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 ›

A few titillating theatre pieces are going down in Austin right now, from dancing prancing ladies to pinko feminazi confessions. Curiouser and curiouser. But our list is topped by the New Plays/Fresh Voices performances running two weeks only at the Vortex. This and next weekend only, two new plays by two local playwrights will be on the boards. One of the works is the latest from local, award-winning playwright, poet, and performer Zell Miller,... more ›

M O N D A Y 12 film · QT6 at the Drafthouse Downtown: Documentary Night (7pm and 9:45pm) music · David Garza at Cactus Cafe [Austinist Review] music · Black Angels, Modey Lemon, Rubble and Skullening at Emo's [Austinist Review] outdoors · Park Day at Zilker! Making Austin Home is putting on a huge day of "rest, relaxation and distraction" for Katrina survivors. (10am-6pm) [More Info] T U E S D A Y 13theatre... more ›

[This post comes courtesy of reader Julie Holden, who'll soon be joining the Austinist staff. Welcome, Julie!] Last night we caught the preview of Zell Miller III's "The Evidence of Silence Broken" at Hyde Park Theatre. Miller is a local playwright, actor, and poet who received The Austin Chronicle's Best Author/Poet award for 2004. He's an energetic, captivating performer whose work includes poetry slams, theatre eduction, and much more. We've seen Miller on stage... more ›