Bluey’s Big Play The Stage Show

Photo by Darren Thomas

Bluey's Big Play, the Emmy® Award-winning animated preschool series, which airs on Disney Junior, Disney Channel, and Disney+, will be "taking the show on the road" to theaters all across the U.S.

Fans of all ages will get to see Bluey, Bingo, Bandit, and Chilli as they’ve never seen them before, as the Heelers embark on their very first live theater show in the U.S. featuring puppetry, live actors, and iconic sets. Based on an original new story written by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, Bluey’s Big Play The Stage Show also contains new music by Bluey composer, Joff Bush.

Courtesy of the Long Center

These 5 major arts organizations are packing Austin's summer calendar

Summer Calendar

As the days get longer and Austinites' schedules start looking a lot more fun, our premier arts organizations start kicking off their summer programs. Whether you're a regular visitor looking for something new, or completely clueless but ready to jump in, there are plenty of opportunities this summer to break the mold. Take a class or see a movie with friends; it's as involved as you want it to be.

The following five arts organizations offer year-round programming in Austin, often at little or no cost. The summer schedules generally run through the end of May to August or even September. Most require RSVPs.

ACL Radio and The Long Center: The Drop In concert series
Thursdays, May 25 to August 10
It's hard to keep track of all these events, especially a month or more out. The Drop In, a free outdoor concert series held annually by ACL Radio and the Long Center, addresses this calendar fatigue with a timed-release schedule. On Fridays, the organizers announce the artist, and members get to RSVP; on Mondays, RSVPs open up to everyone, and the concert is held that Thursday. This process happens weekly, and will include 21 artists over the course of the series, including some Austin names like Urban Heat, Moody Bank$, and Thebrosfresh.

Announcements will be made weekly by email and on social media. Sign up at thelongcenter.org.

The Contemporary Austin — Laguna Gloria: Art school classes
Starting May 27, dates vary by class
We don't all have the time or funds for an art degree, but art school at the Contemporary Austin — Laguna Gloria can make an artist out of any Austinite. Classes cover pottery, drawing, sound art, even smartphone photography, and more, for a well-rounded course list. Artists who are just starting out might consider "Intro to Art: 2-D," which invites artists to try several different media over seven classes, while some classes like "Advanced Watercolor Techniques" could be good for people who actually did go to art school. There are more than 100 in-person classes for adults and children of various ages in the summer programming, and seven adult classes are available online.

Classes are open to members only, but annual memberships ($50) can be bought at a 20 percent discount using the code ARTSCHOOL. Visit thecontemporaryaustin.org to browse classes.

Paramount Theatre: "Summer Classics"
May 27 to September 2
Summer feels like a good time to catch up on all those film classics you haven't seen, but it's not a time for planning. The Paramount Theatre is doing the work with more than 90 titles slated through the first few days of September, with creative scheduling blocks like "I’m Sure ChatGPT Will Turn Out Just Fine," featuring The Terminator and Robocop on June 11. Partner organizations are helping with curation, including Hyperreal Film Club, We Luv Video, and UMLAUF Sculpture Garden. Some of the screenings will celebrate anniversaries, Pride Month, and more, and some will invite special guests.

Visit austintheatre.org to see the full schedule of films, join the fan club, and more.

Waterloo Greenway: Free community events
June 5 to August 18
The Greenway is undergoing some changes this summer, but throughout the longterm projects, it's still offering lots of free programming for diverse audiences. The first several events for summer celebrate Pride Month, with workout classes, a discussion on identity, performances, and more. Then, the rest of the schedule through August is more varied, addressing different topics pertaining to conservation for kids and adults in different ways. There will also be two outdoor movie screenings, with more fun included like live music and themed snacks.

These free classes are open to everyone. Visit waterloogreenway.org to see the schedule.

Texas Performing Arts
June 10 to August 6
Texas Performing Arts recently announced a new season starting on September 7 with a staging of The Book of Life, but there are a few more events to fill up the summer before it kicks off. A few iconic shows including the long-awaited Hairspray and a rare joint concert by soul singers Gladys Knight & Patti LaBelle will sweep Austinites off their feet. Most of the programming would happen in any season, but two shows are made in collaboration with Summer Stock Austin, a student theater collective: The Wizard of Oz and Grease.

Check texasperformingarts.org for event listings, which vary in type, price, and venue.

