Kung Fu Hits: Tiger Cage 2
Thursday 28, Oddwood Brewing
Here’s the final night of Oddwood Brewing and Goremet Cinema Gang’s dive into the deep, deep back catalogue of action choreography legend Yuen Woo-Ping. Long before he taught Keanu Reeves wire-fu for The Matrix, he was wreaking havoc in grimy detective dramas like Tiger Cage 2, with Donnie Yen as a cop with a bad attitude and Rosamund Kwan as the divorce lawyer he accidentally drags into a gang war. Brutal as all hell, every hit could break concrete, and every fall comes with a real landing. That’s action, the Yuen Woo-Ping way. – Richard Whittaker
Fresh From the Studio: Hillary Cumberworth, Lindsay Shillington, Terri St.Arnauld, and Nashelle Williams
Thursday 28, Women and Their Work
It’s possible to love art based on appearances alone, but understanding the process behind the work makes it really shine. Women and Their Work gets the joy of revealing an artist’s method. They’re offering the public a peek behind the scenes, enlisting four creators from their upcoming Red Dot series for a chat about what they’re working on, how it works, and what’s next. Between Hillary Cumberworth, Lindsay Shillington, Terri St.Arnauld, and Nashelle Williams, there’s a wide array of mediums at play in the art. And when they say “from the studio,” they mean it. This virtual presentation will let the artists show their inner sanctums to the world. They’ll present works in progress, with time allowed for a Q&A at the end. – Cat McCarrey
Jaws 50th Anniversary
Thursday 28 – Wednesday 3, Alamo Village, Slaughter Lane, Lakeline, Mueller
Hollywood has always had big movies, but it took a malfunctioning robotic shark to invent the summer blockbuster. For those of you who didn’t want to swim to the movies, Alamo follows up its annual Jaws on the Water summer series with these special indoor 50th anniversary screenings of Steven Spielberg’s master class in blood-splattered popcorn. Forced by that wayward prop to imply rather than show the shark attacks, Spielberg was able to take a B-movie concept and concentrate on the characters. Whether it’s legendary exchanges like Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) facing off with the mayor (Murray Hamilton), immortal monologues such as Quint (Robert Shaw) recalling the fate of the USS Indianapolis, or that crash-zoom on the beach, Spielberg made the land as terrifying as the deep, blue sea. (Jaws screens at other local theatres, too; check our listings online.) – Richard Whittaker
Pillar of Fire
Through September 6, the Vortex
Science fiction is a genre often characterized by massive tomes that aren’t always worth their enormous weight in technobabble. Perhaps that’s why Ray Bradbury’s skill with the sci-fi short story keeps his works in constant circulation: their premises easy to digest and tight prose packing the hardest punches. Thus, about 50 years after it was adapted by the man himself from a short story into a play, Austin’s own commedia dell’arte troupe La Fenice – through their youth-centric the Spark project – reenacts this tale of a man 200 years out of his own time. However, this time the interpretation comes from new theatrical minds: teenagers. – James Scott
Night Shift
Friday 29, Amy’s Ice Creams on Sixth
Who doesn’t crave a sweet treat past sundown? Well, probably people who don’t like ice cream – who do exist, and maybe read this paper. So if that’s you, maybe skip this blurb. I think there’s a nice one underneath about a county fair or maybe a movie. To everyone else who enjoys cold dairy and evening hours, this late-night scoop features not just dessert deals but also music by Shelly Knicks. You’ll be dancing and diving into a vanilla chocolate swirl long past your bedtime. – James Scott
Big Travis County Fair
Through September 7, Travis County Expo Center
Just can’t wait for the State Fair of Texas up in Dallas? Get a preview with a similar experience, plus a shorter drive, right here in Austin. Take a whirl on all the carnival rides, see spellbinding magic shows by Henry Rivera, explore mountains of bubbles in the Foam Zone, and be enchanted by the Wonderland Circus. Military and first responders and their families can get in free opening day, and there are discount days with savings on rides and admission throughout the week. – Kat McNevins
Little Shop of Horrors
Through September 14, Genesis Creative Collective
