July 29th, 2015   
This week On the Town

Summer Stock Austin's 11th Season Presented by Summer Stock Austin and Long Center for the Performing Arts        

July 24 - August 16, 2015

 

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway... turns out, they're just as bright in the Rollins Studio Theatre, where Summer Stock Austin will play its 11th summer season with Great White Way favorites Into the Woods and Guys & Dolls, in addition to the world premiere of Allen Robertson and Damon Brown's newest family musical, Tortoise & Hare. The shows begin running on July 24th - don't miss them!

The only program of its kind in the United States, the Summer Stock Austin program is unique for a number of reasons. First of all, there is no tuition fee for our college and high school participants who are selected solely on the basis of their demonstrated talent, promise, and character. Second, as part of a "stock" company, each of our participants performs, designs, builds, and assists with every aspect of a theatrical production. Finally, our participants have the opportunity to work side by side with University faculty as well as theatre professionals from Austin and around the country. Our high school students get a taste of theatre at the college level, and our college students gain entry into the world of professional theatre.

 


Love! Valour! Compassion! Presented by The City Theatre Company                      
July 31 - August 23, 2015

 

Hailed by many critics as Terrence McNally at the top of his form and winner of the Tony Award for Best Play. The story centers on eight gay men who vacation together at an upstate New York country home for three summertime holiday weekends. The friends gather together to confront their lives, loves and friendships, exploring the boundaries of their relationships and some of life's most profound and difficult questions.

 

 This week only   

Austin Aztex vs. Portland Timbers II + Soccer Legends @ Halftime 8/1

Presented by Austin Aztex

 

August 1, 2015

 

The The Austin Aztex will be playing their next home game, one of their biggest of the season, this Saturday, August 1 against the Portland Timbers II at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex.

Soccer legends Landon Donovan, Stuart Holden and Brian Ching will also be in attendance as they've partnered with the Aztex to give three lucky fans the chance to play a 3v3 game against them during halftime. Funds raised from the auction will benefit the Aztex Soccer Foundation.

The games are family-friendly and offer a unique game day experience with live music, various delicious food trucks for concessions curated by @FoodTrucksATX, activities for kids including small sided games, a jumping castle, and much more!  


The Aztex have partnered with Capital Metro for the remaining regular season home games at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex to offer free rides to ticket holders.

 

The Aztex have also partnered with The League Kitchen and Tavern as the official pregame and postgame location for Austin Aztex fans to socialize and celebrate. The late night happy hour after each game offers great specials on drinks and appetizers. The complimentary shuttle will be available to pick up fans and CapMetro's Lakeline Metro Rail and take them to and from The League before and after the game.

 

   Learn More... 


Matwaala: South Asian diasporta poets festival Presented by Austin Poets International, Inc. (API) and Austin Community College

  

August 2, 2015

 

Matwaala, a South Asian Diaspora Poets Festival will be held at Casa De Luz, Austin, Texas on August 2, 2015, Sunday, 9am-8 pm. Co-hosted by the Poetry Caravan, ACC and Austin Poets International, the festival is the first project of the collective. The festival director and organizer is Austin poet Usha Akella. There will be youth and local poets reading at the festival.

 

The guest of honor is the eminent 78 year old Parsi poet Keki Daruwalla of New Delhi and noted poets Saleem Peeradina (Michigan), Ravi Shankar (Connecticut), Pramila Venkateswaran (Poet Laureate, Suffolk county,New York), Phinder Dulai (Canada), Anis Shivani (Houston), Usha Akella (Austin), Sasha Parmasad (New York City), and local Austin poet Shubh Bala Schiesser are attending.


   Learn More... 


Keepin' It Real Jazz Youth Concert Presented by Women in Jazz Association, inc.

  

August 2, 2015

 

This vivacious presentation of jazz history will feature some of Austin's most talented youth performing traditional jazz music.

 

Featuring the ATAP Trio, vocalists iamhanalashay, Kya McGruder, Kylie Phillips and Jadyn Blackmon; saxophonists Blaigne Ayuma and Simone Washingon; and drummer Clayton Winfrey

 

   Learn More... 


Brasil Guitar Duo Presented by Austin Classical Guitar  

  

August 1, 2015

 

Concert Artist Guild-winning artists João Luiz and Douglas Lora are energetic, engaging and highly inventive performers. Their program will span traditional and Brazilian works-from Bach and Sor to Brazilian dance forms such as choro, samba, maxixe, and baião.

 

Pre-concert Brazilian cultural celebration begins at 6:30pm and features the music of Gabriel Santiago and delicious bites by Boteco ATX.

 

   Learn More... 

