Mortified Austin, a unique storytelling show, has captured the hearts of many by allowing regular individuals to read from their childhood writings in front of an audience.
Lead story producer Mike Graupmann describes the essence of the show: “It’s a lot of cringe, but in all the best ways.”
The premise is simple yet profound; performers share pieces from their past—including diaries, poems, and school assignments—that were penned during their youth.
Graupmann elaborates, “We like to think of it as ephemera from their youth, so that they can get up on stage and sort of make peace with who they were at the time, as well as share the highlights, the funniest, and most embarrassing bits.”
While the content inherently elicits laughter and feelings of embarrassment, Graupmann asserts that the ultimate goal is catharsis.
He notes, “When you’re young and dumb, and you’re writing all of those emotions onto the page, coming to terms with them as an adult and realizing who you were as a youngster and knowing that you made it out all right is really important to us.
People leave the show generally feeling uplifted and better about themselves somehow.”
Executive Producer Rusty Pierce echoes this sentiment, highlighting that while “mortified” is a shared experience, the show is also filled with joy and laughter, covering a wide emotional spectrum.
Mortified Austin often draws participants from various age groups, but a significant focus tends to be on the awkward teenage years when embarrassment reaches its peak.
“We love adorable elementary school assignments, but the real meat comes from when we start developing hair in weird places and getting sweaty, covering up those embarrassing things happening to our bodies,” Graupmann shares.
The show’s schedule usually includes four performances a year, with an upcoming June event set to celebrate Pride Month.
Pierce points out that the Morti-PRIDE theme is a perfect opportunity to blend the show with a celebration of LGBTQIA2S++ identities.
He remarks, “A lot of our entries are queer in nature anyway, and it was really fun to put together a show where all of the performers are LGBTQIA2S++ identified.”
The event will also partner with TENT, the Trans Education Network of Texas, with a portion of the proceeds dedicated to supporting their impactful work in the community.
Graupmann expresses excitement about the collaboration, stating, “It’s just a really great opportunity for the community to come together to support not only the performers but this awesome nonprofit that’s doing great things here in the state too.”
In contrast to some storytelling shows that surprise both the producers and the audience with the content, Mortified Austin takes a different approach.
Pierce explains, “They’re pretty much fully scripted — that helps support our ASL interpreters, so they know every word that’s gonna come out.
We’re taking people’s actual words from the stuff they created in their youth, but we’ve pieced together a story, so we actually know exactly what’s gonna be said on stage.”
As Graupmann describes, while the performances are undoubtedly entertaining, they also encourage reflection on one’s younger self.
“The theme of our show — that we say at the end of every one of our shows — is that we were young, we were dumb, we were scared, but we all survived,” he states.
He emphasizes the importance of extending grace to oneself and looking back at the past with kindness rather than harsh judgment.
In a world often filled with self-criticism, Mortified Austin offers a unique platform for healing through laughter and shared experiences from childhood, making it a cherished event for both performers and audiences alike.
image source from：https://www.kut.org/life-arts/2025-06-09/its-a-lot-of-cringe-but-in-all-the-best-ways-laughing-at-childhood-trauma-with-morti-pride
