Home Events

The Vortex Tapas Series 2021 begins with a new work-in-progress production of Valoneecia Tolbert’s Tales of a Blerd Ballerina. Presented both as live broadcasts each evening and with limited in-person seating opportunities at the VORTEX, this play centers the Blerd (black nerd) experience, embracing diverse communities and generating vital conversations around black identity, pulling concepts and style from the Afro-Diaspora and Jazz Aesthetic within stories of growing up as a Blerd child of the Eighties. Directed by Florinda Bryant.

UT Austin presents the biennial Cohen New Works Festival, the largest collegiate festival of its kind, this year featuring 33 all-new works by undergraduate and graduate students. The virtual event will include live and pre-recorded performances, digital installations, and daily panel discussions with professional artists.

Wait, live theatre? And it's outside? And it's a murder mystery? And it's based in the, uh, let's call it the Dunder-Mifflinverse? Yes! The Paramount presents Bob and Tobly McSmith's immersive theatrical diversion in which characters from "The Office" will journey with you along five walkable locations Downtown as they "use their keen detective skills to find clues, catch red herrings, plant evidence, and lock up the Scranton Strangler."

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas is bringing glitz and glamour to their annual fundraiser. The goal is to raise funds to put 80 kids into a caring match with an adult mentor, and you can participate from home by donating, forming or joining a fundraising team, and via online activities including a "Golden Age of Hollywood" costume contest.

Filmed at the historic Scottish Rite Theater and set to Frédéric Chopin’s 24 Preludes for solo piano, Stephen Mills' fantastic new dancework centers around the tradition of a "ghost light" left on stage at night to keep the ghosts from haunting, the filmed performance imagining ghosts coming out to dance through the night, returning to the rafters before dawn.

The newly Austin-based Midwesterner – you remember: he was a finalist in the Make Me Laugh USA competition – tapes his new album here tonight, and you can audience him at one of two shows. (Or, hell, both of them.)

Hey, it's a showcase in the Domain! More importantly, its a stand-up showcase at the Romo Room – hosted by Dave Jay and brightened by the talents of Brian Holtzman, Chris Tellez, Allison Wojtowecz, Charles Adams Jr., Colton Dowling, and Dean Stanfield.

Shrewd Productions presents this virtual world premiere of Eva Suter’s sci-fi re-envisioning of Shakespeare's Othello, depicting "a desolate, Central Texas inhabited solely by women after a catastrophic war has eradicated the male population. With the threat of another war and a new romance quickly unfolding before them, five women bound by the tragedy must entrust their lives to one another in order to save themselves and humanity." (Well, damn – count us in on that action, tyvm.) Directed by Rudy Ramirez, starring Ellie McBride, Hayley Armstrong, Elizabeth Mason, Emily Rankin, and Taylor Flanagan. Note: Click here to view the original trailer for the show.

Here's a live, Zoomed presentation from the author of, among other novels, Annihilation. This one is his newest, a riveting eco-thriller, and VanderMeer will be in conversation with mystery novelist Meg Gardiner.

Join Notley Tide & Grassroots Leadership in an online convo about how the lived experience of leaders at Grassroots Leadership informs the work they do and enables them to collaborate across different initiatives, while understanding how allies can help take action to further their mission. Get an overview of Grassroots Leadership programs like ICE Out of Austin, Texas Advocates for Justice, and Mujeres Luchadores, and learn about 2021 goals and how you can get involved.

This is a group show by relay, begun in July of 2020 as a method of socially distancing a community in the height of the pandemic: Artists took turns alone in the space, each adding to the exhibition. Now, as it nears its close, the exhibition resembles a community in which work converses and overlaps. With Adreon Henry, Vy Ngo, Dawn Okoro, Leon Alesi, Matt Steinke, Sev Coursen, Stella Alesi, and more.

Host Dan Pyatetsky presents a night featuring the, ah, comedy stylings of Fahim Anwar, Dylan Sullivan, Tai Nguyen, and Leonarda Jonie.

Street Corner Arts presents a livestreamed production of this new dark comedy produced specifically for the virtual medium. Listen: "When the Public Works Director of a major city confesses to a horrible crime, a team of spin doctors are brought in at the last possible second to pull off a tough assignment: prepare the Mayor’s top aide for a crucial news interview mid-pandemic, distance City Hall from the controversy, and point the public’s attention elsewhere. And do it entirely over video-conferencing." Spenser Davis wrote and directs this modern thriller that's expertly embodied by Zac Carr, Michael Galvan, Carlo Lorenzo Garcia, Natalie Garcia, Jason Graf, Kelsey Mazak, Mike Ooi, Shariba Rivers, and Andrea Skola Summers – with realtime screen management by Morgan Brochu. And, look: Here's a trailer for the show!

Every Thursday Ground Floor Theatre premieres new stories by and about trans and nonbinary Texans, including artists, advocates, and educators, as told in their own words through their own voices.

Austin Pets Alive! and Tito's Handmade Vodka present this opportunity to meet available dogs both in shelter and foster homes. You'll be able to browse through summaries, photos, and videos of dogs posted by their advocates throughout the day while asking questions in real time in the comments section.

In this continuing series, Women & Their Work artist members share what they're currently working on – and this installment is where you'll find out about recent projects from Suzi Davidoff, Terra Goolsby, Alyssa Taylor Wendt, and Brooke Gassiot.

Do you know of a homeowner in your area whose heating and air system no longer works? Someone that needs a new system but can’t afford it? Tell Del's Heating & Air Conditioning their story, and Del’s will provide one winner with a new HVAC system.

You could win a Mazda Miata convertible through the 17th annual Austin Humane Society car raffle powered by Roger Beasley Mazda. Each ticket provides one night of safe and warm shelter, nutritious food, quality medical care, and lots of love for a cat or dog who is waiting to find a home.

Kate Fitzpatrick's work enlivens this gallery's first solo show of 2021, the artist's painted depictions of wildlife a colorful delight for the eyes.

This is a duo exhibition of mid-to-large oil paintings and photography by Shelby Sult and Maggie Lyon that "represent each artist's personal truths through the lens of time."

Visit mid-century Hollywood without leaving Austin through an up-close view of these Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio assets. This first-ever public viewing of 12 historic Golden Age of Film backdrops provides a look into the nearly lost art of hand-painted Hollywood scenic art. Bonus: Re-creations of other backdrops in the collection, as painted by UT scenic art students training with Karen Maness. And, look: Robert Faires reports on the show right here.

Inspired by stories of nature regenerating and reclaiming space during the Covid-19 pandemic, Manik Raj Nakra's W I L D L I F E show examines what happens when humanity removes itself from the natural world. The exhibition also introduces a new material for the artist: The ceremonial bindi, worn for centuries on the forehead in Indian culture for spiritual, traditional, and fashion reasons.

Business is not as usual. This is a safe place to talk about business concerns, share ideas, and hear from weekly business expert guests.