Last week Austin's plays closed the Capital Hill Inaugural Fringe Festival with a bang. Having sold out almost every performance, the actors beamed as we piled in an extra two rows of people at the 11am final showing of
Short Works Exploring Dangerous Devotion.
They cheered, they laughed, they wept, and best of all - they stayed for the entire 45 minute performance featuring the works of Ionesco, Fornes, and Durang.
Austin directed (and Emily assisted) the short plays with the intention of getting back to the art of working with actors. Taking the time to really rehearse the shows was the main reason for signing onto this project (it certainly wasn't the money), and in the end it paid off. Working with celebrated actress Tina Renay Fulp was certainly one of the biggest of all the perks, as well as offering Emily the opportunity to learn how to silk screen t-shirts [one of her creations is featured on
Katie Atkinson above] even if it was 2am when she finally got round to it.
Overall? We might not do it again any time soon, but it was certainly worth the two months of prep work, the nightly rehearsals in that stuffy sweltering church basement, and the countless late night walks arguing over book work when we saw the packed houses night after night. Congrats are in order for the excellent cast and crew of
Short Works!
