Best Theater Group Name

Rude Mechanicals

“Like most actors, we all had a background in Shakespeare,” says Sarah Richardson, one of five artistic directors in Rude Mechanicals. “And it was way back in the dark ages in 1995 when we thought we would end up being a Shakespearean troupe.” Their company’s name is plucked from a quote by Puck in a Midsummer Night’s Dream, who talks of people who labor by day and act by night. When the actors in Rude Mechanicals began at the Off-Center (a theater they now run) they were exactly that. Now the collective company does exclusively new work, performing hit shows like the off-Broadway produced Lipstick Traces, which sold out every time on a nation-wide tour this past season.

The Off Center
2211-A Hidalgo, 512/476-7833
www.rudemechs.com