A thriller play by L.B. Deyo set inside a closed committee hearing, pitched for fans of Hitchcock and Dr. Strangelove.
The Zahir opens Oversight at Hyde Park Theatre on Thursday, July 30, and the run continues through August 22. It's a thriller that locks the audience inside a closed committee hearing, where lawmakers are confronting a consequential threat. If you're into the kind of tension that comes from people trapped in one room with a clock ticking, this is exactly that.
L.B. Deyo wrote the play, and if the name rings a bell, it's because Apprehension took home the 2025-2026 Austin Theater Critics Award for best original script. Oversight is being pitched for fans of Hitchcock and Dr. Strangelove, which gives you a good sense of the vibe: a mix of high-stakes suspense and the kind of claustrophobic, bureaucratic pressure that builds when a small group of people has to make a massive decision behind closed doors. It's a play that stays in the room, and the audience is right there with them.
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The run is fairly flexible if you're trying to fit it into a busy summer. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, from July 30 through August 22, with curtain at 7:30 PM and things wrapping up around 9:30 PM. That puts it in the sweet spot for a weeknight out—late enough to get home from work and early enough that you're not staying up until midnight. Tickets are $39 regular pricing, and you can find the Hyde Park Theatre at 511 W. 43rd in Austin Midtown.
