There are a lot of regular improvised comedy shows in Austin; here's a crash course in the Hideout Theatre's Saturday-night institution, Maestro.... [continue]

Befitting a theater that's home to a troupe named The Midnight Society, every Friday this month will find Coldtowne Theater asking its patrons "Are you afraid of the dark?"... [continue]

The actual sets didn't matter. They just didn't.... [continue]

There’s a lot to hold your attention this weekend, but if you’re not of the Hook ‘Em Horns or sweltering music festival persuasions, Austin’s presenters of improv and sketch would like to welcome you with open, air conditioned arms.... [continue]

Here’s the start of a horror movie, starring the lineup Sunday’s lineup on the Austin City Limits BMI Stage (not that the lineup is horrifying, or anything): We open on a run-down house in rural Mississippi. The house is owned by five brothers, played by the five members of Colour Revolt. The brothers, a scraggly, rough-hewn bunch, are sitting on their front porch, listening to a variety show on an antique radio (voices and music provided by The Belleville Outfit), when five strangers crest the hill approaching the house. It’s the members of South Austin Jug Band and The Massacoustics, playing road-tripping college friends, headed to New Orleans but terribly lost and out of gas. Suddenly, the ghostly image of a woman (Elizabeth Wills) appears between the house and the travelers. She knows of the danger that lies ahead of them. “Fly away,” she warns. “Fly away!”... [continue]

On Olly Oxen Free, Mason Proper creates a hazy world of modern psychedelia — the songs swirl around on circular patterns set aloft by reverbed guitars, digital effects and tweaked keyboards. ... [continue]

Parallelogramophonograph presents a fresh, never-before-seen screwball comedy tomorrow night at 8pm—and every Thursday through Oct. 16—at Coldtowne Theater. // Also on Thursday, Midnight Society debuts a monthly sketch showcase at Coldtowne, aptly titled “Pizza Party!” You can figure that one out, right? // College campus regulars Mission Improvable also hit Coldtowne (the theater), sharing the stage with Coldtowne (the troupe) and Look Cookie, Saturday at 10 p.m.... [continue]

Josh Cohen and Tamra Malaga perform long-form improv with a particular twist: Cohen plays almost all of his characters through puppets. And we’re not talking amateur-hour “Punch and Judy” stuff here—Cohen’s honed his skills in the employ of The Jim Henson Company, logging time inside the titular character of “Bear in the Big Blue House” and acting as Cookie Monster’s right hand for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As the main human presence on stage, it often falls to Malaga to play the straight man and ground the felt-and-fur insanity that surrounds her. ... [continue]

Starting this Saturday, Start Trekkin’ brings fully-improvised “Start Trek” episodes back to Congress Avenue for an eight-week run. Meanwhile, Coldtowne Theater speaks to an issue more contemporary than intergalactic exploration: our tanking economy. With free shows and free beer. Yes, you read that right.... [continue]

Seven days, six mountain-climbing fingers, five eligible bachelors, four pairs of cop sunglasses, three sets of tucked-in male genitalia, two dead Parisian crimelords and one coveted rug later, the seventh annual Out of Bounds Comedy Festival has come to an end. ... [continue]

Like a comedic Russian nesting doll, but diamond-encrusted and joyfully un-PC, the members of Pimprov are champions of persona-based improv, crafting shows where the interactions between the pimp characters are as crucial as the interaction between the characters played by the pimps. ... [continue]

It’s understandable if the names David Razowsky, Dan O'Connor and Floyd Van Buskirk don’t mean anything to you. But know this: these guys are improv. Their resumes are long, and include time spent in Chicago, Amsterdam, Seattle and Los Angeles, the latter of which is their current base of operations.... [continue]

While Omaha, Neb.’s 88improv flies under the flag of “Smart. Clean. Comedy!,” the group proves that clean comedy doesn’t have to equal lame comedy.... [continue]

If you’re a casual practitioner of nostalgia, the type who longs for the days where your biggest concerns were finding first love and growing up, you’ll spend a lot of time with these songs.... [continue]

Nothing inspires pop music like a soured relationship. Then again, nothing inspires bad pop like a soured relationship. For every honest portrayal of lost love there’s at least five other songs overflowing with bad metaphors, too-specific lyrics and unnecessarily pained vocals. Thankfully, Javelins chooses to be more oblique about the heartache that permeates its new LP, Heavy Meadows. ... [continue]

This Sunday, after you’ve gorged yourself on hot dogs, apple pie, fireworks and all things star-spangled, the international psychedelic soul sensation King Khan and the Shrines will be at the Mohawk, waiting to transport you from the Land of the Free to the Land of the Freak. ... [continue]

Zachary Scott Theatre's presentation of Seussical might not be the best "My First Musical" experience, but small theatre-goers will enjoy its swift pace and bright visuals, while Mom and Dad delight in the brightest members of its ensemble.... [continue]

Villainy is a showcase for stories revolving around despicable characters, and in its premier show (which marked Pgraph’s 150th performance), Pgraph found one hell of a heel in King Harold, a pauper who juggled and stabbed his way to the English throne. ... [continue]

SPOILER ALERT: Art is not about a painting. Oh sure, there’s a painting at the center Yesmina Reza’s 1998 Tony Award-winning play, and a curious painting at that: it’s a completely white canvas with barely-visible diagonal brushstrokes. But Art is not about a painting. ... [continue]

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