Parallelogramophonograph

Parallelogramophonograph
Years Active	2005-Present
Cast	Kareem Badr Kaci Beeler Roy Janik Valerie Ward

Parallelogramophonograph (often abbreviated to Pgraph) is a theatre company in Austin, TX that specializes in improvising plays. They have a weekly show (The Spectacle) on Fridays at 10pm at The Hideout Theatre.

Show Formats

New Works

In New Works, Parallelogramophonograph uses a Dramatists Play Service catalog to inspire their premier of a never-before-seen, fully-improvised one act play.

Reverend Goodman’s Cure-All Elixir Traveling Revue

Reverend Goodman’s Cure-All Elixir Traveling Revue takes inspiration from several sources including vaudeville, medicine and side shows, tent-revivals, and laughing gas demonstrations.

It is portrayed as a traveling medicine show, and revolves around heavy audience interaction.

Unanswered

Inspired by their trip to Edinburgh in August of 2011, Unanswered is based on the scripted play Unanswered, We Ride by Jaclyn Villano. Unanswered uses tropes similar to the Unanswered, We Ride script and scripted staging by Theatre Daedalus, such as a main character who acts as a direct monologist to the audience, seamless and overlapping transitions from scene to scene, and multiple characters portrayed by only a few actors.

Eris 2035

Inspired by films such as 2001, Moon, and Solaris, Eris 2035 explores the effects the desolation and stillness of deep space have on the human psyche. Quiet madness and slow-burning tension underscore this improvised production, reminiscent of classic science fiction of the 60′s and 70′s.

Dick & Jane

Dick & Jane presents film noir type stories set in the world of Jane Austen.

GRIMM

GRIMM presents Brothers Grimm style fairy tales. The show has a frame for the stories, wherein a German peasant family swaps stories before going to sleep. The German family's characters are preset, but the stories are completely improvised.

Some Like it Improvised

An improvised story in the style of the screwball comedy movies of the 1930s and 1940s.

Villainy

Villainy delves into the dark side of the human condition and tell stories that focus on the villains and anti-heroes.

French Farce

An improvised French Farce, visually reminiscent of Molière, but closer to Georges Feydeau in content.

Media

Videos

• Their performance in The 2012 Improvised Play Festival.

Photos

• Photoset by Michael Yew that includes their 2/11/10 "French Farce" show at ColdTowne Theater.
• Photoset by Michael Yew that includes their 5/7/10 show from The Spectacle.
• Photoset by Michael Yew that includes their 5/21/10 show from The Spectacle.
• A photoset by Roy Moore that includes their 7/31/10 performance at The Saturday Night Special.
• Photoset of their 2/10/12 "Reverend Goodman" show by Steve Rogers.
• Photoset of their 5/5/12 "Parallelogramophonograph SINGS" show by Steve Rogers.
• A photoset by Steve Rogers that includes their 9/2/12 performance at The 2012 Out of Bounds Comedy Festival.
• A photoset by Steve Rogers of their 4/12/13 performance at The 2013 Improvised Play Festival.
• A photoset by Steve Rogers of their 500th show, on 9/15/13.