Mission Statement
Debutantes & Vagabonds explore and build connections within society at large. We seek to bridge the divide between art, our audience, and Austin’s own business and creative communities. We hope to reinvigorate theatre by incorporating performance elements that are unconventional but effective. Our productions are a convergence of theatre, live music, video-projection, visual art, and dance. We are committed to producing theatre that entertains, educates, and enlightens.
Founding Debutante - Artistic Director
Amanda Lee Garfield
Founding Vagabond - Executive Director
Francisco Rodriguez
Visiting Vagabond - Guest Playwright
Jason Tremblay
Long thought to have been killed in a mysterious elevator fire, Rodriguez disappeared but had been reputedly spotted in two photographs and three lithographic prints. His whereabouts have remained unknown until about two weeks ago where he was fished out of the Adriatic Sea. After many hours of cleaning and delousing, he has been brought here for your viewing pleasure.
After graduating from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance, Amanda Lee Garfield co-founded the production company, Debutantes & Vagabonds. D&V has produced several shows since 2007 in which Amanda has acted as Director, Producer, Writer, Actor, Marketer, Costumer, and whatever other role you can imagine.
History
Debutantes & Vagabonds is a theatre company that started in the blustery summer of 2007. After a series of chaotic events, Francisco Rodriguez and Amanda Garfield joined forces to create the play, "Hubris", and the rest is history. With the help of superb visual artist, Patrick McDaniel, and the amazing actors: Jessica Robertson, Harlan Short, and Jason Harris; "Hubris" won the 2007 ArtSpark Festival and Debutantes & Vagabonds became $5,000 richer.
D&V's next project was a movement piece combining videography and electronic music which premiered at First Night Austin 2008. D&V sincerely thanks the people who helped bring the First Night project to fruition, especially Mr. William Stafford, film-maker extraordinaire and Odille Nicole Guidice, choreographer extraordinaire. Following First Night Austin, D&V submitted an original script, "Amusing Karl Marx", to the Frontera Fest Short Fringe Festival. D&V did not move on to Best of Fest, but Francisco did get rave reviews in the Austin Chronicle for his portrayal of Karl Marx.
D&V brilliance took a hiatus while Francisco and Amanda focused on other theatre projects in the Austin scene. Theatre Action Project was graced with the expertise of Frank, while Amanda had the honor to assistant direct under Paula Russell for "Shards", which premiered at the Long Center. Frank and Amanda then entered the land of arts administration as they helped to coordinate and execute the 2008 ArtSpark Festival.
In March of 2009, Debutantes & Vagabonds returned to the scene with their original script, "A Brilliant Revolution". Frank and Amanda were thrilled to add writer/comic genius, Fred Jones, to the company as the newest Vagabond. Fred then orchestrated a partnership with Double Stereo Productions which culminated in a weekend of macabre theatre and live music at the Rollins Theater at the Long Center. D&V were catapulted into the music world of Austin as they worked along side local music greats, Scott H. Biram, the White Ghost Shivers, and The Georgian Company.
2010 has started out with a grant from the City of Austin and D&V is honored to produce the latest script from local playwright, Jason Tremblay. The new work, Virgin with 10,000 Arrows, will premiere at The Austin Playhouse on July 15th, 2010 and run through August 1st, 2010.
Jason Tremblay is an Austin based playwright, director, and musician. Recent national productions include: Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back by Adventure Stage (Chicago), Chicken and Ice Cream by the Moonwater Theatre Company (Fort Worth), Hosers by the Boulder Acting Group (Colorado), The Cleaning Lady by The Flying Leap Players (Minnesota), and West Texas Honey Bee Blues by the Offstage Theatre (Virginia). His plays have received development support from New Dramatist, Theatre Masters, and New Vision/New Voices. He has been awarded a Best New Play for Young Audiences Award from the Kennedy Center, an Access to Artistic Excellence Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a James Michener Fellowship in Writing. His plays have been named finalist for the Arthur Stone New Play Award, a Marilyn Hall Award from the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild, and the Bay Area Playwriting Competition. He holds an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas.
