Home Events

Fact: The Alvin Ailey troupe was the first company to perform in the Bass Concert Hall when that venue opened in 1981. Now the brilliance of the late choreographer – a Texas native, yes! – is celebrated here for the first time in more than a decade, as the company (designated “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world” by the U.S. Congress and led by Robert Battle) features dancers of stunning technique and passion, performing Ailey’s iconic ballet Revelations and newer works by Ronald K. Brown, Alonzo King, and more. – Wayne Alan Brenner

Though inaugural ATX Open singles champion Marta Kostyuk won’t return to defend her crown, some notable names have entered the field. Two-time major champion and former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka (No. 27 in the WTA Tour rankings as of Feb. 19) looks set to play as the draw’s No. 1 seed but has since dropped from the tournament. 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, 2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins, and former Longhorn Peyton Stearns are some of the American women returning for the tournament’s second edition. Stearns won the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Singles Championship while attending UT-Austin and made the quarterfinals of last year’s ATX Open. Free entry to the event’s qualifying has “sold out” for both Feb. 24 and 25, but paid tickets are still on offer for the remaining days. – Derek Udensi

Polish up your boots for a brunch like no other, featuring host Brigitte Bandit in her Dolly Parton pastiche. Fillin’ up the Sagebrush stage will be fine country folk like Pam Dulce, Miss Good, Travis Randy Travis, Tatiana Cholula, and decorated San Antonian Mehgan Dlux (Miss Gay South Texas USofA Newcomer 2019, Miss Gay Alamo City 2021, and Miss SA Pride 2023). On deck with his usual country tunes will be DJ Boi Orbison. Y’all come on down now, ya hear? – James Scott

Here are the live semi-final and final rounds of the 11th annual Coltman Competition! Ensembles may include woodwind quintets, string quartets, piano trios, and other ensembles mixed with winds, strings, brass, and piano.

Austin’s Julie Fiore and her One Ounce Opera collective of stage-it-anywhere, stage-it-everywhere modern provocateurs take over the Eastside’s storied Museum of Human Achievement for their sixth annual (but first time since 2020!) mini-opera showcase, bringing four dynamic new works chosen from more than 40 submissions nationwide. Relevant to the here-and-now, redolent of sonic glory and classic style, the revelations of “An Artist’s Regrets,” “Bubbie and the Demon,” “I Am Worth Nothing,” and “What the Spirits Show” will touch your heart and wow your ears with the power of the human voice. – Wayne Alan Brenner

If you caught the 2018 doc McQueen, about the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen, then you’re already familiar with the talents of his nephew and protégé Gary James McQueen, who was responsible for the stunning, under-the-skin skull sculptures featured in the opening credits. Those skulls, as represented via 3D lenticular artworks, form the basis of the Gary James McQueen exhibit – his first stateside – now running at West Chelsea Contemporary through March 24. – Kimberley Jones

Inspired by Lawrence Wright's book, this three-part HBO documentary series explores Texan issues from local perspectives. "Part I: Hometown Prison" (D: Richard Linklater) screens March 2, followed by virtual interview with Linklater and Wright; "Part II: The Price of Oil" (D: Alex Stapleton) and "Part III: La Frontera" (D: Iliana Sosa) screen March 3, followed by an in-person conversation with Stapleton and Sosa. Read Alejandra Martinez's Sundance 2024 review.

