Rave Review! HIT. is a HIT! Get Tickets Today!

“Weaver's brilliant writing remains constantly gripping. This is a young writer who deserves to be thought of as an up-and-comer in American theater. He has a clear, strong voice that demands to be heard…Though I'm sure many people have and will compare [him] to David Mamet…Weaver is able to give his characters emotional depth that Mamet sometimes attempts but seldom achieves...Hit is a bold, fearless drama…I could also see the show being a massive critical and commercial success on the Great White Way.”

—Jeff Davis, Broadwayworld.com

FULL REVIEW HERE!

HIT. by Shanon Weaver Returns to Austin, May 2-18!

HIT. is a noir-crime family drama focused on the bonds between three hit men in a unique family unit.

Contract killers Ervin and Wyatt rescue a young boy—Asher—from an abusive foster family. In Asher, the partners in crime see the heart of a killer, and decide to raise him together in their own image. Several years later, Asher strikes out on a solo career, Ervin meets an untimely end on the job, and Wyatt finds himself alone in the world. On a night that will determine their destinies, Asher and Wyatt separately accept a job to kill the same man at the same place on the same night—but the target doesn’t show. As they piece together the situation, which could have dire consequences for them both, Asher and Wyatt recall the events of their lives that led them to this moment. Issues of loyalty, responsibility, violence, and alternative-family fatherhood take center stage in this award winning script.

Melissa Livingston-Weaver returns to direct Tom Green (B. Iden Payne Award Nominee 2011— Best Actor, Paradise Key) as Wyatt, Garry Peters (B.I.P Award 2010—Featured Actor, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) as Ervin, playwright Shanon Weaver as Asher, and Gary Livingston-Weaver (the son of the chick & the dude!) in his debut as Teen Asher.

HIT. garnered three B. Iden Payne Awards for the 2002/2003 season, including Outstanding Director of a Drama (Melissa Livingston-Weaver,) Outstanding Cast Performance (Shanon Weaver, Ken Bradley, Joel Citty,) and Outstanding Original Script (Weaver.) In 2005, the show was produced as part of the prestigious New York International Fringe Festival where it was honored with an Overall Excellence Award—Cast Performance.

Praise for HIT.:

“... Melissa Livingston has done a fine job of creating tight and crisp scenes, and the dialogue crackles...There is very little empty space between cues and given the Mamet-esque dialogue, that's how it should be...the ending is a surprise that you don't see coming… more than worth your while to attend.” —Alyssa Simon, NYTheatre.com

“…Hit. hits the mark… the writing is smart and tight; the dialogue in several scenes is so much fun that it garners applause. Director Melissa Livingston shines as well, creating a great deal of suspense with a very spare set...a terrific and memorable production.” —New York Times Free-lancer Hy Bender

A Steady Rain at Hyde Park Theatre, Feb 21-Mar 9!

A Chick & A Dude Productions presents the Austin premier of Keith Huff’s A Steady Rain. The critically acclaimed script will be performed at Hyde Park Theatre, 511 W. 43^rd St. The show runs Thursdays-Saturdays, February 21-March 9 at 8 PM. Tickets are sliding-scale, $15-$25 ($10-$20 Thursdays.) $10 tickets for Active Duty or retired Military, Police, Firefighters, and EMS available for all shows.

Starring Kenneth Wayne Bradley and Tom Green. Directed by Melissa Livingston-Weaver (2003 B. Iden Payne Award Winner—Best Director of a Drama, 2011 B. Iden Payne Award Nominee—Best Director of a Drama.)

 A Steady Rain tells the story of two Chicago police officers. In the aftermath of a harrowing event, they each present slightly differing accounts. The play is a duologue with both characters always on stage, inhabiting the same space (an interrogation room) at different times. A true story inspires the crux of the play. Issues of friendship, loyalty, substance abuse, racism, fidelity, and violence abound in this piece, ranked number two on Time Magazine’s “Ten Best Plays of 2009.”

Kenneth Wayne Bradley (multiple B. I.P. and A.C.T. Award nominee and winner) plays Denny, a frustrated and outspoken family man. Denny feels cheated out of his hard-earned American dream, and blurs the lines between wrong and right while striving further toward that dream. Tom Green (2011 B. Iden Payne Award nominee for Best Actor) plays Joey, an alcoholic who battles his own morality as he witnesses his partner & best friend’s slide toward the wrong side of the law. Each man struggles with saving what he loves most while not losing himself in the process.

