The Alamo Drafthouse rocked the country last year when the hilarious rambly voicemail left by a customer who was kicked out of the theater for texting made national headlines, leaving non-Austinites feeling a little left out.
Well, the wait is over America: soon there will (probably) be an Alamo near you! It seems like every other week, the legendary cinema is announcing a new theater in an often unexpected corner of the country.
Earlier this week, the Drafthouse announced its newest destination in Yonkers, which will be the second Alamo opening in the NYC area; the other is to be located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
With all this expansion, it’s a good time to pause and catch up with the rapid-fire expansion of the not-so-local-anymore theater that we love with all our hearts.
As the birthplace of the Drafthouse, Austin is home to five theaters: Ritz, South Lamar, Village, Lake Creek and now Slaughter. San Antonio comes second in the list with three Alamos — well, four if you count the actual mission.
There were two theaters in Houston, but the West Oaks location closed down earlier this year to make room for two new theaters currently under construction. That makes a total of three in Houston within the next couple of years.
The DFW area will soon experience the theater in Richardson, Texas. Close proximity to the University of Texas, Dallas and a large population of UT alums is sure to make this an ideal location for the quirky little theater that could.
A Washington, DC location is scheduled to open in 2013, neighboring the Winchester, Virginia theater that opened in 2009. Other out-of-state theater announcements include one theatre near Denver and another in Kansas City, Missouri, in the Main Street Victorian-style AMC flagship theater. Both are set to open sometime next year.
After rumors of a west coast Drafthouse developed, founder Tim League confirmed in February that there will be a theater opening in San Francisco. After a massive historic renovation of the famous New Mission Theater, San Fran will be home to arguably the classiest Alamo to date.
Not only will each of these new theaters enforce the infamous no-talking policy that sparked a million likes on Facebook, but the Alamo promises to keep up the movie-themed humor, the genuine respect for cinema and the creative film culture active in every new location.
Will the expansion ever stop, or will the theater chain dominate the entire country with its popular (and, frankly, much-needed) improvement on the standard movie-going experience? One thing’s for sure: this Austin-based company is just getting started.
Austin's Mama Duke is set to showcase her original rap on America’s Got Talent.
Austin musician Mama Duke is no stranger to the limelight, but her journey to becoming a multifaceted artist has been anything but conventional. Now, she’s taking her artistry to a national stage, representing Austin on America's Got Talent (AGT). Her audition will air June 17 at 7 pm on NBC (locally on KXAN).
With deep roots in storytelling and a genre-defying sound, Mama Duke embodies creative evolution. Hopping between rap, pop, and other genres, her music is a testament to her love for bridging communities and celebrating individuality.
Music has always been a force of connection for Mama Duke, and that journey started early. Growing up in a household where rap wasn’t allowed, her mother instilled a love of storytelling through other genres, sparking her passion for lyrics and meaning. Now, the musician's refusal to be boxed into a single genre is central to her identity as an artist. She describes herself as being “in the middle of everything,” a reflection of her life experiences.
Her upcoming appearance on AGT marks a milestone in her career, one that she views as an opportunity not just for herself, but for all the communities she represents.
CultureMap took some time with Mama Duke to learn about her artistic point of view and audition on America's Got Talent. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
CultureMap: You've been in and around music since childhood. What is it about the medium of music that you love?
Mama Duke: "I grew up on the Mexican side of my family, and so my mom didn't let me listen to rap growing up, and I always was listening to, like, just oldies. And I owe my mom so much. But every time we listened to a country song, she'd turn it off and be like, ‘What do you think that was about?’ We talked about songs. And so it is just storytelling that I am so excited about. Obviously music performing, but also telling other people's stories ... pulling that out of you, that's what I love."
CM: You're often defined as 'genre hopping.' How would you describe your music to someone who's never heard it before?
MD: "I'm in this weird space for lack of a better word. I sometimes I don't know what to say. I love pop music. But then if somebody just introduced me as pop artist Mama Duke, or even when people say 'she's a rapper,' I'm like, that does not feel good, you know? And so I think I'm still developing that. I feel like I want to give you an answer. I don't have just one."
CM: That's part of what makes your music unique, too. You can hear the genre hopping, even in individual songs. Can you tell me more about your desire to mix styles?
MD: "For me, it's just like I am a bridge to a lot of different things. I'm half Black, half Mexican, right in the middle. I'm also a masc presenting queer woman. I am literally in the middle of all these communities. And so for me, it's like, I love being a bridge. It's something that doesn't turn off. I always say rap music got me here. Universal did a songwriting camp in the pandemic, and that's when I started making songs with people from Brazil. You know, I love bridging worlds."
CM: You're about to perform on America's Got Talent. What does it mean to you to represent Austin on the AGT stage?
MD: "Oh, man, it is literally for everyone. I mean, I would say triple whammy, right? I'm a part of so many minority groups, you know, and then you add artists in there. We're all trying just have some sort of spotlight on us. ... To be seen by such a big platform is — I can’t explain it. Imagine if you won the lottery and you cannot cash this until next February. You’re still moving. But you eat different things, treating people different. Traffic feels different. News feels different. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to feel like this; feel invincible, you feel invited to the table."
CM: What are you most excited for the world to see when your performance airs?
MD: "I hope people can see me beyond the performance, beyond my story. You know, like if you didn't like the song, you liked me. If you didn't like me, you liked the song, or you appreciated my outfit, or you laughed a little. I want people to see that a starving artist from Austin, Texas, is touching ... Simon [Cowell] or Scary Spice. I was always the Black girl. I always had to be, like, even if I wanted to be Sporty [Spice], I think, gladly, was always that loud Black girl. And so to be seen there, it's crazy."
CM: What was the turning point for you in moving from just listening and consuming to actually making music?
MD: "When I was younger, my mama had this software on her computer. Horrible mic, horrible, horrible, horrible. But it worked, and she had a CD burner. So here I am, 14 years old, rapping on this rinky dink mic, burning it and selling it in the hallways. I really didn't know you could be anybody and get paid for it. It was just, I love to do it. Then I went to the Art Institute for photography — that was my first love. I heard that Austin was the Live Music Capital of the World. Moved to Austin, started performing, and I was like, ‘People pay for this?' Even $50? You want to give me $50 to do the song I made in my closet? ... I was just winging it."
CM: What advice do you have for musicians in Austin trying to make it to where you are?
MD: "I mean, it's a little lonely for anybody out there in the early stages or middle stages. Your blueprint is not going to look like mine. You're really precious. ... Truly, to have this golden ticket to go audition, it's like every 'no' mattered. The day after my audition airs, [I'll go to work at] the YMCA... I could be mad about that, like, dang, I got this opportunity, and I still got to clock in the day after. [But] I get to do that, and I'm okay with that. Your story is your story. You have to love that part of it, to love this part. If you are truly an artist, this is what we do. We struggle and fall in love with that part."