Photo courtesy Shrewd Productions X-Mas: Unwrapped!! A Holiday Burlesque11/30-12/15, Thu-Sat at 10:00pmHyde Park Theatre (511 W. 43rd. Street)479-PLAY for reservations[info] 'Tis the season for giveaways! And the lovely ladies of Shrewd Productions are sharing the joy by offering two free tickets for Friday and Saturday night's performances of Xmas Unwrapped!! A Holiday Burlesque. The Jingle Belles have returned by popular demand to take the chill off the cold winter nights. Or, er, the cool-ish winter......

The Bard is back! This weekend only—Shakespeare shenanigans you won't want to miss. But first we're dropping a hint about a little show we've heard is fantastic. Shrewd Productions' Io: a myth about you runs through November 10, Th/Fr/Sa at the Vortex. This play with music features an all-star cast, including our current biggest crush Jude Hickey. Described as a "foray into heroic tales, vengeance, decadence, salvation, forgiveness, and rock & roll," it contains strong......

FRIDAY [25] party • The Onion's "Summer Fun Blast Blowout Extravaganza!" Party with Clap!Clap!, Crash Gallery, Devil in the Choir, DJ Rubix, Prince Klassen, and a chance to win a scooter from Scooter Revolution at Beauty Bar ($2, 9:30pm) theatre • Rubber Repertory presents A Thought in Three Parts at The Vortex (8pm) music • Emissions From the Monolith Fest at Emo's music • Voxtrot, Au Revoir Simone, The Black, Zykos at Emo's music......

THURSDAY [24] theatre • Rubber Repertory presents A Thought in Three Parts at The Vortex (8pm) music • Emissions From the Monolith Fest at Emo's music • Small Stars, Sounds Under Radio at Stubb's music • DJ Qbert, DJ Craze, DJ Klever, Table Manners Crew at The Parish music • Winovino, Bourbon Legends, Jett Mullens, Jaime Thomas at Beerland music • Morrissey Pre-Party with Andy Rourke! at The Mohawk music • Gulf of Mexico,......

FRIDAY [18] festival • Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebrations at Palmer Events Center (11:30am-1pm) party • Nightster Launch Party with Riverboat Gamblers at Scoot Inn (Free Bud 8-9pm, Show at 10pm, 21+) art • Closing Reception: The Puppet Show - Puppets and portraits of Mexican artists by fourth-grade students at Sanchez Elementary at Las Manitas Avenue Cafe, 211 Congress (4:30-6pm) books • Milton Burton presents The Sweet and the Dead at BookPeople (7:00pm)......

THURSDAY [17] theatre • Rubber Repertory presents A Thought in Three Parts at The Vortex (8pm) art • Opening Reception: Denise Prince Martin: Things I Never Told You at Women and Their Work, 1710 Lavaca Street (6-8pm, the artist will discuss her work at 6:30pm) art • Downtown Art Night at Participating Galleries (6-9pm) art • Artist Talk: Ann Connor at Flatbed Press, 2830 E. MLK (6pm) art • Art Fix: Printmaking at The......

THURSDAY [10] music • Learning Secrets with Ramesh (Voxtrot), Ben Craven + Co at Whisky Bar music • Rock of Ages Cover Show with Preserve the Sound (50s), Consider the Source (60s), Seaflea (70s), Promisebreakers (80s), Say Hello to the Angels (90s) at Emo's music • The Postmarks, Shuttle Debris, Raleign at Stubb's music • Future Clouds & Radar at Waterloo Records (5pm, Free) music • Moonhangers, Love Gone Cold, Salvia Family Band, Shot Gun......

In case you haven't heard, local playwright Dan Dietz will be leaving Austin (boo for us!) to take on a professorship at Florida State University (yay for him!). We're very sad to see him go. The author of such lauded works at Dirigible, Blind Horses, Tilt Angel, and Americamisfit, Dan Dietz is a brilliant rising star in the theatre world. The women of Shrewd Productions are gifting us with one final production of Dietz's work,......

FRIDAY [4] party/bikes • Yellow Bike Project's Second Annual Bike Art Show with music by DJ Orion, DJ Katherine at Gallery 1906 (Free, 7pm-Midnight) art • Opening Reception: memoria/memoir: Carol Flax at Volitant Gallery, 320 Congress Ave., Ste 100 (6-9pm) art • B Scene at the Blanton Museum of Art 1st Anniversary Celebration at Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress ($5 members, $10 non-members, 6-11pm) art • Opening Reception: Tunnel Vision: Parading Down the......

