As a part of my freelance writing gig, I sometimes like to do performance reviews. I went to see a show tonight, but I wish I would have done something else instead. It was 2 one-act plays based on short stories from Chekhov. I was most interested in the second half, an adaptation of “The […]
Sam Killermann: It’s Pronounced Metrosexual
I was first introduced to Sam Killermann when his TED talk was played at a discussion about gender here in Austin. Killermann is the man behind “It’s Pronounced Metrosexual,” a touring comedy show about gender and sexuality. You might also know him from the Genderbread Person, an educational meme which frequently makes a circuit around […]
Going With the Flow
Something I’ve been thinking about for a few days now. Just got back from Burning Flipside, a much-needed artistic vacation. My lover and I had printed out the list of events from the website before leaving, and while we consulted it several times to see what interesting things might be going on, we mostly just wandered […]
Book Review: The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History
The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History, by Emma L. E. Rees explores how female genitalia is represented in popular culture, both throughout history and in the present day. Exploring Literature, Visual Art, Film, Television, and Performance Art, Rees argues that cultural representation of female genitalia follow two tropes: covert visibility (simultaneously seen and unseen) […]
SXSW Film Review: Song from the Forest
Song From the Forest had its US premiere at Austin’s 2014 SXSW festival. Directed by Michael Obert, Song From the Forest chronicles the life and work of Louis Sarno. Sarno is an ethnomusicologist whose work with the Bayaka pygmies has led to him becoming a full member of their community and creating a life in […]
SXSW Film Review: Born to Fly
Born to Fly is a new documentary film which premiered March 8 at the 2014 SXSW festival. Directed by Catherine Gund, Born to Fly chronicles the work of action architect Elizabeth Streb of the STREB Extreme Action Company in Brooklyn, NY. STREB was founded in 1985, allowing dancers to explore Streb’s “POPACTION” techniques both in […]
Review: Zach Theatre’s In the Next Room
ZACH Theatre’s In The Next Room (or the vibrator play) is directed by Sarah Rasmussen, head of UT Austin’s MFA Directing program and former Associate artistic director of ZACH Theatre. Originally produced on Broadway in 2009, In The Next Room is set in the late 19th century at the home of Dr. Givings, a doctor and scientist […]
Margaret Cho’s MOTHER (REVIEW)
Austin’s Paramount, built in Baroque Revival style, was a beautiful location for the show. The walls and ceiling were filled with ornate and elaborate decorations, including a painting of an angel and gargoyles of what might have been Dionysus on either side by the gallery seating. The Paramount was also appropriate for this particular event as […]
Capital City Men’s Chorus celebrates 25 years
This year marks the 25th anniversary season of the Capital City Men’s Chorus (CCMA) in Austin, a choir whose mission is to unite the diverse experiences of gay men and their allies through song. The chorus was founded in 1989, a few years after Dallas’ Turtle Creek Chorale, Dallas’ men’s choir, performed when the AIDS […]
Nadya Ginsburg and the Vaudville of The Madonnalogues
“Good evening homosexuals…and homosexual-adjacents.” So Nadya Ginsburg begins her one woman show, Madonnalogues. It’s no mistake that this performance takes place September 4th, the hump day of PRIDE week here in Austin. Portraying both Madonna and Cher through the course of the evening, Ginsburg uses her artistic roots in the alternative art and comedy scene […]