entertaining and consoling... director Adam Adolfo endows it with fluidity and grace.
Sagittarius Ponderosa
October 17 - November 1, 2025
NO PERFORMANCE HALLOWEEN FRIDAY OCT 31ST
Every bloom is rooted in transformation
This project has been financed in part by the City of Austin’s Elevate Grant Program
PERFORMANCES
October 17 - November 1, 2025
Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays @ 8 PM
Sundays @ 2 PM
All performances take place at
Ground Floor Theatre
979 Springdale Rd #122, Texas 78702
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES
Opening Night Celebration - October 17 @ 8 PM
Opening Night Party
October 17th @ 8 PM
All Opening Night ticket holders are invited to join us for an exclusive celebration after the show! 🎉 Mix and mingle with fellow theatre lovers, meet the cast and creative team, and enjoy complimentary drinks, snacks, and plenty of fun as we kick off the run in style.
Want to make the night even more special? Upgrade to VIP Opening Night tickets (limited availability) for premium perks and an elevated experience.
Post-show Discussion - October 23 @ 8 PM
Post-show Discussion
October 23rd @ 8 PM
All ticket purchasers are invited to stay after the performance for an engaging conversation with the cast and creative team! 🎭 This interactive discussion is a great opportunity for students, theatre programs, and anyone curious about the art of storytelling to dive deeper into the production. Ask questions, share your thoughts, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the themes, process, and artistry that bring the show to life.
Open to every audience member—because theatre is best when we experience and explore it together.
*Student & Educator tickets are available w/proof of enrollment or employment
ASL Performance - October 26 @ 2 PM
ASL-Interpreted Performance
October 26th @ 2 PM
This performance will feature two professional ASL interpreters to ensure full access for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members. All ticket purchasers are invited to attend, with seating reserved to provide the best possible sightlines to both the interpreters and the stage action. We’re proud to offer this inclusive performance as part of our commitment to making theatre accessible for everyone in our community.
Industry Nights October 23 & October 30 @ 8 PM
Industry Nights - 50% OFF
October 23rd @ 8 PM & October 30th @ 8 PM
We encourage you to attend our Post-show Discussion performance on October 23 @ 8 PM
Join us for an Industry Night, a chance to see our productions at half off while connecting with fellow performing arts professionals.
Industry Night tickets are 50% off general admission for anyone currently or recently involved in an Austin area theatrical production—actors, designers, producers, stage managers, crew, and general performing arts professionals.
We trust our community, which is why we provide the discount code below on an honor system. If you purchase using an email address associated with a theatre or performing arts company domain, no proof is required. For other email addresses, we may request verification of recent involvement in a production.
Use Code: INDUSTRY
*Code is only valid for General Admission tickets to our October 23rd & October 30th performances
About the Production
Sagittarius Ponderosa is a lyrical exploration of identity, transformation, and the deep-rooted truths that lie beneath the surface—of people, families, and forests alike. The air itself seems to shift with the scenes unfolding, carrying traces of memory, mystery, and change as Archer’s world takes shape before you.
When Archer (still called Angela by his family) returns to his rural Oregon home to care for his ailing father, he’s pulled back into a life he thought he had outgrown. But nothing stays the same—not the trees, not the land, not even the names we call ourselves. Beneath the ancient branches of the oldest Ponderosa Pine, Archer encounters a mysterious stranger who seems to speak for the forest and the forgotten. Their connection opens the door to a metamorphosis both intimate and profound—one that challenges inherited roles, reclaims hidden histories, and affirms the magic of becoming one’s truest self.
A meditation on gender, grief, and the sacredness of change, Sagittarius Ponderosa offers a transportive theatrical experience—where forest, family, and story breathe as one.
Sagittarius Ponderosa comes to life in a three-quarter thrust staging that transforms the theatre into a living forest. Trees reach into the audience, shadows stretch across the floor, and the air shifts with the scents of pine, earth, and memory. With lighting that glimmers like moonlight through branches, the space surrounds you in an atmosphere both timeless and enchanted—an experience designed to draw you deeper into Archer’s journey.
Thank you to our Sponsor
Our friends at Tillery Street Plant Company have donated the stunning greenery that’s transforming the stage into an immersive forest for Sagittarius Ponderosa.
PRODUCTION PHOTOS
CAST & TEAM
Director
Adam Adolfo
Stage Manager
Joi Elise Green
Assistant Stage Manager
Elliot Koch
Set Designer
Katie Birks-Kilman
Lighting Designer
Patrick Anthony
Sound Designer
Johann Solo
Puppet Designer
Talya Hammerman
Intimacy Director
Andrea Grapko
MJ Kaufman
MJ Kaufman is a playwright and screenwriter from Portland, OR/Multnomah Territory currently living in New York City/Lenapehoking. Their plays have been seen at the Public Theater, WP Theater, National Asian American Theater Company, Clubbed Thumb, Colt Coeur, Williamstown Theater Festival, InterAct Theater, Yale School of Drama and numerous other theaters and schools around the country as well as in Russian in Moscow and in Australia. Their work has been developed by the Lark Play Development Center, the Playwrights Realm, Page73 and New York Theater Workshop among others.
