Political drama is a minefield. The compulsion to discuss hot-button issues seems, more often than not, to beget messy and overwrought or overtly agenda-laden work and halt open conversation, rather than inspire it. Not that it can't and hasn't been done really well; it's just that the bar is high. more ›

The title character, portrayed with a soft-toned nastiness by Paper Chairs regular Gabriel Luna, is vicious, insatiable, anti-social, and selfish. He steals women from his compatriots, including Jacob Trussell's trusting Johannes, who at first seems as charmed by Baal as every woman seems to be. Baal's allure seems to be in the boldness and beauty of his words - for though this play is full of ugly imagery, of human waste, murder, and decay, the nature of Brecht's writing is also imbued with an elegance and lyricism that is hard to ignore. more ›

When audience members are seated for Rubber Rep's Biography of Physical Sensation, they're asked to choose a big, medium, or small chair. The bigger the chair, the more directly involved the person sitting in it will be in the situations that occur as part of the performance, which is designed to re-create dozens of the life experiences of a woman the company selected from a number of applicants: Her name is Jamie Damon, and all that the audience experiences are the sensory inputs - sights, smells, sounds, and touches - removed of their context. more ›

The clack of keyboards, sputter and stench of traffic, the press of the madding crowd, the burdens of societal expectation: Modern urban life can seem hellish. In Paper Chairs' production of the late 1920s expressionist tragedy Machinal, the rote mechanisms and sensory overload that oppress playwright Sophie Treadwell's protagonist are embodied in sight, sound, and cog-like motion on stage. The larger of two performance spaces at Salvage Vanguard is set in the round for this production, allowing director Dustin Willis to foreground the mechanized feeling of the play's world. A Young Woman (portrayed by Chase Crossno with a high-strung loveliness reminiscent of Catherine Deneuve in Roman Polanski's Repulsion) is out of step - late for the office job where her coworkers file, type, and even gossip in lockstep; pursued by her boss, whose very touch causes her to recoil - but an obligation to care for her widowed mother leads her to accept a life that repels and numbs her. An encounter with an alluring stranger from south of the border seems to shake her awake, and her struggle to break free from her one-sided marriage ends in violence. more ›

The Waco Girls will play a heavy metal version of Erik Satie's "Vexations," a 24-hour composition. more ›

Mikhail Bulgakov, whose Black Snow is currently in the midst of a run by Tutto Theatre Company at the Salvage Vanguard Theater, is one of those figures it's hard to criticize on his work's merits, which is unfortunate. It's much safer to insist that the work's author is fully deserving of his exalted status, and that the flaws in the production belong to Tutto and director Dustin Wills. But the fact is that it's hard to imagine a better interpretation of Bulgakov's cranky, cartoony piece about what a bummer working in the theater was for him. more ›

Local indie rockers Masonic and Yellowtape's newest group of high-energy hipsters unite tonight for two weeks of what we hope is another boisterous, feel-good Yellowtape production of A Thumping Raging Explosion of Light and Marvelous Texture. For a couple of years now, Yellowtape has been creating something we all need in these troubled times -- escapism that raises the spirits, makes us laugh, and reminds us that it can feel good to be human. Take that, News Hour! more ›

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. more ›

Fans of jazz and improvisational music will not want to miss a performance and album release event courtesy of flutist and reeds player Alex Coke, his associates at The Creative Opportunity Orchestra, and of course The Church of the Friendly Ghost. more ›

Come on out tonight to see what may be the biggest, most interesting event the Church of the Friendly Ghost has hosted at their year-long residency at The Salvage Vanguard Theater. While the Tuesday night events the Church has held so far have ranged from completely offbeat to downright accessible and everywhere in-between, tonight’s act is really special in that in should bridge both those worlds in an exciting, active, and large-scale way. more ›

While it’s an established fact that The Church of the Friendly Ghost can be relied upon for the unusual, the unabashed, and the extreme – everything from noise bands to crazy projectionists to avant-jazz trios have showed up on the Salvage Vanguard’s stage these last few months – sometimes they like to surprise by pulling a sharp turn right into accessibility, charm and simplicity. And that’s what we can expect for Tuesday night’s show, four bands who stray from the beaten path enough to keep you interested but who are also mostly avant-garde tomfoolery-free. more ›

Whoa, that Church of the Friendly Ghost is getting crazy ambitious for April. They've booked four shows already, and have two more in the works. Sure, that’s nothing for your average nu-metal dive, but the Church is different, you know, with each show they put on infused with some odd, unique flavor. And speaking of flavor, their performances are now extra-delicious. Yes - these performances at the Salvage Vanguard Theater will all be catered by Ararat, who serve up some pretty damn delectable Mediterranean food. Call it added incentive to hear some new music. To top it all off, Miss Lori 16MM will compliment the food, drinks, and sound with visuals including slides and film projections. more ›

Austin’s newest improv training center, the Merlin Works Institute for Improvisation, launched its first series of classes at the recently-opened Salvage Vanguard Theater this past Saturday. more ›

Our barely-frigid winter is turning tail and running, with nary an “ice storm” or onslaught of freezing rain thrown at us all season. Though spring in Austin doesn’t mean the slow rebirth of nature like it does up north, March still brings good tidings like SXSW, the promise of sunny and beautiful days - not to mention a new season of concerts, shows, and all that jazz. Always on the ball, The Church of the Friendly Ghost is here to welcome March with a show on the 1st featuring a three-part show from notable local and far-off acts. more ›