 Opening this week 

The Gathering Presented by Amphion Youth Choir      

July 30 - August 8, 2015

 

Amphion Youth Choir proudly presents "The Gathering", a Dynamic Vocal Event exploring the power of community. Presented in four of the most celebrated sanctuaries in the Greater Austin area over two weeks, AYC will perform works of world music, contemporary composers and popular music. Blended together with spoken word, the performances will offer a commentary on what can be achieved when the disparate many come together as one.

 

THIS IS A LOCAL TOUR WITH FOUR CONCERTS IN DIFFERENT VENUES.

Thursday, July 30th at Hope Presbyterian Church 

Saturday, August 1st at University Presbyterian Church 

Tuesday, August 4th at St. Mary Cathedral 

Saturday, August 8th at Northwest Hills United Methodist Church 

All concert times are 7:30pm

 


Gong Yoga Training Presented by Yoga Yoga       

July 31 - August 9, 2015

 

Learn the special applications of the gong in a variety of yoga practices and traditions, including Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, prenatal yoga and therapeutic yoga. Study with the originator of 'Gong Yoga': Mehtab, a direct student of Yogi Bhajan.

 

Students will create and present a Gong Yoga Class as part of their practicum work for graduation.

Upon completion of this 24-hour you will receive a certification of completion in Gong Yoga Teacher Training.

 


Close Up: An Improvised Comedic Mockumentary Presented by The Hideout Theatre     

August 1 - August 29, 2015

 

Every Saturday at 6pm in August, The Hideout Theatre presents an improvised comedic narrative in the style of The Office, Parks & Rec, and Best in Show.

 

  Closing this week 

Healthy Chica Presented by Latinitas Magazine       

July 27 - July 31, 2015

 

Yoga, acupuncture, Zumba and meditation are just a few things on the menu for Latinitas Healthy Chica camp. Girls will use blogging, photography, video and other multimedia forms to explore healthy living choices. Parents can drop girls as early as 8am.

 


CLOSER Presented by 7 Towers Theatre Company
                        
July 17 - August 2, 2015

 

This exceedingly dark comedy offers us a chance to produce a love story 7 Towers-style.

 

CLOSER examines the destructive and deceitful relationships of four people in London. Alice, the young stripper, meets Dan, who writes obituaries, after an accident. Dan meets Anna, the photographer, while trying to promote his new book. Larry, the doctor, stumbles upon Dan (pretending to be Anna) in an internet chat room.  Larry finds Anna at the aquarium. From there, the four play at loving one another, though they cannot seem to keep their relationships and the boundaries between them straight . Alice loves Dan. Dan loves Alice, but also Anna. Anna loves Larry, but also Dan. Larry loves sex. They switch partners, switch back, and are utterly truthful in the most inconvenient moments about the terrible things they've done to one another.

 


Girls Girls Girls Improvised Musicals presents BOYS OF SUMMER Presented by The Institution Theater        

July 24 - August 1, 2015

 

Like a little bad boy in your man? A wayward preacher's kid, perhaps a not-so-polished professor? Then the 2015 Boys of Summer is your ticket to satisfaction! Watch as these seemingly straight-laced men shed their decorum and take turns singing and dancing as the stars of "Girls Girls Girls's: Boys of Summer Improvised Comedy Musicals!"

 

Performing at The Institution Theater, a new "boy" will guest star alongside Girls Girls Girls for each show as they perform their signature format - a Broadway-style musical comedy created in the moment from an audience suggestion, complete with storyline, songs, and multiple characters.


  Ongoing events 

MAST Presented by Paper Chairs

July 23 - August 8, 2015

 

paper chairs is proud to premiere MAST, a new play by paper chairs co-founder and local playwright Elizabeth Doss that explores a nuclear family born of World War II as it blows apart over the globe.

 


On an Air Force base outside Abilene, TX, Anne, a rancher's daughter, and Walter, a globe-trotting journalist, conceive a child in the heat of wartime frenzy. The two recklessly elope to the Trujillo-oppressed Dominican Republic and face the edges and ends of themselves. Based on the legacy from Doss's own mid-century Texan relatives, MAST is a photograph that spans the decades of Anne and Walter's estranged lives, un-posed, only half-exposed and lost at sea.


The Shakespeare at Winedale 45th Summer Season Presented by Shakespeare at Winedale 

July 16 - August 9, 2015

 

As a part of the celebrations surrounding Shakespeare at Winedale's 45th anniversary, Dr. James Loehlin, Director and Regents Professor of English, wanted to showcase the immense talent and breadth of Early Modern Theater.  "The four plays we are doing this summer represent the four primary genres in which Shakespeare worked, and include one of the greatest plays of the period by one of Shakespeare's contemporaries, John Webster," explains Dr. Loehlin.  He is also excited by some of the common themes in these pieces, including "the separation and reunion of families, forbidden love across class lines, journeys of discovery and conquest, and above all, the power of language."