As far as music-and-lyrics duos go, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman are in the American musical theatre pantheon, although it was their back-to-back hits for Disney, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, that brought them to wide acclaim. First they conquered off-off-Broadway in 1982 with this comedy-horror musical about a homicidal Venus flytrap and the schnook in his thrall, sweet Seymour. Adapting a low-budget Corman picture, Menken and Ashman smartly adopted the film’s Sixties setting and sound, making its gory story so much bouncier when put to a doo-wop beat. Andy Berkovsky directs this City Theatre Austin production. – Kimberley Jones
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Friday 29 – Tuesday 2, Alamo Lakeline, Mueller, Slaughter Lane & Village
One, two, Freddy’s coming for you … again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, as all seven original episodes of Wes Craven’s meta masterpiece of horror return in these 4K restorations. (Don’t worry about the remake; it was just a bad dream that can’t hurt you.) Inspired by the true stories of Hmong refugees who feared their dreams would kill them, Craven took night terrors to a new level in a horror that’s as cerebral as it is visceral, and that traumatized audiences with one of cinema’s greatest rug-pulls. – Richard Whittaker
World Oddities Expo
Saturday 30, Palmer Events Center
Gone – for good reason – are the days of freak shows, yet one motley traveling exposition of sideshow wonders remains. Austin’s own Lizardman will perform, alongside fire-spinners and aerialists. On display nearby, examine unexplainable animal medical anomalies, delicately taxidermied mythical creations, and macabre artistic goods of all sorts. Feast your eyes on live music and burlesque performances while shopping bizarre wares or try your own hand at taxidermy and terrarium building, all beneath the exceedingly normal roof of Palmer Events Center. It’s all the glory of the strange and mysterious, without the complicated insensitivities of traveling shows of yore. – Caroline Drew
Bottle Alley Presents We Need to Do Something
Through September 7, Crashbox
You know what modern theatre needs more of? Horror. Yeah, it needs fewer theatre kids who think the only stagework that matters is song and dance, and more performers dedicated to the art of the scare. Let the change begin with this new stage version of Max Booth III’s 2020 novel about a family trapped in a bathroom by a storm that may have been summoned by supernatural forces. This staging, directed by Sarah Hogestyn, features John Gholson fresh off his success in the Tribeca Film Festival smash found-footage chiller Man Finds Tape. – Richard Whittaker
Pickles x Cheese Launch Party
Saturday 30, Lynny’s
A delicious combo in more ways than one, this party packs in a literal pickle and cheese biscuit collab from Lynny’s over on Gunter and fermentation station Pickle Envy that also sees them helping out DAWA. The nonprofit promises this to be a “DELICIOUS end of summer celebration you don’t wanna miss,” which is as much about the biscuits as it is the twerk contest hosted by local artist Ladi Earth. Should your moves put you on top, you could be walking away with $150. That’d buy a lotta pickles… and cheese… and pickle & cheese biscuits… – James Scott
After Hours
Saturday 30 – Tuesday 2, All Austin-Area Alamo Drafthouses
Sure, Goodfellas and Taxi Driver are masterpieces, but Martin Scorsese’s underseen gem After Hours deserves wider recognition. Director Darren Aronofsky agrees, as he chose it for his Alamo Guest Selects series ahead of premiering his crime thriller Caught Stealing. Scorsese doesn’t deal with crime specifically in this Eighties fever dream, but he does deal with the zany underbelly of New York City through the eyes of hapless Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne in his crowning role). Hackett just wants to get laid. Instead, Teri Garr, Catherine O’Hara, and even Tommy Chong all contribute to a single night of glorious mayhem. – Cat McCarrey
Ran
Friday 29 – Monday 1 & Wednesday 3, Alamo Village, South Lamar & Lakeline
You know, I’m beginning to think this Akira Kurosawa guy’s a pretty big fan of William S. After all, this adaptation of King Lear keeps the playwright’s signature high drama even within the very specific setting of 16th century Japan. Tatsuya Nakadai’s Lord Hidetora is painted like the perfect stage phantom, already half in the grave by the hour mark from his oldest sons’ conniving ways. Plus: For fans of queer Japanese cinema, that’s Funeral Parade of Roses’ Peter playing jester Kyoami! – James Scott
Slam Portal
Saturday 30, Celis Brewery
The beers? Cold. The weather? Probably hot. The card? As Slam Portal themselves say, this is one wrestling show lineup “sent from the HEAVENS plummeting to the beer soaked battle grounds like an ASTEROID colliding into the earth!” That means a Junior vs. Junior duel between Space Tiger Jr. and Space Tiger Jr. Jr.; an Inter-Dimensional Tag Team defense bout by Yoink-n-Cock; a fatherly fight between Yacht Rock Daddy and Dallas’ Big Daddy Bolero; and a Gator guy, I think. Reach for the moon with your alt-wrestling promotion going this weekend, and you’ll find yourself among these stars. – James Scott
