Since 1996, Rude Mechs has been crafting a genre-defying slate of original theatrical productions infused with big ideas, humor, and stunning spectacle. Their work is characterized by the use of play in performance, theaters as gathering spaces for audiences and artists, and humor as a tool for intellectual exploration. Rude Mechs tours these performances nationally and internationally, operates CRASHBOX, a versatile space for rehearsal, performance, and workshops, maintains a scenic lending library, and runs Why We’re Here, a program offering refugees and asylees a platform for artistic expression. The quality and innovation of Rude Mechs’ theatrical productions have firmly established them as one of Austin’s most treasured cultural assets.
As they create new works for adventurous theater-goers, Rude Mechs strives to demystify the art-making process and actively engages with their patrons through workshops, talkbacks, and open rehearsals. They are committed to making work that is financially accessible to everyone, offering pay-what-you-can nights to ensure their productions are available regardless of economic status.
Rude Mechs is an ensemble-based theater company with 33 members, producing original plays in Austin, TX. They have garnered over 200 local and national awards and nominations, enjoyed four Off-Broadway premieres, and toured to prominent national venues including The Walker Arts Center (Minneapolis, MN), The Wexner Center (Columbus, OH), and Woolly Mammoth (Washington D.C.). They also participate in the international artistic community, contributing to festivals such as Austria’s SommerSzene, the Galway Arts Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (where they won the Total Theatre Award for Best New Play by an Ensemble), the Kiasma Festival, the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, and the Under the Radar Festival in NYC. Their touring productions include Field Guide, Not Every Mountain, The Cold Record, Replacement Tapes, Stop Hitting Yourself, Now Now Oh Now, The Method Gun, Get Your War On, How Late It Was, How Late, Cherrywood, and Lipstick Traces. Their Off-Broadway productions include Stop Hitting Yourself, The Cold Record, The Method Gun, Match-Play, Get Your War On, and Lipstick Traces. The production The Method Gun was selected for the 34th Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays. Their emergence into the national scene was highlighted by a feature in The New York Times, which recognized Rude Mechs as one of three companies in the country “making theatre that matters.” They are immensely proud to represent Texas as a hub for innovative theatrical practice.