Dear Fellow Audience Members:


One great irony of theatre is that we can work all year long on a new play and production, but until our audience arrives, the magic of theatre does not happen! In that respect, every single performance is unique. It happens only once between the imaginations of the people in an audience, the actors and story on the stage. We work every day to create the best stories we can, but we need you to bring your imaginative power to the experience in order for real theatre to happen.

So, we ask that you meet us half-way. Come see one of our new plays in a theatre space or bring us to your school where we can share theatre on your campus.

The 2010-2011 school year and theatre season was very busy for Pollyanna. Here are some highlights:

  • Our audience grew to record numbers through our very popular and successful tour of GREEKS ALIVE. Our school audience of students and teachers loved seeing Greek mythology come to life before their very eyes.
  • Pollyanna continued work with Austin’s Solid Waste Services Department to take recycling education programs into more than 100 schools! Through this arts education presentation, over 6,000 Austin-Area students experienced learning through the arts.
  • And, new play development remains at the heart of our work through our successful production of Sandy Asher’s HERE COMES GOSLING and Andew Perry’s DUCKS VS. SQUIRRELS: THE BATTLE FOR THE PARK. Both of these new plays had their premier professional productions at the Long Center’s Rollins Studio Theatre.



So don’t miss what Pollyanna is cooking up for 2011-2012! I’m very excited about what is ahead I the coming year for Pollyanna and the community.

  • In the fall of 2011, over 3,300 students saw our touring production of GREEKS ALIVE. The production was so popular with teachers and students last season, Pollyanna brought it back with new cast members and additional stories for this school year’s tour.
  • Our first public production of 2012 will be a remount of our co-production with Ballet Austin: SYMPHONY OF CLOUDS. This new dance drama by Margaret Larlham tells the story of the childhood of the great composer Mozart through movement, dialogue, and Mozart’s music. Featuring Pollyanna’s award-winning ensemble of actors and dancers from Ballet Austin, this will be a treat for audiences ages 7 and older.
  • In May of 2012, our youngest audience members (ages 4 – 7) will thrill to see the return of some of their favorite characters and concepts in an all new adventure: PATTERN NATION: WAVES. Created from the dramatic concept by Emily Cicchini, this new play by Andrew Perry will have audiences of all ages laughing and practicing their pattern recognition skills.
  • Pollyanna’s audiences have had the very special opportunity to see the work of Lou Clark brought to life on stage through our productions of WONDERDOG and CINDERELLA AND THE BEANSTALK. Now Pollyanna will produce SAMPSON & RAPUNZEL, Clark’s newest play. Presented at The Long Center’s Rollins Studio Theatre in July of 2012, SAMPSON & RAPUNZEL will be a great way for teachers, students, and parents to celebrate summer with a great thought-filled comedy.

      • Now, you might wonder why I addressed this letter to “Fellow Audience Members.” It is because once our plays open, I’m just like you, sitting in the audience and watching our group of talented and dedicated artists do what they do best. My work of directing the play is over for the hour that the audience is with us. I am one of you in that hour and I love watching with you as my partner.

      As the Director of this company, it is my greatest hope that in this season more and more children and families will discover the fun and true value of attending theatre. It is also my hope that more and more teachers will begin to use us as a resource. My greatest desire is to make real theatre with this community.

      Real theatre can’t happen until you join us. Be it in a seat in one of Austin’s theatre buildings or in your school where we tour, Pollyanna is incomplete without an audience, which is growing. Won’t you join me in the theatre? And above all, please bring the gift of your child’s imagination to one of our productions soon? And above all, please bring the gift of your child’s imagination to one of our productions. We can’t make theatre without them.

      With Hope for Today,

      Judy Matetzschk-Campbell, Ph.D.
      Producing Artistic Director
      Pollyanna Theatre Company