 

The summer season will open with one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, Twelfth Night.  Sending audiences on a roller coaster of love and mistaken identities, who couldn't fall in love with this feast of music and passion?  When Viola is shipwrecked on the foreign coast of Ilyria, believing her twin brother drowned, she disguises herself as a boy, only to fall in love with the Duke she now serves, who loves Olivia, who is loved by Malvolio, who is hated by everyone.  This play is a delightful and bewildering comedy that highlights the madness that afflicts all lovers. 

 

After love, the season marches towards war, with Shakespeare's Henry V.  From the palaces in London to the vasty fields of Agincourt, Henry V leads his troops in an all-or-nothing quest for the crown of France. But this campaign will test the limits of bravery and loyalty of Henry and his men. Henry V is a stunning exploration of the human spirit in the face of war.

 

The season then braves the perils of the sea with Shakespeare's Pericles.  Facing pirates, bawds, assassins, shipwrecks, and goddesses, Pericles must sail across the entire Mediterranean in search of love and family.  Adventure after adventure follows, no matter where his ship lands.  But miracles are possible in this fairy tale full of twisting destinies and divine intervention.

 

Rounding out the season is a dangerous return to love with Webster's The Duchess of Malfi.  When the highborn Duchess of Malfi falls in love with her household steward, they hide their secret marriage from the Duchess' powerful and ambitious brothers.  But when the lovers are discovered, the brothers unleash the most horrific kind of revenge possible.  This twisted tale of sibling rivalry, forbidden love, and unrestrained madness is a gorgeous piece of poetry from one of Shakespeare's greatest contemporaries, John Webster.   

 


Reflections: African American Life from the Myrna Colley-Lee Collection Presented by Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum   
   
June 19 - August 23, 2015

 

Take a journey through African-American history as expressed visually through the artworks of  prominent 20th-century artists, such as Gwen Knight, Hale Woodruff, James Van Der Zee, Eudora Welty, Romare Bearden and more, in Reflections: African American Life from the Myrna Colley-Lee Collection on view at the Bullock Museum. Paintings, photographs, textile pieces and works on paper from the collection of pioneer costume designer, professional artist and arts advocate Myrna Colley-Lee highlight this exhibition held in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth.

 


And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations Presented by Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum 

June 19 - August 30, 2015

 

See more than 60 story quilts capturing 400 years of African-American history in And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations at the Bullock Museum. From the first slave ships to the first African-American president, quilts by more than 50 artists in the Women of Color Quilters network reveal the stories of freedom's heroes as recorded in fabric in this exhibition held in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth.

 

Discover all the amazing things you can do at CreateAustin.net!  
We are so excited to announce the release of CreateAustin.net! The site was built in partnership with the City of Austin Music Office to be an invaluable and amazing resource for Austin Artists.
 
On CreateAustin.net you can research career opportunities, connect with local artists, and create collaboration groups for shows in development or anything else you want to work together on. You can lead or take part in forum discussions about the purpose and direction of art in Austin. There's a classified section so you can find or offer goods and services to help you or someone else make something great. You'll find professional development resources and events to help you and your organization expand and succeed. As we grow there will be an amazing directory of local artists and creatives, making it easier for you to find partners, across disciplines to push your project past boundaries and expand the resources and tools you employ to create unique and exciting works.

We invite everyone to join now! So swing by CreateAustin.net, kick the tires, and check out all the bells and whistles. Let us know what you think and start some conversations about what we do, why we do it here, and how we can continue to keep Austin creative. 

 

 

Create Austin Here! & once you've joined please take a second to take our survey!  

   

Don't forget to check out  NowPlayingAustin's pages for Auditions, Calls for Artists, and Jobs - and visit our site often for the latest, updated listings.
  
  Now Playing Austin  

brand new ACA Logo
Now Playing Austin is a service of Austin Creative Alliance. ACA's mission is to advance, connect and advocate Austin's arts, cultural, and creative communities in order to strengthen and protect the character, quality of life, and economic prosperity of our region.

 

NowPlayingAustin.com, The Time Warner Cable News segment On the Town, as well as critical support services for Central Texas artists and creative organizations are some of the many programs and services of the Austin Creative Alliance.

 

Sincerely,

The Austin Creative Alliance Team 

                              (512) 247-2531 

www.austincreativealliance.org

 

 

Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter     

Austin Creative Alliance is an enrolled organization with Austin Community Blooms. With this program, Freytag's Florist will donate 5% of the total transaction each time an order is placed with no additional cost to the customer. 

Austin Creative Alliance is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin's future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.