Local Theatre Fix

Austin playwright creates a burning relationship that rises from flames in Agnesand Alfred

He’s a commitment-phobe. She can’t help but burn everyone in her midst, including herself. Their names: Alfred and Agnes. All of Austin is invited to witness their dysfunction at The Off Center Theatre through the end of October.

Austin-based playwright Steve Moore paints his play with explosive yet realistic colors, highlighting the potential magic and misery when two irreversibly flawed people fall into a warped romance.

The world premier of the show features local actors Thomas Graves and Hannah Kenah in the title roles. With direction from Carlos Trevino, they have knitted a complex, intimate and specific relationship that is a joy to watch, even as it unearths the uncertainty and frailty of human nature.

The play begins with Agnes and Alfred when they first meet each other in a fire shelter after their homes are destroyed in an Oregon fire. As their friendship and romance develops, the audience is escorted to various sets within The Off Center, peering into the snippets of their lives.

The lived-in-ness of the space and sets offer authenticity and life, almost as if the audience is witnessing the couple’s crossfire as their children, hoping Mommy and Daddy will work it out in the end.

This locally written and produced show packs an emotional punch and is told poignantly with two irreverent and unsophisticated protagonists. It’s got an Austin-edge but remains naturalistic and firmly based in reality.

Agnes and Alfred was produced by the Physical Plant Theatre at The Off Center at 2211 Hidalgo St. in Austin, TX. All performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday-Sundays; the final performance is Saturday, Oct. 27.

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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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