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  48 Hour Improv Marathon

  Time is a flat circle. In 2009, the Hideout’s new owners got some friends together and did two days of improv comedy and theatre as a fundraiser for the venue. Sixteen years later, and the Hideout is looking for a new home – and the funds to pay for the relocation. So join Halyn Cameron, Jade Fabello, J.R. Zambrano, Marissa Stubbe, Martha Neil, Mykel Jewell, Natalia Rubio, and Roy Janik as they sacrifice their sleep and sanity in the name of keeping comedy alive in Austin. Everything kicks off with a kids mixer, followed by themed hours from scene mainstays like PGraph and Y’all We Asian as well as favorite shows like The Black Lily and Jane Austin Improv, all culminating to hour 48 of freestyle madness. Pay by the hour, or see if you can last the entire 48 hours for only 48 bucks. – Richard Whittaker

  June 6 - 8

  Hideout Theatre & Coffeehouse

• Arts

  Theatre

  Anton Chekhov Is a Tasty Snack

  Art imitates life, which then imitates art. Such is the story of Round Rock theatre Penfold’s latest production, commissioned from Austin-based playwright Jenny Connell Davis. With a script that riffs on the titular tasty snack’s The Seagull, this romp playfully punctures theatre work by following a small Texas company attempting the most impressive production of Chekhov’s first major play. Expect ego, passion, and complete chaos – not totally unlike the original play’s 1896 opening night, where the lead actress was so alarmed by audience animosity she lost her voice. – James Scott

  Through June 28

  Penfold Theatre

• Arts

  Theatre

  Bring It On: The Musical

  Pom-poms at the ready, everybody, because Zilker Theatre Productions is bringing the screen-to-stage adaptation of this cheerleading classic as their summer musical. Adapted with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda as well as an original story by Avenue Q’s Jeff Whitty, this high-flying story of betrayal, friendship, and ponytails hits the Hillside with local Austin artists Ella Harber and Yassie Kiara bringing to life the two leads. You’ll laugh; you’ll cry; you’ll be named captain of the cheer squad!

  July 11-Aug. 16

  Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theater

• Arts

  Theatre

  Deaf Austin Theatre’s A Strange Loop

  Founded on the idea of ensuring deaf inclusion on the stage and in the crowd, Deaf Austin Theatre brings a “blisteringly funny” musical tale of Usher, a young artist who grapples with identity and sexuality. The promo materials sell it the best, calling it a “big, Black and queer-ass Great American Musical for all.”

  Aug. 29-Sept. 14

• Arts

  Comedy

  PGraph

  Austin’s reputation as an improv comedy town has a lot to do with the trio of Kareem Badr, Kaci Beeler, and Roy Janik, aka Parallelogramophonograph (or PGraph, if you’re nasty). With over a thousand unique performances under their combined belts, they’ve taken just about every award possible for their approach to improv, which is a lot more than just zany sketches. With their longtime residency at the Hideout coming to a close later this year when the beloved Downtown coffeehouse/theatre closes, catch this Austin comedy royalty in their throne room every Thursday until then. – Richard Whittaker

  Every Thursday

  Hideout Theatre & Coffeehouse

• Arts

  Theatre

  Waitress

  Ever been to a musical and got a little peckish before intermission? Well, Waitress has a solution: Onstage seats in this ZACH360 production get served real slices of pie during the show. For everyone else, there’s still the heart-touching drama of this adaptation of the 2007 film of the same name, complete with the Tony- and Grammy-nominated score from Sara Bareilles. Leslie McDonel, who recently scored an Austin Theatre Critics Award nomination for breathing life into the story of Carole King in Zach’s 2024 production of Beautiful, steps into the role of Jenna, a waitress and baker in a town that may be too small for her big dreams. – Richard Whittaker

  Through July 13

  ZACH Theatre