October 25, 2021
For immediate release:
Media Contact:
Megan Bommarito; 512.232.5328; megan.bommarito@austin.utexas.edu
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THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE
PRESENTS
The Tasters
BY MEGHAN BROWN
NOVEMBER 3-14, 2021
AT THE B. IDEN PAYNE THEATRE
Texas Theatre and Dance is pleased to present Meghan Brown’s The Tasters, a darkly funny, sharp new play that explores the nuances of political resistance, self-interest and individual action taken to create hope in the face of hopelessness. Under the direction of Kristen Osborn, The Tasters tells the story of government leaders who are being poisoned left and right and the Tasters who have an important job – eating delicious, gourmet meals, and then waiting to see if they die. When one rebellious taster goes on hunger strike, the reverberation of her choice threatens to disrupt the order of their world and change the course of history. Equal parts Hunger Games, The Handmaid’s Tale and Food Network, this daring piece begs the question: when forced to choose between our ideas, personal safety and the wellbeing of humanity at large – what do we do? Presented on stage at the B. Iden Payne Theatre November 3-14, 2021.
“Our vision for The Tasters is to bring the visceral, beautiful, disgusting, funny, amazing world of Meghan Brown’s play to the audience in a way that cannot be ignored or turned away from,” shares director Kristen Osborn. “Together we have created that will be loud and in-your-face with striking performance, compelling explorations and projections, sound, costumes, lights and, of course, food, to invite audiences into a world with larger-than-life rules. This play is a highly theatrical feast for the senses that transports us into a world that is simultaneously entirely original and uncannily familiar. This play packs a serious punch.”
Kristen Osborn is an Austin-based director and theatre-maker who is passionate about nurturing human connection through live storytelling. Osborn has developed work in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York in a range of productions and roles with companies including the Geffen Playhouse, Daryl Roth Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Northlight Theatre, the Ojai Playwrights Conference and JoyistLA. She is a graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television and a M.F.A. in Theatre candidate with a specialization in directing at The University of Texas at Austin. kristenosborn.com
The Tasters features a powerful ensemble cast, including Vivian Gonzalez (Bianca, she/her), Avery Brooks (Lt. Sawyer, they/them), Chloe Whitehead (Corrine, she/her), Mahagany Adair (Elyse, she/her) and Dominic Gross (The General, he/him).
The production team for The Tasters includes Cal Blackstock (Stage Manager), Lina Breining (Composer), Ron Collins (Lighting Designer), Zoey Crow (Scenic and Projection Designer), Andy Grapko (Intimacy Director), Harri Horsley (Costume Designer), Jason Lee Huerta (Technical Director), Jeffrey Levin (Sound Designer and Co-Composer), R.J. Munguia (Dramaturg) and Kristen Osborn (Director).
For more information about The Tasters, please visit JoinTheDrama.org
CALENDAR LISTING
November 3-14, 2021* – The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance presents The Tasters by Meghan Brown at the B. Iden Payne Theatre (300 E. 23rd St.), located in the F. Loren Winship Drama Building. A map of the campus: theatredance.utexas.edu/about/location-directions-parking
Performance times are November 4 at 7:30 p.m. (Opening); November 4-6, 10-12 at 7:30 p.m. and November 6-7, 14 at 2:00 p.m. ($26 adult, $21 UT faculty and staff, $15 student) are available for sale at the Bass Concert Hall Box Office, online at JoinTheDrama.org, or by calling (512) 471-1444. Office locations and hours: theatredance.utexas.edu/ticketing
*Preview performance November 3, 2021 is closed to the public.
ABOUT TEXAS THEATRE AND DANCE
The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance is a world-class educational environment that serves as the ultimate creative incubator for the next generation of artists, thinkers and leaders in theatre and performance.
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