512 Art

Find Austin art events, Austin museum exhibitions, and Austin art news here, including Austin music and theater productions.

May 19, 2013

Weekly Roundup

11:30 AM Posted by Unknown , , , , ,
Events: May 19 - May 25

Sunday 19


Monday 20


Tuesday 21
Wednesday 22
Thursday 23


Friday 24

  • 7:30pm Austin Shakespeare performs A Winter's Tale @ Zilker Park Hillside Theatre

Saturday 25

April 30, 2013

A Night of Questions at the Opera: Faust

11:32 PM Posted by Unknown , , ,

I like that modern art causes me to stop and ask questions - to pause in the midst of the familiar and have to deal with something very unfamiliar. It is in this context that I enjoyed Austin Lyric Opera’s performance of Faust this past week. Unfortunately, I am uncertain if the modern interpretation by Bernard Uzan truly worked. I like leaving modern art with questions, but Faust is supposed to provide very clear answers about good versus evil and I admit I’m still baffled almost a week later.

Photography by Mark Matson. Posted at Long Center
First and foremost, I must commend the entire crew: The acting, the singing, and the sets were superb! The scene in the insane asylum will most likely haunt my dreams for years to come – it was so vivid and terrifying!

The place where I am left confused and I believe the opera was lacking is in the interpretation and understanding of Faust. I admire anyone who tackles a new rendition of an old production, but I’m not entirely convinced this one hit the mark. I fully agree with Bernard Uzan that “the quest for Faust doesn't belong to a specific time” and that “the story belongs to humanity” outside of time, but I believe it needs a different reboot.

The message of Faust got muddled. My opera companion commented with a very poignant remark as we were walking home from the opera Thursday night that, “they were very good at doing the bad, but not so good at the good.” And I agree. In contemplating the end scene in which Mephistopheles is supposed to be turned away by the words “Christ es ressuscite!” there was no clear victory of the good over evil. Mephistopheles got to turn and wheel Faust away – Marguerite had clearly broken free and was saved, but it became more about her personal salvation than the salvation of mankind and the victory of ALL good over evil.

I would love to hear other people’s feedback on what they thought. Perhaps I’m still trying to wrap my mind around a new interpretation? It felt very choppy, and perhaps that is keeping me from piecing details together? Or perhaps I've hit on something that others felt as well? In any case, I would greatly enjoy entering into dialogue with others about the opera and I thank Austin Lyric Opera for presenting an opera that posed questions.

April 21, 2013

What You're Missing This Week That You Didn't Know You Were Missing

9:24 PM Posted by Unknown , , , ,
State Library of New South
Wales Collection via Flickr
Regulars of this blog & friends of mine already know how much I adore Austin Lyric Opera. They did a magnificent job with Pagliacci and Marriage of Figaro. The production of Marriage of Figaro in particular stole my heart for weeks with joyous remembrances. As such I am incredibly excited for the performance of Faust this week.

Gounod's Faust tells the tale of an elderly scholar, a young woman, and the Devil in the midst of a struggle of good versus evil.

The folks at Austin Lyric Opera have yet to disappoint and I cannot endorse this performance enough. Have I seen it? No. But I have seen what these folks are capable of and they can send shivers down your spine with heart wrenching arias and bring you to tears through laughter with witty word play and situational sung humor.

Trust me. You don't want to miss seeing Mephistopheles strut his bass-baritone-wielding self across the stage.



Tickets are still on sale & this close to the opening night they have some fantastic deals. Go here now to reserve your spot in the Devil's audience.

March 20, 2013

Is SXSW Over?

10:19 PM Posted by Unknown ,
It has been a terribly busy past few weeks for all of us who jump headlong into the affairs of South by Southwest. I will be back to business as usual this coming weekend. Until then, I give you some food for thought:
Cut on the straight line. Only on the straight line.

A Mondrian Cake made in the ATX. It was hard to construct, difficult to cut, sadly crumbly, but ultimately tasty & fun to attempt! Next time it won't look so... so... droopy abstract?

March 3, 2013

Weekly Roundup

11:00 AM Posted by Unknown
March 3 - March 9
SXSW kicks off in Austin on the 8th!
Set your sleep schedules to "non-existent," your networking to "social marathon," and your livers to "hang in there"

Sunday 3
Image from Texas Performing Arts


Monday 4


Tuesday 5


Wednesday 6


Thursday 7


Friday 8


Saturday 9

March 2, 2013

One Man Star Wars Trilogy

12:17 PM Posted by Unknown ,
Okay, so maybe it was only the past Wednesday and it was only as far away as the Long Center, but it was definitely Star Wars and incredibly funny.

This blog usually focuses on traditional arts, not necessarily movies or comedians, but I'm going to make an exception in this case to reveal my inner geek and encourage others to get in touch with theirs. Charles Ross takes his One Man Star Wars act on tour around America. He is a comedian who tried out performing the first movie of the Star Wars trilogy as a skit during a normal comedy routine at a comedy club and discovered it was a hit. As Ross puts it: there is a little geek in all of us. From there Ross expanded the skit to include all three movies and made it a standalone show. And now we get to enjoy the epic sci-fi trilogy from our childhood in a way we've never experienced them before.

This is a clip from one of his shows back in 2007. His performance has improved in 5 years, but this will give you a general idea of what to expect:


Don't miss an opportunity to catch Charles Ross' performance at the Long Center! Tomorrow, Sunday March 3rd is the last showing here in Austin. Get tickets here.