A new Austin theater company is skipping the stage entirely for its first production, seating audience members at cocktail tables inside a recreated 1920s apartment party where the drama unfolds within arm's reach. Austin Underground Collective will stage Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party at Pershing Hall, turning the venue's 1920s-era decor into the backdrop for a story built around obsession, jealousy and one-upmanship between a volatile couple named Queenie and Burrs.
The show marks the debut production for Austin Underground Collective, a group whose stated purpose, according to CultureMap Austin, is to create original theater in unconventional spaces using strong scores and bold direction. The collective has a core group of actors and hopes to connect with people seeking immersive experiences, per the same report. Founder Leslie Vander Gheynst told CultureMap Austin that the company exists to create an experience that's loud, messy and a little dangerous, adding that Andrew Lippa's score is electric and ambitious and deserves a production as bold as the music.
Leslie Hollingsworth plays Queenie opposite Andrew Cannata as Burrs, the pair described in the CultureMap Austin report as a couple obsessed with one-upping each other. Director Julianna Wright said she wants the story to feel raw and complicated, and that guests should be close enough to know the characters and catch Queenie's expression. Wright added that every scene must work whether a guest is three feet away or thirty, underscoring how the production is designed to hold up regardless of where in the room someone is seated.
No Stage, No Audience — Just the Party
The Wild Party is staged as an immersive cocktail party with no stage and no audience, according to the CultureMap Austin account, with guests seated at cocktail tables scattered through Pershing Hall's 1920s-decorated space. Guests can stay tuned to the drama unfolding around their own tables or wander to the bar, and they're encouraged to dress up for the occasion. That structure echoes an approach used in a 2017 Denver production of the same musical, which the Denver Post described as a 360-degree theater experience in which director Amanda Berg Wilson had actors mix directly with the audience, who were encouraged to dress in Roaring Twenties-style clothing and drink cocktails before and during the show.
Austin Underground Collective's version builds in its own bookends: the night includes programming before and after the main show and concludes with a cabaret, per CultureMap Austin's reporting. Separately, the company's own website describes the ticket as covering entry to 1920s pre-show entertainment, a post-show speakeasy and other immersive activities, and notes that guests choosing the top-tier experience can also get a free day pass to Pershing Hall's social club, access to a prix fixe meal menu and party favors, according to Austin Underground Collective. That same site also lists a voyeur-seat option, described on the company's page hosted by Vander Group Music, for guests who would rather not be pulled into the show, along with a chance to hang out with the cast for a post-show cocktail.
Tickets, Dates and Who Can Attend
The Wild Party runs from Oct. 31 through Nov. 12, 2026, at Pershing Hall, located at 2415 E. 5th St. in Austin. Performances happen Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Sunday shows at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., per CultureMap Austin's reporting. Tickets are available through austinundergroundcollective.com, with prices ranging from $25 to $75 depending on how involved attendees want to be in the immersive elements — a spread that spans the general-admission wallflower seats up through the cocktail-table and top-tier packages described on the company's site.
Because the production leans into mature content, attendance is restricted to guests 18 and older. Vander Group Music's page on the company describes Andrew Lippa's musical as a dark, jazzy piece based on Joseph Moncure March's 1920s narrative poem, and notes it was partially developed with readings at the O'Neill Theater Center during the 1997 National Music Theatre Conference before reaching the stage in its full form. The show is being presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International, according to Austin Underground Collective's website.
A Nonprofit Built Around Shared Decision-Making
Behind the production is a company structured a little differently than a typical theater troupe. Vander Group Music's write-up describes Austin Underground Collective as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with no singular decision maker, composed instead of seasoned Austin artists working collectively. The same source notes the group plans to prioritize and hire a majority of women, LGBTQ+, minority, disabled and underserved artists and designers as it builds out future productions.
For now, the collective's ambitions are focused on getting Queenie and Burrs's messy, high-stakes party into Pershing Hall's 1920s-styled rooms, where the venue itself has been described as serving food and drink throughout the night. Whether that translates into the loud, dangerous experience Vander Gheynst has described will be up to the guests who choose their seats — and decide how close to the action they actually want to sit.
