TODAY · 6:30pm
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Community Cinema at Mobile Loaves and Fishes
Past event
The Visit (PREVIEW)
Thursday, October 29, 2026 at B. Iden Payne Theatre, Austin
This event has already happened. It took place on Thursday, October 29, 2026. See upcoming events like this
About this event
The Visit is Friedrich Dürrenmatt's dark tragicomedy, staged by the UT Austin Department of Theatre and Dance at the B. Iden Payne Theatre and directed by Sunghyun Lim. This is the preview performance, the first outing for the production before the regular run. A millionairess returns to her struggling hometown with an offer that comes with a terrible condition.
Who's playing
The production comes from the university's Department of Theatre and Dance, with Sunghyun Lim directing. It uses Maurice Valency's English translation of Dürrenmatt's play, written by the German-language dramatist. The company is made up of department performers and the creative team, and the department publishes cast and crew profiles for the show.
What to expect
The story begins in a small, dismal town waiting for a wealthy former resident to arrive. She offers to share her fortune on one condition: the town must murder one of its own. The play is a grotesque, twisted tragicomedy about greed and desperation, and it asks how fast people and institutions bend their morals. It deals with revenge, contract killing and human trafficking, and it uses a prop firearm and loud sound effects. The runtime is two hours and 45 minutes with one intermission.
Why go
The B. Iden Payne is the department's largest house, a proscenium theatre with about 475 seats on the east side of campus. A preview is the first time the production meets an audience. It is also a chance to see a sharp, uncomfortable classic of postwar European theatre staged by Austin's university program.
Where
B. Iden Payne Theatre · 200 E. 23rd St. · Austin TXDirections
