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Different Stages

Founded in 1980 as the Small Potatoes Theatrical Company, Different Stages was given its current name in 1984 when its founders incorporated the organization as a nonprofit organization. They have produced numerous plays from romantic to neo-classic to realistic to surrealistic and has been committed to the performance not only of famous works but of lesser-known plays as well.

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    Different Stages

    4602 B Rosedale
    Austin, 78756

    Official Website

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• Past
  Events

  • Past Events

    07/02/10- 07/24/10	Spider's Web The VORTEX Spider's Web Presented by Different Stages at The VORTEX July 2-July 24, 2010 Avg. Event Rating (4.2 Stars): “Supposing I were to come down one morning and find a dead body in the library, what should I do?” Clarissa muses. Then one morning she does discover a body… as well as a desk with a secret drawer and hidden doors to the library, all leading up to a double mystery: who’s the murderer and what exactly is the incredibly valuable object in the house that someone is trying to steal, and you have a classic Christie tale. The Queen of Crime spoofs herself in this treat for...
    03/19/10- 04/10/10	The Carpetbagger's Children Austin Playhouse The Carpetbagger's Children Presented by Different Stages at Austin Playhouse March 19-April 10, 2010 Avg. Event Rating (4.0 Stars): In funny, moving, engaging monologues, three sisters spin the tale of their family and an era. Their father, the eponymous carpetbagger, was a former Union soldier who used his post as county treasurer and tax collector to amass a Texas plantation of twenty thousand acres. Preserving that plantation through the vicissitudes of their lives becomes a central issue for his daughters. It's all about family secrets, tribal memories, sibling rivalry, and how change stalks our...
    01/08/10- 01/30/10	Eurydice The City Theatre Eurydice Presented by Different Stages at The City Theatre January 8-January 30, 2010 Avg. Event Rating (3.0 Stars): From the acclaimed playwright of The Clean House comes this beautiful and devastating story about love and choice. In Sarah Ruhl’s re–imagining of the Orpheus myth, Eurydice’s tragic misstep on her wedding day sends her tumbling into the depths of the Underworld, where she is reunited with her father. Memories are forbidden and language is altered in this world of the dead. Her father re–educates her, while her husband searches for a note she will hear. Will the three...
    11/13/09- 12/05/09	The Skin of Our Teeth The VORTEX The Skin of Our Teeth Presented by Different Stages at The VORTEX November 13-December 5, 2009 Avg. Event Rating (3.8 Stars): Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this is the satiric story of the extraordinary Antrobus family down through the ages from the time of the war – any war. They have survived flood, fire, pestilence, the seven year locusts, the ice age, the pox and the double feature, a dozen wars and as many depressions. Ultimately bewitched, befuddled and becalmed, they are the stuff of which heroes and buffoons are made. Their survival is a wacky testament of faith in humanity.
    07/03/09- 07/25/09	An Inspector Calls The VORTEX An Inspector Calls Presented by Different Stages at The VORTEX July 3-July 25, 2009 Different Stages closes its 2008–2009 season with J.B. Priestley’s haunting thriller An Inspector Calls. Set in 1912 in Edwardian England, the story begins when a mysterious police Inspector calls unexpectedly on a prosperous family. Their peaceful dinner party is shattered by his investigation into the death of a young woman. Under the Inspector’s relentless interrogation, secret after secret is revealed, leading to an unexpected and eerie conclusion.
    04/23/09- 05/10/09	A Number The City Theatre A Number Presented by Different Stages at The City Theatre April 23-May 10, 2009 When Bernard discovers that he is a clone, his father must explain choices he would rather forget. Acclaimed British playwright Caryl Churchill opens up Pandora's box: Where is science taking us? What is an individual? Does nature trump nurture? A Number is a gripping cautionary tale about the ultimate identity crisis.
    01/09/09- 02/01/09	Miss Witherspoon The City Theatre Miss Witherspoon Presented by Different Stages at The City Theatre January 9-February 1, 2009 Different Stages continues its 2008 - 2009 season with Christopher Durang's comedy Miss Witherspoon, named one of the Ten Best Plays of 2005 by Time Magazine and Newsday, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Poor Miss Witherspoon! After her untimely death, she arrives in the afterlife expecting eternal peace, only to find that she is being reincarnated - over and over until she gets it right! Nothing that God, Gandalf, or Rex Harrison can say will convince her to return to Earth!...
    11/14/08- 12/06/08	Getting Married The VORTEX Getting Married Presented by Different Stages at The VORTEX November 14-December 6, 2008 Different Stages opens its 2008–2009 season with Bernard Shaw’s comedy Getting Married. To wed or not to wed, that is the question facing most of the Bridge- north family in Getting Married, Shaw's still timely discussion on the institution, not to mention the superstition, of marriage. Family and friends have gathered for an afternoon wedding but both the bride and bridegroom have received pamphlets titled "Do You Know What You Are Doing by One Who Has Done It,"...
    06/27/08- 07/19/08	What I Want Right Now The VORTEX What I Want Right Now Presented by Different Stages at The VORTEX June 27-July 19, 2008 If you could have anything you wanted in the whole world, what would that be? Money? Fame? Talent? Good Looks? One wish? Ten wishes? Tom White's new play is about this and more.
    04/11/08- 05/03/08	Stop Kiss The VORTEX Stop Kiss Presented by Different Stages at The VORTEX April 11-May 3, 2008 A bittersweet play about love, vulnerability and risk, Stop Kiss reveals the events leading up to a single kiss between two women on the streets of New York -- and its unexpected outcome.
    01/11/08- 02/02/08	Garden District Austin Playhouse Garden District Presented by Different Stages at Austin Playhouse January 11-February 2, 2008 Two one-act plays Suddenly Last Summer and Something Unspoken will be performed at Different Stages. Suddenly Last Summer is Tennessee Williams' provocative 1958 play concerning the mysterious death of Sebastian Venable, the sordid truth that could destroy his reputation, and the lengths to which his mother will go to keep it secret forever. Its companion piece, Something Unspoken, reveals the deeply buried feelings behind the facades of a wealthy Southern grand...
    11/09/07- 12/02/07	The Miser The City Theatre The Miser Presented by Different Stages at The City Theatre November 9-December 2, 2007 Greed is good - so says Harpagon, Can he hang onto his hoard - getting himself a hot young bride to boot? Or will his kids succeed in foiling his selfish plans? A savagely honest farce from comedic master Molière, The Miser takes us into the heart of a mania we know too well, where even family ties mean nothing in the face of the lust for lucre.
    06/22/07- 07/14/07	The Constant Wife The VORTEX The Constant Wife Presented by Different Stages at The VORTEX June 22-July 14, 2007 Different Stages continues its 2006-2007 season with W. Somerset Maugham’s comedy The Constant Wife at The Vortex. An exceedingly witty and well-crafted comedy of manners, The Constant Wife opened to great acclaim in 1926. When Constance Middleton discovers that her husband is having an affair with her best friend, she sets about turning bad luck, unfaithful friends, local gossip, and a broken heart to her own advantage. Best known for his novels Of Human Bondage and...
    01/19/07- 02/10/07	The Goat or Who is Sylvia by Edward Albee The Goat or Who is Sylvia by Edward Albee Presented by Different Stages January 19-February 10, 2007 Avg. Event Rating (4.4 Stars): Martin, a successful architect just turned fifty, leads an ideal life with his loving wife and teenage son. When he confides to his best friend that has found a new love, everyone must deal with the consequences. This savage and funny Tony Award-winning drama is three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Albee’s most provocative and controversial play since 'Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' This show is recommended for Adults Only.
    11/17/06- 12/09/06	Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge Presented by Different Stages November 17-December 9, 2006 Take a sleigh ride on the wild side. This rollicking parody turns Charles Dickens' famous Christmas Carol on its head, as it caters to our desire to have our traditional holiday and mock it, too. Give yourself a much-needed Christmas gift!

