Articulations

Add to the list of local humanitarians those longtime purveyors of improvised comedy, ComedySportz Austin. Seems that troupe of talented madcaps can hardly let a week go by without doing a benefit for some charity or other. Last Sunday, it was Chili Bowl IV, the latest round in the group's ongoing "battle" with ComedySportz San Antonio, which benefited AIDS Services of Austin (and raised over $700 for the organization). This Sunday, they're producing the third version of Jimmy the Weasel's Laugh-a-rama, an annual comedy cavalcade they host to help out the Humane Society. And all week in-between, the Sportzsters have been at Highland Lanes helping host "Bowl for Kids' Sake," benefiting Big Brothers/Big Sisters (it runs through Sunday). Local CSz guru Les McGehee says there's no deep motivation for the group's philanthropic bent; they just like to help out. And he notes that the group isn't always this busy with benefits; it just so happened that a number of them were scheduled around the same time. Once he's done with the Laugh-a-Rama (obligatory plug: Sunday, 6:30pm, at the ComedySportz Playhouse, featuring CSz, the Blah Blah Train, Owen Egerton, and the Skinnies), McGehee gets a benefit breather until April, when he jets off to Los Angeles to perform in a ComedySportz benefit for the cancer charity Gilda's Club. (If all goes well, the Austinite may get to share the stage with Seinfeld's Jason Alexander and Homer Simpson himself, Dan Castellanata.) As to who's enjoying all this humanitarian humor, it's a classy crowd, we hear. At the February 9 show -- a benefit for the Battered Women's Shelter, don't you know -- Storyville singer Malford Milligan was seen "having a great time." To get in on the fun, call COMEDY-7.

Worthy Causes

Last week, this space noted an offer by the UT Department of Theatre & Dance to provide two-for-one tickets to a matinee of its production of Wolf at the Door with the donation of canned goods. Unfortunately, that matinee was canceled, but the department is honoring the offer at this weekend's matinee, Sunday, March 2, 2pm. The goods are being collected for Mary House, a Catholic Worker service agency. Single-serve snap-top cans of chili, soup, potted meat, etc., are requested. The show is in the Theatre Room, Winship Drama Building. Call 471-1444 for more info.

Off the Desk

The Huntington Gallery exhibit "Out of Bounds: New Work by Eight Southeast Artists" closes this Sunday, March 2, and with it comes the last visit by one of the exhibition's artists. Elizabeth King speaks on "Eye and Mind's Eye: Attention's Loop" at 2pm in the Art Building. For more info, call 471-7324.

Austin Access Arts provides another of its Audio Described Performances, in which trained volunteers provide narrated descriptions of plays to audience members wearing headsets tuned to a specific FM frequency, this Saturday, March 1. It's for the Live Oak Theatre at the State production of You Can't Take It With You. For info, call 454-9912.