https://www.paperbackproductions.com/

Paperback Productions, Denton, TX (2026)

07/14/2026

As Paperback Productions prepares to enter its second season, we remain committed to expanding opportunities for artists both on and off the stage.

This September, Noelle Saul joins Paperback Productions as the guest director of Othello. The production marks both Noelle's directorial debut and the first time our company has welcomed a guest director.

As our company continues to grow, so does our commitment to ensuring that opportunities for artistic leadership are shared broadly. Building a more inclusive theatre community means creating space for diverse voices not only in casting, but also in directing and shaping the artistic vision behind each production.

We're excited to welcome Noelle to the company and look forward to sharing her vision for Othello with audiences this September.

Othello
Rehearsals: September 21–25, 6:00–10:00 PM
Performances: September 26–27

After marrying in defiance of Venetian convention, Othello and Desdemona struggle to preserve their love as prejudice, ambition, and calculated deception converge to unravel the life they have built together. Shakespeare's tragedy explores the fragility of trust, the burden of belonging, and the slow corrosion of jealousy.

All performances are pay-what-you-can, hosted at our partner venues. Actors are compensated through a profit-sharing model. For more information, visit paperbackproductions.com.

07/14/2026

"How far can the heart be led astray?"

For our second season, Paperback Productions presents a series of staged readings exploring love, obsession, betrayal, jealousy, and redemption. Across centuries and cultures, these stories trace the fragile boundary between devotion and destruction, asking what becomes of the heart when love is tested by fear, ambition, vengeance, and loss.

Medea
Rehearsals: August 24–28, 6:00–10:00 PM
Performances: August 29–30

Othello
Rehearsals: September 21–25, 6:00–10:00 PM
Performances: September 26–27

Dracula
Rehearsals: October 19–23, 6:00–10:00 PM
Performances: October 24–25

A Christmas Carol
Rehearsals: December 14–18, 6:00–10:00 PM
Performances: December 19–20

This season also marks several exciting milestones for Paperback Productions. Othello will be our first production led by a guest director, launching a new initiative to bring additional artistic voices to future productions. We will also continue expanding Paperback Presents with a second selection in November, introduce new community outreach events throughout Denton, and strengthen our partnerships with local artists, playwrights, and venues. As we grow, we remain committed to fostering an inclusive, welcoming environment where artists of all backgrounds can create, collaborate, and thrive—including q***r artists and artists of color, whose voices continue to enrich our stage. We look forward to growing alongside our audiences and the vibrant creative community we call home.

All performances are pay-what-you-can, hosted at our partner venues. Actors are compensated through a profit-sharing model. For more information, visit paperbackproductions.com.

07/14/2026

Paperback Productions was founded on the belief that independent theatre should be artist-centered, financially accessible, and rooted in community.

As we conclude our inaugural season, the following report summarizes the measurable impact of our work, from artist compensation and audience engagement to our ongoing commitment to accessibility and creating meaningful opportunities for artists from historically underrepresented communities. Through thoughtful adaptations of literary and dramatic classics, we seek to make enduring stories accessible to contemporary audiences while fostering an artistic community that reflects the diversity of the region we serve. While our resources remain modest, our commitment to artists, audiences, and accessible theatre continues to guide every production we undertake.

We thank our artists, audiences, volunteers, and community partners for making this season possible, and we look forward to building on this foundation in the years ahead.

Onto the next chapter!

07/14/2026

Introducing the cast of To Hold Death in Your Hand, an original drama by Austin Watts.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow spend their final day together as old dreams, family loyalties, and an approaching betrayal converge on a lonely Louisiana road. Inspired by Bonnie Parker's poetry, the play exchanges outlaw myth for an intimate portrait of two people still daring to imagine an ordinary future.

Performance 1: July 19, 5:00 to 6:30 PM at Toasty Bros.

Performance 2: July 19, 9:00 to 10:30 PM at Harvest House (21+).

Special thanks to our hosts and to Seher Iqbal for filling in for another actor. Enjoy a cocktail inspired by the show, crafted uniquely for each venue. Admission is pay-what-you-can. Contributions help support artists and cover production costs. Thank you for supporting live theatre.

Directed by Felix Ferris.

