The problems plaguing the U2-soundtracked Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark musical aside, most theater doesn't really qualify as "pop culture". The eyes of the nation aren't on most productions, and they rarely find themselves in the same orbit as your average Entertainment Weekly fare. A sad truth that most theatermakers face is that, outside of their regular audience, people just aren't that interested in what's happening on theatrical stages. more ›

White Elephant gift exchanges are fun, and in October, you're not even tired of them yet. In the spirit of ever-pushing forward the holidays, Poison Apple Initiative (whose artistic director, Bastion Carboni, and resident dramaturg, Georgia Young, are both theater critics in these humble pages) have set up their Halloween-weekend fundraiser as a version of the theft-based Secret Santa game. The party, which also features an open bar provided by Tito's Vodka (including signature cocktails 'The Poison Apple' and 'The Critic'), a raffle, tarot readings, and sneak preview performances from Poison Apple Initiative's upcoming season, costs $20 for those who bring a White Elephant gift for the exchange. (Non-participants pony up an extra five.) The money goes to fund PAI's upcoming season, which kicks off in December with Crumble (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake), and continues to include Sometimes Callie and Jonas Die and The Woyzeck Project. more ›

In 1999, Neil LaBute wrote three grim little plays and wrapped them together under the misleading title Bash. Some of the critics said LaBute was getting back at Utah and at the Mormons, as a revenge for the years he spent studying and then teaching at Brigham Young University. The off-Broadway version in 2000 carried the title Bash: Latter Day Plays. more ›

Austinist's theater critic Dan Solomon tries his hand at directing a piece written by his wife. Bastion Carboni, who directed the Poison Apple Initiative's recent production of No Exit (which Solomon reviewed harshly backin June), sat down with the critic-turned-director to talk about critical credibility and what'll happen if his show sucks. more ›

Jean Paul Sartre's Hell is other people, but the people onstage in Carboni's production of Sartre's No Exit are less effective at creating the discomforting environment one would expect from eternal damnation than the distraction-laden Domy Books gallery, a block off the highway on East Cesar Chavez. more ›

Gay people and good theatre go hand-in-hand, see: ancient Greece and Tennessee Williams. Conversely, good gay-themed theatre can be hard to come by. How many tired ensemble pieces populated with predictable muscle marys, self-important disco queens, wilting PLWA s, stoic bears and bubbly twink ingenues (each grappling with their place in the world) can one art form support? more ›