 PRAISE FOR A STEADY RAIN

 "a gritty, rich, thick, poetic and entirely gripping noir tale.” —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

 “…Huff's taut, tough-minded script…takes potentially clichéd material — the moral challenges faced by cops on the urban mean streets — and makes it fresh and compelling.” –Richard Zoglin, Time Magazine

“…less like the perpetual drizzle of its title and more like a snowball that builds to an avalanche.” –Steve Oxman, Variety

Auditions for HIT. this Sunday, October 14!

HIT. is the first show a chick & a dude produced back in 2003, and we're remounting it for a 10-year Anniversary production in 2013!

NEEDED--1 man, 40's-60's, to play the role of Ervin.

Auditions will be held Sunday October 14 from 12-5PM at Hyde Park Theatre, 511 W. 43rd St.

We'll be reading from the script, so no need to prepare anything. Just bring a headshot & resume.

Please email us at achickandadude@gmail.com to schedule an audition appointment!

The New Originals on IndieGoGo!

Click Above to Visit IndieGoGo!

Hey Chicks & Dudes!

THE NEW ORIGINALS campaign is live on IndieGoGo!

Click HERE to visit the site! We've got a great campaign going, and we hope you'll consider helping out in any way you can.

We’ve got some great perks this time around, including: digital downloads of the completed film, signed copies of the script, The New Originals T-Shirts, and even Associate Producer credit! That means your name can be on IMDb right next to ours!

Punch Any of these Guys in the Face to Visit IndieGoGo!

We’re incredibly excited about this project, and we hope you will be too.

Please consider donating to the cause! We can’t do it without YOU!

Thanks in advance!

Crew Call: The New Originals!

A Chick & A Dude Productions seeks crew positions for short film, THE NEW ORIGINALS.

THE NEW ORIGINALS is a 10 minute short film in which the narrative is composed entirely of bits of dialogue from established films.

LOCATION: Frontier Bar, Weberville Rd.

SHOOT DATES/TIME: November 24-26, 4AM-2PM.

POSITIONS NEEDED:

Sound Recordist/Boom Op—We’d prefer the sound recordist to be the mixer in post as well, but not necessary.

Gaffer/Best Boy—Best Boy only needed if Gaffer requires one. Willing to work with your preference.

Editor/Sound Mixer—Again, would prefer sound mixer to be the recordist, but not necessary. Prefer experience with sound sweetening/color grading.

P.A.’s/Camera Assistants—Need experience as Camera Assistant, not necessary for P.A.’s, just need a few focused, dedicated and hard working helpers.

We’d prefer you have as much of your own equipment as possible, though you must be proficient in any equipment we’d need to rent.

PAY: Ah, there’s the rub. We understand that artists deserve to be paid for their time and talents, and we plan to pay you as close to what you’re worth as possible. We’ll ask you for a quote on the work you’ll be asked to do. The best quality for the best price will get the job. Which means, if we find someone great who is willing to work for peanuts, that’s who we’ll go with. The plan for this film is a long and healthy festival life, which we’ve already made progress on. If you have incredible talent, but experience & exposure are more important to you than finance at the moment, this may be exactly what you’re looking for.

HOW TO APPLY: Please send us an email at achickandadude@gmail.com with a resume, related experience, a reel and/or links to where we might view your work, and a ballpark quote for what you expect to be paid for a project of this scope. Please let us know what equipment you have vs. what we’d have to rent. We’ll contact potential applicants for a meeting/interview after reviewing materials.

Any further questions/comments should be directed to achickandadude@gmail.com

Thanks,

A Chick & A Dude Productions

Hey, You...Wanna Be in a Movie? Auditions for THE NEW ORIGINALS!

a chick & a dude productions is casting two roles for our upcoming short film, THE NEW ORIGINALS.

The New Originals is a scene in bar featuring 4 characters. An off-kilter bartender serves and listens to a drunkard ramble about his problems as a couple enters seeking assistance for their broken-down car. Hilarity ensues as the characters interact. Sounds simple, right? Oh yeah—the ENTIRE narrative is cobbled together using ONLY film quotes.

Auditions will be held on Saturday, September 1st (for the role of "The Guy") and Sunday, September 2nd (for the role of "The Barkeep,") from 12PM-3PM on both days. Auditions will take place at Hyde Park Theatre (511 W.43rd Street.)


SHOOT DATES: 2.5 days, mid-November

Compensation: TBD

ROLES AVAILABLE

THE GUY IN THE HAT:  M, 30’s (SATURDAY SEPT 1.)

THE BARKEEP:  M, 30’s-60’s (SUNDAY SEPT 2.)