David Slowing X Britt Moseley
Saturday 30, Ivester Contemporary
Both David Slowing and Britt Moseley are no strangers to integrating the most minute observations through their art. They just use slightly different mediums. Slowing takes cues from the world around him, from digital memories and earth sounds, creating hypnotic music based on those snippets. Moseley does similarly, using rhythms from nature and music to create riveting scenes, filming objects as they slowly react to motion, making both the observed piece and the observing instruments part of the final work. Putting these two close readers of small wonders together? A feast for the eyes and ears. – Cat McCarrey
Yume Market
Saturday 30, Highland Collective
The name of the game is cuteness, or more accurately, the name is Yume, which means dream. Dreams are cute, right? Well, your dreams will be after coming through ACC Highland’s Airport location, where vendors like Kaiju Cut and Sew, Little Heirloom flowers, Thimble Whimble, Josie and Pearl, Always Sonny Candle Co., and Joy Stitch offer their most adorable wares to the discerning consumer. Hungry for more? Self-proclaimed “Austin’s cutest coffee,” Kyoko Coffee slings sweet sips like their Tokyo Banana alongside darling mochi donut makers Dduk Dduk and sandwich slingers Deep End, who serve less “awww” energy with their massive subs than a stunned “Oh wow.” – James Scott
Cabaret
Saturday 30, Paramount Theatre
If you think musicals can only be feel-good, well then, “willkommen” to Cabaret, a bleak stage-to-screen song-and-dancer about the rise of Nazism in 1930s Berlin as it plays out in the titular Kit Kat Klub. Only the second film from Bob Fosse – the choreographer turned stage director turned film visionary with a style so iconic it’s still instantly recognizable four decades after his death – Cabaret will knock you sideways. Playful, provocative, and deadly serious about fascism’s creep and the dangers of burying your head in the sand, it also features career-best performances from Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey as, respectively, the club’s cabaret singer and its slippery emcee. – Kimberley Jones
Waterloo Records’ Grand Reopening
Saturday 30, Waterloo Records
Waterloo Records is moving … five blocks up the road. When the lot at Sixth and Lamar sold in 2019, it seemed Austin would lose one of its most beloved musical treasures to its relentless gentrification runaway train. Thanks to a deal between founder John Kunz, Gold Rush Vinyl founder Caren Kelleher, and former Gold Rush investor Trey Watson, the record store isn’t going away – or even downgrading to a smaller, less centralized location, as the tale usually goes. 1105 North Lamar gives Waterloo more space, better parking, and more innovations, which the team debuts to the public at this all-day event. DJs, food trucks, and hourly giveaways celebrate the preservation of an Austin institution. – Carys Anderson
Black Makers Market
Saturday 30, the Village Place
August is Black Business Month and Black Philanthropy Month, and there’s still a few more days to celebrate! Join the Black Makers Market to find local businesses, creatives, and community members offering handmade goods, delicious food, and music all afternoon. There’s no entry fee, all ages are welcome, and they’ll have ice pops and a playground for the kids. If you’d like to support Black-owned businesses all year long, BMM has an online guide to services, restaurants, and more all over town. – Kat McNevins
Room Service Vintage Open House Party
Saturday 30, Room Service Vintage
Beloved North Loop staple since 1981, Room Service Vintage is celebrating new owner Audrie San Miguel and her expansion of the storeroom, fitting rooms, and hours with an evening of music by Ian Orth, refreshments, prizes, and – of course – shopping. San Miguel, co-owner of South Congress’ Prototype Vintage, is excited to amplify Room Service’s eclectic wares. “She who snoozeth, loozeth!” San Miguel reminded the Chronicle. The shop will maintain its carousel clip of a turnaround pace, restocking colorful treasures of all varieties every day. Don’t snoozeth; come see what lies in store for Room Service’s new chapter. – Caroline Drew
Texas Football vs. Ohio State
Saturday 30, Ohio Stadium
