Austin Rainbow Theatre Presents
MJ Kaufman's
Sagittarius Ponderosa
October 17 - November 1, 2025
Press Night October 17th
Or you may pull from the information below
For media or interview requests, please connect with us at the link below.
If you are interested in attending our Press Night on Friday October 17th @ 8 PM please let us know.
Press Release
Austin Rainbow Theatre Presents
MJ Kaufman's
Sagittarius Ponderosa
October 17 - November 1, 2025
This project has been financed in part by the City of Austin's Elevate Grant Program
Austin Rainbow Theatre (ART) proudly opens its third season, Season 3: Metamorphosis, with Sagittarius Ponderosa by MJ Kaufman, running October 17 – November 1, 2025. This production marks the first under the leadership of Clinton Williams, ART’s new Executive Artistic Director, and offers audiences an immersive theatrical experience where innovative staging and sensory design bring Archer’s world to life.
Tender, magical, and deeply human, Sagittarius Ponderosa follows Archer, a trans man returning home to the forests of Eastern Oregon. To his family, he is still Angela, a name tied to a past he is working to leave behind. Amid shifting family relationships, Archer navigates the tension between expectation and authenticity. Through poetic language and touches of magical realism, the play explores identity, belonging, and the beauty of transformation.
“This play is the perfect beginning to our third season, Metamorphosis,” says Clinton Williams. “It’s a story about change, identity, and becoming—both themes that resonate deeply with our community. Audiences will be drawn not just into the story, but into a fully realized world that immerses them in an environment where the story surrounds them at every turn.”
Directed by Adam Adolfo, the production transforms the theatre into an enchanting, star-lit forest. Staged in a three-quarter thrust configuration, it envelops audiences in sound, light, and subtle forest scents, blurring the line between stage and spectator. Every moment invites audiences deeper into the world of magical realism, where the ordinary shimmers with the extraordinary.
Cast Highlights: Austin favorites CB Feller (Archer) and Ev Lunning (Pops), joined by Christina Little-Manley (Mom), Charlotte Noris (Grandma), and rising talent Jaden Petty (Owen).
Production Team: Adam Adolfo (Director), Joi Elise Green (Stage Manager), Elliot Koch (Assistant Stage Manager), Katie Birks-Kilman (Scenic Designer), Patrick Anthony (Lighting Designer), Johann Solo (Sound Designer), Talya Hammerman (Puppet Designer).
Additional Information
PERFORMANCE DATES
October 17 @ 8 PM (Opening Night)
October 18 @ 8 PM
October 19 @ 2 PM
October 23 @ 8 PM (Postshow Discussion)
October 24 @ 8 PM
October 25 @ 8 PM
October 26 @ 2 PM (ASL Interpreted)
October 30 @ 8 PM
October 31 @ 8 PM
November 1 @ 8 PM
TICKET & SHOW INFORMATION
Tickets are available for purchase at www.austinrainbowtheatre.org/shows/sagittarius-ponderosa/
Ticket Tiers:
VIP Opening Night $40
Reserved Seating $35
General Admission $25
Student & Educator Tickets $12.50
PERFORMANCE ADDRESS
Ground Floor Theatre
979 Springdale Rd #122
Austin, TX 78702
ABOUT AUSTIN RAINBOW THEATRE
Austin Rainbow Theatre is Austin’s premier LGBTQ+ theatre company, dedicated to producing works that celebrate, reflect, and uplift queer voices. Now entering its third season, ART continues to pair boundary-pushing performances with community-focused programming, bringing bold, inclusive theatre to Central Texas.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
MJ Kaufman is a queer playwright and screenwriter from Portland, OR/Multnomah Territory, currently based in New York City/Lenapehoking. Their work has been produced at the Public Theater, WP Theater, National Asian American Theater Company, Clubbed Thumb, Williamstown Theater Festival, and internationally, and developed by the Lark Play Development Center, Playwrights Realm, Page73, and New York Theater Workshop. MJ has received major awards including the Helen Merrill Emerging Writers Award, the ASCAP Cole Porter Prize in Playwriting, and the Jane Chambers Prize in Feminist Theatre. A resident playwright at New Dramatists and an Assistant Professor of Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Kaufman’s work often explores identity, transformation, and the power of storytelling to illuminate underrepresented voices.
FOR CALENDAR EDITORS
WHAT: Austin Rainbow Theatre’s production of Lane Michael Stanley’s Lipstick
WHEN: October 17 – November 1, 2025
WHERE: Ground Floor Theatre (979 Springdale Rd #122 Austin, TX 78702)
RUNNING TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes
TICKETS:
Price: $12.50 – $40
Available at https://austinrainbowtheatre.org/shows/sagittarius-ponderosa/
PERFORMANCE DATES:
October 17 @ 8 PM (Opening Night)
October 18 @ 8 PM
October 19 @ 2 PM
October 23 @ 8 PM (Postshow Discussion)
October 24 @ 8 PM
October 25 @ 8 PM
October 26 @ 2 PM (ASL Interpreted)
October 30 @ 8 PM
October 31 @ 8 PM
November 1 @ 8 PM
Images
The images contained within this website are available to members of the media for the sole purpose of promoting Austin Rainbow Theatre, its productions and related activities. Unauthorized alteration, sale, reproduction, commercial or personal use of these images is strictly prohibited.
All images Copyright © Austin Rainbow Theatre. All rights reserved.
Promotional Photos
Cast Headshots
Please credit headshots according to the photo credit structure listed below.
Credit Structure:
Performer name as Character in Austin Rainbow Theatre’s production of MJ Kaufman’s Sagittarius Ponderosa
Press Inquiries
Should you have interview or media requests regarding our production or Austin Rainbow Theatre in general, please reach out below.
Press Night Friday October 17th @ 8PM
As a member of the media, we would love to have you join us for our press preview!
However, if you are unable to attend October 17th please let us know an alternate show date as we’d still love to have you join us.
