the wolf you feed
by The Vortex

Jan. 15 - Feb. 07, 2026
Thursdays-Sundays

 

The VORTEX presents the wolf you feed, a new play by Darcy Parker Bruce. Inspired by Where The Wild Things Are, this modern fable tells the story of Max and her relationship with a pack of chaotic punk-influenced wolves. Recently separated, Max has moved into the Shady Pines Motel at the feral edges of a national forest. Everything she used to know is transforming. Will the wolves lure Max into the wild to run with their pack?

 

Originally developed with Theatre Prometheus in Washington DC, the wolf you feed received virtual production during 2020 and production at Giant Wolf Theater at The Civic Theater in Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland in 2024. The VORTEX is thrilled to present this vibrant new play, recently published by Broadway Play Publishing. Directed by Chris Fontanes, VORTEX Associate Artistic Director. 

 

Featuring Rachel Hancock as Max. The Wolf pack features Phoenix Shaw as Pamplemousse, Angelina Castillo as Jet, Aurora Villarreal as Crackerjack, Mon Darter as Riffraf, and Pablo Munoz-Evers as Ajax. 

 

Scenic Design by Izzy Poehlmann; Costume and Mask Design by Aaron Flynn. Hair and Makeup Design by Ivy Vidal. Lighting Design by Amy Lewis. Sound Design by Johann Mahler. Original Score by Marine Komono. Movement Design by Robby Sciortino. Assistant Direction by Faith Sanders. Stage Management by Sarah Hogestyn. Assistant Stage Management by Suzanne Smith and Jamie Caroll. Graphic Design by SJ Anderson. Photography by Errich Petersen. Melissa McKnight, Managing Director. Bonnie Cullum, Producing Artistic Director.

About the Playwright: Darcy Parker Bruce is a graduate of the M.F.A. Playwriting program at Smith College and a 2025 MacDowell Fellow. Their work explores the intersections of queerness, adoption, environmental precarity, and American mythologies through interdisciplinary performance and research-based playwriting. Their practice is informed by critical conflict theory, which they use to examine power structures and hierarchies. They are the recipient of a 2017 Tennessee Williams Scholarship from the Sewanee Writers' Conference, a 2019 Lambda Literary Fellowship, and a 2023 writing residency at Gullkistan in Iceland. From 2022 to 2024, Bruce served as Writer in Residence at Interlochen Arts Academy. In 2018, they received the Association for Theatre in Higher Education's Judith Royer Award for Excellence in Theater for their play SOLDIER POET. They are currently working on THE BOOK OF A UNIVERSE INSIDE OF A UNIVERSE, a multigenerational performance work developed during their MacDowell residency that integrates archival research, adoption studies, queer temporality, and the ecological afterlives of war. In addition, Bruce is preparing for the upcoming publication of THE PIEDMONT PLAYS with Broadway Play Publishing, a four-play cycle confronting American ideology and the promise of "glory."

 

the wolf you feed is funded and supported in part by VORTEX Repertory Company, The Texas Commission on the Arts, The Shubert Foundation, and the City of Austin Economic Development Department. We are proud Core Members of the National New Play Network, Six Square-Austin’s Black Cultural District, ATX Theatre, and the Network of Ensemble Theatres.

 

[image via Broadway Play Publishing, Inc.]

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the wolf you feed
by Darcy Parker Bruce
The Vortex

January 15-February 7, 2026

Thurs-Sat 8 pm Sun 6 pm

“Industry night” Wednesday, February 4 - 8pm

ASL-interpreted January 17 - 8pm

Live-Streamed January 22 - 8pm

The Eloise Brooks Cullum Stage @The VORTEX 

2307 Manor Rd. Austin, TX 78722

Six Square-Austin’s Black Cultural District.

Bus route. Bike Racks. Limited Free Parking. 

The Butterfly Bar@The VORTEX opens at 5pm: hand-crafted cocktails, wine, and beer.

Patrizi’s@The VORTEX opens at 5pm: delicious homemade Italian food.

Tickets: $39/$29/$15 General Admission

LIMITED SEATING

$39 Benefactor

$29 Enthusiast

$15 Discount/Child/Artist/Student/Senior

$9.99 Live Stream 

www.vortexrep.org  or 512-478-5282

Advance Reservations Recommended.  Limited seating.

Blue Star Theatre: Discounts for Military, Veterans, and their families.

Radical Rush Free Tickets: Limited free tickets for each performance in the spirit of sustainability, accessibility, and the gift economy. Radical Rush tickets released one hour in advance, in-person only.