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• Member
  Reviews

  • Member Reviews

    • Event Name: Spider's Web
      "Fast-Spaced, funny, mysterious - a wonderful whodunnit!"
      Review posted by: LMJ from Austin, TX, Jul 12, 2010
      

      Consistently terrific, Different Stages delivers again a fast-paced, glibbed, whodunnit production. Stage set first rate, costumes crisp, and dialogue quick,smartly delivered by all the characters.... Expand

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      Consistently terrific, Different Stages delivers again a fast-paced, glibbed, whodunnit production. Stage set first rate, costumes crisp, and dialogue quick,smartly delivered by all the characters. Nikki Zoot as Clarissa, so sparkling, witty, charming & guidless (or is she?), & the three kindly friends (or are they?) Sir Rowland Delahaye (Craig Kanne), Hugh Birch (TJ Jolley) and Jeremy Warrender (Tyler Jones) accompanied by the whacky Mildred Peak (Bobbie Oliver)who couldn't have been more zany as the gardner or is she? The supporting cast each played their distinct character with intelligence and a flare for the tongue-in-cheek. The fastest three-act play that swirled by leaving us guessing at each intermission. Well done to Norman Blumensaadt in his quick and precise direction. Collapse

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    • Event Name: Spider's Web
      "Delightfully Tangled Web"
      Review posted by: Pammyla Brooks from Austin, Texas, Jul 11, 2010
      

