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Thief, accused assassin, gambler, carouser, and star of the stage. Mary Frith – better known to her adoring fans and infuriated sheriffs as Moll Cutpurse – was the toast of Elizabethan London. There was not a taboo she would not bust, and her raucous ways made her a celebrity whose exploits were so scandalous that she had not one but two contemporary plays written about her. Now Archive Theater Company brings her story to Austin’s newest stage with a staged and costumed reading of the new work by Kathleen Fletcher, directed by Trace Turner. – Richard Whittaker

School’s out for summer! And out forever, at least in Beyond August Productions’ Exit Strategy. The story of a run-down high school finishing up its final year before eradication, Exit Strategy follows students and staff on the edge of displacement. Education is a hellscape in the best of times. One can only imagine the anarchy within a school on the brink of annihilation. In cases like that, does anything matter? Get ready to test those limits with Exit Strategy, showing the humor and madness in dire circumstances. – Cat McCarrey

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is a picture both alluring and tragic. Her beauty lures you in, but can be deadly. The VORTEX presents her acolytes in artistic burlesque, movement set to Homeric and Orphic hymns praising Aphrodite and her son Eros. Blaise Ricin, resident artist and artistic director for occult burlesque Malum Malus, creates a lush world of dangerous romance. He’s taking cues from the gilded, murky dreamscape of 1971 arthouse film Pink Narcissus, a queer landmark marrying the pure and the profane. Here, Ricin has created a rich fantasy world with an edge. – Cat McCarrey

It’s all fun and games until art imitates life – then it’s even MORE fun and games! The local comedy crewmates of ColdTowne take this new Broadway hit and give it an Austin welcome. With Kat Williams and Kyle Romero in starring roles, direction by Matt Alspaugh, music by Ritika Bhattacharjee, and choreo by Sarah J. Bartholomew, comedy and musical theatre fans will delight alike in this onstage silliness. Catch a show or two during its run that lasts through July 20. – James Scott