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ON THE TOWN
July/August 2010
Tanji Tanji Patton Patton Bruce Bruce Auden Auden David David Kellaway Kellaway Ken-David Ken-David Masur Masur Dr. Dr. William William Chiego Chiego Bruce Bruce and and Colleen Colleen Barshop Barshop A A Summer Summer of of Sensational Sensational Shows Shows Plus Plus 10 10 Additional Additional Articles Articles
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Features
Cover Credits
A Summer of Sensational Shows
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Barshops Find Laughs In Comedy Club Business
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Ken-David Masur SA Symphony’s Resident Conductor July-August 2010 Events Calendar Dr. William Chiego Director of the McNay Art Museum
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Summertime Exhibitions At Museums and Art Centers Near You
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Bruce Auden The World is His Oyster
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Front Cover Photo: Sara Watkins – Courtesy Prairie Home Productions / American Public Media Performing Arts Cover Photo: Lang Lang by Philip Glaser Events Calendar Cover Photo: Charlie Daniels – Courtesy Majestic Theatre Visual Arts Cover Photo: Greg Harrison
Culinary Arts Cover Photo: © Ambaradan / bigstockphoto.com
Tanji Patton 66 The Good Life
Literary Arts Cover Photo: © Michael Flippo / dreamstime.co
Pistol Packin’ Paula 88 The Best Lady Gun Spinner in America
Eclectics Cover Photo: Greg Harrison
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Lair Creative, LLC would not knowingly publish misleading or erroneous information in editorial content or in any adv appear under any circumstances. Additionally, content in this electronic magazine does not necessarily reflect the view mances and exhibits, it is recommended that all times and dates of such events be confirmed by the reader prior to at
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Contributors
Departments More Performing Arts: Take a Tour of Hill Country Theaters Portfolio: The Art of Janet Campbell
More Visual Arts: The Art of Play
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Anne Keever Cannon
Kyla McGlynn
Julie Catalano
Susan A. Merkner, copy editor
Cynthia Clark Lisa Cruz Thomas Duhon
More Culinary Arts: David Kellaway and the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio A Winning Combination
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Book Talk: Susanna Nawrocki – Twig Book Shop Employee and Former Longtime Manager
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More Literary Arts: Gemini Ink’s Summer Literary Festival Explores Nature
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Artistic Destination: Long Center is Austin’s Art and Soul
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Picture This: In The Public Eye – Images by Dana Fossett
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Mikel Allen, graphic designer
Chris Dunn
Hector Pacheco
Dana Fossett
Angela Rabke
Greg Harrison, staff photographer
Sara Selango
Jennifer Herrera
Shannon Huntington Standley
Michele Krier Christian Lair Kay Lair
Suede Tallichet Jasmina Wellinghoff
On The Town Ezine.com is published by Lair Creative, LLC 14122 Red Maple San Antonio, Texas 78247 210-771-8486 210-490-7950 (fax)
vertisement in On The Town Ezine.com, nor does it assume responsibility if this type of editorial or advertising should ws or opinions of the management of Lair Creative, LLC. Since On The Town Ezine.com features information on perforttendance. The publisher assumes no responsibility for changes in times, dates, venues, exhibitions or performances.