Photo courtesy of TPA

Texas Performing Arts presents Odile Gakire Katese and Volcano Theater: The Book of Life

Based on creator Odile Gakire Katese’s collected letters from survivors and perpetrators of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, The Book of Life leads audiences on a journey of pain, grief, acceptance, and rebirth. In this performance about finding hope in the aftermath of tragedy, the playwright and cultural entrepreneur’s story reverberates through spoken word and the rhythms of Ingoma Nshya, Rwanda’s first-ever female drumming ensemble founded by Katese. In a world racked with hatred and struggle, The Book of Life celebrates healing and the resilience of the human spirit.

Photo courtesy of The City Theatre Company

The City Theatre Company presents The Importance of Being Earnest

The City Theatre Company begins its summer 2023 season with Oscar Wilde’s delightful satire, The Importance of Being Earnest. At a refined bachelor flat, trouble is brewing. The story follows the romantic misadventures of two English cads, Jack and Algernon, who devise a double life in order to impress the strong-willed women whose hearts they hope to win.

But when it is revealed that both friends are not entirely who they appear to be, and must battle the indomitable force of Lady Bracknell, a madcap comedy of teatime pitfalls, unexpected antics, and hilarious revelations ensues. The celebrated classic dazzles with ironic wit, comic invention, razor-sharp subtlety, and bold servings of characters who all discover the importance of being earnest.

Photo courtesy of Jurassic World Live Tour

Jurassic World Live Tour

Jurassic World comes to life against a backdrop of scenery where dinosaurs from the iconic franchise, including fan-favorite Velociraptor Blue and a Tyrannosaurus rex more than 40 feet in length, take center stage. The production features more than 24 film-accurate, life-sized dinosaurs, with scale, speed and ferocity, operated by animatronics and performers. Fans of the popular Netflix animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous will also recognize Bumpy, the friendly and food motivated dinosaur, as she goes from baby to adult fairly quickly.

Jurassic World’s unmistakable score combined with projection and practical scenery transforms the arena into the dense jungles of Isla Nublar, where real Gyrospheres roll through the valley and scientists work to unravel a corrupt plan and save a new dinosaur from a terrible fate.

Guests will be able to start the adventure early with a special Pre-show Experience included with all ticket purchases. By arriving one hour before showtime, audience members can see their favorite Jurassic World dinosaurs and vehicles up close and personal, including fun photo opps with Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Baby Bumpy and the iconic Jurassic World Jeep and Gyrosphere.

Photo courtesy of Our Daily Bread Media

Bob Bullock Museum hosts Juneteenth documentary screening on June 4

FAITH AND FREEDOM

To commemorate the significance of the first new federal holiday in nearly 40 years, a new documentary provides insight into the history of racism, slavery, and faith in America. Austinites can catch a special screening this summer at the Texas Spirit Theatre in the Bob Bullock Museum on June 4.

Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom will explore how the holiday originated in Galveston, Texas, and share the stories from descendants of formerly enslaved people. Host, producer, and pastor Rasool Berry guides viewers through his journey throughout the state, visiting historical sites and speaking with experts and the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” Opal Lee, who pressed Congress to recognize the holiday and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

While working on the documentary, Berry learned just how powerful Juneteenth is to the people who were there to celebrate it for the first time at a church in Galveston. He said in a press release that those who were “closest to it understood their emancipation on spiritual terms.”

“To really understand that story, we need to grasp their perspective on their own emancipation,” Berry said. “The church is where the story starts, but that’s not where the faith component ends. The role of the Black church in establishing communities was really vital, I discovered.”

The film is directed by Ya’Ke Smith and is presented by Our Daily Bread Voices Collection. It received widespread recognition at film festivals, including the Austin Revolution Film Festival, Dallas International Film Festival, Milwaukee International Film Festival, and more.

Smith said in the release that it’s not possible to share the history of Juneteenth without faith at the center of it.

“It was in the songs sung, it was in the heart of everyone who escaped a plantation and ran towards freedom, it has always been the one thing that the oppressed had access to and that no one could take from them,” he said. “Faith for Black peoples was, is, and will always be the unspoken language of freedom and survival. It is the Juneteenth story.”

The screening of Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom will take place on June 4 from 1 pm to 2:45 pm at the Texas Spirit Theatre inside the Bob Bullock Museum, along with a discussion session led by Berry, Smith, and Executive Producer Mary Beth Minnis. The session will be moderated by Virginia Cumberbatch, a racial justice educator and community advocate.

More information about the documentary can be found on thestoryoftexas.com.

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Dip your toes into these 7 Austin pools with passes, snacks, and summer events

Wet Hot Austin Summer

Memorial Day is here, which means so are the days of sitting in a lounge chair and sweating while looking unreasonably fabulous. Whether it's to beat the summer heat or to show off a new swimsuit, Austinites may have more options than they think to take a swim at the many pools around town. Even if you haven't committed to an overnight stay, most hotels offer day passes, and some even offer other deals or poolside programming.

