Shows are listed in performance order.

Sunrise at the 8th Tee, written and performed by Nancy A. Lynch. Multi-media. You never know what might happen if you were to plop down in a lawn chair at the 8th Tee at Hancock Golf Course to watch the sun rise every morning for a year or so . . .

Rusty Lightnin’ Kick Starts, by Jack Kyser. Rusty Lightnin', a goofy cowboy spokesman for a local car dealership, will proudly screen his short film RUSTY LIGHTNIN’ KICK STARTS. Rusty is delighted to participate in a post-screening Q&A with the audience—all the while hiding the fact that he's an informant for ATF agents looking to bust the dealership’s owner for firearms trafficking!

An Oral History of the Beach Cabaret, by PoetKen Jones. The Beach Cabaret (1982-1986) provided a seminal starting point for much of the 1980s Austin Alternative Music Scene. 2024 marks the 40th Anniversary of the MTV Cutting Edge Austin episode, which focused on that venue which epitomized the creative milieu of the times. PoetKen Jones will offer his lived experience on the people and events that made that place and time so special. This project is the first in a series to include numerous voices who were witnesses to the history made there.

I WILL NOW INDUCE CRYING, written and performed by Zac Carr. A solo show: part theatre, part sketch, part other stuff. A might-see performance. I WILL NOW INDUCE CRYING will change the way audiences think about how they spent their night out.

Shows are listed in performance order. 

I’m Not Here to Help You, by Kate Howard.  A comedic musical performance piece consisting of five original songs performed by Ms. Howard and her power trio.

Funeral Float, by Pearls of Wisdom. Papa left some surprises behind when he passed. His family has gathered to scatter his ashes while they tube down the San Marcos River. They will pull together in harmony to give him the loving send-off he deserves. Or will they? Creators include: Diane Owens, Nancy Lynch, David Guarino, Glenn Gurgiolo, Kathryn Nelson, Elise Moltz, Mary Coppinger, and Tracy Cornelius.

The Heart of Things, by Andy Tate(Scriptworks Commission). Zach and Adam are sorting through their belongings as they prepare to leave their apartment for a fresh start. While packing up, they begin unpacking their three-year relationship. Now every object is a treasured memory to unearth, or a hard truth to expose, and neither of them is in the mood to stop digging. Featuring Joseph Paz and Kirk Scarbrough. Directed by Jason Sierra.

Silent Faces, written and performed by Alex Garza. In this original solo work, Garza fuses together several of his poems and performs them as character monologues to tell the journey of a gay man through his life.  The play explores one person's evolution and search for love, identity, and visibility in the world. 

THE Talk: A Pep Rally Purity Play, by Lilly Percifield and CB Goodman. Let’s go LIONS! It’s Homecoming at Christian High School Academy, and there’s no better time to talk about... Abstinence. In this excerpt, Principal Luke's smokin' hot wife is here to teach the girls How To Stay Pure. Lilly Percifield channels her experience with West Texas Evangelical Purity Culture into a ridiculously absurd solo comedy that resembles a "Youth Group on Steroids" using one very important sandwich. 

Shows are listed in performance order.

PAZ, by Patrick Aziz. Being comes before meaning. An exploration.

Low Tide, by Meret Slover. Taylor spends her evenings alone on the beaches of Galveston with a metal detector, searching for washed-up valuables. Her night takes a surreal turn when she encounters a stranger who claims to have prior claim to the seaborne treasure. An original piece written and directed by Meret Slover, produced by Dirty Gold Theatre.

My Brain Is Hurting, by Taylor Damien Boykin and Ryan Parr. A musical comedy about an "artist" breaking through his own limitations. 

