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for Thu., Jan. 2
  • Laundry & Bourbon with Lonestar

    Laundry and Bourbon with Lonestar, two companion one act plays set in backyards of a small Texas town. Three ladies come together to talk about their life's ups and downs. Lonestar follows the life of three small town boys and the events that have shaped them. Both shows give us highs & lows with humor spread around, for good measure.
    Apr. 19-May 5  
    Navasota Theatre Alliance
Recommended
  • Arts

    Theatre

    Popovich Comedy Pet Theater

    This show is a unique blend of physical comedy, world-champion juggling, and the extraordinary talents of more than 30 pets, featuring a cast of cats, dogs, parrots, and even geese and mice. Note: All animals are rescued from shelters and trained by Gregory Popovich himself. Why, it's kind of like Austin's own Circus Chickendog, we reckon, only Russian old-school style!
    Thu., Jan. 2, 6pm. $35.  
  • Arts

    Theatre

    The Mutt-Cracker (Sweet!)

    Darren Peterson's Circus Chickendog returns to The Vortex for the ninth year, his company of five talented rescue dogs and a talking scarlet macaw unleashing a fun show for all ages to enjoy. Also featuring humans Patricia Wappner, Monica Kurtz, and Sandie Donzica, this year's live-music-enhanced spectacle of juggling and unicycling madness includes a special performance by the Famiglia Gentile.
    Through Jan 5. Fri.-Sat., 4:30 & 6:30pm; Sun, 6:30pm. $15-37.  
  • Arts

    Comedy

    Vanessa Gonzalez

    Yes! Just in time to start your new year – your new decade – off on the right foot, this very funny lady is flying in from L.A. to set comedy fire to the Cap City stage in the town where her reign of hilarity truly began.
    Jan. 2-4. Thu., 8pm; Fri.-Sat., 7:30 & 10pm. $14-23.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Wally Workman Gallery: Ashley Benton and Christopher Lee Gilmer

    "Inspired by datamoshing, quantum mechanics, and the hyper saturation of imagery found in daily life, Gilmer creates oil paintings that explore the psychological effects of the figure through physical mutations that distort and merge various realities. Benton's figurative ceramics also portray a dialogue of the human condition, using symbolism as well as physical mutations to explore the depths of the subconscious. Less than reality and more than a dream, Benton and Gilmer’s work strives to give the viewer an alternative connection to the self." Note: This stuff will burrow into your optic nerves and make you feel a little weird, maybe, about the odd beauty it contains. So, yes: recommended.
    Through Jan. 5
All Events
  • Arts

    Theatre

    A Tuna Christmas

    City Theatre presents Scot Friedman and Rick Smith in the local classic brought to such sassy fame by Joe Sears and Jaston Williams back in the day. See what hilarity ensues in the lead-up to Christmas among the many zany characters (all of them played by just those two actors) in the tiny Texas town of Tuna, "where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies."
    Through Jan. 5. Thu.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 3pm. $10-20.
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Davis Gallery: Looking Out, Looking In

    This is an extensive group exhibit focused on the personal philosophies of premiere Austin and Central Texas artists. Sacred geometry, the importance of family, life and death, our connection to nature, and spirituality are among the perspectives that the artists (Randall Reid, Sam Yeates, Jan Heaton, Faustinus Deraet, David Leonard, Denise Fulton, and John Sager, among others) have focused on. What a fine follow-up to that excellent "Lone Star Wild" show, and what a glorious way to bid 2019 farewell!
    Through Jan. 11
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Dimension Gallery: Example Geometry

    Tom Bandage, inspired by the machinist’s craft and the volumetric simplicity of Bauhaus, attempts to capture the shape of thought through geometric contortions of material, removing traditional construction materials such as concrete, metal, and acrylic from their urban contexts and applying them to abstract conceptions of form and space.
    Through Jan. 18
  • Arts