One great way to find passes not just to pools around town, but also to spas and other hotel amenities, is to browse ResortPass. (Not sponsored, just cool.) There are 26 Austin options on the site right now.

But we wanted to let you know what's going on beyond the pass — who will set you up for a great meal, who lets you drink out of a coconut, and whose views (or lack thereof) provide the best ambiance for your day off. Some of our choices aren't even on the platform.

Go grab your sandals, and save us a towel.

Greater Austin YMCA
Let's start with the less glamorous before we break out the poolside fashion. The YMCA is a family staple for a reason, and if your goal is just to get in the water regularly throughout the summer, especially with kids, it's a great place to start. There are "interactive hours" at the outdoor pools (more fun than swimming laps) at the East Communities, Hays Communities, Northwest Family, Southwest Family, and Springs Family YMCAs, as well as the YMCA at Camp Moody. The Y is semi-affordable; It would probably be cheaper to visit a hotel pool once or twice, but a Y membership includes a month of access, guest passes, and much more, and may replace your gym membership for the summer. $69 per month, with age and household discounts. austinymca.org

Hotel Van Zandt
If your pool visit doesn't include spritz and giggles, why are you even there? Hotel Van Zandt is opening up its stylish rooftop pool for the "Spritz & Giggles Poolside Happy Hour & Sunset Swim" event series. Every Monday through Thursday, visitors can enjoy $8 frozen Aperol spritzes, $8 specialty cocktails, and a special pool menu with items like a refreshing green salad, pork belly al pastor tacos, and a spicy fried chicken sandwich. Geraldine's, the main restaurant, is right inside for even better drinks, expanded bites, and sometimes live music. Starting at $48 per day for adults, $15 for kids. hotelvanzandt.com

Carpenter Hotel
If one day at the Carpenter Hotel pool is just not enough, the hotel has now added monthly passes. In addition to unlimited access to the secluded pool in the Zilker neighborhood, a pass gets a $30 discount for the new monthly BBQ Pool Parties (bringing attendance down to $25). That will include a great spread of less commonly seen barbecue items like grilled bay scallops, mushroom skewers, elotes, deviled potato salad, and more. Monthly pass holders also get to bring one child under 8 for free. $40 daily, $200 monthly. Both Monday through Thursday. carpenterhotel.com

South Congress Hotel
The South Congress Hotel is right in the middle of where many Austinites want to be on a summer day, if it weren't so dang hot. This rooftop pool solves that problem in style, with daily pool passes every day of the week, as well as cabana rentals. Café No Sé supplies poolside drinks and snacks, and downstairs, Austin's Best New Restaurant Maie Day offers a hearty meal after a day of napping in the sun. Cabanas can be rented for four people and include self-parking, bottled water, and a bottle of champagne or bucket of High Noon. Days for $40 and cabanas for $300 on weekdays; days for $75 and cabanas for $400 on weekends. southcongresshotel.com

Hotel Viata
Hotel Viata is a bit of a sleeper hotel among Austin boutiques, as it's located a little beyond West Lake Hills. Still, if you want a taste of Italy, the drive to this retreat will be worth it. Not to mention, with the extra room these downtown hotels can't offer, a pool pass includes access to a hot tub, fire pits, and great views of the hills around the city. Pool passes are available, but if you want to see it for free before you spend, wait for June 10; The hotel invites guests 21 and up to check out the pool for free at the "Summer Festa in Piscina" party, with a "Taste of Italy" add-on ($55) for Aperol Spritz, limoncello lemon drops, and negronis all day. $45 per day for adults, $25 for children. resortpass.com

Wax Myrtle's
This rooftop bar and pool is known for its never-ending events calendar, and of course that energy extends to poolside entertainment. There will be live music on the weekends, plus live DJ sets on Saturday nights, alongside whatever other programming happens to be going on inside. Even if it's a do-nothing day, these large, over-the-top drinks will give you a delicious challenge. The "Boot Scootin Fruity" mixes rum, an aperitivo, hibiscus, and lime in a cowboy hat punch bowl ($90); the luxe "Mojito 75" combines Moët & Chandon with rum and mojito must-haves in a disco ball ($230); and an unnamed cocktail is worth trying just to enjoy it from a real coconut. Starting at $15 for adults, $10 for children, and more for daybeds and cabanas. waxmyrtles.com