EscarGoat, by Patrick Lyons, Emily Jeanette, Adam Mueller, Dani Gonzalez, Will Isenberg, Margaret Becker, Stephanie Filipek, Jason Levitt, and Matthew Jordan. EscarGoat is Austin's best new long-form improv comedy troupe with decades of combined improv experience. We draw inspiration from a living room-style opener that inspires three scenes within our imagined reality, followed by recurring characters and themes drawing from the first three scenes. EscarGoat’s strength is balancing grounded realities with moments of fast-paced absurdism, playing on the concept of game with rapid fire speed. 

Shows are listed in performance order . 

The Yolk, or, Scenes from The Egg: A Comedy, by Noah Masterson. A new technology upends the lives of a woman who lays eggs and a man whose face sprouts feathers. Directed by David Ritch, The Yolk is a set piece for a full-length play to be produced later in 2025.

12 Steps to a More Dysfunctional Part 5, This Time It’s Personal, by Rob Nash. Fred tours as a non-motivational speaker, Margot has a podcast for Christian Wives and Mothers, her husband Reverend Bob televangelizes every Sunday, Windsong and Moonbird are trying to save the family and the world by getting them to enroll in The Landmark Forum, Ashley is trying to save her plural marriage and Matt just wants to drink in peace.

Love Is Magic, by Dylan Love. Austin magician Dylan Love has things to show you and tell you. Dylan is a two-time Texas state finalist in closeup magic who has consulted for Google, HBO Max, and your neighbor's kid's birthday party. Come see him tell a story!

Press Junket: Post-Game, by Rebecca Maag. Created by Rebecca Maag of Cheerful Secrets, this interactive play casts the AUDIENCE as members of the press and offers them a chance to interview athletes in a post-game press conference. Fresh, funny, and surprising, each performance of Press Junket offers guests a one-of-a-kind experience.

By day I chase my dreams. By night they chase me, by Scott Silverman. Streams of consciousness and unconsciousness from a baby boomer pondering "What happened, why us, and what now?"

Tonight’s performance has been cancelled due to potential dangerous roads.

The shows originally set for tonight will be rescheduled over the remaining nights of the festival.

The shows are listed in performance order.

HR, by Monroe Oxley. In this dark comedy, Mr. X takes Ruth, a self-involved receptionist, on an existential journey of her life. Ruth is about to find out that there is more to life than gossip and work, even if she’s been dead for a year.

The Storm, by Norm Ballinger. Based on the historical-fiction novel, All of This Was Mine, by Richard J. Dobson, about the Galveston Storm of 1900 and how the lives of two lovers were permanently changed.

The Woman in the Attic, by Kleo James Ryan (ScriptWorks Commission). What secrets lie locked away in the attic? Aubrey, a young bride, finds herself drawn to mysterious sounds echoing throughout her new home. Her enigmatic husband, Edgar, promises there’s nothing to fear and urges her to ignore them. But as Aubrey ventures into the attic, she discovers the truth about Edgar’s past. Directed by Lacey Cannon Gonzales, this Gothic tale explores love, madness, and the devastating cost of secrets.

Identity Crisis, an excerpt from the play by Mindy Reed. Michelle Greene returns to clean out her childhood home and discovers an old film canister. Curious, she has the pictures developed, only to find her own face staring back at her. She’s always felt like an outcast in her own family and this unearthing makes her question her lineage. Letters in the attic reveal the truth.

Daughter and Dada, written, directed, and performed by Marley Miller and Zell Miller, III for ZM3Productions. This game show flirts on a therapy session and dances with wit, humor and poetry. This interactive game involves audience participation, and one can never tell where it will end up. The premise is easy enough: an audience member is selected, they call out a number from 1 to 15, and Marley and Zell will respond to the command of that number. This is the first time this actual father and daughter have performed together, but is it really a performance? Let’s find out!

The shows are listed in performance order. 

Showstopper, by Angela J. Latham. Angela J. Latham eventually escaped White Evangelicalism. Barely. Once noted in evangelical circles for her performances of biblical texts and religious heroines, Latham replays her dramatic turn from fundamentalist to freethinker in an irreverent and poignant solo performance that is equal parts meta-theatre, memoir, and biting social commentary. 

