FISHBOWL RESIDENCY: SAM MAYER

DORF is excited to announce Sam Mayer as the second artist featured in Fishbowl Residency, DORF's summer residency program that transforms the gallery into a visible, working studio and public-facing site of creative exploration. From August 10–September 5, 2026, Mayer will use the gallery as a rehearsal room, attempting to write, workshop, and stage an original play over the course of the residency. Working with collaborators in full public view, the residency embraces uncertainty, experimentation, and the often-unseen labor of theatrical creation. "I will use the residency to attempt to write and rehearse a new play," Mayer says. "A play about what, I don't know, but probably the usual subjects: desire, violence, boredom, your phone." Each Saturday, the gallery will open its doors for Open Rehearsals, inviting audiences to step inside the process. Visitors are encouraged to observe rehearsals as they unfold and, at times, may be invited to participate. The residency culminates in a Public Showing of the work developed during the residency—a process presentation that embraces both the discoveries and the inevitable failures that accompany making new work. Named for DORF's floor-to-ceiling glass walls, Fishbowl Residency invites audiences to witness artistic process unfolding in real time. For Mayer, the architecture of the gallery becomes an extension of the theatrical experience: viewers become observers, much like a director watching actors or an audience watching a play. Programming Open Rehearsals Each Saturday, the gallery will open its doors for Open Rehearsals, inviting audiences to step inside the process. Visitors are encouraged to observe rehearsals as they unfold and, at times, may be invited to participate. Come watch, participate or observe from outside! Location: DORF / 218 South Lamar Blvd., Suite 140, Austin, Texas, 78704. Saturday, August 15 Open Rehearsal 2–5 PM Saturday, August 22 Open Rehearsal 2–5 PM Saturday, August 29 Open Rehearsal 2–5 PM Public Showing The residency culminates in a Public Showing of the work developed during the residency—a process presentation that embraces both the discoveries and the inevitable failures that accompany making new work. Free and open to the public. Location: DORF / 218 South Lamar Blvd., Suite 140, Austin, Texas, 78704. Saturday, September 5 Doors at 7:30 PM, Show Starts at 8PM For Free Tickets, visit dorfworld.org/fishbowl-sammayer.