‏Austin Tichenor‏

Austin Tichenor is a fifth-generation Californian born on the 54th anniversary of the San Francisco Earthquake and the 185th anniversary of Paul Revere's Ride, which makes him older than he looks but short for his weight. Since his debut writing and performing his boldly conceived kindergarten puppet show, Austin's interest in sticking his hands up the backsides of interesting characters continues to this day. An intellectual welterweight, Austin remains disappointingly average despite three very expensive degrees (two from UC Berkeley and one from Boston University). For seven seasons, he served as Associate Producing Director of the American Stage Festival in Milford, NH, writing over 20 plays and musicals for young audiences, as well as directing summer-stocky things like The Foreigner and Jesus Christ Superstar. His productions there of A Christmas Carol and Frankenstein (which he wrote) and Much Ado About Nothing and The Tempest (which he directed) were seen by literally dozens of people. Fortunately, children's theatre, summer-stock Shakespeare and puppets proved to be the ideal training ground for the Reduced Shakespeare Company, which he joined in 1992.

Tichenor is the co-author and performer of the stage plays "The Complete History of America (abridged), "The Bible: the Complete Word of God (abridged)", "Western Civilization" The Complete Millinium Musical (abridged)", "All the Great Books (abridged)", "Completely Hollywood (abridged)" and the half-hour TV film for the BBC "The Ring Reduced", and the radio productions of The Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show (BBC), The Reduced Shakespeare Company Round Table (NPR's All Things Considered), and The Reduced Shakespeare Company Christmas (Public Radio International). He is also co-author of "The Greatest Story Ever Sold" and "Reduced Shakespeare: The Complete Guide for the Attention Impaired" with Reed Martin. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

He has two children (one of each) and lives in Los Angeles, where he is writing the Great American Novel and the Terrible Lithuanian Screenplay.

He tours with the Reduced Shakespeare Company and produces and hosts the Podcast Award-Nominated Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast, "All Things Reduced".