Clifford Henderson: 21st Century Comedian, by Roy Lazorwitz. Clifford Henderson was once at the top of his game, performing stand-up comedy for sold out crowds at state fairs and bowling alleys. After doing the same jokes for years, his audiences have dried up and his bank account is empty. Now he has no choice; he must change directions. But instead of evolving his act, he decides to do what any responsible male living in America would do: rob a bank.

Sticky, by Rebecca Greaves and Meret Slover. Dive into the hilariously awkward, surprisingly tender world of Sticky, produced by Dirty Gold Theatre. Set in Ann's modest apartment, this witty comedy follows three women navigating the unpredictable dynamics of a late-night rendezvous that’s equal parts sensual, chaotic, and soul-baring. Sticky explores intimacy, identity, and the beauty of human connection—even when things don’t go according to plan. 

I Am Al Pacino, by Jessy Schwartz. Not a one-woman show. At all.

Accidental Book Reviews for Future Robots by Michael Ferstenfeld. A song cycle written and performed by the human Michael Ferstenfeld in between bouts of consuming a great many works of science-fiction and alternate-history during a time of great loss and upheaval (2019-2029). Each piece began as improvised lyrical free association, but turned out to be not-so-subtly influenced by these works—books like The Left Hand of Darkness, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and The Plot Against America.

BAFFLING!, by Kayla Lane Freeman. A clown show. 

The shows are listed in performance order. 

Lasagna in the Kind Kitchen, by Madison Laird. Two teens, Alex and Charlie, stumble across their crush’s mom’s recipe blog online. As they learn how to make lasagna, they also uncover some things they probably would have been better off not knowing. 

Help! My Vagina is Trying to Kill Me!, written and performed by Yola Jean Lu. A show that talks about STIs, miscarriages and HPV—but it also tries to bring light to some of these heavy topics by instilling humor into the show, making it easier to consume for audiences.

Feel the Peach, devised, directed, and performed by Kate Robinson. In captivating detail and sweeping choreography, this solo performance takes the audience through a circuitous journey that begins in Texas and ends at the rugged coastline of Big Sur. We see a woman morph before our eyes. Her body tells the story while her words connect us to our own stories, the ones left in the dark

What a Shame, by Darren Schmidt & Anthony Ellison. A comedic exploration of the question: "Why does God do bad things to good people?" Follow the character of Ted, who tutors children, donates kidneys, prays, and cycles. Such a shame what happens to him.

The Knuckleball Now, by four comedic improvisors. Est. 2004, this particular unit of award-winning comedic improvisors take random audience-read text messages, which are then spun and weaved into an unscripted collection of high energy scenes, themes & characters. Lights down, people clap.

Shows are listed in performance order. 

Texas Book of Beasts: Year of the Gnu, by Jeff Irvin. Activist organizes the audience in opposition to a new development that threatens an endangered toad. With clickers and signs. Parental Note: with implied amphibian sex.

Sensual Asexuality, by Greta Gardner. This piece is a lighthearted exploration of asexuality as an experience through the lens of a formerly highly orgasmic human being. My orientation is currently a ""Pleasure-o-sensual"" with interesting results. I share personal stories and reflections on longstanding and current research. 

The Crush, by Joy Lin. A short rom-com with twists and turns.  The less you know about it beforehand, the better the experience.

Daddy's Boy, by Kat Ellison Williams. Daddy's Boy is a standup comedy work-in-progress. Kat explores his relationship with his late father through the lens of a gender transition his father struggled to recognize.

Broken Black Survivor, by Christopher Michael. Christopher Michael and SC Says present a poetic exploration of mental health.

Shows are listed in performance order. 

Braw Lass of Gala Water, by Todd A. Clark. On a dreary night in the Traquair Forest of 15th Century Scotland, an unexpected new laird and her vassal investigate the forces at work behind a threatened assassination. How can a lass identify her foe? / She'll pause upon engaging her hero.

