An Art, a Craft, a Movie, and More Events for the Weekdays

Camera Obscura

Monday 22, VORTEX Theatre

The VORTEX is on night two of its series “Camera Obscura,” three evenings of film screenings this summer by Central Texas creators, platforming local artists and sharing their work with their neighbors. Media ranges from shorts to features to web series, and each screening features a Q&A session with the filmmaker, all united by a theme: This month’s is Mind & Body. Even better, it’s free and adjacent to Butterfly Bar, so you can pop over to get a drink or hit up Patrizi’s for some delicious pasta. If you’d like to participate as an artist, submissions for the next session open Aug. 19. “We actively encourage submissions from global majority/BIPOC artists as well as from non-binary and transgender creators,” VORTEX writes on their website. “Your unique voices enrich our collective narrative, and we are dedicated to providing a platform for your stories to shine.”  – Lina Fisher

House District 49 Summer Office Hours

Monday 22, Austin Central Library

Fun times with Gina Hinojosa! Join the House District 49 representative at Austin’s Central Library for her Summer “Office Hours” program and learn how Gina is working to forestall the impending destruction of our public school system, democracy, and, more generally, life, liberty, and expanded consciousness. There will be discussion of the upcoming 89th legislative session – interesting! – and slots to speak with Gina’s staff about constituent issues and how to get involved.  – Brant Bingamon

Terror Tuesday: Basket Case

Tuesday 23, Alamo South Lamar

Sick and twisted horror-comedy Basket Case was released over 40 years ago, but was only just in 2017 selected for restoration by the Museum of Modern Art. Made on a shoestring budget on the mean streets of NYC, the debut feature from Frank Henenlotter (Frankenhooker, Brain Damage) follows a set of conjoined twins unwillingly separated and on a quest for revenge. Duane carries his deformed twin Belial in a basket, hence the name, and the film comes with a sexual assault content warning, giving some indication of what they get up to. No wonder they call it a classick.  – Kat McNevins

One Hit Wonders Muzingo

Tuesday 23, Bouldin Acres South Lamar

Remember Lou Bega? Of course you do. About 25 years ago, this German-born singer sauntered across our TV screens again and again with his pencil mustache, impeccable white suit, and spats, crowing about conquests like Monica and Rita over an earworm Pérez Prado sample. Stephen King once said his wife threatened to divorce him over “Mambo No. 5” because he wouldn’t stop playing it. Celebrate one-hit wonders such as this with Get It Games’ Muzingo, in which your bingo card holds the names of the songs and once they’re played, you mark your card in the hopes for five in a row and a prize. First round starts at 7.  – Kat McNevins

Queer Craft Night

Tuesday 23, the Violet Crown Wine Bar & Coffee Shop

In August 2022, hosts Ashley and Bernadette decided to bring together their two loves: crafting and hanging out with friends. Thus, Queer Craft Night was born! One venue change later and this DIY delight takes over queer-owned vino/espresso spot the Violet Crown every other Wednesday. Bring a project or start one on-site – according to QCN’s Insta, there’s been folks who’ve brought everything from embroidery to leather work, macrame to Lego-building. While the hosts always have a little extra supplies, you’re responsible for your own materials. Pro-tip: Violet Crown neighbors Little Deli, so arrive early and chow on a little brain food before startin’ in with the scissors.  – James Scott

Summer Free for All Series Kickoff: Slacker

Wednesday 24, AFS Cinema

Got that friend who keeps complaining that the movies are just too expensive these days? Why not get them back in the cinema with this special screening of Richard Linklater’s ere-defining trip through the high weirdness of Austin in 1989. Best of all – it’s completely free. The series continues with Wong Kar-wai’s warped view of romance in Chungking Express (July 31), screwball classic Ball of Fire (Aug. 7), and Sofia Coppola’s enigmatic tragedy The Virgin Suicides (Aug. 14). RSVP in advance; maximum of two tickets per request.  – Richard Whittaker

Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Wednesday 24, the City Theatre Austin

What tortures must Eugene O’Neill have suffered, to take two years to write his magnum opus then bury it for decades with instructions that it not be performed or published for 25 years after his death? There is still controversy over whether the decision of his widowed third wife, Carlotta Monterey, violated his trust or did audiences a service by allowing the first performance in 1956, only two years after he passed. Yet there is no debate that his brutal, heavily autobiographical depiction of a family in collapse – an epic compressed into one night – is still a landmark of 20th-century American theatre. Runs through August 4.  – Richard Whittaker

The Wedding of Vera Drew + The Joker, and The People’s Joker

Wednesday 24, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

Oh, can you already hear the bells? Or is that a big loud bike horn being honked? Join director Vera Drew and the Joker – yes! him! the Clown Prince of Crime! – as they join in unholy matrimony before screening a 35mm print of Drew's opus The People’s Joker. Part transition story, part Batman tribute, The People’s Joker is wholly a fair-use parody that is NOT illegal or worth writing an intimidating letter about. So come witness "the bond of eternal love and the fair use defense" at Mr. Sony's Popcorn Picture House, fka Alamo Drafthouse, and make sure you follow the dress code. "Dress to impress," reads the event copy, "that means: clown makeup, any form of cosplay, scantily clad outfits, pajamas, or dysphoria hoodies." Two chances to watch: 7 and 9:50pm.  – James Scott