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Performing Arts 10-28
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10 On The Town | July-August 2010
Sensational A Summer of
Shows
By Sara Selango
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I
need to be super-organized in order to tell you about all the great entertainment scheduled for San Antonio and the surrounding area during the next couple of months. My plan is to compartmentalize the abundance of information by venue, and later on, by category. The first venue on the menu is the Majestic. Weird Al Yankovic performs his repertoire of novelty tunes at the big theater on Houston Street on July 18. Charlie Daniels Band is next on Aug. 1, followed by funny folks Kathy Griffin and Ron White on Aug. 6 and 7 respectively. After them is Beatles lookalike, sound-alike 1964 The Tribute on Aug. 13. Their resemblance to the lads from Liverpool is uncanny, and the music is a virtual duplicate. The very next evening Patti LaBelle takes the Majestic stage, followed by comedian Brian Regan five days later on Aug. 19. Nickelodeon and Broadway Across America bring Storytime Live! to town for five performances Aug. 20-22. Asia then rolls into the Majestic Aug. 23, while Kenny Loggins cuts footloose on Aug. 27. A Prairie Home Companion closes things out Aug. 31, just in time for the arrival
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of Jersey Boys from Sept. 8-26. AT&T Center is next and features a super-loaded July. Vans Warp Tour promises to rock the house on July 1, followed by Aventura on July 2. Canadian crooner Michael BublĂŠ takes center stage at the home of the San Antonio Spurs on July 17. Two additional shows during the month at this venue are Scorpions: Get Your Sting and Blackout Tour on July 23 and Rihanna: Last Girl on Earth Tour with special guest Ke$ha on July 25. At the time of this writing no performances of this type have been announced in August at the AT&T, but their fall schedule is hot with the likes of the Jonas Brothers with Demi Lovato, Kiss, Rush, Shakira, Carrie Underwood and Justin Bieber. On July 4, rocker Ted Nugent goes red, white and blue at Sunken Gardens Theater in Brackenridge Park. Alternative rocker Buckcherry takes over the place on July 24 with metal band Lamb of God following suit on Aug. 15. Please also note that the 14th season of Cactus
Pear Music Festival runs from July 8-18 at venues in San Antonio, Boerne and New Braunfels. The festival’s performance schedule is listed in the events calendar of this magazine.
then The Last Broadcast of Bailey and Long from July 23-Aug. 23. Cameo Theatre is host to The National Tour of Dr. Bill W. and Dr. Bob through July 3 and continues to delight audiences with Science Fiction Blast-Off Theater in their next door Zumbro Lounge. This zany comedy, with humor somewhere between Monty Python and Saturday Night Live, ends July 24. Next up at the Cameo is Red, White and Tuna starting on Aug. 13. Smokey Joe’s Café and God’s Favorite, a comedy by Neil Simon, fill the bill at the Harlequin Dinner Theatre this summer, while The Music Man congers up summer magic at San Pedro Playhouse.
Summer in this part of Texas means more country music performances are available than any one person could ever attend. Two mainstays of the country scene are John T. Floore Country Store in Helotes and Gruene Hall in Gruene. July and August bring big stars and great times to both places. Check the entertainment listings for specifics. Also take a look at the lineups for Whitewater Amphitheater, County Line BBQ’s Wednesday Night Music Series, Cowboys San The list in July and August goes on and on but I can’t conclude without mentioning the Renaissance Antonio, Kendalia Halle and Anhalt Hall. Guild’s Rumors at the Little Carver Civic Center, Community theater plays a big role in keeping us Lone Star Love Potion at Boerne Community entertained during the hottest of months. Grease Theatre, plus Cats and A Tuna Christmas at Point is the word at the Woodlawn Theatre through Theatre in Ingram. Consult your local listings for July 11. After that comes Hairspray beginning times and dates. Aug. 13 and staying on the marquee through Sept. 5. The Overtime Theater features R.U.R.: Just for laughs, take in some of the country’s best Rossum’s Universal Robots on stage until July 10, comedians at Rivercenter Comedy Club and Laugh
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Out Loud Comedy Club. A great example of the A Drowsy Chaperone is the main stage show this level of talent available is Carol Leifer, appearing at summer at the Zachary Scott Theatre, and Jersey Boys comes to Bass Concert Hall on the campus of LOL on Aug. 12. the University of Texas from Aug. 18-25. Since summer is travel time, let me explore what’s on tap entertainment-wise in the surrounding area, To the south, Corpus Christi is very kid-friendly in just in case you’re headed north to Austin, or south July and August. The circus comes to town in the to Corpus Christi, Laredo or the Rio Grande Valley. form of Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey: Zing Zang Zoom at the American Bank Center Arena from July Highlights in Austin include three shows at 2-4. Nickelodeon’s Storytime Live! makes a stop in the Long Center’s Michael and Susan Dell Hall Corpus from Aug. 24-25 at Selena Auditorium at starting with Kathy Griffin on Aug. 5, followed by American Bank Center. Coming up a few weeks two performances by Shen Yun on Aug. 7, then later at the Selena on Sept. 18 is one of my allNickelodeon’s Storytime Live! from Aug. 18-19. time favorite shows; Mark Twain Tonight with the Also, check out the schedule at One World Theatre incomparable Hal Holbrook. this summer. It brims with performances from a variety of genres. Some of the big names are Jenni Rivera, Rihanna and Three Dog Night make Ottmar Liebert, Hiroshima, Ambrosia, Christopher appearances in Laredo this summer at Laredo Energy Cross, Paula Poundstone, Judy Collins and the Arena, while Aventura, Alejandro Sanz and Brad Rippingtons. The 1920s-vintage Paramount Theatre Paisley are booked at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo. on Congress Avenue features an incredible summer film festival throughout July and August plus live There you have it, a summer of sensational shows. performances by the likes of the Flatlanders, Cyndi Get some tickets and go! Lauper, Natalie Merchant and 1964 The Tribute.