 

Please send head shots/resumes/reels to achickandadude@gmail.com for appointment.

From Stage to Screen and Back Again! A Chick & A Dude Productions Proudly Presents their 10th Anniversary Season! The New Originals, A Steady Rain, and HIT.!

Folks, we have one word to describe our upcoming season: Game-changing. “But… that’s two words,” you say? Indeed. That’s how changed the game will be. After a decade of ‘keeping Austin weird by keeping Austin thinking’ with compelling and cutting-edge productions, we’ll take our first ever leap from the small stage to the big screen, give a Broadway smash its Austin premiere, and remount the show that started it all 10 years ago. Read on, chicks & dudes.

The New Originals by a chick & a dude productions

This fall, a chick & a dude Austin will re-unite with a chick & a dude L.A. to shoot our first short film: The New Originals. On a lonely night, a wayward couple breaks down in front of a tavern filled with smoke and broken dreams—not to mention some peculiar patrons. Sounds simple, right? Oh, did we mention the ENTIRE script is comprised of film quotes? Some of you may remember this script as our FronteraFest 2011 “Best of the Week” winner! We’re overjoyed to make the move to film, and we hope you’ll keep an eye out for opportunities to be a part of this exciting project! Filming in the fall of 2012!

A Steady Rain by Keith Huff*

February-March 2013, Hyde Park Theatre.

Directed by Melissa Livingston-Weaver. Starring Kenneth Wayne Bradley and Tom Green.

Joey and Denny are Chicago beat-cops (often passed over for promotion) and lifelong friends. When unethical actions on the job bring tragedy on Denny’s family, that friendship is put through the wringer. Issues of loyalty, fidelity, racism, ethics, dependence and more are put on display in this duologue as the characters simultaneously tell their versions of events leading to a deplorable climax—itself based on a grisly true story. A Steady Rain opened on Broadway in September of 2009 for a limited 12-week engagement following its 2007 staging by Chicago Dramatists.  If you’re familiar with our work, you know this piece is right up our alley. We couldn’t be more anxious to sink our teeth into this script and bring you the Austin premiere! *Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. New York City.

HIT. by Shanon Weaver

Summer 2013, Hyde Park Theatre.

Directed by Melissa Livingston-Weaver. Starring Tom Green, Gary Livingston-Weaver, Shanon Weaver, TBA.

As a young boy, Asher was rescued from an abusive foster home by two hit men on a job: Ervin and Wyatt. Asher is raised in their image, and is now one of the best hits in the game. Last year, Ervin was killed, Asher set out on his own, and Wyatt was left to carry the torch. Tonight, however, both Asher and Wyatt have found each other at the same place to do the same job on the same man—but that man isn’t there. Growing up is hard on both fathers and sons when taking life IS your life, and all cards will be on the table before the sun rises. HIT. was our first main stage production in the summer of 2003, and we can think of no better way to celebrate our ten-year anniversary than by bringing back the show that started it all. Our original production was honored with three B. Iden Payne Awards in 2003: Outstanding Original Script (Shanon Weaver,) Outstanding Cast Performance (Kenneth Wayne Bradley, Joel Citty, Shanon Weaver,) and Outstanding Director of a Drama (Melissa Livingston-Weaver.) In 2005, we took the show to the prestigious New York International Fringe Festival, where it garnered an award for Overall Excellence-Ensemble Performance. Don’t miss your chance to see HIT. again, or for the first time!

And there you have it, friends. We feel our upcoming season will be the crown jewel of our ten years in Austin, and we’d like to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for sticking by us. Without our audience, we are nothing, and we hope to continue bringing you even more of the type of work you’ve come to expect from us in the coming years!

Thanks again for coming to our shows these past ten years. We really mean that.

See you soon!

 a chick & a dude productions

Big News Coming Soon!

We'd like to thank everyone for your support of a chick & a dude productions!

Keep watching this space, as we'll soon be announcing our 2012/2013 season!

We're coming back at you soon in a big way. Next season we're bringing you more cutting-edge drama, black comedy, and some fantastic original work! Also, we're making our first leap from stage to screen!

Stay tuned!

Glengarry Glen Ross: Tickets and Trailer Available Now

Please enjoy our trailer for David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, then purchase tickets before we sell out!

The 1984 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama, Glengarry Glen Ross, will be performed at Hyde Park Theatre, 511 W. 43rd Street. The play runs Thursdays-Saturdays, February 23-March 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are "sliding scale": Thursdays $10-20, Fridays-Saturdays $15-25. For tickets/reservations, visit www.achickandadude.com, call (512) 921-4264 or email achickandadude@gmail.com. The show is directed by Melissa Livingston-Weaver (2003 B. Iden Payne winner for Best Director of a Drama and 2011 B. Iden Payne nominee for Best Director of a Drama).

