The Great Austin Shakeoff
by Walking Shadow Shakespeare
Aug. 22
Saturday
Austin’s three prominent Shakespeare companies are coming together on August 22 for a night of friendly competition and community building. Each company will nominate three actors to perform a speech of their choice across three rounds: Comedy, History, and Tragedy. After each round, the audience will vote with their dollars to choose a winner. To cap off the event, a leader from each organization will perform Hamlet’s “To Be Or Not To Be” as a final round, and an overall champion will be crowned.
“The Great Austin Shake Off is proof of our belief that
theatre companies in Austin aren't in competition with each other
for audiences - we all exist in one big tent that can fit everyone under it, together.”
-Mike Crugnola, Walking Shadow Shakespeare Project
In addition to serving as a crucial fundraiser for the host organizations, the goal of this event is to bring the community together to celebrate our mutual love of Shakespeare’s words. We are excited to showcase the diverse perspectives and methods of approaching Shakespeare that each company has to offer, and hope that audiences leave excited about the amount of talent in this city.
Organization Representatives
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Sharron Anderson - Founder, ATX Theatre - info@atxtheatre.org
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Mike Crugnola - Treasurer, Walking Shadow Shakespeare Project - info@walkingshadowshakespeare.com
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Lindsay Palinsky - Artistic Director, The Baron’s Men - lmpalinsky@gmail.com
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Alex Alford - Managing Director, Austin Shakespeare - alex@austinshakespeare.org
The Great Austin Shakeoff
by William Shakespeare
Walking Shadow Shakespeare
August 22, 2026
Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Venue: Austin Scottish Rite Theater: 207 W 18th St, Austin, TX 78701
Admission: $10 | Votes: $1 each
Accessibility: Face Masks, Air Purifiers, Fidget Cubes, English and Spanish context and summary of each speech. Pending confirmation: ASL interpretation, Audio Description
Estimated Runtime: 2 hours with frequent breaks