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Photo Credits: Page 10
Kenny Loggins Courtesy Majestic Theatre
Patti LaBelle Courtesy Majestic Theatre
Garrison Keillor Courtesy Prairie Home Productions / American Public Media
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Page 14 (L-R)
Jonas Brothers Courtesy AT& T Center
Kathy Griffin Courtesy Majestic Theatre
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Christopher Cross Courtesy christophercross.com
Michael BublĂŠ Courtesy AT&T Center Natalie Merchant Courtesy nataliemerchant.com 1964 The Tribute Courtesy Majestic Theatre
Ron White Courtesy Majestic Theatre Page 15 (L-R) Carol Leifer Courtesy Barshop Jewish Community Center
Page 13 (L-R)
Ottmar Leibert Photo by Luis Alvarez
Charlie Daniels Courtesty Majestic Theatre
Cyndi Lauper Courtesy cyndilauper.com
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Barshops Find Laughs in Comedy Club Business By Suede Tallichet Photography Cynthia Clark and Hector Pacheco
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ruce and Colleen Barshop opened Rivercenter Comedy Club together in 1993. Colleen had an extensive background in managing clubs, and the couple shared a genuine love for comedy. So much so, that they are now closing in on celebrating two decades of owning and managing comedy clubs in San Antonio.
Renowned comedian Willie Barcena was one of the first comedians to perform at LOL and has been a long-time favorite at Rivercenter. He now looks forward to performing at both clubs. “LOL is amazing -- you can tell it’s an A-list club all the way,” he says. “It’s a beautiful room. San Antonio is really lucky to have both of these great comedy clubs.”
“I’ve been in the restaurant and nightclub business my whole life. Owning the comedy clubs has been a dream come true,” says Colleen Barshop, president of the Rivercenter and Laugh Out Loud comedy clubs.
It was no surprise when the Barshops had comedy heavy-hitter Richard Lewis on hand last year to kick things off in style at their new Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, located in Park North, an upscale entertainment destination at Northwest Loop Rivercenter, in the heart of downtown, still is going 410 and Blanco Road. Long-time San Antonians strong and has the distinction of having brought in remember this as the area once occupied by Central many famous acts over the years, including George Park Mall, across San Pedro Avenue from North Star Lopez, Chris Rock, Carlos Mencia, Gabriel Iglesias, Mall. Katt Williams, Jeff Dunham, Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White and Tommy Chong, to name a few. It also “The best comics talk about themselves and open has been the site of numerous television tapings, up about their own lives,” Bruce says in describing including The Latino Laugh Festival for Showtime the universal appeal of comedy. and SiTV and Last Comic Standing for NBC. Stand Up for Diversity auditions will be held in August at both the Laugh Out Loud and Rivercenter comedy clubs. NBC agents, casting directors and TV executives are searching for new comedians and fresh talent. It’s a compliment to the Barshops to find both of their “I’ve been in the restaurant and clubs on the short list of the talent scouts. nightclub business my whole life.
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Bruce Barshop says, “We’re proud to have given San Antonio the opportunity to see, at a reasonable price, up-and-coming comics who have gone on to stardom. We’re happy San Antonio loves comedy and turns out for everything from country comedians to urban comics.”