A dark dramatic comedy, Glengarry follows the lives of four smalltime, cutthroat real estate salesmen grinding out a living by pushing overpriced, undesirable plots of land on reluctant buyers in a never-ending scramble for their share of the American dream. Company big wigs Mitch and Murray declare a month-long 'sales contest'. The top salesman wins a new Cadillac and the bottom two men lose it all--egos, money and their jobs. The four salesmen sweet-talk, plan, and scheme for the perfect client and the hot 'Glengarry' leads, which Mitch and Murray make clear are for 'closers' only. How far will the four go to get to the leads in order to schedule a 'sit' at the perfect victim's residence?

Glengarry is partly informed by the playwright's experiences working in a male-dominated Chicago real estate office in the late 1960s and contains the playwright's trademark staccato and rough language. Many prestigious awards and a 1992 film adaptation by Mamet solidified Glengarry's place as one of the great masterpieces of 20th century drama. Many feel Glengarry is Mamet at his best--writing with brute force--and may be more pertinent now as when it originally opened.

B. Iden Payne award nominee Tom Green plays Shelly "The Machine" Levene, an older, once thriving salesman who has fallen on difficult times. Top salesman Ricky Roma is played by Shanon Weaver, a 2005 FringeNYC(tm) Overall Excellence Award winner and 2003 B. Iden Payne Award winner. Aaron Black portrays George Aaronow, who lacks confidence in his sales skills. Robert L. Berry appears as John Williamson, the office manager, who the salesmen hate but need. Robert Deike plays Dave Moss, an angry loud mouth, and Christopher Loveless portrays James Lingk, a timid man who becomes Roma's client. Baylen, played by Shawn Ferrell, is a police officer investigating an office break-in that the drives the plot.

This production contains very mature themes and strong language.

The New Originals Now Online!

Did you miss The New Originals at FronteraFest in 2011? Fear not, friends! Now you can watch the show in all its glory online, thanks to your friends at a chick & a dude!

The New Originals is a campy dark comedy in which every line of dialouge is mined from a film. EVERY line. See how many you recognize! We think it's the greatest story already told.

Careful though, the show contains course language. You might want to watch with adults. Probably not at work. Especially if you work at a Day Care. Or at a pet shop specializing in talking birds.

Enjoy!

a chick & a dude Nominated for Three B. Iden Payne Awards!

Each year in Austin, the B. Iden Payne Awards Council gathers to recognize outstanding work in the theatre community. You could say it's our own little version of the Tonys.

This year, as part of the 2010-2011 awards season, A Chick & A Dude Productions has been nominated for three awards!

Outstanding Production of a Drama- Paradise Key

Outstanding Director of a Drama- Melissa Livingston, Paradise Key

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama- Tom Green (Dr. Halb,) Paradise Key

We at A Chick & A Dude would like to extend a hearty "thank you" to the Payne Council. And special thanks go to Dean Poynor for his amazing script!

The awards ceremony will be held at Austin's auspicious State Theatre on Monday, October 24.

For more information on how to join the BIPAC and vote for us, please visit www.bidenpayneawards.com!

Thanks!

Closing Weekend of Paradise Key! Only Three Shows Left!

Only 3 more chances to see Paradise Key!

Hyde Park Theatre, 511 W. 43^rd St!

April 14-16! 8pm!

Audiences agree—you should not miss this show!

“[Weaver] moves with all the efficiency and self-assurance of a government interrogator…as Halb, Green's quietness is the play's greatest strength…Poynor has great strengths as a playwright, and under Melissa Livingston's direction, the performance is never boring. It's a tough show to watch at times but one that most audiences will find worthwhile.”—Elizabeth Cobbe, Austin Chronicle

“The two actors were superb. Hats off to both. Shanon Weaver as Dunn and Tom Green as Halb entertained me for 2+ hours, and then sent me home with something to think about.”—Liz Bruns, NowPlayingAustin.com

“…buckle your chin strap. This mounting lives up to the hype. Excellent performances by both Tom Green and Shanon Weaver tell the uncomfortable story. And the sound design is one of the best I have heard.”—Loel Graber, NowPlayingAustin.com

CLICK HERE for the Arts Eclectic spot on KUT with Mike Lee!

Enjoy the show!



Paradise Key Opens March 31 at Hyde Park Theatre! Get Your Tickets for the Southwestern Premiere Today!

