CTX4176: FronteraFest Applications Open: January-February slots at Hyde Park Theatre and elsewhere, in cooperation with Scriptworks

(via HPT)FronteraFest (the “Fest”), Austin’s longest-running, and well-known performance festival is currently accepting applications for performers of all styles and genres through November 1, 2025.  

Now in its 31st year, FronteraFest 2026, which is a coproduction between ScriptWorks and Hyde Park Theatre includes three different performance components.

  • The Short Fringe (pieces 25 minutes or less) will run the entirety of the festival (January 13 – February 14), taking place at Hyde Park Theatre, 511 West 43rd Street.
  • Bring Your Own Venue (B.Y.O.V.) runs January 19 – February 1, at various locations throughout Austin and the third component,
  • Mi Casa es Su Teatro takes place one day only on Saturday, February 7, primarily in private Austin homes.  

FronteraFest has long been an open opportunity for newly emerging artists to get their work on stage and for established artists to try new things.  For the duration of the Short Fringe, every night will feature a new, unjuried bill of four or five performances no more than 25 minutes each. Slots are limited and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. 

To apply for Short Fringe, participants may complete and submit an application online (www.hydeparktheatre.org) with non-refundable $60 fee if submitted by October 1, (note - after October 1, fee is $70). B.Y.O.V. applications may be found at the same site (full instructions and pricing on website).  Those interested in performing in Mi Casa or sharing their home for a performance can contact FronteraFest Producer, Christina J. Moore directly at fronterafest@hydeparktheatre.org. 

ScriptWorks will also be hosting an optional FronteraFest 101 – a primer in self-producing for the fringe, a Dramatis Personae workship led by Christina J. Moore. Details below: 

Saturday, September 20, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Hyde Park Theatre
511 W. 43rd St.

COST: Sliding scale $5  – $20 For more information or to reserve your spot, visit: FRONTERAFEST 101 WORKSHOP 2025 — ScriptWorks 

Moore, Executive Artistic Director of ScriptWorks says, “We are both thrilled and humbled that FronteraFest remains one of Austin’s most popular performance events, event after three decades. The event has grown and evolved over the years, attracting new people each year, while retaining a dedicated following. We’re looking forward to performances of all varieties: short plays, monologues, improv, dance, cabaret, performance art, and different kinds of experimentation.”   

Hyde Park Theatre Artistic Director, Ken Webster, who has been involved in every FronteraFest since the first Fest in 1993 adds, “FronteraFest is truly an incubator of the Austin arts community with an eclectic and exciting blend of performers. It’s a highly anticipated event each year for both performers and audiences.” 

Full details, all applications and payment information can be found at www.hydeparktheatre.org. 

About Hyde Park Theatre:

Hyde Park Theatre develops writers, designers, directors, and actors from within the Austin community, while at the same time producing works by exciting new and established voices of the alternative theatre scene. We will work with a broad and diverse base of local artists to produce theater that confronts, challenges, and entertains. We have a strong commitment to paying local writers, actors, and designers a decent wage for their work, and to expanding the base of working artists in Austin. We hope to diversify and expand the audience for theater in Austin, making theater accessible and essential across lines of income, class, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. www.hydeparktheatre.org  

About ScriptWorks:

ScriptWorks is a playwright driven organization that seeks to promote the craft of dramatic writing and to protect the playwright's integrity by encouraging playwright initiative and harnessing collective potential. www.scriptworks.org.