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for Thu., Aug. 16
  • Contemporary Currents Opening Weekend

    You are invited to join West Chelsea Contemporary for the opening reception of Contemporary Currents: A Summer Showcase with an exclusive artist talk and musical demonstration by represented artist Bob Schneider.
    Sat. June 29, 2pm-4pm  
    West Chelsea Contemporary
  • Magnolia Musical Theatre Presents Footloose!

    Join Magnolia Music Theatre with your friends and family for Footloose: The Musical, every Wednesday through Saturday through August 10th! Kick off your Sunday shoes and bring a blanket to lounge on the Central Plaza Lawn as you enjoy these free-admission, Broadway-level performances. Every Wednesday is Accessibility Night, sponsored by Together Austin.
    July 10 - Aug. 10, 8pm  
    Hill Country Galleria
Recommended
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Davis Gallery: Reflector

    This is something to see, all right, as the gallery walls are filled with work by artists tasked with capturing either their whole self or an aspect of self. And most of the artists have depicted themselves via abstractions and symbolic representations. Note that Randall Reid, Jan Heaton, John Sager, Chun Hui Pak, and Caprice Pierucci are only some of the artists represented in this group show, and we reckon you'll be right there with us, viewing the array of wonders on display.
    Through Sept. 8
  • Arts

    Theatre

    FUTURX

    This is a four-day festival of new and avant-garde performance from the Vortex and Avant Theatre Project, designed to explore the many permutations and intersections of Latinx identity in the 21st century and beyond, featuring work from playwrights, solo performers, and improv troupes exploring and critiquing the ways that Latinidad engages with questions of race, ethnicity, color, gender, sexuality, religion, class, and citizenship. Jesus I. Valles’ one-man show (Un)Documents is part of this. The Latinauts' improvised sci-fi telenovelas are another. Also, Sin Verguenza from the reigning Queen of Texas Burlesque, Chola Magnolia; readings of plays by Krysta Gonzales and Briandaniel Oglesby; and a workshop of Glass Half Full’s collaboration with Jesus I. Valles and Gricelda Silva, which will use the myth of El Cucuy to speak about ICE and the Border Patrol. ¡Oralé!
    Wed.-Sat., Aug. 15-18; see website for times. $15-50.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    grayDUCK Gallery: Crit Group 2018

    The Contemporary Austin and grayDUCK Gallery present new work by eight artists who participated in the museum's Crit Group – a program combining group critique with professional development. For viewers, this means an array of sculpture, photography, painting, drawing, collage, installation, and ceramics by Adrian Aguilera, Christa Blackwood, Christine Garvey, Ron Geibel, Jenn Hassin, Landon O'Brien, Dawn Okoro, and Rachel Wolfson Smith.
    Through Sept. 2
  • Arts

    Theatre

    There and Back

    He's brought us Confessions of a Mexpatriate, among other powerful works of theatre, and now look: Austin playwright Raul Garza's newest is about the current immigration crisis – illuminating the fraught history between the U.S. government and Mexicans seeking that “shining city upon a hill.” Starring Karina Dominguez as Gloria and Giselle Marie-Muñoz as the Virgen de Guadalupe. Aaaaaand: Mical Trejo! Directed by Patti Neff-Tiven for Ground Floor Theatre. And reviewed here by Robert Faires.
    Through Aug. 25. Thu.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 5pm. Pay what you wish.  
  • Arts

    Theatre

    Wit

    Austin Scottish Rite Theater teams up with the Final Acts Project to present Margaret Edson’s acclaimed dramedy, here directed by Susan Gayle Todd. Taking the role of both narrator and player in her own tragedy, the main character (played here by Kristin Fern Johnson) shifts from present to past as she navigates stage four ovarian cancer diagnosis and high-dosage experimental chemotherapy, revealing the journey with self-conviction, humility, and grace. And Robert Faires has reviewed this amazing show right here.
    Through Aug. 25. Thu.-Sat., 7:30pm. $15-25.  
All Events
  • Arts

    Theatre

    A Real Boy

    This satiric play by Stephen Kaplan tells the story of two marionettes with a human child who starts growing strings of his own. Can his kindergarten teacher save him? Directed by Chelsea Beth for Last Act Theatre Company.
    Through Aug. 25. Thu.-Sat., 8pm. $12-25.  
  • Arts

    Books

    Arjun Sethi: American Hate: Survivors Speak Out

    Civil rights lawyer Sethi chronicles the stories of people affected by hate, his new book allowing survivors to tell their stories and describe how the bigoted rhetoric and policies of the Trump administration have intensified bullying, discrimination, and even violence toward them and their communities.
    Thu., Aug. 16, 7pm
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Big Medium: Hyper School