      The best thing about Different Stages productions is that they are consistently entertaining. Other Austinites agree, for the entire Vortex theater was filled to capacity, without one free seat. The... Expand

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      The best thing about Different Stages productions is that they are consistently entertaining. Other Austinites agree, for the entire Vortex theater was filled to capacity, without one free seat. The company succeeds in delivering an Agatha Christie piece consisting of a very impressive set, and top-notch actors and actresses. Nikki Zook, as the lead, hits the mark in depicting Clarissa who is such a masterful storyteller that she observes more than once, that “No one believes me when I tell the truth.” She persuades three male friends to help her hide the dead body she trips over, just before the Inspector shows up responding to a anonymous call about a murder. As usual, Agatha Christie’s plots are so intricate and unexpected, I can never figure out “Whodunnit.” However, maybe you can, so give it a shot at this performance that is perfect for any “date night.” It consists of three acts with two intermissions and Vortex’s Café provides any drinks and food you might need. Enjoy! Collapse

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    • Event Name: Spider's Web
      "Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave..."
      Review posted by: Lassie from Austin, TX, Jul 11, 2010
      

      Want to spend a great evening trying to solve a mystery? Join the actors of Different Stages at the Vortex for their performance of Agatha Christie's Spider's Web. From the moment you take your seat,... Expand

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      Want to spend a great evening trying to solve a mystery? Join the actors of Different Stages at the Vortex for their performance of Agatha Christie's Spider's Web. From the moment you take your seat, you're swept up and placed down in the drawing room of an English countryside manor. The actors do fairly well keeping their accents as they transport you back to the late 1950's England. A manor with hidden rooms, a desk with hidden drawers, staff that have dubious backgrounds, friends that are both new and old...all are woven into the web of intrigue as the mystery unfolds. Can you solve the murder before the play ends??? You'll never know if you don't go! Collapse

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    • Event Name: The Carpetbagger's Children
      "Carpetbagger's Children"
      Review posted by: kholenkhov from Austin, TX, Mar 24, 2010
      

      The Carpetbagger's Children is told primarily through monologues of three sisters (all of whom are on stage for the duration of the play) with only the occasional interaction. During the... Expand

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      The Carpetbagger's Children is told primarily through monologues of three sisters (all of whom are on stage for the duration of the play) with only the occasional interaction. During the intermission-less 90 minutes, we're told the story of a carpetbagger's family and the land he leaves behind to his children and his wife (who descends into senility) after his death. The events are human and relatable (I have some of these people in my own family) but nothing truly remarkable, and in the end it seems more like a theatrical experiment by the great Foote rather than a truly successful play. The evening relies fully on the characters and thankfully, they're presented by three wonderful actresses (Kathy Rose Center, Jennifer Underwood, and especially Anne Hulsman) with vivid nuance. It may take you some time to get into the story, but once you give yourself over to the lives of these characters, you'll find yourself enjoying a lovely low-key slice of life. Collapse

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    • Event Name: The Carpetbagger's Children
      "O, The Clanging Bells of Time"
      Review posted by: Vicki from Austin,TX, Mar 21, 2010
      

      A play of memories of past events and people(living and dead)that shaped and continue to haunt the destinies of three sisters: each sisters' slightly varying memory of their once vibrant family is... Expand

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      A play of memories of past events and people(living and dead)that shaped and continue to haunt the destinies of three sisters: each sisters' slightly varying memory of their once vibrant family is given in rotating monologues, frequently funny and moving while revealing lives, losses, disagreements, and the disintegration of the family. The actresses project the heartache/feelings of their characters: Cornelia(responsible, trapped, longing), Grace Ann(fiesty, rebellious, wary), Sissie (sweet, happy, complying). They create vivid images of other characters and events. They remain on stage in their "homes", rarely interacting, but when they do, there's fire leaving a desire for more. Period songs add to the mood and themes about time and change. The land(central conflict created by father) changes over time from the end of plantations to urbanization, and the sisters must change over time dealing with losses and changes in their lives. This production is a compasionate portrayal of loss. Collapse

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    • Event Name: Eurydice
      "Euridyce"
      Review posted by: Anonymous from austin, Jan 18, 2010
      

      I was interested in seeing this play because I am a fan of Sarah Ruhl's "Clean House" and "In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)." I was aware going in that this script was more surreal than these... Expand

