House of Comedy

The new New Movement: A fresh downtown location for one of Austin's busiestcomedy theaters

New Movement Austin Artistic Director Alex Berry

The plucky go-getters at The New Movement Theater have had a busier, more insane SXSW experience than you have. They have booked some of the best official SXSW comedians for free, unofficial shows, and they did all of it at their brand new location at 616 Lavaca Street.

Artistic Director Alex Berry has been hard at work during the Interactive portion of the conference, rushing to open the theater for preview showcases featuring Kevin Allison from The State, stand ups James Adomian and Kyle Kinane, and public access host Chris Gethard just to name a few.

The New Movement crew is smartly engaging the visiting crowds of SXSW, in particular the impossibly long lines that were outside of Esther’s Follies all last week. Many of those who got turned away for those limited-capacity comedy shows found plenty more to love at the new New Movement only a few blocks away.

The previous Rosewood location’s 60 person capacity made its shows intimate, but limited the growth potential of the theater. Berry says, “Our shows always do pretty well at the old Rosewood location, but everyone who goes there goes there with the intention of going only there. We rarely get any foot traffic.” Now, with a bus route that drops off at their front door and a close proximity to UT, they expect to grow by leaps and bounds. “This new location is so ideal, it opens our audience potential up so much.”

Although the Lavaca Street theater is larger and there will be separate spaces dedicated to shows, classes, and fundraising events, don’t expect the good vibes of the company to change much at TNM. “I’m going to try not to [change the feel of the theater]. We’re going to get bigger and better,” explains Berry. “I’m just going to try to keep it familial and open just like it was at Rosewood, but in general I don’t want to change a whole lot.”

The theater’s steady growth and popularity has allowed the company to make the move, but Berry and the rest of the TNM Austin crew hope for the theater to continue supporting additional projects. “We did a big Groupon for the new year which allowed us to add more classes to our conservatory. It's just nice having a healthy fund to support going on tour, advertising and expenses like that.”

As with any new venture, there will of course be some changes. Berry anticipates programming all seven nights of the week, including a new weekly “Show Up, Go Up” comedy open mic. The theater already has a popular weekly open mic night called Block Party, which reflects the theater’s offbeat, anything goes programming.

TNM is shooting for a grand opening in the second week of April. In the meanwhile, the new theater sneak previews featuring SXSW comics continue all this week. Hashtag Comedy, for example, will feature Austin comics Nick Mullen and Bob Khosravi alongside visiting comics Nick Turner, Jerrod Carmichael, and Dan Soder. You really don’t want to miss these shows.

And, Berry smiles, “Stay tuned for more of those kinds of announcements...”

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Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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