Announcing our co-producers
Bringing this project, Deus Ex Machina,” to the stage is ambitious, and doing it right requires partners. Whirligig is proud and grateful to have found two smart producing partner organizations to help us launch the ship, Shrewd Productions and Fusebox.
Below they share why they’ve locked arms with us for this project, and share a little about their mission and their background.
Shrewd Productions Partnership
Championing unique perspectives and emerging artists, Shrewd Productions is focused on women’s voices, new plays, and work developed though a collaborative artistic approach. We are committed to creating high-quality theatrical experiences that are thoughtful, provocative, and entertaining, featuring the work of female and LGBT artists as we seek to provide a broader array of voices in American theatre and for Austin audiences. Now in our tenth season, Shrewd Productions is proud to continue our tradition of breaking new ground and celebrating new voices with the world premiere of Deus Ex Machina by Shrewd Associate Artist, Liz Fisher. Not only a modern re-imagining of classic myths, but a wholly new way of experiencing theatre, Deus Ex Machina explores different methodologies for communicating and creating the world of the play with the audience in real time. We are excited to support this highly original and highly entertaining new work.
About Shrewd Productions
Shrewd has been honored by 42 nominations and multiple awards from the Austin Critic’s Table, B. Iden Payne Committee and Austin Theatre Examiner and inclusion on multiple “Best Of” lists in the Austin Chronicle. Recent productions include the world premiere/first productions of Katie Bender’s “Still Now”, Reina Hardy’s “Glassheart”, Jenny Connell Davis’ “The Dragon Play” and Beth Burns’ “The Long Now” as well as critically lauded productions of Charles Mee’s “Big Love”, directed by Robert Faires at the Long Center, and Joshua Conkel’s multi-award winning “MilkMilkLemonade”.
Fusebox Partnership
For more than a decade Fusebox has supported local artists by highlighting their work in our annual festival and connecting them with national and international audiences. Fusebox also has a history of advising and supporting adventurous local artists and companies working outside of our festival, like Whirligig Productions. We get really excited by performance that lives at the intersections of ideas – and Deus Ex Machina is exploring some fascinating terrain by combining technology with Greek Mythology, live theater, and democracy.
About Fusebox
Fusebox champions artists exploring fresh terrain from a variety of different backgrounds and perspectives. We present contemporary theater, dance, film, visual art, music, literature, and everything in between. This cross-disciplinary approach is central to our understanding of creativity, innovation and meaningful dialogue.
Our primary program is an annual hybrid art festival that takes place in Austin each April. The 2014 Fusebox Festival featured 60 unique events, 24 venues, 300 local, national and international artists, and reached 30,000 people. Fusebox primarily serves populations in Central Texas, however 25% of our audience comes from outside of the Austin metro area.
In addition to over 175 local awards and nominations in our history, Fusebox has been recognized throughout the country for its innovative programming. Fusebox has won numerous awards, and been profiled in the New York Times, Wall St. Journal, American Theatre Magazine, Huffington Post, and on local PBS station KLRU’s Arts in Context.
