the mayor's new clothes

Austin mayor and 15 others cast as famous Nutcracker mother

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson will be one of 16 community leaders playing Mother Ginger in 2023.

Photo by Anne Marie Bloodgood/balletaustin.org

Mother is coming home for the holidays. Fans of The Nutcracker — and even anyone who has a tangential knowledge of the holiday stage production — likely recognize the larger-than-life figure of Mother Ginger. In countless productions across the globe, her circus tent-like skirt smuggles in a troupe of child dancers in one of the highlights of each performance.

Part of the fun is the gender-bending: the iconic character is traditionally played 'en travesti" — in simpler terms, by a male performer in drag. Ballet Austin makes the flamboyant experience even more exciting by inviting performers who, regardless of their gender, are well known around Austin. And the less they usually appear in a dress, the more exciting.

For Ballet Austin's 61st annual production of The Nutcracker, ballet Austin has casted 16 community leaders as Mother Ginger. Most well known among them are five local mayors from Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and West Lake Hills. Other cameos will include other local public servants, Ballet Austin executives, and more.

They'll all be part of choreography by Ballet Austin's Stephen Mills, but these guest stars won't have to worry much about the steps. The scaffolded dress is so huge that their feet will not touch the stage, so all the dancing and acting is done from the waist up. The Austin Symphony Orchestra will play the famous Tchaikovsky score, which includes Christmas classics like the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and the simply dubbed "March."

“Mother Ginger is a very special character in Act II of The Nutcracker," said Mills in a press release. "For her divertissement, she is rolled on stage atop a platform covered by her white and red satin skirt. We are honored to have dignitaries, business leaders, healthcare professionals and first responders from the growing Central Texas region celebrate this holiday tradition on stage with the community.”

Community leaders cast as Mother Ginger in the 2023 production include:

Friday, December 1 at 7:30 pm: Jennifer Guthrie, Ballet Austin board member and Managing Director/Senior Private Client Advisor, Texas Capital Bank
Saturday, December 2 at 2 pm: Ashley Goudeau, Anchor and Political Director, KVUE Austin
Saturday, December 2 at 7:30 pm: Serena Hicks, Ballet Austin board member and Business Coach, CEO, Serena Hicks LLC
Sunday, December 3 at 2 pm: The Honorable Kirk Watson, Mayor of Austin
Friday, December 8 at 7:30 pm: Forrest Preece, long-time Ballet Austin board member and consulting dilettante
Saturday, December 9 at 2 pm: Robin Henderson, Interim Chief of Police, Austin Police Department
Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 pm: Robert Luckritz, Chief, Austin-Travis County EMS
Sunday, December 10 at 2 pm: Matthew Baker, Mayor Pro-Tem, Round Rock
Friday, Decemeber 15 at 7:30 pm: Christie Clark, Clinical Nurse Coordinator and ICU RN, St. David’s North Austin Medical Center
Saturday, December 16 at 2 pm: The Honorable Jim Penniman-Morin, Mayor of Cedar Park
Saturday, December 16 at 7:30 pm: The Honorable Christine DeLisle, Mayor of Leander
Sunday, December 17 at 2 pm: Amanda Parr, Councilmember, City of Georgetown
Wednesday, December 20 at 7:30 pm: Matias Segura, Interim Superintendent, Austin ISD
Thursday, December 21 at 2 pm: The Honorable Linda Anthony, Mayor of West Lake Hills
Friday, December 22 at 2 pm: Dottie Watkins, President and CEO, CapMetro
Saturday, December 23 at 2 pm: Ann Graham, Honoring 10 years as Executive Director, Texans for the Arts

Tickets ($15-125) are available at balletaustin.org. Prices range from $15 to $125. Groups of 20 or more should contact Ballet Austin’s Ticketing Services Team at (512) 476-2163.

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New

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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