    Theatre

    FronteraFest Short Fringe

    The 27th annual theatrical smorgasbord of local productions (comedy! drama! dance! improv! performance art! multimedia! diverse shenanigans!) continues with its slate of five 25-minute-long Short Fringe shows each night at Hyde Park Theatre (through Feb. 15), with the usually sold-out Best of the Week show each Saturday night. Coming up:Science Fails: The Human Side of Science by Nichole Bennett; Flashmandments by CB Goodman; Flawed by Sandy Maranto; How To Say You’re Afraid of Commitment in 140 Characters Or Less by Valerie Nies; and Who Sits Next to Wilma by Janna Garza; Thu., Jan. 23, 8pm.A Child’s Guide to Schopenhauer by Marla Porter; Battle by Cry Havoc Action Choreography; Choice by Addy Lugo, Gloria C. Adams, and Teresa Johnson; Me-usical: The Musical by Ragan Fox; and Purdy Mischief's Playtime by Lindsey Greer Sikes; Fri., Jan. 24, 8pm.At Death We Know Everything by The United Güey(s); Dueling Playwrights: Battle of the Bathroom by Marianne Serene & James E. Burnside; Miss Winnie by Marla Porter; Mom’s First Job (And What Not To Talk About At The Dinner Table) by Rhonda Roe; and Persnickety by Alex Garza; Tue., Jan. 28, 8pm.Airbnb by Heather Thiel; An Evening, and Possible Morning, with Carl Sagan by Pete Parsons; Bad Neighbors by Ava Love Hanna; Fidelity by Raymond V. Whelan; and The Heart and How It Heals by Helyn Rain Messenger; Wed., Jan. 29, 8pm.All Aglow by Christine Darling; Thing with Feathers by Kylah Torre; A Character Challenge by Lee Eddy; This Show Will Go On by Brian Bonnet, Thaddeus Grant Fenton, and Olivia Wise; and What a World by Laura Freeman and Kris Frederiksen; Thu., Jan. 30, 8pm.+caraway+ by Cris Edwards; Still Life by Matt Sandbank; Ma & Pa Gothic Save Texas! by Tom Booker & Janet Maykus; Side B by Daniel Berkowitz; and Thumb War by Kathryn Sterling; Fri., Jan. 31, 8pm.1.5 Korean by Pamela Paek and Arthur Stanley Chong; Enlightened by Tristan Young Mercado; Our Good Friend by Sabeen Noorani and Trinity Joan Adams; What Water is There for Us to Clean Ourselves by James E. Burnside; and Words Fail Me by Hank Schwemmer; Tue., Feb. 4, 8pm.Bad Thoughts by Aransas Haley; I'm Still Leaving by Molly Fonseca and Anikka Lekven; Please Do Not Touch the Art by Sally Seitz; H.P. Lovecraft's Sweet Ermengarde, or The Heart Of A Country Girl by Percy Simple; and Unconditional Therapy by Sandy Maranto; Wed., Feb. 5, 8pm.How To Belong by Maggie Gallant; Paramount Story Wranglers by 3rd Graders; Sunday Slugg'rz by Max Langert; When You … by Chuy Zarate; and Whippet Good by Jo DePrang;Thu., Feb. 6, 8pm.Note: FronteraFest is a unique collaboration between two of Austin’s most venerable arts organizations – that aforementioned Hyde Park Theatre (an award-winning professional company in central Austin) and ScriptWorks (a playwright development and service organization with members in Texas and across the nation).
    $18 per night.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    J Gallery: Abstract Visions

    The Visual Arts League of Shalom Austin JCC presents four artists whose works display different techniques of abstraction: Patti Troth Black, Diane Sandlin, Jane Fier, and Ashley Mayel.
    Through Jan. 5
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Landmarks Video: Kara Walker

    Walker’s videowork “… calling to me from the angry surface of some grey and threatening sea” from 2007 is the latest to get the big-screen treatment in this ongoing series from your friends at UT's Landmarks program.
    Through Jan. 31. Daily, 7-10pm
    ART Building, 2301 San Jacinto
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Lora Reynolds Gallery: Drawing Tense

    The Brazilian artist Lucas Simões "thinks of his new works as drawings, even though they carry no graphite and have some dimensionality. He draws with an industrial laser, cutting angular or curved shapes into blackened steel plates, essentially turning them into elaborate paperclips that pinch, pull, and compress his trademark stacks of tracing paper." It's like … a little metal shibari for sheets of pulp? Ingenious, to be sure, and visually intriguing.
    Through Feb. 1
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Old Bakery Gallery: Small Art by Austin

    Let's get small, with works by 53 local artists.
    Through Jan. 2  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Texas Biennial: Open Call

    The 2020 Texas Biennial Open Call is open to artists currently living and/or working in Texas, to Texas natives/expats working anywhere in the world, and to artists who have produced significant work in Texas over the last three years. Applications accepted online through Feb. 7. See website for details, yes.
    $20 application fee.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    The Blanton Museum: Medieval Monsters

    From griffins and giants to demons and dragons, monsters have enthralled people throughout time. In medieval art and literature, these fanciful creatures give form to fears, curiosities, and fantasies of the unfamiliar and the unknown. This new exhibition, organized by the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, presents a lively array of monsters that appear in more than 50 illuminated manuscripts from the European Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Each of the three sections of the exhibition – "Terrors, Aliens, and Wonders" – will explore the ways monsters functioned as the embodiment of power, the representation of marginalized groups in society, or the inspiration for awe.
    Through Jan. 12  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    The Contemporary Austin: The Sorcerer's Burden

    The complex relationship between contemporary art and anthropology shapes the subject of "The Sorcerer’s Burden: Contemporary Art and the Anthropological Turn," an 11-artist exhibition representing a wide range of media – including painting, sculpture, photography, video, and performance. And here's our own Robert Faires with a full review of the show.
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    The Umlauf: Michael Ray Charles

    Yeah, no, this is a monumental showing of work – including a series of paintings commissioned for the exhibition – by one of the best, most provocative artists working on this planet. The former Austinite (he taught at UT for 20 years) Michael Ray Charles "is known for art that investigates the legacy of historic racial stereotypes of African Americans. Since the 1990s, he's created complex, layered paintings that challenge stereotypes, power dynamics, and social and cultural hierarchies." Ah, words can't even – but our Arts Editor Robert Faires offers a fine preview right here.
    Through Jan. 3  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Women & Their Work: The Meaning Wavers

    Stephanie Concepcion Ramirez and Betelhem Makonnen explore immigration and transnational identity, political repression, and the impact of silence in family narratives.
    Through Jan. 9

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