Let's Start Over...

Because most performance companies create their budgets on a fall-to-spring season, September and October generally see hordes of productions by our local theatre-makers chompin’ at the bit after a summer of relative tranquility. With the B. Iden Payne nominations and Austinist’s own Best Theatre in Austin picks officially announced, it’s time to leave 05/06 behind us, and head charging off into new theatrical waters. (Or something.)

This week’s Austinist Pick of the Week is easily, without a doubt, the Black Arts Movement (BAM!) Festival from ProArts Collective. Starting early next week you can check out bad-ass African-American performing arts from Austin and beyond. Eugene Lee and Luis Munoz present a staged reading of their newest play at the Boyd Vance Theatre Monday and Tuesday at 8pm. On Wednesday at the Boyd Vance Theatre see Black & Blue: 400 Years of Struggle and Transcendence – a docudrama project combing historical documents relating to slavery with jazz and blues music – also at 8pm. On Thursday iTheatre Collective from Pheonix presents Suzan-Lori Park’s enormously popular play, Top Dog/Under Dog at the Off Center. The festival runs through October 8. For full listings, tickets, and more, check the ProArts’ website.

Also opening this week is Sweet Eros, a Terrence McNally play about some dude who kidnaps a lady friend, holds her hostage, strips her naked and torments her from Tongue and Groove Theatre (at Ararat); Sleuth, a murder mystery from the Paradox Players (at the Unitarian Universalist Church); Arsenic and Old Lace, a complete and total classic about old ladies who kill people at the Sam Bass Theatre; As You Like It, one of those Shakespeare plays where people accidentally fall in love with the wrong person from Austin Shakespeare Festival (at the Zilker Hillside Theatre); and Reppytoirie: A Tour De Farce, a one-woman, pop-culture, multi-character masterpiece from Reppy (at the Vortex).