Culture Flash!

• As noted in last week's "Naked City," police have a suspect in the murder of Esther's Follies juggler Warren "Red Ryder" Schwartz. On Thursday, Aug. 3, Jacob Zeke Rubio was charged in the fatal stabbing of the 39-year-old performer in the parking lot of Travis Park Apartments on Sunday, May 28. Rubio was already in jail for violating probation and admitted, under questioning, that he'd burglarized an apartment in the South Austin complex. A neighbor reported seeing Rubio, carrying a duffel bag and electronic equipment, run past Schwartz in the complex early that morning. Police believe Rubio realized that Schwartz had seen him burglarizing the apartment and so killed him. Rubio is being held in Travis County Jail with bail set at $300,000.

• Last week's release of The Brak Show, Vol. 2 DVD shows off some of Jenny Hart's latest work. The empress of embroidery was commissioned by Cartoon Network/Adult Swim to stitch a portrait of the Space Ghost nemesis-turned-sitcom star, and he's never looked better. August is huge for Hart; she has two art exhibitions at opposite ends of the country opening this weekend (!): On the West Coast is the group show "Flaunt," running through Sept. 10 at Los Angeles' Junc Gallery, 4017 Sunset Blvd. (www.juncgallery.com); while back east is a solo show that runs through Oct. 1 at Philadelphia's Art Star, 1030 N. Second (www.artstarphilly.com). If you can't make those, check her new book, Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To, out Oct. 1 from Chronicle Books. For more information, visit www.jennyhart.net.

• Back by popular demand! That's the new mantra on the theatre scene, as more and more hit productions are making comebacks. The State Theatre just closed its revival run of Steven Tomlinson's exquisite American Fiesta; Austin Playhouse has already launched its now-annual summer resurrection of The Dead Presidents' Club (through Sept. 3); and this week, Zach, which already has one hit-remount on its hands, the gospel musical Crowns, which has had its run extended through Sept. 17, revives its hometown tribute, Keepin' It Weird, for five weeks (Aug. 17-Sept. 17). Come October, the theatre will also bring The Rocky Horror Show back to life, with none other than former Austinite Joe York, star of Zach's smash 2000 staging, slipping back into town and into Frank N. Furter's platform shoes (Oct. 5-Nov. 12). And Blue Lapis Light's spectacular dance on the Intel shell, Requiem, will be receiving an encore run that month (Oct. 5-Nov. 5).

• Ballet Austin has started renovation of its Butler Dance Education Center at Third and San Antonio streets. The project, which will transform the former Aus-Tex printing facility into a complex of administrative offices and seven studiosÊwith fully sprung floors, includingÊaÊ287-seatÊstudio theatre, is slated to take nine months, with a gala opening projected forÊmid-May 2007.ÊIn the meantime,Êthe company's box-office operations have been temporarily relocated to theÊIronStone Bank building, 710 Congress. Company dancers, Ballet Austin II, and all Academy classes will remain in the Guadalupe Firehouse and the Baker Center until May.