Owning the comedy clubs has been a dream come true.” - Colleen Barshop President Laugh Out Loud and Rivercenter comedy clubs July-August 2010 | On The Town 17
“Being in the center of the city in this complex with the Alamo Drafthouse here and so many good restaurants is great for attracting locals and tourists for a fun evening out,” Colleen says. “And at Rivercenter, we still have a loyal core of local customers, as well as the downtown tourist trade.” Laugh Out Loud opened with a bang and continued the tradition of bringing in major star power with recent sold-out shows for comedians Mitch Fatel, Earthquake, Mike Epps and Pablo Francisco. Bruce adds, “We’re bringing in Carlos Alazraqui and his Three Non Juan shows in mid-September, and we have a great line-up of comedians for fall, including John Caparulo, Greg Giraldo and Andrew Kennedy booked for LOL. JJ Ramirez, Spanky and Justin Worsham are some of the talented comics coming to Rivercenter in the next two months.” The state-of-the art, non-smoking, 400-seat LOL venue has hosted a wedding reception, private corporate events, a church service, a marriage proposal, and seminars and conferences. But it’s the comedy that brings people back.
”We’re proud to have given San Antonio the opportunity to see, at a reasonable price, up-andcoming comics who have gone on to stardom. We’re happy San Antonio loves comedy and turns out for everything from country comedians to urban comics.” - Bruce Barshop Laugh Out Loud and Rivercenter comedy clubs
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club – Park North Plaza at 618 N.W. Loop 410 inside the loop (210) 541-8805 | www.lolsanantonio.com Rivercenter Comedy Club – Downtown in Rivercenter Mall at 849 E. Commerce St. (210) 229-1420 | rivercentercomedyclub.com 18 On The Town | July-August 2010
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Ken-David Masur: SA Symphony’s Resident Conductor By: Lisa Cruz Photography Greg Harrison 20 On The Town | July-August 2010
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s the San Antonio Symphony closed its 70th anniversary season and welcomed the reign of a new music director, Sebastian Lang-Lessing, the symphony also celebrated the influence of resident conductor Ken David-Masur, who extended his residency with the symphony one more season, through the 2010-11 season.
Traveling and performing while balancing life as the husband of a talented pianist, Melinda Lee Masur, and father to a 2-year-old daughter and 8-month-old son might seem overwhelming, but Masur radiated grace and humor while explaining his life. San Antonio holds a special place in his family’s life and heart, as both of his children were born in the Alamo City. When asked how having children has changed him, Masur added, “Simply put, completely.”
In the past three seasons, Masur witnessed the search for the symphony’s music director, while maintaining continuity and bringing his unique style “I’ve come to a much better understanding of the and exuberance to the conductor’s stand during correlation between the amazing wonder of the more than 200 concerts. creation of life and the gift of music to help celebrate that creation.” “I am thankful and thrilled to have been a part of the symphony during the music director search and to He added, “I’ve also discovered that while a child and have been asked to stay on one more season, which an orchestra both look for guidance and can profit for all of us [this season] holds a feeling of resolution,” from good discipline, it’s relieving that to achieve a Masur says. “I believe it will be very revealing. This desired response from an orchestra doesn’t require coming season has everything a season looks for… chasing the musicians, unless, of course, the tempo with Sebastian Lang-Lessing, we are going to see runs away.” someone who is extremely driven take an extremely excellent orchestra and help it find its groove, Of the more than 200 concerts Masur has conducted stylistically. I look forward to learning from him.” with the San Antonio Symphony, he remembered them all as important and meaningful, even those With the exuberance of youth but the knowledge of that weren’t technically perfect. more than a decade of experience as a conductor, Masur reflected on his time in San Antonio and “The greatest experience I’ve had here was doing explained how each concert he conducted offered the opening of the 70th season,” Masur said. “To have its own unique challenges while at the same time been given the trust and responsibility to create providing an opportunity to learn about the business and collaborate on this celebration, which was such of running a symphony. a huge piece for the orchestra, was fantastic.” He remembered the concert as logistically difficult but “Over two years and almost three seasons, I’ve grown that it all came together, which was a testimony to very close to the orchestra,” Masur said. “I have been everyone’s involvement from the orchestra to the given so much respect and trust to help shape what choirs, to the leadership and staff. “To be able to goes on artistically in a season. There’s been so much work with so many different groups was amazing and help from the orchestra, staff and concert-goers.” captivated the spirit of bringing the city together.”