L-R: Tom Green, Shanon Weaver. Photo by Dan Pricea chick & a dude productions couldn't be more excited to present Paradise Key, a play by Dean Poynor. The Southwest premiere runs March 31-April 16 at Hyde Park Theatre. Please click here for more information and to buy tickets online!

And don't forget, playwright Dean Poynor will be hosting a Q&A after the performance on April 8!

Paradise Key, directed by Melissa Livingston, takes place in the summer of 1951. A hidden U.S. Army safe house in the Florida Keys provides the backdrop for this intense physical and metaphysical drama in which Counter-Intelligence Agent David Dunn (Shanon Weaver) has just one night to extract a possible vaccine for Polio from the mind of former Nazi physician Werhner Halb (Tom Green). By using early CIA interrogation techniques—both psychological and physical—David attempts to discover the truth about Halb’s formula. As the Faustian bargain unfolds, we learn that Halb conducted experiments on human subjects in Nazi concentration camps. Halb will only offer information about the formula if David can first prove that he is a man, complicit in the consequences, able to accept that in order to become the hero, one must first embrace the monster.

We'll see you at the theatre! Enjoy the show!

Don't Miss Your Chance to See The New Originals Again! a chick & a dude & Some Laughs Benefit Show, March 26th!

That's right folks, we're bringing back The New Originals (winner of FronteraFest 2011 Best of Week!) for one night only as part of our "A Chick & A Dude & Some Laughs" benefit show!

Come and join us at Hyde Park Theatre for a night of outrageous comedy, featuring the lyrical stylings of hip-hop improv crew The Space Rhyme Continuum, as well as Austin favorites Your Dad's Friends improv troupe, featuring the newly shorn Weldon Phillips!

And of course, capping off the evening will be an encore performance of The New Originals, the campy dark comedy made entirely of film quotes!

The show starts at 8pm on March 26th, at Hyde Park Theatre (511 W. 43rd Street.)

Only 10 measley dollars gets you in the door! Food will be provided, and libations will be available. We'll also be giving away tickets to our upcoming production of Paradise Key, along with a couple of our snazzy new company t-shirts!

It's going to be a night to remember! Click here to make a reservation, or just show up at the door, we'll squeeze you in!

We'll be seeing you!

'Paradise Key' Trailer Now Online!

CLICK HERE if video does not appear above.

a chick & a dude productions hopes you will join them for the Southwestern Premiere of Paradise Key, written by award-winning NYC playwright Dean Poynor. Poynor will be coming to Austin, attending the show on Friday, April 8, and for that night only, he will be hosting a Q&A session after the show. Paradise Key runs Thursdays through Saturdays, March 31-April 16 at Hyde Park Theatre, 511 W. 43^rd Street.  Tickets for the show are 'sliding scale,' $10-20 on Thursdays and $15-20 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Southwest Premiere of Paradise Key Opens March 31 at Hyde Park Theatre. Make Reservations Today!

Click poster image to purchase tickets for Paradise Ke

a chick & a dude productions is excited to announce our upcoming production, "Paradise Key," written by Dean Poynor. The play takes place in the Florida Keys in 1951 where a young CIA agent has only one night to extract a possible cure for polio from the mind of a former Nazi physician.

We are thrilled that Poynor will attend the second weekend. He will be hosting a Q&A after the performance on April 8, 2011. It's a show that leaves you wanting to discuss, so Poyner will be able to set us straight. Seats for these performances may fill up quickly.

We’ve really enjoyed working on this project with our talented and creative cast and crew as well as Poynor himself. It also allows our actors and creative types to showcase Austin talent to an award-winning playwright.

Check back frequently for updates, audition information and other fun stuff from a chick & a dude productions. Please join our Facebook page, so you can be "in the know." We'll make sure you are first to know about upcoming shows and other perks.

Fronterafest Short Fringe's 'Best of the Week' Awarded to 'The New Originals'!

Directed by Melissa Livingston, The New Originals, a campy dark comedy told only in movie quotes, is on stage Friday, January 28 at Hyde Park Theatre. We know you'll love the show, arranged by Shawn Ferrell, Heather Levy, Melissa Livingston, Dan Price & Shanon Weaver, because it's written using only move quotes. Set in a bar, an odd barkeep (Shawn Ferrell) and a very drunk drunkard (Shanon Weaver) get a visit from a lady in red (Victoria Harrison-Weems) and her guy in a hat (Christopher Loveless). See how these two urbanites react when their car breaks down and they are stuck at the bar.