November 2009
Leave it to Beverly

Just before Thanksgiving, DA! Theatre Collective proudly presented the world premiere its biggest show yet, Leave it to Beverly! Leave it to Beverly subverted the classic sit-com genre through three interconnected acts (Leave it to Beverly, Trixie Knows Best, and Make Room for Lorraine); each fast-paced and bizarre episode featured an archetypal TV female confronting her artificial universe in hilarious and unexpected ways. The comedy confronted consumerism, turned gender roles upside-down, and celebrated the elusive mystery of Tupperware, Astroturf, and Mr. Clean.

Written and directed by Kirk German, it featured DA! Members Jude Hickey, Heather Huggins, Lisa del Rosario, Michelle Brandt, Stephanie Denson, and Scott Roskilly, and our newest member, Jacob Trussell. Special guest artists Chris Gibson and Rhonda Kulhanek rounded out the hilarious cast. The outstanding production team included Monica Gibson, Kat Rodgers, Bryan Schneider, Connor Hopkins, Taylor Kulhanek, Sharon Sparlin, Chelsea Boyd, and a number of DA! interns from Huntington-Surrey School.

The show opened on November 5th at The Off Center and ran for three successful weekends, garnering several sold-out houses, lots of laughter, and glowing acclaim from Austin Live Theatre's Michael Meigs, The Austinist's Spike Gillespie, and many other critics. Just read these samples!:

Austin Live Theatre.

The Austinist.

A special benefit performance on Sunday, November 15 for GRRL Action was also a huge success, providing a scholarship for one GRRL Action girl to participate in their awesome year-round mentorship program designed to empower girls between the ages of 13 and 16 to find their public voices while building confidence, interacting with girls from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, and creating community. An absolutely perfect fit for Beverly and her friends!

Photos: Melissa Jurrens & Liberty Carlin



September 2009
Direct Object

You asked and we answered! In September, DA! unveiled its newest full-length version of our Best-of-Fest debut at Salvage Vanguard Theatre. Ten unstoppable storytellers were released onto one stage along with some unusual and transformative scene partners: a rolling pin, an exercise bungee, a soccer ball, a backpack, a foot locker, a scarf, a picture frame, an umbrella, two coffee mugs, five cat toys, a broom, a Hello Kitty Lunchbox, and an Austin Chronicle! Directed by Heather Huggins and inspired by highly acclaimed work from Moscow, the result was a 75-minute tour-de-force that by turns moved, delighted, and shocked Austin audiences for two solid weekends, including four sold-out, audience-on-the-floor performances! Direct Object, described by BC Culture as "tight, disciplined, and entertaining," will have a touring version available soon for high schools.

August 2009
BEST OF AUSTIN

DA! Theatre Collective is honored to be a recent recipient of a 2009 Austin Chronicle "Best of Austin" Critics' Pick award for "Best Non-Profit Startup". DA! is proud to be sponsored by Hyde Park Theatre. This project is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

April 2009
Heron & Crane

Heron and Crane migrated to The VORTEX for three weeks in April. This hilarious, interactive children's show written by Kirk German was nominated for two B. Iden Payne Awards and featured Jude Hickey and Michelle Brandt. Heron and Crane will continue touring to local elementary schools for the 2009-10 school year. DA! is booking now for paid and donated performances. Learn more about the show at Upcoming: Education.

February 2009
57 Boyfriends

Stephanie Denson's honest and irreverent one-woman show slyly seduced us into joining our debut season! This delightful, moving, inspiring, and even shocking show was directed by Heather Huggins & Kirk German and premiered at FronteraFest Short Fringe 2009,on Friday, February 6th!

57 Boyfriends advanced to Best of the Week and Best of the Fest at FronteraFest '09.

Check out some promo photos on Steph's Collective page! Read what Ryan Johnson at austin.com had to say HERE.

December 2008
Relative Space

Relative Space was a site-specific installation at Hyde Park Theatre directed and choreographed by Lisa del Rosario
with an original score by Travis Cooper, and featuring Jude Hickey, Heather Huggins, Kirk German, Michelle Brandt, Scott Roskilly, Stephanie Denson, and Lisa del Rosario.

The stories within Relative Space were inspired by the unique interior architecture of Hyde Park Theatre. Relative Space challenged preconceptions of time, space, and human interaction by exploring the creativity through which we relate. Using pedestrian, rhythmic, and acrobatic vignettes, the Collective transformed the space into a sculpted world.

As part of the Collective's commitment to incubate new work by Austin's finest talents, DA! showcased the inspirational and visionary work of Ms. del Rosario. Lisa has danced and choreographed throughout the world, from New York and Mexico to a residency in the Philippines with The Philippine National Folk Dance Company, Bayanihan. Luckily for us, Lisa has made Austin her home.

To use Ms. Del Rosario's own words about what Relative Space explored, "It is in the human condition to relate to people, to objects, and to spaces; by watching novel and profound ways in performance, the goal is for the audience to explore the creativity by which we relate. The journey the audience will take is a change of perspective in their relationship to something as ordinary as a door, a curtain, a wall, a room, or a person, to take them to a beautiful, uplifting, magical place where archetypal conditions exist-- all created by moving bodies and spirits."

Relative Space had a running time of one hour, and ran off-nights at Hyde Park Theatre, 511 W 43rd Street, Austin, TX, 78751 from Sun., Dec. 7th, to Wed., Dec. 17th. Sunday performances began at 5 pm. Mon, Tue, and Wed at 8 pm.

Read what Kelsey Kling, Austinist.com, had to say HERE.

Read what Michael Meigs, Austin Live Theatre, had to say HERE.

Not only did it receive critical acclaim, but Relative Space was also a hit with audiences, setting a new record for Off-Night attendance at HPT! Way to go, Lisa and DA!

February 2008
Just say DA!: Direct Object

Just Say DA!: Direct Object, the inaugural production of DA! Theatre Collective, opened at Hyde Park Theatre on Thursday, February 7th as part of FronteraFest 2008's Short Fringe. DA! unleashed eight storytellers onto one stage along with a backpack, a rolling pin, an exercise bungee, a picture frame, a pair of pajama pants, two coffee mugs, an Austin Chronicle, and a dozen pencils.

The production advanced to Best of the Week and Best of the Fest at FronteraFest '08. And don't worry if you missed it - DA! is developing a full-length production for their upcoming season. Stay tuned for more details!