Masur’s experience in San Antonio and his talent Collaboration is a central theme for Masur, and have afforded him a wealth of opportunity, which he strongly believes that a city with a good music he plans to take full advantage of this summer. education system “generally has a better education system.” “[Music] equips children with the tools Not the average trip to the beach, Masur and his to become better leaders, better listeners and family are spending the summer establishing and understand responsibility at a very young age.” performing at the Chelsea Music Festival in New York, conducting for the Manhattan Chamber Masur reflected on the fact that many of the students Orchestra and at the Rheinsberg Festival in Berlin, who attended one of the first Young People’s performing in concert with his father, Kurt Masur, Concerts he conducted are now in high school and in Rio de Janeiro and visiting family while his wife thinking about where to go to college. “A lot of performs in San Francisco. these kids may have taken up an instrument and are July-August 2010 | On The Town 21
applying what they learn to their daily lives. That we’ve touched these kids is so amazing and lifechanging,” Masur said. “It’s not just an afternoon at the symphony. It can be a source of inspiration, and many of these kids will measure their experiences against what they experienced that day [when they saw a YPC concert for the first time].” Continuous learning is critical for conductors, and Masur’s time in San Antonio has afforded him many learning opportunities. “The most fun I had was with our last New Year’s Eve concert,” he began. “Before then, I had never felt a natural pull toward this Viennese tradition. Even though I heard it performed around me in Germany, it never swept me away. Thanks to having to conduct a program of ‘Fledermaus,’ ‘Zigeunerbaron’ and waltzes and polkas, and perhaps also due to the fact that there was a request for me to sing a surprise duet with the wonderful soprano Edlyn de Oliveira, I now understand the hype and the power of this music. The New Year’s Eve concert is one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had.”
Ken-David Masur FP editorial
Mixing learning opportunities with fun may be one of the many reasons why audiences in San Antonio have come to enjoy Masur’s style. “The most important things, as a musician, is to find what makes the music enjoyable and find out how to dance with that and not shy away from it,” he said. “Apparently, that’s what audiences enjoy most.” Apparently, San Antonio agrees and will have another season to experience the moving power and grace Masur brings to the symphony.
“The greatest experience I’ve had here was doing the opening of the 70th season. To have been given the trust and responsibility to create and collaborate on this celebration, which was such a huge piece for the orchestra, was fantastic.”
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- Ken-David Masur resident conductor San Antonio Symphony
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More
PA Performing Arts
Take a Tour of Hill Country Theaters By Anne Keever Cannon
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H
ill Country residents may spot some interesting visitors over the next 12 months, including a 6-foot invisible rabbit, Harry Potwurst, a blithe ghost or maybe the fictitious residents of Tuna, Texas. They and many other characters, some familiar, others brand new, will entertain audiences at theaters in Boerne, New Braunfels, Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Ingram and Bulverde.
