Battle of the 'Network' Stars

The East Side Performance Network teams up for the sexiest battle of the century

A new collective of Austin performance troupes have joined forces to put on the biggest show to ever hit the East Side.

The New Movement Theater, Sky Candy Aerial Arts, The Austin Poetry Slam, Black Widow Burlesque, and The Encyclopedia Show, some of the city's biggest draws, will perform together under one roof for the first time this Wednesday night.

The East Side Performance Network (ESPN), as the collective unit is called, is the brainchild of New Movement Artistic Director Alex Berry and yours truly, the producer and host of the monthly Encyclopedia Show. As we often host shows on the same evenings, we never get to see each other's shows. We joked that the only way we'd ever be able to see each other's shows was if we hosted a show together. Zing.

Two shows are better than one, but five is even better than two. Why not throw in some of Austin's other favorites like Sky Candy, Black Widow and APS? We all love entertaining, comedy and performance, so it only makes sense. The goal is to start folding in all of the shows in town that feature comedy, music, debate and writing in some way. (And there's quite a few of them.)

The plan for Wednesday night's Love Vs. Sex show at the ND@501 Studios is simple. It's ultimately a staged debate with one simple question in mind: "Which is better: True Love or Hot Sex?" This way, just about everyone will have an opinion. And audience members are of course encouraged to root for their favorite team.

Comedians from the New Movement will provide the opening arguments for Team Love and Team Sex, who are vying for the win. In staged rounds of head-to-head "battle," members from each of the remaining four groups will represent for their side, using their brains, beauty and creativity to win the audience's votes. In the end, the New Movement will offer their final remarks and the audience will be called upon to determine the night's winning team.

East Austin's favorite sequined party girls, Drunk Dial, will be moderating the evening's events, offering their hysterical, (occassionally slurred) commentary on the night's proceedings. Much like the original Olympic games held in Greece, this will be a night of revelry and perhaps a little (nearly-)naked wrestling. With those Burlesque gals, you never know what's going to happen...

I realize I'm biased, but I can objectively states this is the perfect opportunity to see five amazing performance groups for the price of one ticket. We'll all be enjoying one another's company and seeing what each other has been up to. Plus: boobs.

Won't you join us?

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Art Project(ion)

Huge art projection to transform historic waterfront building in Austin

Seaholm Intake Facility in Austin at night

Photo courtesy of the Trail Conservancy

This building will look a little different on two nights in September.

Austin has no shortage of murals, but this temporary installation is doing something differently — and the clean-up will be almost nonexistent. Design Austin and The Trail Conservancy have collaborated to create WaterWork, a series of videos to be projected onto the Seaholm Intake Building, at dusk on September 12 and 17.

Between 10 and 15 local artists will provide videos that range in length from 15 second to two minutes. According to a press release, they all "reflect" (pun intended?) on how nature interplays with Austin's downtown, which is famous for the presence of the Colorado River.

For those without an encyclopedic knowledge of Austin's riverside layout, this building is located on the north bank of the river, just to the east of the MoPac Colorado River Railroad Bridge and down a slight hill from the Austin Public Library Central branch.

The Art Deco building was initially a pump house and operated until 1989. After a long period of waiting to repurpose the building, it started undergoing a restoration process in 2016, and now allows small groups to tour the facility with a cleaner facade, restored windows, safer flooring, and more. In a second phase, which is now in a funding campaign, it will get a café and community space, a platform for water access, and more.

This is the first time art will be projected onto the building, although it's no stranger to unauthorized graffiti.

Seaholm Intake Facility in Austin at night The Seaholm Intake Facility in the natural lighting most Austinites see it in.Photo courtesy of the Trail Conservancy

In addition to getting help from Austin locals, this will likely be a fun treat for locals walking their dogs, exercising, and otherwise going about their daily routines, since it'll be easily visible from the James D. Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge or the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. Of course, anyone passing on the water will also see it. Design Austin will be highlighting the work on its Design Austin Cruise.

“We are thrilled to host an immersive experience right in the heart of nature – and the heart of downtown,” said Design Austin co-curator and founding board member of Design Austin Emily Eisenhart in the release. “The Trail Conservancy loved the idea of celebrating the dynamic between the urban environment and the natural landscape, since they protect both the biodiversity in Lady Bird Lake and the history of the iconic building they restored. They just get it.”

Collaborating artists include:

Ani Bradberry
Emily Eisenhart
Moyo Oyelola
Justin Rankin
Casey Alfstad
Essentials Creative
Ariana Gomez
Jamal Hussain
Virginia L. Montgomery
Liz Rodda
Hannah Spector

As additional designers sign on, the list will be updated at designaustin.org.

If would-be viewers miss this year's showing, it looks like there will be more chances next year.

“Artists and designers often balance two different elements to create new perspectives,” adds Justin Rankin, co-curator and founding board member of Design Austin. “We’d love to make WaterWork a yearly event so the whole community can come and add their perspectives too.”

More information about viewing the work is available at designaustin.org.

colorado river nature parks