BRINE XV TRUTH AND TEXAS, by Stuart Harry Hersh. The author's 15th play at Frontera fest documenting how Texas' open meetings and open records legislation helped him learn the truth about city government and a South Austin business.

44.25 Hours, by Emily Wolinsky, Eric Clow, and Nicole Cortichiato. A short play about how bureaucracy impacts the survival and independence of disabled adults living with complex care needs. 

The Wardrobe Children, by Heather Thiel. A play within a play. The story is based on one we all know, but other than that nothing is straightforward. The performers are plagued with every mishap and mistake that could possibly bedevil a theatre troupe. 

Commandeered, by Christian Huey. In a world where the ultra-rich find novel ways of offloading responsibilities onto the working class, one employee decides to clock out in spectacular fashion.

Poseidon Cruise Presents Sheila and Carla Jean’s High Tide Happy Hour Comedy Cabaret Deck 4 Weather Permitting Casual, by Lee Eddy and Jenny Larson. Join us for an evening of so-so singing, mediocre jokes, and desperate tears. It’s "Poseidon Cruise Presents Sheila and Carla Jean’s High Tide Happy Hour Comedy Cabaret." The ship is sinking, passengers are vomiting, chaos reigns, but Sheila and Carla Jean know the show must go on.

Shows are listed in performance order.  PLEASE NOTE: Several of tonight’s pieces cover sensitive mental health issues including childhood abuse and attempted suicide.

The psych ward and other misadventures, by Brian Dryer. An exploration of how a diagnosis can change the trajectory of your life, and how a sense of humor can save you. An at times poignant and funny look at what it takes to get through our most difficult periods while still feeling like ourselves.

The Skinny, written and performed by Holly Hart Raiborn. Through four vignettes, Hart Raiborn’s story unfolds, blending both humor and the bittersweet realities of weight loss. The Skinny, revolving around Hart Raiborn’s lived experience with obesity and weight loss of over 80 pounds, reveals a universal human experience—once you change some­thing about your­self, you assume every­thing about you will be fixed, only to real­ize, you either learn to accept your­self, or have to con­tin­ue chas­ing changes.

Augusta Stops the Show, by Helen Sneed. The third one-act play in a series written and performed by Helen Sneed. It’s the story of an accomplished woman with mental illness fighting to survive in New York City.

Ma Heart, by Jack Darling. This is a story about how creative love can transform terror into wonder. When force and pain threaten to break a child's spirit, a grandmother's patient wisdom finds unexpected ways to keep their heart whole. It's about the small acts of imaginative kindness that help us survive—and how sometimes the most profound healing comes not through power, but through play. 

A Thief Among Us. We're an improv troupe and we create a unique play for each performance. This play is a crime mystery. Five wealthy friends arrive at an island mansion for a lively weekend, but soon discover that one of them has stolen a priceless artifact from the mansion. The actors and audience don’t know who the thief is until the end, when they all guess before it is revealed. Clues are given throughout the play.

Shows are listed in performance order. 

A Stinging Convention, by Max Langert. First created and performed at the 14/48 festival in Austin, this comedic play follows a few insects attending a work conference as they await the day's keynote speaker. Directed by Ruth Foulkrod

Evelyn in Germany, an original solo show written and performed by Evelyn LaLonde. After conquering lifelong health struggles, Evelyn lands a six-month work assignment in Stuttgart, Germany. Between European getaways, whirlwind romances, and sultry salsa nights, she dives headfirst into a life of passion and adventure. 

Everything ends in death, a solo show created and performed by Pamela L Paek. What doesn’t end in death? Pamela answers this question through existence proofs of petty annoyances, the taboo, cancel culture, illness, and bereavement. She’ll unpack existential dread, like with Sartre: “I exist, that is all, and I find it nauseating.” The goal: give agency to all who suffer. Maybe some healing too.  All in under 25 minutes.