Austin Motel
Perhaps one of the best known pools in Austin for its retro vibes, fun events, and accessibility to on-foot wanderers is the Austin Motel. This is a great, less expensive choice that's probably more fun for casual pool revelers who would feel a little put out by having to dress up and behave in a more luxe hotel setting. There are also frequent poolside events at this motel, like the free "Bounce Motel" series with live DJs, or the body-positive "Chunky Dunk." The pool is offers daily passes every day, even when there's nothing on the calendar. $25 on weekdays, $45 on weekends, or $600 in three-and-a-half-month "waves." austinmotel.com

Photo by Andrea Calo

Austinites don't need to stay at a hotel to be invited to the pool. (Pictured: The Carpenter Hotel)

6 Austin museums are offering free admission for military families all summer long

spread the museum love

Half a dozen Austin museums are honoring active-duty military personnel and their families with free admission through the Blue Star Museums initiative, May 20 through September 4, 2023.

Established by the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and the U.S. Department of Defense, the Blue Star Museums program annually provides military families free access to 2,000 museums nationwide throughout the summer. The program begins yearly on Armed Forces Day in May and ends on Labor Day.

Free admission is extended to personnel currently serving in the U.S Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard (including those in the Reserve), and all National Guardsman. Members of the U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps and NOAA Commissioned Corps are also included in the program.

Those who qualify can use their military ID to bring up to five family members – including relatives of those currently deployed. More information about qualifications can be found here.

There is no limit on the number of participating museums that qualifying families may visit. Admission for non-active military veterans, however, is not included.

According to the National Endowment for the Arts website, the initiative was created to help "improve the quality of life for active duty military families" with a specific focus on children. The site states two million have had a parent deployed since 2001.

"Blue Star Museums was created to show support for military families who have faced multiple deployments and the challenges of reintegration," the website says. "This program offers these families a chance to visit museums this summer when many will have limited resources and limited time to be together."

Among Austin's participating museums, the Blanton Museum of Art recently held its grand opening celebration to debut their new grounds, complete with a new large mural by Cuban-American artist Carmen Herrera.

“As a museum that has long been at the forefront of collecting work by artists of Latin American descent, as well as the place where Ellsworth Kelly realized his last great work of art, entering the collection at this moment marks a high point in my long career," Herrera said.

Here's a look at all the museums in Austin that participate in the Blue Star Museums initiative.

For those looking to take a drive around Central Texas, the Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum and Taylor's Moody Museum are also participants in the Blue Star Museums initiative.

More information about Blue Star Museums and a full list of participants can be found on arts.gov.

Awe-inspiring new exhibit debuts at the Alamo with sneak peek

REFIGURE THE ALAMO

Ask first-time visitors about their experience at the Alamo, and you're likely to hear a frequent refrain. Guests accustomed to hearing about the mission's heroic history are surprised that the grounds are so small. But that's slowly changing with ambitious plans to bring the site's original footprint back to life.

Starting May 25, visitors will get a sneak peek at the complex's newest structure, the Mission Gate and Lunette exhibit, before it officially opens in 2024. Funded in part by a $3 million donation from the Joan and Herb Kelleher Charitable Foundation, the exhibition gives guests a broader understanding of the Alamo's scale.

The historical recreation was crafted by lauded San Antonio artist Carlos Cortés. A third-generation concrete faux bois artisan, his work is featured throughout the city, most notably on the River Walk, where his fantastical The Grotto greets thousands of Museum Reach visitors each year.

The life-size sculpture stands in for the original main gate of the fort at the southern boundary of the complex. Cannons and placards scattered throughout give crucial context to the structure. Though early renderings show the beams and spiked fence with more verisimilitude, the forms currently stand in ghostly concrete — inviting quiet contemplation.

When the exhibit is finished next year, guests will be more fully immersed in the hallowed grounds, which extend far beyond the walls of the iconic Church and Long Barrack. Coupled with the upcoming Alamo Visitor Center and Museum and the recently debuted Ralston Family Collections Center, it will turn the grounds into one of Texas' most awe-inspiring historical sites.

"We are deeply grateful to the Joan and Herb Kelleher Charitable Foundation for their support of the Alamo and our ongoing efforts to preserve this important piece of Texas history," said Dr. Kate Rogers, Executive Director of the Alamo Trust, Inc., via a release. "Their generosity will allow us to continue to educate and inspire visitors from around the world, ensuring that the legacy of the Alamo lives on for generations to come."

Photo courtesy of the Alamo.

The Mission Gate and Lunette exhibit gives visitors an understanding of the original ground's scale.

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