07/14/2026

We are thrilled to announce the cast of To Hold Death in Your Hand, an original drama by Austin Watts. Thank you to everyone who shared their time and talent with us. As always, we are grateful for your interest.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow spend their final day together as old dreams, family loyalties, and an approaching betrayal converge on a lonely Louisiana road. Inspired by Bonnie Parker's poetry, the play exchanges outlaw myth for an intimate portrait of two people still daring to imagine an ordinary future.

Performance 1: July 19, 5:00 to 6:30 PM at Toasty Bros.

Performance 2: July 19, 9:00 to 10:30 PM at Harvest House (21+).

Special thanks to our hosts. Enjoy a cocktail inspired by the show, crafted uniquely for each venue. Admission is pay-what-you-can. Contributions help support artists and cover production costs. Thank you for supporting live theatre.

Directed by Felix Ferris.

07/14/2026

"Death is the wages of sin."

Paperback Productions presents two staged readings of To Hold Death in Your Hand, an original drama by Austin Watts. The play inaugurates Paperback Presents, our initiative dedicated to producing original work by independent playwrights and bringing those stories to live audiences across the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow spend their final day together as old dreams, family loyalties, and an approaching betrayal converge on a lonely Louisiana road. Inspired by Bonnie Parker's poetry, the play exchanges outlaw myth for an intimate portrait of two people still daring to imagine an ordinary future.

Performance 1: July 19, 5:00 to 6:30 PM at Toasty Bros.

Performance 2: July 19, 9:00 to 10:30 PM at Harvest House (21+).

Special thanks to our hosts. Enjoy a cocktail inspired by the show, crafted uniquely for each venue. Admission is pay-what-you-can. Contributions help support artists and cover production costs. Thank you for supporting live theatre.

Directed by Felix Ferris.

07/02/2026

We are seeking 6 actors for our production of To Hold Death in Your Hand, an original drama by Austin Watts. Submit audition tapes to [email protected] by July 12 at 6:00 PM. Please include any potential scheduling conflicts with your submission.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow spend their final day together as old dreams, family loyalties, and an approaching betrayal converge on a lonely Louisiana road. Inspired by Bonnie Parker's poetry, the play exchanges outlaw myth for an intimate portrait of two people still daring to imagine an ordinary future.

Actors will be compensated through a profit-sharing model based on pay-what-you-can audience contributions. Selected actors will receive a written performance agreement outlining compensation, expectations, and scheduling prior to rehearsals.

To Hold Death in Your Hand will rehearse in the evenings from July 13-17. Rehearsals will be held at the Blagg-Huey Library at Texas Woman’s University. There will be two performances on Sunday, July 19. The first will take place at Toasty Bros. at 5:00 PM, and the second at Harvest House at 9:00 PM.

Actors must be 18 or older to participate.

Directed by Felix Ferris.

07/01/2026

Paperback Productions is proud to launch Paperback Presents, a new initiative dedicated to producing original work by independent playwrights and bringing those stories to live audiences across the Dallas—Fort Worth area.

Thank you to every playwright who entrusted us with their work. After reviewing an exceptionally strong pool of submissions from across the country, we're proud to announce the inaugural selection for Paperback Presents:

To Hold Death in Your Hand
by Austin Watts

Set during the final day of Bonnie and Clyde's lives, To Hold Death in Your Hand is an intimate historical drama exploring love, loyalty, and the quiet hope of ordinary dreams in the face of inevitable tragedy.

Please join us in congratulating Austin! We're excited to bring his work to Paperback audiences later this month. Additional information on auditions, performances, and more will be announced soon.

05/30/2026

We're grateful to have Jocelyn Losak joining the cast of Ajax! Catch her performances this weekend in Denton.

Paperback Productions presents three staged readings of Ajax, an original adaptation of the play by Sophocles.

Ajax, cousin of Achilles, stands at the edge of Troy as a decade-long war fractures the Greek coalition. In the wake of Achilles’ death, a bitter struggle with his rival Odysseus drives Ajax toward madness. In the aftermath, a body lies unburied.

Performance 1: May 30, 8:00 to 9:30 PM at Toasty Bros.

Performance 2: May 31, 6:00 to 7:30 PM at The Bearded Monk.

Performance 3: May 31, 9:00 to 10:30 PM at Harvest House (21+).

Special thanks to our hosts. Enjoy a cocktail inspired by the show, crafted uniquely for each venue. Admission is pay-what-you-can. Contributions help support artists and cover production costs. Thank you for supporting live theatre.

Directed by Felix Ferris.

Paperback Productions

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