One Hot, One Cold, One Frozen, created by Angelina Zulas-Carr and performed by Angelina Zulas-Carr and Zac Carr. A puppet piece inspired by the lived experience of the healing properties of homemade casseroles during times of loss. Discover the artist as she meanders through her own grief while preparing 3 comfort dishes. A show about the shared stages of pain and the simple and delicious ways we find healing through human connection (and casseroles).

Anomynous, by Zizi Ellison, Aliya Schreiner, and Anthony Ellison. A series of short plays exploring the absurdities of American culture and consumption as a couple refugees.

Shows are listed in performance order.

Cuentos Desde Comal  is a storytelling/monologue project from Comal Street Theater. Anya Carreon-Reyes, Veronica Castillo-Perez, and Rupert Reyes have written and perform their stories based on personal experience about race and how it has impacted their lives. In this day and age, we must memorialize these stories in order to create change, because we see them as being extremely relevant.

Medea, by Euripides, translated by Ian Johnston. In this interpretation of Euripides' classic Greek tragedy, Alex Garza creates a solo performance that tells the story of a woman fighting to be heard in a society where she feels betrayed by men and those in power. What will one person sacrifice to make their voice heard? 

1.5 Korean: Reissued, a two-person sketch comedy show created and performed by Arthur Stanley Chong and Pamela L Paek. 1.5 Korean returns with new takes on how we codeswitch, tamp down, or amp up our Koreanness and who we are. Interested in the impetus behind K-beauty, K-pop, white noise, and white gay nonsense? We got answers. 

Josh Raff is Acting Out, by Josh Raff and Nathan Markiewicz. “A solo hip-hop musical that reaches for a new low." In their third collaboration, rapper/storyteller Josh Raff reunites with director Nathan Markiewicz to create a new piece that might possibly be the worst thing they’ve ever done.

Semantics, by Danny Strack. Semantics (noun): se·man·tics | si-ˈman-tiks 

1. The study of meaning.

2. A new collection by award-winning performance poet and juggler, Danny Strack.

3. A one-person show based on that collection, focused on birth, death, purpose, reason, and mystery in our lives. 

Shows are listed in performance order.

Snowpacolypse, by Tristan Young Mercado. When five college freshmen get trapped in their dorm during a Texas snow storm and power outage, they find themselves having to make real life connections without social media.

The Ballad of the Mothman, by Insha Iqbal. Uses absurdity and audience interaction to explore the objectification of South Asian and Middle Eastern women and how the men in their lives interact with them, whether they are white or men of color, close to them or strangers. The piece objectifies the audience in the most literal sense to become items at a flea market, and Mothman explores where the inherent value of these objects comes from.

HOT GOSS presents: Am I the Asshole? An improvised show that places you in the center of the drama. Inspired by the subreddit thread r/AITA, this show explores personal stories that will leave you wondering: am I the asshole?

A Good Year for the Sunflowers, by Christine Schiele Gutierrez. In a journey through time, a sister remembers her brother. From childhood adventures in Tehran to coming-of-age escapades in 1980s New York, and finally to the tender moments of his final days, this solo performance explores the intricate landscape of sibling love, loss, and memory. Over coffee—a shared passion—Christine weaves a poignant narrative that transforms personal grief into a universal meditation on connection, resilience, and the enduring power of familial bonds.

Mr. Charles, Currently of Palm Beach, by Paul Rudnick. Mr. Charles is in exile in Palm Beach, having been asked to leave NYC. There was a vote. He has a television show “Too Gay.” He answers letters from viewers & his studio audience. His devoted companion Shane assists with his every need. Featuring Michael Harlan.

The rhythm, written and performed by Siobhan Cook, Zell Miller, III, and Jeffery “DaShade Moonbeam” Johnson. A fast-paced interactive exploration of rhythm using voice, word, feet, hands, spirit. A rapper named Jeffery “DaShade Moonbeam” Johnson, a dancer named Siobhan Cook, and a poet named Zell Miller, III explore rhythm and what keeps us connected, the very heartbeat that pushes on in a constant flow, until it doesn’t.

