Home Events Arts

for Fri., May 5
Recommended
  • Arts

    Classical Music

    Beerthoven: The Grain In Spain

    Featuring pianist Sohee Kwon, violinist Mariama Acântara, and cellist Daniel Kopp, performing piano trios by Enrique Granados and Gaspar Cassadó. Special guest Liliana Guerrero, one of UT's newest voice faculty members, will sing Manuel de Falla's great song cycle Siete Canciones Populares Españolas. Bonus: free pastries and cold beer by Easy Tiger and Lazarus Brewing, as well as wine and nonalcoholic beverages.
    Fri., May 5, 7:30pm; Sun., May 7, 7pm. $10-30.  
  • Arts

    Theatre

    Malum Malus Burlesque: Beltane

    The Wheel of the Year inspires this occult burlesque performance art ensemble to celebrate Beltane in a full-length show created by Blaise Ricin and Anastasia Arsenic.
    Thu.-Sat., May 4-6, 8pm. $15-37.  
  • Arts

    Theatre

    Penfold: A Marvelous Party

    This 10th annual soirée from Penfold Theatre Company looks back on 15 seasons of their storied repertoire, accompanied by a multiple-course meal by chef Jeff Christiansen at the idyllic and historic Chateau Bellevue. There will be games, a silent auction, and of course a selection of musical hits from Penfold's past seasons, all under the music direction of Rob Greenfield.
    Fri., May 5, 6:30pm. $82-122.  
    708 San Antonio St
  • Arts

    Comedy

    Ryan Davis: Live In Austin

    This funny guy's been featured on HBO’s All Def Comedy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and in the farewell season of Issa Rae’s Insecure. Now catch him in Austin, live onstage.
    Fri.-Sat., May 5-6, 7:30 & 10pm. $30.  
  • Arts

    Theatre

    ScriptWorks Out of Ink: Family Traditions

    Every family has some quirky legacy they cling to and this year they go on the record in ScriptWorks' Out of Ink 2023: Family Traditions. This diverse ten-minute play collection showcases ScriptWorks members' unexpected interpretations of three mandatory script ingredients which provided inspiration during the Weekend Fling 48-hour writing event in the fall: an odd family tradition; a character who becomes something nonhuman over the course of the play; a vinyl record. Directed by Lowell Bartholomee, Rosalind Faires, Ellie McBride, and Kelsey Oliver.
    Thu.-Sat., May 4-6, 8pm  
All Events
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Art & Parks Tour

    This sweet opportunity comes to us from the Downtown Austin Alliance, the Pease Park Conservancy, and Ride Bikes Austin – so we know it's a damned good thing indeed. Take the self-guided Art & Parks Tour to explore the best of what Downtown Austin art and parks have to offer through this selection of curated murals, artworks, and green spaces. You can sign up anytime, so click that URL and get ready to learn the most vibrantly visual parts of your city soon – live and in person.
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Art Auction for Rich Cali

    Epoch Coffee and friends are hosting an art auction to benefit beloved artist, musician, and all-around special human, Rich Cali. Drinks, music, and food will be provided. Art donated by more than 30 Austin artists will be displayed through May 7, with a silent auction on Sun., May 7, 4-6:30pm.
    Thu., May 4. Donations accepted.
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Art for the People: Springing Into Colour

    The movers and shakers of AFTP have transformed this lively gallery with at least 90 new pieces created by more than 33 Austin artists – including 13 who are showing their work here for the first time – to bring a bright flood of spring into our city.
    Through June 2
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Atelier Dojo: Remote Studios

    The local powerhouse of figurative painting, the art school that's the smart school for artists of all kinds, they've got a painting-along-at-home series going to help you keep your skills honed in these socially restrictive times, featuring live costumed models posing on camera and a thriving community of creatives rendering that lovely human biotecture from their separate studios. "Join us for a three-hour costumed-model drawing session. Use any supplies you wish, listen to music, share your work, chat with others. It’s a great way to stay connected with your art community!"
    Tuesdays, 1:30-4:30pm; Fridays, 6:30-9:30pm; Saturdays, 9:30-12:30pm. $5.  
  • Arts