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      I was interested in seeing this play because I am a fan of Sarah Ruhl's "Clean House" and "In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)." I was aware going in that this script was more surreal than these others, but never having attended a Different Stages production, I didn't know what to expect regarding the production values. Unfortunately, I was disappointed from the very first scene when the two leading actors' voices did not project well over the water sound cue. Granted, it was opening night, and perhaps they have since worked out some of the technical issues. This is a challenging script to bring to life, especially on a limited budget. The actors were well cast, though many scenes would have benefited from more spontaneity, playfulness and connection between the characters. I applaud Different Stages for choosing this unconventional script, which is likely to intrigue audience members who enjoy something a little....different. Collapse

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    • Event Name: Eurydice
      "Fascinating if imperfect"
      Review posted by: Seymour from Austin, TX, Jan 13, 2010
      

      Eurydice is a challenging piece, for both the performers and the audience. It's a meditation on loss told primarily through the eyes of the dead. The stagecraft is interesting and the production's... Expand

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      Eurydice is a challenging piece, for both the performers and the audience. It's a meditation on loss told primarily through the eyes of the dead. The stagecraft is interesting and the production's most successful moments are when depicting this unique view of the afterlife. The biggest flaw is that the connection between the three central characters isn't strongly felt enough to make us want to wade through this dark world, and as such, Marc Balaster and the chorus of stones steal the show, as their cynical view of life is most deeply felt. Nicole Swahn as the title character manages some lovely moments as well, with her final monologue providing one of the few truly heartbreaking moments in the evening. Not perfect theatre, but undeniably fascinating for those willing to be challenged (a guaranteed conversation starter) with slick staging and powerful imagery. The polished shell just needs a stronger soul to be really something special. Collapse

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    • Event Name: Eurydice
      "Not my favorite"
      Review posted by: A Casual Observer from Austin, TX, Jan 11, 2010
      

      If you enjoy Greek myths set in the Theater of the Absurd, this play may be for you. For example, the stones talk and cry, and the elevator requires an umbrella, because it rains inside. Much of the... Expand

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      If you enjoy Greek myths set in the Theater of the Absurd, this play may be for you. For example, the stones talk and cry, and the elevator requires an umbrella, because it rains inside. Much of the acting was well done; however, the play seemed to drag too often. For example, the father spent too much time building a room onstage in silence, and then more time taking it down. I remain confused by the playwright and her intentions. For example, what happens at the end? (I hate to give it away.) Also, why does the protagonist call her husband so that he disobeys his orders, turns around, and she dies again? Why do the rocks chastise anyone who shows emotion, and then break down and weep themselves? I remained confused and bored too much of the time, but the costumes and make-up were very well done. Collapse

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    • Event Name: Eurydice
      "Eurydice in Wonderland"
      Review posted by: Anonymous from Austin, TX, Jan 11, 2010
      

      I can certainly see the appeal of this script—it’s a modern-day retelling of a Greek myth with a reversed perspective. Ruhl’s treatment makes the myth, at times, relatable, and at other... Expand

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      I can certainly see the appeal of this script—it’s a modern-day retelling of a Greek myth with a reversed perspective. Ruhl’s treatment makes the myth, at times, relatable, and at other times, distancing and obscure--almost secretive. We’re able to travel to the underworld with Eurydice, and this production makes it an almost Alice in Wonderland journey of oddities and learning how to communicate. Rubin, Blackwell, and McCann, as The Chorus of Stones, were wonderfully dry and eerie, with their sly glances, unison orders and gray, dusty garb. They were the highlight for me. Marc Balester was highly entertaining, smarmy and strangely adept at maneuvering a tricycle. The rest has room for growth, and seeing as this was opening weekend, there's time for this to evolve throughout the run. Collapse

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    • Event Name: Eurydice
      "Are You Up To The Challenge?"
      Review posted by: Steven Fearing from Austin, Texas, Jan 11, 2010
      

      Familiarity with the original Eurydice and Orpheus Greek myth will not help you that much to understand playwright Sarah Ruhl’s very personal adaptation, Eurydice, playing at City Theatre. The... Expand

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      Familiarity with the original Eurydice and Orpheus Greek myth will not help you that much to understand playwright Sarah Ruhl’s very personal adaptation, Eurydice, playing at City Theatre. The play could use the actual sweet sounds of Orpheus’ lyre to counter Ruhl's harsh and sometimes cryptic surrealism that gives much to challenge an audience member – especially on the subject of “father loss,” which is not part of the Greek version at all. All performances are adequate to stellar. Nicole Swahn is fantastic as Eurydice and Marc Balester captures the suave comedic sensibility of the Lord of the Underworld. The trio of actors who play the Stones possibly steal the show; it is hard to take your eyes and ears away from their make-up, costumes, and aphoristic exhortations. Yet Ruhl may have over-reached here for most audiences – it may be too self-referential to prevent audiences from wanting to “look back,” appropriately not repeating the weakness of Orpheus. Collapse

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