Falling Down the Mountain of Great Storms
by Broad Theatre
Apr. 06
The building you are sitting in right now is situated on top of a fault line. Did you know that? Audra, a young Cajun, fights through the catastrophes, breaking all the cycles, breaking everything. Lanette tells the story of Skywoman by candlelight. A Great Blue Heron pulls fish from the Atchafalaya while Hedgehog rips a branch from a dogwood tree. Barry works on his dancing thirty seconds at a time, trying to win. And Fox brings us all outside to plant actual seeds in the actual ground, where everything is moving.
Falling Down the Mountain of Great Storms is written by Greg Romero, with original composition by Mike Vernusky, directed by Molly Fonseca, with dramaturgy work by Anikka Lekven. The production will run August 13–29 at The Rosette inside the Baker Center in Hyde Park.
Falling Down the Mountain of Great Storms centers on Audra, a young Cajun woman fighting through catastrophes: breaking things on her way toward healing from an attack; colliding withher estranged, skyfalling mother, Lanette; trying to devastate all the cycles, trying to outrun hurricanes, trying to run an election campaign with her friend, Barry, who works on his dancing thirty seconds at a time at the Chicken Church. The play flows between Audra’s present moment, suffocating time-breaks, and a surreal more-than-human world: a great blue heron hunts along the Atchafalaya River; a hedgehog follows Audra, dragging a branch broken from a dogwood tree; and a fox invites us to plant seeds for the future. The production features a collaboration of script, live and recorded sound, and movement, creating a unique storytelling experience. Elevated by sound worlds composed from the wetlands of southern Louisiana, the story becomes a theatrical meditation on resilience, ground, and the possibility of renewal.
This production lives in the continuum of the 20-plus year collaboration between playwright Romero and composer Vernusky. Development on this work included experiments at the University of Houston, where Broad Theatre co-founder Anikka Lekven graduated with an MA in Theater, studying with Romero. This work also continues the creative relationship between Broad Theatre and Vernusky, whose sound design haunted the production of Lekven’s play, A Doctor’s Visit.
The production features almost 20 local Austin artists and designers and will be presented as part of Broad Theatre’s ongoing commitment to developing and producing work for and by people of marginalized genders.
Visit www.broadtheatre.org or follow @BroadTheatre on Instagram.
ABOUT BROAD THEATRE
Broad Theatre, led by Molly Fonseca and Anikka Lekven, has produced imaginative and innovative theatrical works since 2019 that have pushed the boundaries of Austin theatre and earned multiple accolades. The company’s mission is to produce new plays written by and fo rpeople of marginalized genders. By developing and producing new work in Austin, Broad Theatre is emerging as a national voice in new play development, expanding the city’s artistic landscape while championing historically underrepresented artists.
Auditions for Falling Down the Mountain of Great Storms
by Greg Romero
Composer Mike Vernusky
Director Molly Fonseca
Dramaturg Anikka Lekven
About the schedule:
This production will have a slightly longer rehearsal process, with several developmental weekends and readings before rehearsals start around June 15th. Regular rehearsals will be M-Th (7-10 pm) and Saturdays (1-4 pm) in various locations around Central Austin. Exact rehearsal schedules will be determined based on actors' availability.
Tech week: Load in August 9th (9 am - 5 pm), Tech week August 10th - 12th
Run: Thurs, Fri, Sat - August 13th - August 29th, 2026 at 8:00 pm (call time 6:30)
Performances are at The Rosette inside the Baker Center
Available Roles:
Actors will receive a $1200 stipend. All roles available.
Characters:
AUDRA (Female Identifying), early - mid 20s. Cajun. Possibly plays an instrument.
LANETTE (Female Identifying), late 40s/early 50s. Audra’s mother. Cajun. Smokes.
HEDGEHOG (Male Identifying), both human and hedgehog; prickly
BARRY (Male Identifying), early - mid 20s. African-American. Sings. Dances.
FOX (Female Identifying), takes many forms, including DOCTOR and TUGBOAT DRIVER. Sings.
Content Warning: This play deals with themes of sexual assault.
*there is no intimacy between Audra and Barry, but they do share physical closeness, same with Audra and Hedgehog. An intimacy coordinator will be present at certain rehearsals.
Auditions:
Auditions will consist of readings from the script and some movement/improv work over two days. We are looking for actors with experience in new play development, open to play, and committed to telling a story collaboratively and intentionally.
For initial auditions, please prepare a 1-minute monologue of your choice from a play, open to anything. No need to have it memorized, we’re just looking to get a sense of who you are. Additionally, we might read scenes or explore movement from the play directly, so be prepared to move freely. Information about callbacks will be sent directly to selected individuals. Copies of the script will be sent out ahead of auditions. Questions? Great, email molly@broadtheatre.org.
Audition Date: April 6, 2026 (Monday) - 10 min slots starting at 6:20 PM. Please select a time here and fill out an audition form here.
Callbacks will be held April 7 (Tuesday) from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Information will be sent directly to those invited to participate in callbacks.
Location: Dougherty Arts Center
Parking can be a challenge. The front lot is free for folks coming to audition. Allow for extra time to find parking.