    Dance

    Ballet Austin: Classes

    Learn your way to physical grace with a dance class at Ballet Austin. There are so many varieties to choose among – ballet, barre, contemporary dance, hip-hop, tap, cardio dance fitness, Pilates, and more – and all taught by professional instructors. See website for details.
    $3-7 per class.
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Butridge Gallery: Children of the Earth + The Other Side

    The "Children of Earth" paintings by Camille Lema are about human connections and being grounded to the planet that's our home. Meena Matai's "The Other Side" is an exploration of the personal stories of her family and millions of others who were affected by the India-Pakistan partition of 1947. Together, these two exhibitions shine with power and beauty.
    Through May 20. Free.  
  • Arts

    Comedy

    Cap City Comedy Club

    That's right: Cap City Comedy Club, the longtime cornerstone of Austin's comedy scene for nearly four decades is at a new venue in the Domain. And here's Valerie Lopez with a closer look at what's in store for the scene via the venue. Click for details!
  • Arts

    Comedy

    ColdTowne Theater

    ColdTowne's new brick-and-mortar place is totally open, and who knows what they'll shake this city with next? But one truth remains: ColdTowne is a designated den of gold, baby, sweet comedy gold.
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Davis Gallery: The Poetry of Spring

    This is a new exhibition of works by Cookie Ashton, who uses wet pigments, inks, charcoals, and pastels in exploring dreamlike territories of abstraction.
    Through June 10
  • Arts

    Theatre

    Disco Dracula

    The commedia dell'arte madcaps of La Fenice have taken everything they love in 1970s films about New York's seedy underbelly – and scary, awkward, or awkwardly-scary Dracula media – and crammed it all into one late-night show that, they tell us, you'll immediately feel ashamed you saw. "All of our vampires will sparkle. Every one of us will shake our money maker. Every one of us will apply a dubious accent with less-than-stellar consistency." With Kareem Badr, Nate Dunaway, Kelly Hasandras, Kate Meehan, and Adam Rodriguez japing wild? Sounds like a good time to us!
    Through May 20. Fri.-Sat.,10pm. $10-20.  
  • Arts

    Comedy

    East Austin Comedy Club

    Founded by comedians Raza Jafri and Andre Ricks, this club that operates out of Tiger Den on the Eastside is the city's only BIPOC-owned comedy venue.
  • Arts

    Comedy

    Fallout Comedy

    This hotbed of local performance is carrying on even more than usual, with an eclectic mix of live, mind-rocking comedy from some of Austin's best, all week long. Hey! The place is our cover story, as reported by Valerie Lopez! And, srsly, who would ever disagree with the sentiment of Monday night's Fuck This Week show? Check the website for details.
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Flatbed Press: Flatbed Flatheads

    Flatbed's current artist-in-residence Enrique Figueredo is featured in this new exhibition that includes work by Alfonso Huerta, Alyssa Ebinger, Aparna Rupakula, Belinda Casey, Emery Spina, Enrique Figueredo, Hannah Spector, Jess Nordquist, Katherine Brimberry, Matthew Magruder, Mike Hart, Nina Tichava, and Samantha Melvin – displaying a wide array of printmaking methods, including intaglio, relief, monotype, and lithography.
    Through June 3
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Goodluckhavefun: Hard/Gentle

    This Westside gallery presents a collection of new works that use paint, ceramic, and comic illustrations to build a world of gentle strength.
    Through June 3
    1207-A Enfield
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    grayDUCK Gallery: The Chase

    This new exhibition from artists Brittany Ham and Justin Korver builds on their earlier co-authored works, the newest pieces in the show placing the characters of women, dogs, men, and stags in collaboratively drawn landscape settings. Eleven new woven tapestries and a new relief sculpture join the original narrative depicted in "The Hunt."
    Through May 28  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Harry Ransom Center: Drawing the Motion Picture

