Isabel and the Runaway Train

Additional time info:

Why does this show exist?

The Isabel community is an Austin-based musical theater production with accompanying “train” – ing programs that teach people how to support survivors of sexual maltreatment in their personal and professional lives.

Getting on board for an Isabel production can help your community find healing, talk about mental health, and support survivors of sexual maltreatment.

Plot Summary

This 10 – cast member show tells the story of a 16 – year – old girl named Isabel who runs away from home and finds herself trapped on a magical train full of people who won’t stop running – aka “The Runaway Train.”

Isabel is the only person on board who remembers her own name and it is up to her to stop the train and save the other characters on board. Characters include an overly helpful Porter, several Choir Members with low to nonexistent levels of social awareness, and a mysterious Writer who may or may not be dead.

Meanwhile, Isabel’s parents are frantically looking for her, each in their own unique way. Her mother sends her father to scour the city…and he comes back with…mental health literature?! As you can imagine, these different strategies raise plenty of problems.

Back on the train, the relationships between the friends she meets on board and the evil Conductor turns out to be much more complicated than Isabel originally thought. Could her own relationships have a connection to the onboard drama?

She soon discovers that in order to get off the train, she will have to take a hard look in the mirror and lean on her family to process an unaddressed history of trauma.

Will Isabel unravel the mystery of her past? Will her parents learn to step up for her even though it’s hard? And will the Porter ever convince Isabel to let him carry her baggage? If not, who even is he?

Explore these questions and more by booking your tickets to Isabel and the Runaway Train.

(Final Warning: you will be treated as if you were aboard a train for the entirety of the play. Expect puns Passengers. Expect. Puns.)

Bonus Knowledge: If you don’t know, now you know…

Isabel programs are written BY a survivor of sexual maltreatment FOR supporters of survivors of sexual maltreatment. Because we know that it’s hard to be helpful.

Composer/Playwright Anna Westbrook created the Isabel characters in 2012 after being diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She wrote the script and store slowly and carefully over the next few years, while investing heavily in her own mental health. Now, her story of healing inspires others to learn and grow.

Isabel premiered in 2018 at the Dougherty Arts Center; winning several local grants, showcasing local businesses and nonprofits, and providing an energizing and empowering experience for over 300 “Passengers.” Everyone enjoyed pretending to be on a train, and you will too.

You can “Get Isabel Certified” through the Isabel community’s online course. Being “Isabel Certified” means feeling prepared to support a #metoo survivor in the moment they first disclose a past experience of harm.

ADA Statement:

The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact 512-974-3914 or Relay Texas 7-1-1

COVID – 19 Safety Statement: We will be following the rules and guidelines put forth by the City of Austin during this production, which may include mask mandates for attendees.