THURSDAY [3] film • Austin Film Festival screens "The Ballad of A.J Weberman" at Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek (7:30pm Free/$4 Members/General) art • West End Gallery Night at Participating Galleries (Until 8pm) art • Blanton Museum of Art Public Tour: An Introduction to Prints at Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress (7-8pm) books • Book Release Party: Collecting the Imagination: The First Fifty Years of the Ransom Center at The Harry Ransom Center (7:00pm)......

That's right: it's time to heat up your winter nights again, with the 14th season of FronteraFest. The Short Fringe, the Long Fringe, or Mi Casa es su Teatro -- FronteraFest is five weeks of alternative, offbeat, new, and just plain off-the-wall fringe theatre presented by Hyde Park Theatre and Austin Script Works. For complete FronteraFest 2007 information, including times and locations for the Short Fringe, the Long Fringe and Mi Casa es su......

Last night, Austin's theatre denizens gathered at Zach Scott Theater for the annual B. Iden Payne Awards ceremony. A function of Austin Circle of Theaters, every fall the BIPpies recognize outstanding work on Austin's stages. This year's ballot was chock full of amazing talent—undoubtedly the voting public had some difficult choices to make. With a fabulous ceremony helmed by Andrea Skola and the women of Shrewd Productions, and featuring commentary from the always-funny Buzz......

Damn! These giveaways just don't stop today, do they? We're thrilled to offer yet another set of free tickets -- actually, two sets this time -- for yet another show that's opening this weekend. The clever women of Shrewd Productions bring you the world premiere of Monika Bustamante's Stillborn: a bedtime story, opening tonight and running every Th/Fr/Sa at 8pm at Hyde Park Theatre through October 28. The play features three sisters who "are......

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......

Elizabeth Cobbe, our esteemed colleague over at the Austin Chronicle, has put together a great article profiling the top ten up-and-comers in Austin's "rebel" theatre scene. As you may have noticed, Austinist has a weak spot for rebellious types, so we were excited to find the new punks on the block listed in one handy, helpful spot. (And to give full disclosure we were indeed pleased the company co-helmed by Austinist's own Jonathon Morgan......

Shrewd Productions' latest offering, Cheater, features the work of some seriously bad ass local playwrights, including Michael Kranes, Robert LeBlanc, Gregory Romero, Ken Webster, Mical Trejo, and Andrea Skola, who also directs. Plus, the cast includes (amongst other notables) Monika Bustamante and Lana Dietrich -- awesome! Now you, dear reader, can cheat your way out of paying to see this fine performance, simply by filling out the form below. Ok, it's not really cheating......

F R I D A Y [16] [theatre] Rude Mechs present Pale Idiot by Kirk Lynn at The Off Centre (Through Sat, $12, 8pm) [Austinist Review] [theatre] Langston Hughes' "Black Nativity" at Austin Playhouse on Penn Field (Through Sat, $20, 7:30pm) [theatre] "When Pigs Fly" at Arts on Real (8pm) [theatre] Shrewd Productions presents "Xmas Unwrapped! A Holiday Burlesque" at Hyde Park Theatre (Through Sat, 10pm) [theatre] "A Christmas Carol" at The State Theatre......

There's a whole slew of theatre productions closing this weekend. This being the busy time of year, we were unable to get to most of them. Sadly. If we could clone ourselves, here's a list of shows we'd be sure to hit this weekend. Pro Arts Collective presents Black Nativity by Langston Hughes Adapted, Directed and Choreographed by Jason Ansara Brooks This passionate, high-energy combination of gospel music and the story of the nativity......

M O N D A Y [12] [music] UT Ethnomusicology Dept Ensembles at Momo's (8pm) [music] David Newbould at Flipnotics (8pm) [music] Singer-Songwriter Night at Longbranch Inn [music] Elizabeth McQueen at Theadgill's (8pm) [music] Listening party for Ludacris' new album, Disturbing Tha Peace at Nasty's (8pm) [music/shopping] Armadillo Christmas Bazaar with the Eggmen at Austin Music Hall (Check website for dates/hours) [party] Friends of the Spade Christmas Party at Velvet Spade (11pm) [film/food] "Narnia"......