    This is a five-person exhibition, featuring artists Denise Burge (OH), Jessica Cannon (NY), Michael Henderson (TX), Jessica Simorte (TX), and Sean Sullivan (NY). The show, curated by Max Manning, highlights work by artists making strong contributions to the fields of painting and drawing and "sheds light on a shared aesthetic that crosses generational, geographical, and social boundaries."
    Through Aug. 18
  • Arts

    Comedy

    Brad WIlliams

    This Californian's “Fun Size” show was the highest-rated comedy special on Showtime in 2015, and he hasn't slowed down since, working the festivals and your late-night television, now bringing his arch observations to the Cap City stage.
    Aug. 15-28. Wed.-Thu., 8pm; Fri.-Sat., 7:30 & 10pm. $15-23.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Comanche Motion: The Art of Eric Tippeconnic

    This exhibition is enhanced with artifacts providing historical context for the paintings, rich with the unbroken connection the Comanche people have with their roots. Also, Rodeo: The Exhibition. Boy howdy, it's the history of the Texas rodeo – vibrant, interactive, and fully documented in this fine new show.
    Through Jan. 2. $9-13.
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Digging Deep: From the Flatbed Flat Files

    This salon-style exhibition offers a wide array of prints – etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, and painterly prints known as monotypes – printed by hand from copper plates, stone, and carved wood on Flatbed’s presses. After two decades in the current location, the inky powerhouse has organized this show with its upcoming move in mind, digging deep to present a selection of works priced perfectly for collecting, featuring contemporary and vintage prints by artists Julie Speed, Ann Conner, Frank X Tolbert 2, Teresa Gomez-Martorell, David Everett, Francisco Delgado, Sharon Kopriva, Joan Winter, Celia Muñoz, Ken Hale, and many more. Recommended.
    Through Aug. 25
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Dimension Gallery: Black Rainbow

    You know who does some beautiful, intriguing, and often simultaneously creepy work in ceramics? In, actually, ceramics and fur? RISD grad Terra Goolsby is who. "With a focus on the uncompromising, unbridled, and primordial nature of characters and settings," the gallery's description goes, "Goolsby's work harbors an aesthetic that is both dangerous and sensual." We concur, and recommend this show.
    Through Sept. 29
  • Arts

    Theatre

    Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

    You just know Zach Theatre's gonna do this fabulous sockdollager of a crowd-pleasing Broadway show up right, with Abe Reybold at the helm and Allen Robertson handling music direction. Hell, you could attend just to hear that hilarious "Gaston" song performed live, couldn't you?
    Through Sept. 2. Wed.-Fri., 7:30pm; Sat., 2:30 & 7:30pm; Sun., 2:30pm. $25 and up.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Flatbed Press: New Editions 2017-2018

    Etchings, woodcuts, lithographs, monotypes, and monoprints published over the last year, by Richard Amendariz, Taiko Chandler, Michael Ray Charles, Suzi Davidoff, Annalise Gratovich, Tom Huck, Gareth Maguire, Winston Mascarenhas, Bob Schneider, Howard Sherman, Jill WilkinsonDanny Williams, and Joan Winter.
    Through Aug. 25
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Harry Ransom Center: Archaeology and Romance

    Ed Ruscha, anyone? We'll bet yeswe're big fans ourselves – and now here's a diverse selection of the celebrated American artist’s books, photographs, drawings, and pprints. With archival production materials, preliminary sketches, and studio notebooks; with more than 150 objects providing visitors an unprecedented look into Ruscha's creative process. And the Chronicle's Melany Jean tells more about this show right here.
    Through Jan. 6
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Lora Reynolds Gallery: Xavier Schipani

    Here's a striking exhibition of murals, paintings on canvas, and a sculptural installation masquerading as a public bathroom – all by that acclaimed Schipani, voted Austin's Best Muralist in 2016. This new show is, we're told, "largely a reckoning with masculinity. What is manliness? What has it meant in the past, what does it mean now, and what are its shortcomings?" Could be our review provides a few answers.
    Through Sept. 1
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Meet Her Hands: Cindy Popp

    In the latest iteration of this series from BossBabes and the Ney Museum, meet the conceptual artist who emphasizes exaggerated versions of femininity, with notes of pop culture and drag. Much of her work – Popp art, right? – has been influenced by fashion editorials, makeup artists on Instagram, B-movies, clowns, and comedy.
    Through Aug. 24. Free, but RSVP.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Mexic-Arte Museum: Young Latinx Artists 23

    Now in its 23rd year, the annual exhibition continues to shed a spotlight on talented Latinx artists across the U.S. This latest iteration, "Beyond Walls, Between Gates, Under Bridges," curated by Rocha-Rochelli, is inspired by the significant social changes that have taken place along the U.S.–Mexico border over the last 20 years. And here's our review of the show.
    Through Aug. 24
  • Arts

