Arts Season Keeps Rhythm T
by
Michelle
Regnier
Ambush Texas Arts Columnist
AUSTIN/CENTRAL TEXAS
ACoT is a non-profit performing arts service organization working to create greater public awareness, appreciation, and support for our local performing arts community since 1974. ACoT is funded in part by the City of Austin under the auspices of the Austin Arts Commission, Texas Commission on the Arts, and Austin Community Foundation. They are also proudly sponsored by Austin American-Statesman Inside Line, Driskill Grill, and Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau.
I sincerely think that a great deal of gratitude is owed to this organization for creating an atmosphere wherein individual theaters can begin anew and additionally have the financial backing and veteran guidance that will see them through the various up-starting obstacles, as well as keeping their continued affiliation once they have become well-founded. There are various categories of theaters established within the organization: Music, Dance, Comedy, Kids and Family, Film, and Special Events as well as (VSA) Visual Live-Captioned, Sign-Interpreted, and Audio Described. They have 28 current theater sponsored projects, 11 formerly sponsored projects that have advanced to a point where they no longer need their continued sponsorship, and over 130 member theater groups.
AusTIX, a service of Austin Circle of Theaters (ACoT), is Austin’s "ONLY" full and half-price ticketing service for Austin and Central Texas that fully supports our local performing arts community.
~~~ FronteraFest 2005, the 12th Year of five-weeks of mayhem caused by its alternative, offbeat, new and plain off-the-wall theatre. Hyde Park Theatre in collaboration with Austin Script Works, a group dedicated to supporting emerging playwrights and developing new dramatic works, hosts it. The Austin American-Statesman considers it "the fringe theater event of the Southwest."
Expect the unexpected as you witness its last two-weeks of The Short Fringe: "Every night a new bill of four or five plays no longer than 25 minutes each is presented. Brilliant monologues? Plays in progress? Comedy improv? Cabaret Singers? Avant-garde dance? We’ve seen it all. Every Saturday night is juried Best of the Week Performance, and the last week, Feb. 8-12, is juried Best of the Fest — with a few wildcards thrown in. Mi Casa Es Su Teatro, Sat., Feb. 5, is curated by Room 120 Theatre, and will encompass site-specific productions at various locations around town and is a perennial Austin favorite. Surf www.hydeparktheatre.org/site/index.html for the full schedule of FronteraFest 2005’s last two-weeks of events.
~~~
Austin Playhouse’s Enchanted April runs weekends through
Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, and would make for a very romantic evening, call
476.0084. It’s a Tony nominated comedy by Matt Barber based on four-Englishwomen
that have escaped from post-war London, and reside in a 1920 villa in Italy.
They find romance, friendship, and rediscovery of life’s enchantments. Ever seen
Tea with Mussolini by Director Frank Zeffirelli? It had a whole
list of famous actresses such as Cher, Judy Dench, Joan Ploatwright and Lily
Tomlin, as well as other well-known and debuting International actors.
Enchanted April might just be your cup-of-tea if you liked Tea
with Mussolini. Special $35 Valentine’s performance with added champagne
and dessert party; $10 upcharge for "AP subscribers".
~~~ The Hideout Theatre, your place for comedy, film, music, live theatre, and more in downtown Austin, Texas, 617 Congress Ave, 443.3688, www.hideouttheatre.com/index.php. THT’s The Feldman Dynamic is part of Fringe Theatre worldwide. "This unprecedented reality theater event featuring an actual family (from Florida) having a meal together live on stage, discussing their daily drama in the reality show that will never be on TV, had its world premiere as part of FringeNYC 2003. The Feldman's have also been to Orlando Fringe, and were named the #2 must see show of the Montreal Fringe. They’ve even done the show in their home in front of audiences over the eight nights of Chanukah, (which ended of course 12/14/04)."
Feb.
4 through 7, from 7 to 8pm, it’s a part of our local Austin FronteraFest 2005.
Gorilla Theatre Improv and Heroes of Comedy perform 9pm to 10:20pm, Saturdays,
Feb. 5 through 19. "Seven of Austin’s finest improvisers compete for the love of
the audience and a week with the Gorilla… The seven Heroes of Comedy take turns
directing the scenes and games they want to see on the Hideout stage. You the
audience judge their directorial prowess and reward or punish them accordingly.
Only one player goes home with the gorilla…This ain’t your grandpappy’s improv."
From 10:30pm to 11:50pm, Saturdays, Feb. 12 through 26, The Heroes of Comedy present Micetro Improv Comedy. "12 players compete in comedy scenes based on audience suggestions. The audience votes after every scene and players with the lowest score are eliminated. Come cheer your favorite players and watch the rest go down in flames."
~~~ It’s true! Ethyl Merman is about to embody Austin Cabaret Theater’s award winning Klea Blackhurst in Everything the Traffic Will Allow as part of their Legend Series. Merman’s cabaret songs and sass take over in earnest tribute within Blackhurst’s wildly successful show. Even the New York Times says it "can’t be faked" in her "anything goes" comedic attitude down MERM-ory lane. Feb. 4 and 5 at Chez Zee, 8:30pm, 5406 Balcones Dr…
Seating is limited as ACT shows sell out quick; call 453.2287 to reserve your $30 tickets; dinner reservation option, 454.2666. ACT and play! Theatre Group are both members of ACoT. Although pTG is not a sponsored project, both rely upon tax-deductible donations and patrons. Blackhurst’s ACT production is also linked with play! Theatre Group’s 2005 unofficial season. Stuart Moulton, is the ACT Producing Artistic Director and Founder as well as the award-winning Director of Pageant. Moulton has been teaming a creative bridge with Lisa Scheps in Austin’s Theatre Community by co-founding pTG.
Season 2005 "officially" takes-off this fall in their newly renovated Jewel Box Theatre—"a theatre that presents high quality upscale productions utilizing talent found right here in Austin that produces mainstream offerings with a slight ‘edge’."
Filling the gap between the Austin theatres that are "‘warehouse or experimental theatres" and the ones that are "high profile/high dollar theatres that import shows from outside the area" is their main mission: "We will be presenting an eclectic mix of theatrical productions from established musicals and plays to new exciting works by up and coming playwrights. Our venue will serve the community by working with our neighbors to create programs that will enrich the lives of the families that live in the area. Working with the other theatres on the East Side, we will strive to create an East Side Theatre Alliance (ESTA) bringing all of the talents in the area together to further enrich this dynamic community."