Since appointing new AD Ann Ciccolella last fall, Austin Shakespeare has been kickin' ass and takin' names. // The director-less, self-dubbed "brats of theater," Bedlam Faction, have returned. // SVT has a trouserload of programming this month, including Twelfth Night, produced by Kadigan and Mountweazel. more ›

Salvage Vanguard Theater has announced its new season! // Rubber Repertory has started airing their dirty laundry in a new, recurring series called From the Dumpster, in which they confess to madcap ideas they seriously considered staging. // There's more than music to SXSW. more ›

Arson may have damaged the studio that housed 91.7’s KOOP Radio, but they, and the Austin community at large, will be damned if they let the station go without a fight. Another benefit is happening this Saturday, presented by Church of the Friendly Ghost and Commercial Suicide, and taking the shape of Rick Reed’s 6th installment of the Toneburst series. Begun about two years ago, Toneburst is billed as “new and unusual experimental music from Austin and beyond...” and this will be its first show in The Salvage Vanguard Theater. more ›

Unlike San Antonio, Austin has so many more opportunities for musicians to play in actual venues attended by actual attendees, so at first glance the need for more private, unique places for bands to play seemed to be less of a necessity. But the deeper a person burrowed, the more they could uncover – with The Church of the Friendly Ghost, out on Pedernales street, standing in as the most odd and accommodating venue for which a music geek could wish. A former site of a real, honest-to-god church whose landlord was glad to rent it out to musicians and curators of The Church of the Friendly Ghost – a step above the wacky fundamentalists who had the space before – the Church had a distinction of being a welcoming place that also catered to fringe music for those in the know. more ›

The Church of the Friendly Ghost is only scheduling two events this month, to make room for the No Idea Fest which starts on the 14th and goes through the 16th. But quality always makes up for quantity. The first of February’s Salvage Vanguard shows plans to be a doozy, with four acts starting at 9 p.m. more ›

Transformations is a multi-media work that blends film, dance, and theatre. Inspired by the work of Anne Sexton, we expect it will be an intense, powerful show. more ›

The Church of the Friendly Ghost’s forte is bringing its audience a range of new sounds, and this Friday night is no exception as four Texas experimental musicians will take the stage at the Salvage Vanguard Theater paired with artist LORI 16MM, who will be projecting a film and visual installation. more ›

The Church of the Friendly Ghost is invading the Salvage Vanguard theater on a Tuesday this week, featuring performances from the E.C.F.A. trio and Attic Ted. more ›

While every performance the Church of the Friendly Ghost puts on is assuredly special, this Wednesday evening they will host three diverse acts at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre sure to satisfy your every experimental, avant-garde whim. more ›

Tonight at the Salvage Vanguard Theater, music and film will be united in odd, unexpected ways. Italian musician Giuseppe Ielasi and Austrian filmmaker Michaela Grill are the guests of honor at this event sponsored by the Church of the Friendly Ghost. Ielasi has a long history with improvised music and uses “guitars as primary sound sources by integrating microphones and multichannel speaker systems in order to create complex networks for sound diffusion in relation to space” according to this event's press release. Sounds confusing, but obviously far from typical. more ›

Thirteen years after founding Salvage Vanguard Theater, Artistic Director Jason Neulander is stepping down. Neulander has grown SVT from a crazy little fringe collective to a powerhouse producer of cutting-edge works. No doubt it'll be very exciting to see what he gets into next. more ›

The Ultimate Christmas Musical: The Musical!Through 12/22, Th/Fr/Sa at 8pmSalvage Vanguard Theater (map)[info] | [tickets]Christmas will be here sooner than you think! What nicer gift than an evening out at the theater? Here're just a few shows we think worthy of being early stocking-stuffers. You've probably already seen the XL cover or read the AusChron piece (damn, Jonathon Morgan gets around!)—Yellow Tape Construction Company's Ultimate Christmas Musical: The Musical! opened last weekend. We loved... more ›

Photo by Wylie Maercklein, courtesy YTCC The Ultimate Christmas Musical: The Musical!Through 12/22, Th/Fr/Sa at 8pmSalvage Vanguard Theater (map)[info] | [tickets]The North Pole is a pretty raunchy place. That’s what the Yellow Tape Construction Company would lead you to believe, anyway. And while we don’t remember Frosty the Snowman dealing smack in any of the Christmas fables we used to read in kindergarten, it’s not implausible. He may be a sentient amalgamation of button, coal,... more ›

Image from www.loadedguntheory.comThe holidays are a busy time for theatre in Austin, with too many seasonal shows to choose from. As the glut looms, several fine shows are closing. Get to these while the gettin's good! Much-lauded director Karen Jambon helms Loaded Gun Theory's Little Murders. You can't judge a show by its artwork, but we think theirs is the best we've seen all year. This dark comedy about an overbearing daughter—played by the always-delightful... more ›

New works by Austin-based artists Ian Cion and Carter Cox are on display at Salvage Vanguard Theater Gallery's current multimedia exhibition, 10.07 Works. The show, featuring paintings by Cion and sculptures by Cox, is the second exhibition in the SVT’s new gallery space, which opened its doors this summer as part of the revamped and revitalized permanent location for the theater company on Manor Road. In 10.07 Works, each artist’s work plays off the other's... more ›

Well kids, it's time for another installment of the COTFG series over at the Salvage Vanguard theater. This Sunday, as visual displays grace the entire evening, the crowd will be given a special treat: a film presentation by Miss 16mm, Yellow Crystal Star from Tallahasee, and Steve Marsh's RadarCave (among other things). Do something different: go support our truly experimental local artists and musicians. Yellow Crystal Star Radar Cave Loren Dent Necessity Quebron Lori 16mm... more ›