    Theatre

    Real Women Have Curves

    Teatro Vivo presents this bilingual comedy by Josefina López, about a group of women who work at a sewing factory and reveal their dreams for the future and their relationships with their husbands, lovers, and children. The cast features Martinique Duchene-Phillips, Gina Marie Hinojosa, Eva McQuade, Ana Laura de Santiago, and Minerva Villa, directed by Claudia M. Chávez.
    Through Aug. 19. Thu.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 2pm. $20-25.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    SouthPop: 14th Anniversary Exhibition

    Almost a decade and a half of SouthPop already? Yes, and now the venue that celebrates all the long strange years of live-music Austin that have gone before, now that bastion of funky cultural puissance on South Lamar brings an eclectic show of works from the permanent collection to their storied walls.
    Through Sept. 29. $5.
  • Arts

    Comedy

    Stand-Up Comedy Workshop

    This is the workshop Hannah Kenah led for Rude Mechs while they were creating their Field Guide. Together, you'll write, you’ll share – and there'll be a mic and a stool. Sign up now for this one-day class that's low-pressure, high-fun, and makes the last Sunday in September worth waking up for.
    Workshop date: Sun., Sept. 30, 3pm. $20.  
  • Community

    Civic Events

    Taking it to the Streets: A Visual History of Protest and Demonstration in Austin

    The Austin History Center's latest exhibit spotlights local efforts to create social change over the decades, including the Civil Rights and Women's Liberation movements. Residents are invited to upload personal photos of recent marches and rallies for inclusion.
    Through Oct. 28. Free.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    The Blanton: Australian Ancestral Modern

    This new exhibition from the Kaplan & Levi Collection features contemporary painting and sculpture by Australian Aboriginal artists, curated by Pamela McClusky, curator of African and Oceanic Art at the Seattle Art Museum.
    Through Sept. 9
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    The Blanton: The Distance I Can Be From My Son

    In 2013, Lenka Clayton attempted to objectively measure the furthest distance she could be from her toddler son in three environments: a city park, the alley behind their Pittsburgh home, and in the aisles of a local supermarket. The trio of videos humorously underlines the challenging judgment calls that parents make about how much autonomy to give their children. (For more, see Marisa Charpentier's review right here.)
    Through Sept. 2  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    The Contemporary Austin: Against a Civic Death

    Rodney McMillian's social critique of American histories, injustices, and structures of power explores the changing symbol of the White House and the concept of civic death.
    Through Aug. 26
  • Arts

    Theatre

    The Grapes of Wrath

    City Theatre is trampling out the vintage with Frank Galati’s stage adaptation of John Steinbeck’s literary masterpiece, following the Joad family's troubled 1930s journey from the Oklahoma dust bowl to that promised land of Califor-nigh-ay. Directed by Andy Berkovsky.
    Through Sept. 2. Thu.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 3pm. $10-25.  
  • Arts

    Comedy

    Top Comedy Spot on Airport

    Yes, there's Sugar Water Purple on Wednesday nights. And this Thursday features Friends For Now, a daring supergroup of improv, and then the sketch shenanigans of Pendulum. Friday brings Movie Riot and the laugh-inducing ladies of Loverboy and that Live at ColdTowne stand-up showcase hosted by Carina Magyar. Then there's Saturday, with the Dave Buckman-directed Roast of St. Nick and the love-stinks larking of Missed Connections ATX, followed by a gathering of that mysterio-hilarious Midnight Society. And Sunday's got a Stool Pigeon spieling up the laughs for you, and – see website for more.
  • Arts

    Dance

    Videodance: Madonna's VOGUE

    Does it get more Eighties than this? Probably, since "Vogue" is from Herself's 1990 album I'm Breathless. But you know what we mean. And maybe you want to join fellow retro-loving citizens in replicating these classic moves?
    Thu., Aug. 16, 8pm. $25.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Wally Workman Gallery: Joyce Howell

    Howell's palette has always been informed by nature and its flux between calm and chaos. The artist describes it as an ongoing conversation and you can see a visual transcript, as it were, of that conversation invigorating the Workman walls in this new exhibition.
    Through Sept. 1
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Women & Their Work: Surface

    Meg Aubrey’s candy-colored palette belies the loneliness, disquiet, and isolation she renders in her paintings of upscale suburban life.
    Through Sept. 6
  • Arts

    Theatre

    Zilker Summer Musical: All Shook Up

    There's an Elvis-celebratin' spectacle of live performance rocking the hillside stage for the 60th anniversary of this midsummer entertainment.
    Through Aug. 18. Thu.-Sat., 8:15pm. Free.

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