“The Hill Country is well known for its beautiful scenery and great shopping,” said Patty Loftis, executive and artistic director of Boerne Community Theatre. “But the area also has a great artistic tradition.” This summer, BCT is presenting Lone Star Love Potion from July 16-31. After that, it opens its 2010-11 season Sept. 17 with Harvey, the classic comedy by Mary Chase. It’s the first of five regular productions that will play through July 2011. Boerne Community Theatre also offers a spring special in
March, two productions by its Teen Troupe and three summer drama camps for children ages 8-13. Their Web site is www.boernetheatre.org. On stage through July 11 at the Fredericksburg Theatre Company is Ron Dahl’s Willy Wonka, a musical for the entire family. Scheduled next is The Diary of Anne Frank Sept. 10. To increase the impact of this drama, the company also is bringing in an exhibit from the Anne Frank Center in New York, said managing director Julie Voorhees. The exhibit “illustrates the continuing relevance of Anne’s story and the important lessons it can teach us today,” Voorhees said. “The family photos and passages from her diary are enhanced by testimony from Holocaust survivors and helpers.” Admission to the exhibit is free with a ticket to the show. The company’s Web site is www.fredericksburgtheater.org. July-August 2010 | On The Town 25
Circle Arts Theatre in New Braunfels brings its audiences Annie from July 8-Aug. 1 and The Complete History of America (Abridged) from Sept. 9-Oct. 3. “This fall, we are offering Harry Potwurst, an original melodrama,” said executive director Roberta Elliott. Audiences can boo and cheer as Harry and his friends Hernia, Won Reasley and Hargart battle Opa Voltawurst. Popcorn will be available for throwing, of course. The play opens Oct. 29. For more information, go to www.circleartstheatre.org. One of the freshest performance spaces in the region is the Cailloux Theater in Kerrville. That’s where Playhouse 2000 makes its home. “Playhouse 2000 lives and works locally, producing at least six shows annually that are filled with talented people who inhabit the immediate area,” said founder Susan Neely Balentine. The organization also offers a year-round performing arts school for children. Playhouse 2000 schedules its season by the calendar year, with four major productions remaining in 2010: Two Left Feet (an original show by Playhouse 2000), Bye Bye Birdie, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Blithe Spirit. Learn more at www.caillouxtheater.com/Playhouse2000Home.htm. Meanwhile, at Smith-Ritch Point Theatre in Ingram, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats is featured on its outdoor stage from July 9-24. A Tuna Christmas comes early this year—starting Aug. 6, in fact. That’s when news personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie begin reporting on various yuletide activities in Tuna, the “third-smallest town” in Texas. “The Point Theatre is part of the Hill Country Arts Foundation, which has been getting its neighbors involved in performance arts for more than half a century,” said David L. Cockerell, executive director. “They took a class, auditioned for a part, volunteered to be an usher or a docent, built a set, threw a pot…and a hundred other things,” he said. Or they simply bought a ticket and enjoyed a show. Lettice and Lovage and Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming complete the HCAF performance year at Elizabeth Huth Coates Point Indoor Theatre from September to December. Details on all performances are available at www.hcaf.com. Rounding out the theatrical opportunities north of San Antonio is Bulverde’s community theater, known as S.T.A.G.E. (Spotlight Theatre Arts Group, etc.) At this venue, patrons are offered the option of a delicious home-cooked dinner and a show, or just the show. 26 On The Town | July-August 2010
From July 15-Aug. 1, see Is He Dead? by Mark Twain as adapted by David Ives. After that, it’s A Nice Family Gathering, the first show in the 2010-11 schedule. National Public Radio described it as “Garrison Keillor meets Topper by way of Fargo.” Full season information can be found on their Web site at www. stagebulverde.org. This story focuses on Hill Country theaters, but they are only a part of the performing arts available in the region. Look also for orchestras, music festivals, even poetry slams. It’s all there, waiting for you!
