SerpApi.Org
Theater-goers looking for something new and local will find it at Austin Playhouse this August. The company will stage readings of three new works in the 2026 Festival of New Texas Plays on August 15 and 16. Tickets are donation-based, with a limited number available completely for free.
These works by Austin playwrights Emilie Budjaja, Carl Gonzales, and Kleo James Ryan are actually still in progress, and they will be when audiences see them for the first time. Then the writers will attend talkbacks after each performance, giving unique insight into the development process.
All the shows have an inter-generational element, tying the festival together — perhaps unintentionally — with themes that should play off each other nicely.
The three new plays audiences can expect to see are:
Saturday, August 15
・ACES by Emilie BudjajaMandarian speakers will have a leg up when watching ACES, which is partially performed in that language without subtitles. However, they'll miss out on some of the unique experience only having context clues available. This play presents two stories 20 years apart to compare experiences across generations.
・Lulu Goes to the Jim Henson Memorial Service by Kleo James Ryan
Folks who recognize the name Jim Henson might expect to see puppets, and they're absolutely right. In fact, "nearly everyone" but titular character Lulu's parents are puppets, the release says, giving the story about grief a sense of humor and a "delightfully weird" tone.
Sunday, August 16
・Mom and Pop by Carl GonzalesThe audience gets to spend some time with a Latine family in a restaurant while learning about their "dreams of bigger things." The interpersonal dynamics are "messy, exuberant, politically alive, and full of heart," the release says.
The release also mentions some plays that didn't make the final cut, yet left a notable impact on the selection committee: Lowell Bartholomee, Brian Coughlin, Lara Toner Haddock, Tonie Knight, Stephen Mercantel, Laura Walberg, Cyndi Williams, and Ben Wolfe. Theater fans who follow the local scene should keep an eye out for the following works:
・Everyone, give yourselves a pat on the back! by Erin Malone Turner (finalist)
・I'm Gonna Be The Governor by Ainsley Powers (finalist)
・Peanut Is A Vibe by Nate Southard (semi-finalist)
・Two Million Years of Rain by Sheree L. Ross (semi-finalist)
・First by Joey Banks and Vee Council (semi-finalist)
・T-minus-15 by Diamante Martinez (semi-finalist)
・The Lily Problem by Max Langert (semi-finalist)
Festival-goers will have some time to mingle at an opening mixer between the first two plays (showtimes at 4 pm and 7:30 pm) with light refreshments. There will also be a closing reception after the final reading, on Sunday.
Tickets are available at a pick-your-price rate austinplayhouse.com. The automatic ticket price (if users keep the number that autofills) is $10.
