Ready or Not: Here It Comes
Ready or Not, a one-man, one-act musical featuring original songs,
stories, and skits centered around the process of aging, will make its world premiere on
Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at Urban-15, 2500 S. Presa, San Antonio, TX
78210. The show is written, produced, and performed by Rudi Harst, a seasoned singer,
songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and performance artist with more than 50 years of
experience in the arts.
This engaging show is an uplifting journey through the realities of growing older, woven
together with eleven original songs performed on acoustic guitar, mountain dulcimer,
mandolin, harmonica, and flute. The production is made possible by the City of San
Antonio Department of Arts & Culture Individual Artist Grant.
The performance is designed as a low-tech, highly mobile production, easily adaptable
to a wide range of venues—from community centers to theaters and conventions. A
second performance will be scheduled for late February 2025.
Equal parts memoir, musical, observational comedy, and cabaret, Ready or Not offers a
candid, humorous exploration of the changes, challenges, and choices that Baby
Boomers—and people of all ages—face as they navigate life in a youth-driven culture.
"I wrote and perform this piece with the hope of offering my peers—and their younger
friends and families—a heartfelt and entertaining look at the realities of growing older"
says Harst. "The show invites us to laugh at, reflect on, and share our experiences of
aging in a culture that often prioritizes youth."
The songs in the show encompass a range of musical styles, from reflective ballads to
upbeat folk-rock, rumba, polka, and country swing. Each song features witty, insightful
lyrics and catchy melodies, all bound together by Harst's virtuosic musicianship.
The production is directed by Chuck Squier, an accomplished actor, director, and
founding member of the Jump-Start Performance Company in San Antonio. Squier has
been a key figure in the city's arts scene since 1985, and in addition to directing and
writing numerous plays, he was an associate professor of drama at Palo Alto College
for 18 years. He also directed Harst's previous theatrical works, including Hurry Slowly,
which had successful runs at Jump-Start Theater in 2005 and 2006.
The show aims to provide life-affirming, uplifting entertainment to an often-overlooked
demographic—seniors—by addressing the universal challenges of aging, Ready or Not
highlights stories seldom told in mainstream culture, offering an authentic and
entertaining perspective on the aging experience.
Tickets available at Eventbrite. Suggested choose your price donations from $5 - $50.
For more information, please visit RudiHarst.com and @getcreativesa
Event Links
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2821784-0
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2821784-2
