songs performed live on the air from our upcoming production of Murder Ballad Murder Mystery.

If you missed us on the air fear not, just click the play button below and hear the radio show in its entirety! Comments are always welcome.

For for information about the production visit:

www.TuttoTheatre.org

Murder Ballad Murder Mystery

by Elizabeth Doss | Directed by Dustin Wills

Get Tickets Here

23 – 25 October 2009: Friday – Sunday, 8:00 p.m.

28 – 31 October 2009 & 4 – 7 November 2009
Wednesday – Saturday, 8:00 p.m.
(Bonus Show: Friday, 30 October 2009, 11:00 p.m.)

The VORTEX
[2307 Manor Road, Austin, Texas 78722]

Murder Ballad Murder Mystey on KOOP Radio

Want to hear a little of Murder Ballad Murder Mystery? Then you'll want to tune into 91.7 FM KOOP's radio show Off Stage and On The Air at 1:00 pm on Monday October 12th to hear an interview with director Dustin Wills and a sneak preview of the show!!!


- Tutto

The Chronicle is still talking about Tutto...

Black Snow is wrapped but The Chronicle is still talking Tutto Theatre Company. Read what they have to say:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A810626

Did you get to see Back Snow... what did you think?

A Q&A with Dustin Wills...

TUTTO's Artistic Director, Dustin Wills, is the subject of an Alumni Profile by the Department of Theatre & Dance at The University of Texas at Austin.

Click here to read the profile

Its a great little Q&A that gives you a sneak peek into Dustin's creative world.

- Tutto Theatre Company

Tutto Theatre Company is going global...

TUTTO THEATRE COMPANY is featured in a Roman publication!!!! Page 30. And how lovely that La Dolce Vita is on the front cover. INDEED!





We truly are going global because this July Tutto Theatre Company will be producing in collaboration with The English Theatre of Rome. The production will be written and directed by Tutto Theatre Company's Artistic Director, Dustin Wills. The show opens in July 2009 at the Teatro L'Arciliuto in Rome, Italy.


If you are thinking to yourself, "Damn, I wish I could get to Rome!"


No worries, because you can catch our Austin production of Black Snow by Mikhail Bulgakov.



Black Snow by Mikhail Bulgakov
Adapted by Keith Reddin
Directed by Dustin Wills
26 June – 12 July 2009
Thursdays – Sundays 8:00 p.m.
(No Performance on Saturday, July 4th)
Salvage Vanguard Theater [2803 Manor Road]

You can get tickets now at a special advanced purchase discount price at:

Tickets Tickets Tickets



- Tutto Theatre Company
www.TuttoTheatre.org

And the award goes to...

We're super proud to announce that Dustin Wills picked up the award in direction for the amazing work he did in "Ophelia"! Congratulations not only to those who won this evening but to all those who were nominated. Thank you so much to the Austin Critics Table Awards and to all those who support the arts in Austin, Texas. We cannot wait to see you at "Black Snow" opening at SVT in June.

- Tutto Theatre Company