Austin-Made Sitcom Wind Ups Breaks Out of the Toy Box Tonight

Tired of watching TV at home? Sick of dusting your One Piece figurines? Why not go out tonight and watch TV about toys, with a very special preview screening of the new Austin-made show Wind Ups, a comedy filmed in a genuine local institution: Toy Joy.

Not only was it shot amid all the stuffed critturs, rare imported action figures, and crazy collectibles, the show would never have existed without Toy Joy. The semiautobiographical comedy is based on the four years that show cocreator Adam Protextor (Bigfoot: The Musical and Austin Mic Exchange) spent working in the beloved store. He called it "a love letter to being a young artist in Austin, to toy stores, to found families, and to the stupid mistakes we all make."

The two-part pilot, premiering tonight at the Hideout Theatre at 9:30pm, was directed by Protextor, and written show co-creator Stephanie Thoreson (Good Feels on Wheels), Ashlee Pryor-Pitluk (The Final Girl), Nathan Sowell (Angola), and Devon Coleman (Dead of Night, MST3K), and produced by Jessica Vasami (Rooster Teeth) and Protextor. It features a host of recognizable Austin comedy talents in front of the camera too, including Yamina Khouane (2018 Austin Chronicle Best of Austin “Best Actress” winner), Kenah Benefield (Call Me Brother), Ryan Darbonne (director of tw Austin Film Society Grant-awarded shorts, "I Am TX" and "What They Found"), and Haley Alea Erickson (Mustang Island, "An Uncomfortable Woman").

Here's the synopsis:

Telling the story of the tight-knit crew of a local toy store as they attempt to navigate their early adulthood, Wind-Ups takes the unique approach of setting each of its episodes on a major holiday; the two-part pilot takes place on New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day and aims to set audiences (and potential buyers) up for what to expect from the series.

Yes, Wind Ups is still looking for a home, but that makes this an extra-special opportunity for you to be able to see the show before anyone else. Online ticket sales have closed, but will still be available for $7 on the door.

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Wind Ups pilot premiere
Fallout Theater, 616 Lavaca
Mon., Nov. 16, 9:30pm