    Explore the beauty and complexity of moviemaking through sketches, storyboards, and designs that illuminate the creation of motion pictures from the silent era to the present day in this new exhibition, featuring production art from iconic movies like Rebel Without a Cause, Raging Bull, Apollo 13, and Lawrence of Arabia, many connected with innovative directors Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, Mike Nichols, Michael Powell, Nicholas Ray, Martin Scorsese, Stephen Spielberg, King Vidor, and more.
    Through July 16
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    ICOSA Gallery: Dream States

    The work of five animation artists – Sumito Sakakibara, Shunsaku Hayashi, Moïa Jobin-Paré, Ala Nunu, and Sofia El Khyari – provides a fascinating journey for exploring the pursuits of human connection and our relationships to technology and infrastructure, the natural world, and personal desires.
    Closing night's outdoor screening: Sat., May 13, 7pm
  • Arts

    Theatre

    Indecent

    Paula Vogel's thrilling drama follows the journey of a small theatre company as they tell us the story of Sholem Asch's controversial play, The God of Vengeance, from its origins in Poland 1907. The play achieved great success in Europe and the Yiddish theatre scene of downtown New York City. But when an English-translation was attempted on Broadway, it was too scandalous for the general public, and the entire cast was arrested and charged with obscenity. An all-star cast is directed by Lara Toner Haddock for Austin Playhouse, with musical direction by Lyn Koenning, and we've got Bob Abelman's full review right here.
    Through May 14. Thu.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 2pm. $21 and up (pick your price, Thursdays).  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Ivester Contemporary: read somewhere and Bloom

    In the main gallery: New paintings and prints by Rachel Livedalen. Also: Anya Molyviatis' first solo exhibition with the gallery is an ongoing series of three-dimensional textiles that are handwoven on AVL dobby looms, using dramatic color gradients, physical depth, and structure to create a multisensory experience.
    Through May 27
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Laguna Gloria

    This local treasure of a venue, run by those Contemporary Austin folks who also bring us the Jones Center shows Downtown, is all about the outdoors – which is perfect for these trickily navigated times of ours, n'est-ce pas? Recommended: Stop by and breathe in the air, enjoy the lawns and gardens and the many examples of world-class sculpture arrayed across the property, and (as Frankie used to say) r-e-l-a-x.
    Thu.-Fri., 9am-noon; Sat.-Sun., 9am-3pm
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Lance Letscher: Sail to the Moon

    Stephen L. Clark Gallery presents this new exhibition of works by Lance Letscher, the locally based artist internationally known for his vibrant, colorful collages of wood, metal, paper, and old books.
    Through Aug. 26
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Landmarks: Self-Guided Walking Tour

    Use your smartphone to access self-guided tours of the outdoor public art sited by UT's award-winning Landmarks program any time you feel like it. BONUS: There's also a free, docent-led tour starting at Marc Quinn's "Spiral of the Galaxy" (1501 Red River) on Sun., Jan. 8, 11am.
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Last Day of the Eureka Room!

    Austin's most absurd and fun attraction will have its last day on September 24th, so visit while you still can! It's the Eureka Room, a participatory experience where visitors engage with curious and playful programming within a unique 100-square-foot room filled with light and sound.
    See website for reservations. $25.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Link & Pin: Size Is Everything

    What if art was all one size? Not too big and not too small. With modern art, abstract pieces, traditional works, and whimsical art all in the same room? We hope you will come and see! Featured member artists for "Size Is Everything" include: Kay Hughes, Sherry Fields, Janet Sopp-Sims, Eddie Sutherland, Rhea Pettit, Supriya Kharod, Kathleen Stafford, Martha Paisley Ruth, Betty Jameson, Eileen Pestorius, Beryl Kerwick, Sonja Besondy, Genevieve Holland, and Sonja Kever.
    Closing reception: Sat., May 27, 3-5pm
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Lora Reynolds Gallery: Snails In Comparison