MJ received a 2022 grant from the The NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre Fund. They have also received a Helen Merrill Emerging Writers Award, an ASCAP Cole Porter Prize in Playwriting, the Global Age Project Prize, and the Jane Chambers Prize in Feminist Theatre. MJ has held residencies at the New Museum, MacDowell Colony, and SPACE on Ryder Farm and is currently a resident playwright at New Dramatists.
MJ has been a member of the Public Theater’s Emerging Writers’ Group, WP Theater Lab, a core playwright at InterAct Theatre and a playwriting fellow at the Huntington Theater. An alum of Wesleyan University and Yale School of Drama, MJ has taught playwriting at Yale College, Fordham University, Wesleyan University, SUNY Purchase College and University of the Arts. MJ is currently an Assistant Professor of Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
MJ curated the 2016 and 2017 seasons of Trans Theater Fest at The Brick and, along with Kit Yan and Cece Suazo, founded Trans Lab Fellowship, a program to support emerging transgender theater artists.
MJ’s short film THERAPIST CRUSH won the Audience Choice Best Film Award at TRANSlations film festival. MJ has also written for Netflix and is currently developing a feature film with Anonymous Content.
TICKET INFORMATION
BOX OFFICE INFORMATION
PERFORMANCES
October 17 - November 1, 2025
Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays @ 8 PM
Sundays @ 2 PM
Location
All performances take place at
Ground Floor Theatre
979 Springdale Rd #122, Austin TX 78702
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office the night of the show. We recommend purchasing in advance to secure your preferred performance and seating.
Ticketing Tiers
VIP Opening Tickets $40
VIP Opening Night
October 17th @ 8 PM
Ticket Price $40
*Please note that these tickets are sold separately from general tickets to the Opening Night performance.
See this production in style and know you are supporting bold, queer theatre while getting the best seat in the house — and a glass of bubbly in your hand.
VIP Opening Tickets include:
- VIP Ticket to each Opening Night
- Champagne
- Reserved Seating
- Meet & Greet w/Cast & Team
- Behind-the-Scenes Tour
- Professional Photos w/Cast
- Commemorative ART + Show Swag
- Signed Program
- VIP Access to Opening Night Party
- Pride in amplifying queer voices
Reserved Seating $35
Reserved Seating
Available for all performances
*There are a limited number of reserved seat available for each performance date
Experience the magic of queer theatre with the comfort of knowing your spot is waiting — just for you. Rest assured you’re getting the best views in the house.
What to Know:
- Groups purchasing tickets as one order will be seated together.
- If purchasing separately, please include the name of the other party in the Reservation Notes at checkout so we may seat you together.
- Doors open 30 before the performance.
- Your seats will be reserved with your name. Please check in with the front of house and an usher will show you to your seats.
- All guests must have a valid ticket (digital or printed) for entry.
General Admission $25
General Admission Tickets
Available for all performances
Our mission is to keep theatre affordable for everyone. With our general admission tickets you get access to the best queer theatre in Central Texas.
What to Know:
- Seating is first-come, first-served. Arrive early for the best choice of seats.
- Doors open 30 minutes before the performance. We recommend arriving at least 20–30 minutes early.
- All guests must have a valid ticket (digital or printed) for entry.
- Late arrivals may be seated at the discretion of house management and may not have access to preferred seating.
Student & Educator $12.50
Student & Educator Tickets
Available for all performances
We encourage you to attend our Post-show Discussion performance on October 23 @ 8 PM
We’re excited to welcome students and educators to experience our productions! These tickets offer 50% off the regular price for general admission, providing an affordable way to enjoy the magic, energy, and queer storytelling.
What to Know:
- A valid school ID is required for admission
- Tickets cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions.
- Seating is first-come, first-served. Arrive early for the best choice of seats.
- Doors open 30 minutes before the performance. We recommend arriving at least 20–30 minutes early.
- All guests must have a valid ticket (digital or printed) for entry.
- Late arrivals may be seated at the discretion of house management and may not have access to preferred seating.
Accessibility needs: If you require accessible seating or accommodations, we are happy to accommodate. Please note this during checkout in the “reservation notes” section or contact our Box Office directly.
*All tickets sales are final. Exchanges must be made 48 hours in advance of purchased performance and subject to availability.
Read our full Ticket Policy & Safe Space Policy
Contact Us
- 512-387-2763
- info@austinrainbowtheatre.org
If you have any questions or concerns please contact us.
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