At 16 albums and counting, Indigo Girls are widely hailed as living legends. Rightfully so – the Atlanta-grown folk duo, made up of childhood friends Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, are beloved by audiences as much for their bluegrass-infused sound as their fierce political activism, blazing a vibrant trail for queer artists everywhere. Produced by John Reynolds of Sinéad O’Connor fame, latest LP Look Long (2020) packs soft, twang-tinged rock that basks in the gentle glow of their shared Southern upbringing. Alabama singer-songwriter Kristy Lee, fresh off 2023 album The Olive Tree, opens. – Elizabeth Braaten

You’re a busy guy; you don’t have time to read all of War and Peace. But you’re also ashamed that you’ve not dug into the hottest Russian novel of 1869! Hark: A solution awaits at the Zach Theatre production of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, Dave Malloy’s musical adaptation of a 70-page section of Tolstoy’s great tome. Described by the theatre as an “innovative electro-pop opera,” this two-hour-and-thirty-minute love triangle will be available as pay-what-you-will until Feb. 4. Heads-up to queers: Thursday, Feb. 1, is PRIDE night!– James Scott

If you’ve never seen or heard of Miklós László’s 1937 play Illatszertár, don’t worry: You know the story. Two colleagues who hate each other at work are dearest friends as anonymous pen pals. Sound familiar now? It’s Ernst Lubitsch’s The Shop Around the Corner, and In the Good Old Summertime starring Judy Garland, and the *other* Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan rom-com, You’ve Got Mail. But it’s also this delightful musical from Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, the duo behind Fiddler on the Roof, which only becomes more charming with every new staging. – Richard Whittaker

Connor Hopkins and his Trouble Puppet Theater Company wield their amazing object-manipulation skills – abetted by a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation, no less! – to present the true story of the “radium girls” who worked in American factories in the early part of last century. This world premiere at the Vortex features a score by theremin virtuosa Aileen Adler and mixes history with horror to reveal the macabre workings of capitalism. Trouble Puppet and radium? Incendiary! As Kate Bush once sang of her glowing yo-yo, “What made it special made it dangerous.” – Wayne Alan Brenner

Women’s History Month kicks off at the Bullock with a Free First Sunday event (10am-2pm) celebrating women’s contributions to science, technology, engineering, and math. Several local nonprofit orgs will bring activities that will showcase the work they do all year in the community: Girlstart brings hands-on science experiments; Latinitas brings interactive robots to teach about coding; Math Happens demonstrates curve stitching, a craft invented in the 1900s by mathematician Mary Everest Boole; and the Greater Austin Reading Coalition presents a storytime about women in STEM in celebration of Read Across America Day. And may we remind you: It’s all free! – Kat McNevins

For generations of children, Arnold Lobel’s stories of amphibian best buds Frog and Toad have been a charming guide to the complexities and joys of friendship. Now the pair take to the stage for this delightful Tony-nominated musical. It’s truly a family affair, adapted by Lobel’s son-in-law Mark Linn-Baker with music by Robert Reale and book & lyrics by his brother, Willie. This new production, directed by Best of Austin winner Sara Burke, features Jillian Sainz and Victoria Brown donning the signature jackets and trousers of Frog and Toad, respectively. – Richard Whittaker

Here in the Live Music Capital of the World, there should be no shortage of opportunities for kids to develop their tuneful talents and pursue rockstar dreams. Austin Jazz Workshop’s jam series is one of these opportunities, with twice-monthly jams led by Gil Del Bosque just for middle- and high school students to get a feel for a real gig setting. Thanks to a financial boost from the city’s Cultural Arts Division, jams are scheduled through August: first Sundays at Batch, last Sundays at Central Market South, both at noon. – Kat McNevins

When a fellow is named Tim McCool, you’ve got to hope he lives up to the moniker. We reckon that, as co-founder (with his dauntless spouse, Kira) of the right-there-in-the-garage Good Luck Have Fun Gallery off Enfield, this particular art-scene mover and shaker is as McCool as it gets. Evidence: The gallery’s newest show brings together the colorful and provocative work of four women artists – Aubree Dale, Aria Brownell, Wendy Rhode, and Barbara Miñarro – “who explore the relationships between individual identity and the collective, the process of making art and of making one’s self.” – Wayne Alan Brenner

That's right: Cap City Comedy Club, the longtime cornerstone of Austin's comedy scene for nearly four decades is at a new venue in the Domain. And here's Valerie Lopez with a closer look at what's in store for the scene via the venue. Click for details!