    The Lora Reynolds gallery inaugurates its brand new space(!) with this whimsical and wonderful show by those irrepressible Haas Brothers. Observe as fraternal twins Niki and Simon Haas unveil a group of sculptures of big, bizarre snails: their first endeavors in combining a material new to their practice (blown glass, which constitutes the gastropod's soft bodies) with another medium they've known longer than any other: the snails' shells are hand-carved marble.
    Through May 27
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Lydia Street Gallery: Details of My Existence

    This is a three-person show, see, but it's also a one-man show. Uh, what now? Better to ask Jon Eric Narum (aka The Sky Guy). Or Juan Diego Nerumski. Or a fellow named Hercules da Vinci. Regardless, do stop by to check out these unbelievably beautiful oil paintings of the sky. And the perfectly balanced abstractions. And the colorful creations painted in oil on paper towels.
    Through May 7
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Martha's Contemporary: Hokey Pokey + What You See Is What You Get

    Here's a two-person exhibition that features painting, installation, videography, and sculpture by Moll Brau and Wes Thompson. It's a deep dive into a pool of loneliness, triumph, and rebirth. It's a forest of mazes where fireflies provide the light. It's a show of creations from a pair of terrific, hardworking local artists and you don't want to miss it.
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Mexic-Arte Museum: Expresiones de México, Arte de la Gente / Art of the People

    This new show features an impressive collection of artworks created via techniques and skills passed down through generations, especially highlighting work by master printmaker Sergio Sánchez Santamaría.
    Through Aug. 20
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    MHOA: Design for All Partnership

    Michael Hsu Office of Architecture has announced its second annual Design for All Partnership, a seed program supporting community-driven partners through design. The architecture and interior design firm is seeking another nonprofit partner that’s based in Austin or Houston. The partnership award will provide $20,000 in pro bono design and consultation services.: MHOA has just released its Request for Proposals (RFP) for interested nonprofit organizations and is now accepting submissions through May 19.
    Accepting submissions through May 19  
  • Arts

    Theatre

    Mother of the Maid

    Jarrott Productions presents playwright Jane Anderson’s contemporary take on a classic story. Joan of Arc's mother is a sensible, hardworking, God-fearing peasant woman whose faith is upended as she deals with the baffling journey of her odd and extraordinary daughter. Directed by David R. Jarrott, featuring an all-star local cast. And, look: here's our own Bob Abelman with a full review.
    Through May 6. Thu.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2:30pm. $15-35.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Museum of Illusions

    Enter the fascinating world of illusions in this new venue that boasts a stunning array of intriguing visual, sensory, and educational experiences among new, unexplored optical wonderments.
    11010 Domain #100
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Old Bakery & Emporium: Abstract Rhythms

    Enjoy the work of three artists who met through their common love of art: Joseph Jay, Malina Cipleu, and Larry Akers.
    Through May 13
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    SAGE Studios: Label Makers

    This group exhibition features the work of artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities from across the country, focusing on how each artist incorporates text into their work and exploring how they've been labeled in the past versus how they choose to identify.
    Through May 20. Free.
  • Arts

    Comedy

    Snail Haven's Comedy Pregame

    This is a weekly stand-up comedy showcase to help you pregame your Friday night on the town. (Snail Haven also features music shows, film screenings, and general hangs. Best bet: Follow @SnailHavenShows on Instagram and DM them for event details.)
    Fridays, 8pm. Free.  
  • Arts

    Comedy

    South Austin Comedy Club

    South Austin’s first dedicated comedy venue is spearheaded by local comics Martin Henn, Andre Ricks, and Raza Jafri, and brings top-notch acts to South Austin every Wednesday through Saturday. Note: The upcoming comics – including nationally touring acts, local sweethearts, and everyone in between – will be listed on Instagram each night.
    Wed.-Sat., 7:30pm
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    The Blanton: Day Jobs