Trans & Intersex Ceramics Night

Wednesday 24, Round Rock Community Clay

For one night only, local queer creative org Gender Unbound presents a ceramics class taught by Bella Legosi. (No relation to the famous vampire portrayer that I know of ...) With her thoughtful instruction, attendees will learn techniques for crafting, decorating, and firing their own hand-built mugs – with all supplies, including glazes and the kiln, supplied as part of the ticket price. Tickets run an average $40, but sliding scale is available to accommodate everyone’s financial sitch. Priority goes to the trans & intersex community, but if you’re not sure whether you count, hey. No one’s checking your trans or intersex bona fides at the door. All ya need is a ticket.  – James Scott

Grease Frightening: An Improvised Murder Mystery

Wednesday 24, Fallout Theater

The house party of Danny Zuko – leader of the T-Birds, would-be paramour of Sandy Olsson – goes terribly wrong every week at the Fallout Theater. And by terribly wrong, we mean someone is murdered. Check out the whodunit that will have you wondering, in the words of the Fallout’s promo material, “What did that have to do with Grease? Did those impressions sound more like Christopher Walken to you? Was Christopher Walken in Grease?” The Fallout’s got a bar now, too, so no more need to bring your own booze.  – Brant Bingamon

Infinite Scroll: A Summer Group Exhibition

Through Aug. 31, Ivester Contemporary

Hot off the heels of the delightful “Encounters in the Garden” by Josias Figueirido, Kevin Ivester has curated another summer banger of a show at Ivester Contemporary. This time, the gallery features a whole slew of Texas artists, co-curated by Tiffany K. Smith, united under the theme “Infinite Scroll.” That refers to the ubiquitous web design technique that automatically generates more content that continuously loads as the user scrolls down a page. “This feature, while facilitating easy access to endless information, has also led to significant consequences such as doom scrolling, information overload, and a shift in our attention from our surroundings to our screens,” the exhibition text reads. “The participating artists have responded to this call with thought-provoking work that reflects on topics ranging from our online personas and the way we treat one another to endless calls to action and the consistent flood of information, and comments on the new developments of AI-generated artwork.” The show, which opens Sat., July 20, and runs till the end of August, promises to be a uniquely local answer to a global problem.  – Lina Fisher

2024 Torch Fellows Reading

Thursday 25, George Washington Carver Museum

Born of fire-red rebellion and a necessity for, particularly, Black and Brown women to tell their own stories, Torch Literary Arts is an organization that continues to be the ultimate safe space for poets and lovers of words. The 2024 Torch Fellowship program nurtured and spotlit eight creative writers of varying backgrounds and levels of experience, gifting them time, resources, and community to start working on something new and/or to get guidance about a work in progress. Elizabeth Brown, Destiny Hemphill, Meredith L. King, DW McKinney, Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton, Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo, Sandra Jackson-Opoku, and m. mick powell will read from those works in progress at the free event, which includes reception with bites from Mashae’s Catering. (Suggested donation of $15).  – Cy White

Thao Votang: Linh Ly Is Doing Just Fine

Thursday 25, BookPeople

Spying on your single mother while she goes on dates sounds like the premise of a wacky Disney movie, or some indie flick about a precocious preteen. Make the protagonist a neurotic Vietnamese American woman in her late 20s? The stakes take a turn for darker comedy. Votang’s debut novel tackles the intersection of anxiety, aging, and the immigrant experience. Add in a dash of “mother-daughter parentification bonds” and a hefty dose of “seeing your parent as a person,” and you’ve got a delicious read ahead of you. Votang’s book release features a conversation with her fellow Hyperallergic alum Lise Ragbir. It’s sure to be an illuminating and entertaining evening.  – Cat McCarrey

Queer Movie Night: Moonlight

Thursday 25, Dougherty Arts Center

Not just a queer classic, but a cinematic one as well, Barry Jenkins’ 2016 masterpiece follows Chiron, a young Black man growing up in Miami, navigating masculinity and his queer identity with the help of his community. Presented by Queer Black Women Alliance and Breathe With Pride, the screening will be introduced by queer mental health nonprofit WhatsintheMirror?, while local orgs Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, allgo, and Clear the Air ATX will provide resources, including an air purifier. Doors open at 6pm (movie starts at 7:15) and Austin’s premier nonalcoholic purveyors, Sans Bar, will be slinging mocktails.  – Lina Fisher

Comedy Bang! Bang!

Thursday 25, Paramount Theatre

The Bang! Bang! Into Your Mouth Tour brings the longtime alt-comedy podcast (since 2009!) to Austin. Host Scott Aukerman – who helms scads of pods and co-created the Between Two Ferns series – along with recurring guest Paul F. Tompkins and other improv all-stars, manifest an episode right before your eyes: Laughs guaranteed. And while improv can often turn to anarchy, you can feel safe in the calloused comedy hands taking the storied stage by storm.  – Aaron Sullivan

---

Want to see all of our listings broken down by day? Go to austinchronicle.com/calendar and see what's happening now or in the coming week.