A Tuna Christmas
by Penfold Theatre Company

Dec. 12 - Dec. 28
Thursdays-Sundays

A Tuna Christmas, it’s 24 hours before Christmas and all comic hell is about to break loose as the delightfully eccentric characters attempt to cope with seasonal traumas. In this comedic romp through Christmas Eve set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, all 22 characters––traditionally played by two male actors––will be portrayed by two women.

On Christmas Eve, the local proprietor of the used weapons shop, Didi Snaveley, has decked her halls with Uzi’s, grenades, and switchblades. Baptist extraordinaire Vera Carp has visions of winning the local Yard Display Contest dancing through her head, but a mysterious “Christmas Phantom” is defacing people’s displays. Now, Vera’s life-size statues of Bing Crosby and Natalie Wood in the living nativity scene (complete with live sheep) are in jeopardy, while Bertha Bumiller’s family is falling apart on the spot. Her surly twins – Stanley and Charlene – and her philandering husband cannot even find the time to trim the tree and bake cookies. A Norman Rockwell painting this is not.

A Tuna Christmas features Liz Zimmerman and Taylor Flanagan as everyone’s favorite Tuna citizens.

Co-creator Jaston Williams on the Penfold cast, "Bertha, Vera, Didi and Pearl all played by women. What a great concept. I can't wait to see it.”

 

 

About The Cast:

Liz Zimmerman is an actor and educator with an affinity for Shakespeare and Movement, making her Penfold debut this winter. She’s the CEO and Founder of The Drama Spot (JoinTheDramaSpot.com) and has performed, directed, and taught on the East Coast, West Coast, North, South, and lots of places in between. Favorite past projects include portraying Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, voicing the Ghost in Hamlet 50/50 with the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, and directing Haunted: A Macbeth Experience with Shades of Orange. Liz holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Maryland and trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art’s Shakespeare Intensive. A recent Austin transplant, she’s thrilled to be jumping into the local theatre scene, having performed Thaisa in Pericles with Cold Frame Collective this summer. A very special thanks to her husband, Justus, for his unending support and her kids for being the inspiration to keep trying to make the world a better place.

Taylor Flanagan is delighted to be back at Penfold after appearing in Much Ado, Henry V, Midsummer, It's a Wonderful Life, and many Marvelous Party concerts. Some other favorite projects include: The Importance of Being Earnest (Algernon) ACC Drama, Jane Eyre(Jane Eyre) Austin Shakespeare, W;t (Vivian Bearing) City Theatre, Judith (all roles) Hyde Park Theatre, Fun Home (Medium Alison) Ground Floor Theatre, Cinderella (Ensemble, singing voice of Gabrielle) Zach Theater and Deaf Austin Theatre, and Gaza Monologues(voiceover) Calling Up Justice. She is a multiple B. Iden Payne Award-Winner, a 2024 Finalist in the Del Shores Foundation Writers Search, and an Austin Film Festival "Second-Rounder" in the short screenplay category. Off stage she loves to garden and was honored to see pictures of her native perennials aired in season thirty episode one of Central Texas Gardener.

About the Director:

Kate Meehan is a director, producer and performer, who currently serves as the Artistic Director for La Fenice, an award winning Austin-based physical theatre company. She holds an MA in Theatre History and Criticism from Texas State University, and has trained in physical theatre with instructors from around the globe, including Giangiacomo Colli, Carlo Boso, and Antonio Fava. She is grateful for the opportunity to work with this dynamo team of artists in bringing a little holiday magic to Round Rock.

Additionally, production team includes Set Design and Technical Direction by Holly and Patrick Crowley, Costume Design by Pam Friday, Properties Design by Nola Lafayette, Lighting Design by Amy Lewis, Sound Design by Lowell Bartholomee, and Amanda Gass as Production Stage Manager.

IAge Recommendation: Ages 13+ for adult language and themes

Run Time: Approximately two hours.

More nformation on A Tuna Christmas is available at penfoldtheatre.org/event/tuna-christmas/.

Season Sponsors

City of Round Rock, P & B Print and Design Studio, Texas Commission on the Arts, Tri-M Foundation. This project is funded in part by the City of Round Rock.

About Penfold Theatre Company

Now in its eighteenth season, Penfold Theatre Company tells intimate stories of empathy and hope, curates performances by premier local artists, and nurtures theatre makers of today and tomorrow.

In 2024, Penfold became the first professional theatre company to establish a permanent home in Round Rock.

Through a range of programs for all ages, Penfold builds community by making a cultural gathering place where we celebrate our diversity and imagine our future together; builds our cultural sector by developing local performing artists through high professional standards, education, mentorship, and opportunity; and builds connection through transportive stories that rekindle a sense of shared humanity, empathy, and hope. For more information, visit penfoldtheatre.org.

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A Tuna Christmas
by Joe Sears, Jaston Williams
Penfold Theatre Company

December 12 – 28, 2025

Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm | Sundays at 2pm | Additional Saturday matinees Dec 13 & 20 at 2pm

Penfold Theatre | 2120 N Mays St #290 | Round Rock, TX | 78664

Penfold is located at 2120 N. Mays St #290, Round Rock, TX 78664 in Rock Creek Plaza at I-35 and Texas Ave. Free parking is available on site. Round Rock Rides offers a convenient drop-off point at Rock Creek Plaza. To learn more about this low-cost ride-sharing program, visit here.

Membership and Ticketing Information:

Single tickets are $37.04 and on sale now at penfoldtheatre.org.

Memberships are available for Penfold Theatre Company’s 2025-26 season. Members receive four tickets, and early access to reserved seating. Memberships start at $120 and are available HERE.