    This first major exhibition to examine the overlooked impact of day jobs on the visual arts is dedicated to demystifying artistic production and upending the stubborn myth of the artist sequestered in their studio, waiting for inspiration to strike.
    Through July 23
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    The Blanton: Las Hermanas Iglesias

    Sisters Lisa and Janelle Iglesias present related textiles, collages, and sculpture that explore caregiving as part of a complex network of social issues, melding melds cultural references to the Dominican Republic and Norway (their parents’: home countries) with personal experiences – most recently their navigations of fertility, pregnancy, loss, and birth.
    Through July 9. Free on Thursdays.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    The Contemporary Austin: Competing with Lightning / Rivalizando con el Relámpago

    The Contemporary Austin presents an exhibition tracing the evolution of Eamon Ore-Giron's dynamic paintings over more than twenty years of creative practice, revealing how the artist mines the complex nature of Latinx identity, the history of the Americas, and the many legacies of abstraction in art. ALSO: The newest exhibition space here is called HOST and features work by María Fernanda Camarena and Gabriel Rosas Alemán (aka the Mexico City-based artist duo known as Celeste).
    Through Aug. 20. Free (Aug. 9-13).
  • Arts

    Comedy

    The Creek and the Cave

    This snazzy spot for local and national stand-up acts has shows almost every night of the week.
  • Arts

    Theatre

    The Last Cyclist

    City Theatre presents Naomi Patz’s reimagined production of a banned World War II comedy cabaret. Bear witness to this new historical record of atrocities, this fascinating work of Jewish defiance, this vividly staged proof that, in the darkest of times, art sustains life – and hope.
    Through May 21. Thu.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 3pm. $15 and up.  
    1507 Wilshire
  • Arts

    Theatre

    The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940

    A cross between Agatha Christie and Charles Ludlam - seasoned with a dash of Noises Off - this play, produced by City Theatre Austin, brings the laughs as those assembled (or at least those who aren't killed off) untangle the mystery of the "Stage Door Slasher," but not before the audience has been treated to a rollicking good time.
    Through May 14. Thu.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 3pm. $15-25.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Unchained Art: Nature's Whispers

    This new gallery presents "Nature’s Whispers: In Dialogue with Poetic Abstraction," a solo exhibition showcasing the intuitive, deeply layered abstract paintings of Swiss artist Erica Wittenwiler.
    Through June 17
    1601 E. Cesar Chavez #101
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    UT's Art Galleries at Black Studies: Old Wounds, Dark Dreams

    African-American artists Carrie Mae Weems, Cauleen Smith, Rodney McMillian, and Charles Gaines use video to meditate on anti-Black racism and the wounds it inflicts on the American psyche while participating in the tradition of appropriation – where artists quote other artists’ motifs, methods, and works to contribute new meanings to the old, which allows them to comment on, critique, or amplify the original.
    Through May 19  
    Christian-Green Gallery, 201 E. 21st
  • Arts

    Comedy

    Velveeta Room

    The legend of Ronnie Velveeta lives on at this storied 'stablishment of a stand-up stage, where some of the country's hottest comics come to make the floorboards quake with laughter every weekend on Dirty Sixth. Brandie Posey: Sat., May 20, 8 & 10pm. Jake Flores: Sat., May 27, 8 & 10pm.
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Women & Their Work: Then and Now

    Lindy Chambers observes and animates the often overlooked aspects of rural Texas life, her subjects ranging from recognizable iconography (mobile homes, stray dogs, lambs, piles of trash), to graphic abstractions, to the amorphously biological and otherworldly.
    Through May 11. Free.  
  • Arts

    Visual Arts

    Wyld Gallery

    This is Ray Donley's gallery of art by Native Americans, located in that company of artistic glory called Canopy and resplendent with creations from the original people of our struggling country.
    Call for appointment

Information is power. Support the free press, so we can support Austin.   Support the Chronicle