Shows are listed in performance order.

Taylor Made?, by Avery Erickson. After being fired from every broadcasting job ever held, Taylor's last chance is to make a go of it as the sole employee of the only radio/TV station at the North Pole.  Taylor literally has to do everything.  And I mean everything!  Hmmm . . . wonder how that will turn out.  Oh, and one more thing . . . the glacier is melting.

Long Live Dead Irish Poets, by Raymond V. Whelan. A period piece about three reporters in an old saloon focused on the closing of the Chicago Daily News in 1978. 

The Slip, by Patty Harrison. A ghost story that stretches true crime into the realm of magical realism, inspired by true events: a series of suspicious deaths by alleged curare poisoning that took place at a hospital in Patty's New Jersey hometown in the 1960s.

Technically Music, by Neil Dorsey. Brace yourself for a cheeky threesome of absurd comedy, hip hop beats, and audience interaction. The result is Technically Music, an experimental work in progress that sits in the uncanny valley between scripted comedy-rap bangers, and chaotic improvised clowning elements. Watch as Neil Dorsey blends influences like Reggie Watts, Marc Rebillet, and The Lonely Island into a unique comedy experience that you can’t get anywhere else. Expect thicc stanky beats, tight absurdist rhymes, and big creative swings that will keep your booty glued to the edge of your seat and twerkin’ to that beat.

A Girl Like Me, written and performed by Roxanne Schroder-Arce. A series of eight micro-memoirs performed by the author. The memoirs bring the audience into the trailer park where Roxanne grew up and take them on an intimate journey of the author/playwright's lived experience as a child. The micro-memoirs are weaved together with original music, and Roxanne plays many characters, including herself, her single mom, and the Pink-Lipped Lady on the Blue Baptist Bus.

Kyle Romero is Your Dad, byKyle Romero. What is a dad? How does one become a dad? The fact is, we just don’t know, but the search for truth continues in this one-man show. Drawing from his lifelong experience of being told “you seem like a dad type,” comedian and actor Kyle Romero will attempt to become a dad despite having no children and no romantic prospects whatsoever. He’s not your step-clown, he’s the clown that stepped up.

Shows are listed in performance order.

Teachers and Students, Pardon the Interruption, by Maggie Meador. The performers—real teachers. The announcements—all actual announcements that have played at some point during our wonderful school years. The catch: The actors do NOT know what the announcements are ahead of time. They will have to adjust, pivot, react, solve, move on, and LIVE! You know. Like they do. Step into the world of "you cannot make these up" announcements in public education. You're welcome. Please enjoy. :)

The 'Dillo, by Lane Michael Stanley, directed by Trace Turner. A monologue about a queer boy who falls for a thong-wearing older man in 1970s Texas. Told by his present-day self, this piece explores Austin’s changes since the time of the Armadillo World Headquarters, and how we honor the past while moving through new eras. 

GRAVEYARD SHIFT, by Sally Seitz. During the graveyard shift at Whataburger, Skylar and Kim summon an impossible visitor.

Best New Face, by Max Langert. A former personal assistant recounts the lows and highs of his dream job.

Cookie Cutter, by Brian Wittenbrook. You are invited to a panel discussion of director Kenner Cameron’s new true-crime documentary, Cookie Cutter, moderated by scream queen Didi Moon, with the director, Alice Park (the victim’s daughter), and JJ Andrews, president of the War on Miscreant Behavior (W.O.M.B.). The panel will discuss Cameron’s theory that behind the murder of Manny Park (a.k.a the Better Baker) lies a deeper conspiracy. Cookie Cutter stars LB Deyo, Kelly Hasandras, Danu Mara and Brian Wittenbrook. It is written and directed by Brian Wittenbrook, with Kathryn Rogers as the Assistant Director.