Summertime in Austin seems a good season to waste with late breakfasts, midday naps, and other heat avoidance tactics. In Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, a stifling hot month spent in idleness is cause for complaint, and even violence, and the gentle pace of Breaking String's elegant production at the Off Center belies the sadness tucked away in each character's heart.
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It's 6,000 miles from Austin to Moscow (the one in Russia, not Texas), but one local theater company is striving to close that gap, bringing contemporary and classic Russian plays to life here. Breaking String, named after a much discussed stage direction in Anton Chekhov's , is led by a quartet: Liz Fisher, Robert Matney, Matt Radford, and Graham Schmidt. They call themselves Co-Producing Artistic Directors (a nod to the structure adopted by Austin's Rude Mechs). In conversation during a break in rehearsal for their latest production of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, it's clear that Breaking String's creative partnership is strengthened by a mix of passion and intellect. more ›

Let us begin this review of bombs in your mouth by lifting a definition for dark matter from Wikipedia: In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is hypothetical matter that is undetectable by its emitted radiation, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter. And now, let us consider Hyde Park Theatre director Ken Webster has a thing for dark matter. You can pretty much count on his productions to evoke laughter and cringing, often simultaneously, as the plays he selects always leave room for plenty of between-the-lines interpretation. Webster is en garde! personified, keeping his audience on their toes as he continues to advance, advance, advance, refusing to retreat or even shy away from pushing them to think thoughts they might want to pretend aren’t there, but really, they are. more ›

Ken Webster has been having a mighty fine time of things lately. He was ushered into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame last summer. He was the subject of a big ol' cover article in the Austin Chronicle in April. Just last week he won an acting award from the 2007 Austin Critics' Table for two of his recent solo stage appearances, Thom Pain (based on nothing) and St. Nicholas (we can't help but think... more ›

And they're off.... The nominations for this year's B. Iden Payne Awards have been announced. We received 'em this morning, straight from the offices of the Austin Circle of Theatres. If you want to get in on the action, ballots will be available starting this Thursday, September 21, at ACoT (701 Tillery Street) & AusTIX (kiosk at the Austin Visitors Center, 209 E. 6th Street). You must be an ACoT member to vote, but... more ›

Have you ever watched a comedy -- especially a dark comedy -- all by yourself? Imagine sitting in your living room, lights out, big bowl o' popcorn by your side, taking in Dr. Strangelove. Alone. That's what it's like to see a theatrical production of a dark comedy with a scant number of fellow audience members. There's a self-consciousness to all responses; laughing in particular feels forced. Such was our experience when we attended... more ›

[Update: Lucky reader Margaret was quick on the trigger and snatched these babies up pronto! Better luck next time, theatre fans. -Ed.] Austinist Theatre Central is happy to announce a ticket grab! Be the first person to send us an email (as usual, be sure to take the () off the @) and we'll set you up with two free tickets to Loaded Gun Theory's Empty Bowl. This is for any of the remaining... more ›