Hype for the top-ranked Longhorns’ season opener against the defending national champions is at a fever pitch as the two programs begin a home-and-home series. Preseason Heisman favorite Arch Manning looks to begin his first full campaign as a starter by exacting revenge for last season’s heartbreaking playoff loss to fellow Heisman hopeful Jeremiah Smith and OSU. Here’s some more bulletin board material: According to ESPN’s research dating back to 1978, Texas is the first top-ranked team in the AP preseason poll to open as an underdog in Week 1. Pop your head into any bar in Austin and you’re liable to find TVs tuned in for the 11am kickoff. – Derek Udensi
Texas Roller Derby Calvello Cup Championship
Sunday 31, Palmer Events Center
Bout, jammer, apex jump – if this is your first time hearing those words, you’ve been missing out. Roller Derby is a sport that rewards your curiosity. You don’t need to be able to spot a blocker in the pack, know how long a jam lasts, or how to perform a hip-whip to have a nail-biting good time at the Calvello Cup Championship. All this nickname-loving sport asks of you is a little courage and enthusiasm, which – trust me – once you’re watching 10 tatted-and-talented skaters aggressively maneuver around the rink and each other, you’ll be able to muster plenty of both. – Caroline Drew
Surrender Dorothy
Sunday 31, We Luv Video
Don’t expect ruby red slippers or flying monkeys here, reader. This film’s got twisted written all over it, from its edge-of-society characters wallowing in their separate miseries to the sexual abuse that spills out when those miseries meet. Following the story of a repressed misogynist manipulating the heroin addict living with him into going girl mode, the film not only features its director, Kevin DiNovis, as the force-femme victim, but also Elizabeth Banks in her first feature film role. According to We Luv – who are screening this Nineties feature as part of their SunGays series – Banks later claimed it’s the movie she most regrets, but also “she made Cocaine Bear, so we don’t trust her taste.” – James Scott
Cryptids, Crafts & Coffee
Sunday 31, Merfolk’s Specialty Coffee
While conspiracy theory crackpot-ism has gone unfortunately mainstream, there’s still an amount of charm to cryptozoology. After all, nature’s a pretty wild lady: She probably did spit out a Sasquatch or two that’ll stay hidden until Jeff Bezos, for some reason, discovers ’squatch fur fuels his stupid spaceships best. In celebration of the probably-not-real animals, Merfolk has their in-house cryptozoologist Morgan leading a workshop on making cryptid cardboard masks. There’ll also be cryptid coloring pages, cryptid chat, and coffee served whatever way makes your fur ruffle. – James Scott
Generative Joy, Kin-making & Collective Thinking
Sunday 31, Upstairs at Antone’s
Host Publications has poet heidi andrea restrepo rhodes popping up all over Austin to promote their new collection, Wayward Creatures. (See this week’s Qmmunity listings for rhodes’ earlier appearance at Alienated Majesty.) Prior to this book, the writer put out works like The Inheritance of Haunting, Ephemeral, and – published this very April – Afterlives of Discovery: Speculative Geographies in the Settler Colonial Imaginary. They self-describe as a scholar, cultural worker, and “Creature of Colombian diaspora.” Bringing all those experiences with them, rhodes joins fellow poet ignacio carvajal for a conversation on community and the lyrical, moderated by Laura Villareal. Plus a Little Gay Shop pop-up. – James Scott
New Texas Pro Wrestling: Pride & Joy
Sunday 31, Empire Control Room
Can three-on-one ever be a fair fight? Well, maybe if the one is the world breaker and ring shaker Brick Savage, who faces longtime frenemies Raychell Rose, Shimbashi, and the Best-of-Austin-winning death match master Dimitri Alexandrov in one of the most eagerly awaited matches in New Texas Pro’s return to Austin. Catch the best wrestlers in the Lone Star State on a night that will see world champion Carter BlaQ defend his belt against the internationally acclaimed technical bulldozer of indie wrestling, 1 Called Manders. – Richard Whittaker
Kill Bill Vol. 1 + 2
Sunday 31, Paramount Theatre
Master of bombastic cinema Quentin Tarantino has never done things by halves – except in the case of Kill Bill. His bifurcated masterpiece of revenge sweeps from Japan to the American West and resolves in a showdown that is both anticlimactic after all the mayhem and the perfect resolution to all that violence. From the House of Blue Leaves to Bill’s compound, stay out of the way of the Bride (Uma Thurman), the silly Caucasian girl who likes to play with samurai swords as she embarks on a roaring rampage until she gets bloody satisfaction. – Richard Whittaker
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.
This article appears in August 29 • 2025.
