A new act

Alamo Drafthouse closing Austin's iconic Ritz theater amid bankruptcy procedures

Sixth Street's Ritz location is closing.

Austin's homegrown movie chain is entering its next act — bankruptcy. As part of the Alamo Drafthouse's upcoming court-supervised Chapter 11 bankruptcy process, it will also close three theaters, including its iconic Ritz location in downtown Austin.

Along with the Ritz, the Drafthouse will also be closing its New Braunfels' Marketplace location as well as a theater in Kansas City.

The 90-year-old Ritz has operated as part of the Drafthouse for the past 13 and a half years, playing host to SXSW Film, movie premieres, and countless special events. The theater closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic, and though some Drafthouse locations have since reopened with limited capacity and rentable auditoriums, the Ritz has remained shuttered.

"For nearly [fourteen] years, The Ritz – the spiritual successor to our original location at 409 Colorado – has been the beating, fiery, cinephile heart of Alamo Drafthouse in Austin," the theater said in a goodbye blog.

In an internal email, the company said the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a restructuring of its ownership and subsequent closures. In addition to founder Tim League, Dave Kennedy, and Altamont Capital Partners, the Alamo Drafthouse recently brought on the New York-based Fortress Investment Group to "ensure we have adequate financing going forward."

This does not, however, mean the Drafthouse is going out of business, the company stressed. Instead, it says the bankruptcy and investor reorg will allow the company to get through COVID-19 and reposition itself on the other side.

Like all movie theaters, the Alamo Drafthouse has struggled to find new revenue streams over the past year while movie theaters have remained either closed or operating with very limited attendance. In April 2020, the Drafthouse rolled out Virtual Cinema, a partnership that allows movie fans to stream new releases at home. The Austin-based theater chain also added to-go cocktail and food service in an attempt to drum up business through the pandemic.

Despite entering Chapter 11, the company is optimistic that it will survive.

"Because of the increase in vaccination availability, a very exciting slate of new releases, and pent-up audience demand, we're extremely confident that by the end of 2021, the cinema industry — and our theaters specifically — will be thriving," the email said.

movies

Not So Strange After All

A Deaf Austin theatre company is adapting 'A Strange Loop' for everyone

A previous production from Deaf Austin Theatre.

Photo courtesy of Deaf Austin Theatre

Deaf Austin Theatre (pictured) will be joining up with Washington D.C.'s Visionaries of the Creative Arts for this production of A Strange Loop.

Next summer, two Deaf theatre companies will be joining forces to put on a limited run of a play for deaf, hard of hearing (HoH), and hearing audiences alike. The first of just two performance runs will be in Washington D.C. and the second will be right here in Austin, starting August 29, 2025. This is the first collaboration of its kind in the United States, according to a press release.

The show is Tony Award-winning musical A Strange Loop, by Michael R. Jackson. This critically acclaimed work was originally produced Off-Broadway in 2019 and then premiered on Broadway in April of 2022. It follows the life of Usher, a Black, queer man writing a musical — which in turn is about a Black, queer man writing a musical. (As you might have guessed, the real-life writer of the musical, Michael R. Jackson, is also a Black, queer man.)

The play has been acclaimed for its raw, biting humor and poignant look at identity and the artistic struggle. It won both Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical at the 2022 Tony Awards, and now for the first time, it's making its way onto the stage for a more diverse audience.

"I am thrilled that Deaf Austin Theatre and Visionaries of the Creative Arts are collaborating to bring A Strange Loop to their audiences," said Jackson in the release. "Though A Strange Loop is told through Usher’s very specific lens, it has always been my intent that his story resonates universally throughout the human condition. I believe these two theaters will crack the piece open even further in a unique way that only they can do and for that reason, I enthusiastically support this co-production.”

The two theatre companies mentioned are Austin-based Deaf Austin Theatre (DAT) and Washington D.C.-based Visionaries of the Creative Arts (VOCA). Both companies focus on expanding the representation of deaf artists on stage, as well as making shows accessible to more diverse audiences. This production of A Strange Loop will be performed by a company of deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing artists in American Sign Language (ASL), though they are still casting for a majority of the roles. It also will be spoken and sung English.

A previous production from Washington D.C.'s Visionaries of the Creative Arts (VOCA). Photo courtesy of VOCA

"We are open to seeing [and] meeting actors who relate to this material," says the play's director, Alexandria Wailes, in an email to CultureMap. "The role of Usher will be played by a Deaf/HoH actor. We are building the world around this. which means that the other characters will be played by Deaf, HoH and Hearing actors."

If you're at all in the theatre world, this list of names might be familiar to you. Wailes is best known as the director of A Not So Quiet Nocturne, Once on This Island, Spring Awakening (which she co-directed); as well as an actress in Broadway plays like For Colored Girls, Spring Awakening, Big River,and T.V. shows like the CW's The Flash and Little America. She lives in New York.

The artistic directors of each organization, DAT's Brian Cheslik and VOCA's Michelle Banks, will be co-producing the play. "Just wait until you see some of the amazing performers that we are bringing together to tell this story," adds Cheslik.

He's known for his productions of Next to Normal, The Last Five Years, and Cinderella. He also educates other theaters on accessibility needs for Deaf performers and audiences, as well as training performance interpreters here in Austin.

Banks is also an award-winning actress, writer, director, producer, choreographer, motivational speaker, and teacher. Audiences might have caught her on Showtime's Soul Food or Girlfriends, or Lifetime's Strong Medicine. She's also been in too many plays to list, but a couple include Big River in Los Angeles and For Colored Girls, which won an NAACP Theatre aware for "Best Ensemble."

Additionally, Stanley Bahorek will be the associate director and music supervisor on this play. He's best known as part of Minds Eye Producing, as well as an actor in several Broadway productions including Spelling Bee, Amazing Grace, and Company.

This crew of theatre all stars are based all over the country. According to Cheslik, it's been "very productive so far," and the team has been managing their meetings over Zoom.

"It has been great and really exciting," adds director Wailes. "It is also challenging when we look at the calendar for the year thinking we have plenty of time to plan, but we actually don't."

The biggest challenges, though, don't have to do with meeting from a distance.

"[The biggest challenge is] changing the perception of the majority that there are other lived experiences beyond their own," Wailes says. "As a director, one of my goals is to create space for people to meet, gather, and have opportunities to open themselves to possibilities they don't often have access to."

Also, making sure there are enough funds to produce this play has been challenging, adds Banks.

Overall, though, this talented team is excited about the collaboration, the material, and the chance to bring this unique play to a wider audience.

"[This] is a show that has a lot to say, that needs to be said and needs to be 'heard [and] seen,'" says Cheslik. "I saw this show on Broadway and as a white man, it made me uncomfortable. But I welcomed that feeling because it forces you to think, unpack, assess, and listen. The show was raw, and beautiful all at the same time. Usher is such a lovable, touching character, who shared everything with his audience: his dreams, fears, frustrations, insecurities, family issues, sexual journey and finds healing in his art. The moment I saw it, I knew that I had to produce it and make it accessible to Deaf and hard of hearing audiences."

A Strange Loop will show in Austin from August 29 through September 14, 2025.

Currently, auditions are still being held and will wrap up in late November or early December. This means the full cast and creatives will be announced at a later date; it also means, if you're an actor who resonates with this material, you still have a chance to audition.

For more information about the play, visit strangeloopmusical.com.

disability musicals theatre