The Dinosaur Within, a new play by award winner John C. Walch (The Circumference of a Squirrel), makes its world premiere Jan. 18 at the State Theatre in Austin, Texas. Previews began Jan. 16 for a run through Feb. 10.

In Dinosaur, young Aborigine Eli travels to Hollywood to meet a now fading film star he has loved from afar. His search for her runs parallel to the mysterious disappearance of a dinosaur's footprint, an artifact that holds much meaning for the mystic Eli and his shaman grandfather. Set within shifting borders of time and place, The Dinosaur Within moves from the ancient deserts of Australia to the subway tunnels under Hollywood Boulevard.

Walch received a Kennedy Center Fund grant to stage Dinosaur, as well as the Kennedy Center's Charlotte Woolard Award for a promising new voice in American Theatre. He also wrote the farce, Jesting With Edged Tools.

Tickets are $18-$35. The State Theatre Company is located at 710 Congress Avenue. For reservations, call (512) 469-SHOW. The Austin Theatre Alliance, producers of Dinosaur, is on the web at http://www.austintheatrealliance.org.

— By Christine Ehren