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Photo Credits: Page 24 Man of La Mancha Courtesy Fredericksburg Theatre Company Page 25 Treasure Island Courtesy Smith-Ritch Point Theatre, Ingram Page 26 Above: Nunsense II Courtesy Fredericksburg Theatre Company Below: Never Ending Story Courtesy Smith-Ritch Point Theatre, Ingram Page 27 Above: Annie Courtesy Circle Arts Theatre, New Braunfels Below: Cats Courtesy Smith-Ritch Point Theatre, Ingram July-August 2010 | On The Town 27
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Events Calendar 30-42
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July-August 2010 Events Calendar Music Notes Vans Warped Tour 7/1, Thu @ 11am AT&T Center Cody Canada with Seth James KJ-97 & Texas Music Magazine Thursday Night Music Series 7/1, Thu @ 7pm (gates open) Whitewater Amphitheater, New Braunfels Mitchel Musso Starburst速 Summer Concert Series 7/2, Fri @ Time TBD Six Flags Fiesta Texas Aventura 7/2, Fri @ 8pm AT&T Center Wade Bowen and Kyle Park 7/2, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store Radney Foster and The Confessions 7/2, Fri @ 8pm Gruene Hall
RockBox Theater in Fredericksburg 7/2-8/29, Fri @ 8pm Sat @ 4:30pm & 8pm Sun @ 1:30pm (Thursdays 7/1-8/12 @ 7pm) San Antonio Rose Live 7/2-8/30, Fri @ 7:30pm Sat @ 2pm & 7:30pm Sun & Mon @ 7:30pm Aztec Theatre Robert Earl Keen with Jamey Johnson and Bruce Robison 7/3, Sat @ 7pm Whitewater Amphitheater, New Braunfels Granger Smith 7/3, Sat @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store Gary P. Nunn 7/3, Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall Summer Sounds at Sunset 7/3-8/27, Sat @ 8pm Plaza Stage Sunset Station Ted Nugent 7/4, Sun @ 6pm Sunken Garden Theater
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Ryan Bingham with Band of Heathens 7/4, Sun @ 7pm Whitewater Amphitheater, New Braunfels Brandon Rhyder 7/4, Sun @ 8pm Gruene Hall Two Ton Tuesdays: Two Tons of Steel 7/6-8/17, Tue @ 8pm Gruene Hall Charlie Robison with Pauline Reese 7/7, Wed @ 6:30pm County Line BBQ on IH-10 Concert Under the Stars with Colao 7/8, Thu @ 6pm (gates open) show @ 7pm San Antonio Botanical Garden Cactus Pear Music Festival Program 1: Restless Romantics: An Ambrosia of Anniversaries 7/8, Thu @ 7:30pm Coker United Methodist Church Program 2: High Notes and Heart Strings 7/10, Sat @ 7:30pm Coker United
Methodist Church 7/11, Sun @ 2pm Boerne First United Methodist Church Program 3: Paired To Pear-fection 7/15, Thu @ 7:30pm Coker United Methodist Church Program 4: Baroque Bacchanel 7/16, Fri @ 7pm New Braunfels Presbyterian Church 7/17, Sat @ 7:30pm Coker United Methodist Church 7/18, Sun @ 2pm Boerne First United Methodist Church Joe Nichols 7/9, Fri @ 7pm (doors open) Cowboys San Antonio Kelly Willis 7/9, Fri @ 8pm Gruene Hall Kevin Fowler 7/9, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store Reckless Kelly 7/10, Sat @ 7pm Whitewater Amphitheater, New Braunfels
Billy Mata 7/10, Sat @ 8pm Kendalia Halle Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes 7/10, Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall
Bobby Flores 7/17, Sat @ 8pm Anhalt Hall, Spring Branch Bob Schneider 7/17, Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall
Luke Olson 7/10, Sat @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store
Randy Rogers Band 7/17, Sat @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store
30th Annual Tejano Music Awards 7/11, Sun @ 7pm Municipal Auditorium
Weird Al Yankovic 7/18, Sun @ 6:30pm Sunken Garden Theater
Sunday Jazz at the Witte: Alto Madness Orchestra with John Magaldi 7/11, Sun / 4-7pm Witte Museum Bruce Robison 7/14, Wed @ 6:30pm County Line BBQ on IH-10 Two Tons of Steel & Eleven Hundred Springs 7/16, Fri @ 8pm Gruene Hall
Liza Minnelli 7/18, Sun @ 7:30pm Majestic Theatre Luke Olson 7/21, Wed @ 6:30pm County Line BBQ on IH-10 Concert Under the Stars with Terri Hendrix 7/22, Thu @ 6pm (gates open) show @ 7pm San Antonio Botanical Garden
Zack Walther 7/16, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store
The Maine Starburst® Summer Concert Series 7/23, Fri @ Time TBD Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Ghostland Observatory 7/17, Sat @ 7pm Whitewater Amphitheater, New Braunfels
Scorpions: Get Your Sting and Blackout World Tour 7/23, Fri @ 7:30pm AT&T Center
Michael Bublé 7/17, Sat @ 8pm AT&T Center
Hayes Carll 7/23, Fri @ 8pm Gruene Hall July-August May-June 2009 2010 | On The Town 31
Rich O’Toole 7/23, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store Buckcherry 7/24, Sat @ 2pm Sunken Garden Theater Emory Quinn 7/24, Sat @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store Roger Creager 7/24, Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall Summer Latin Jazz: Hot Sauce Jazz - Alfredo Flores 7/25, Sun @ 12:30pm Leeper Auditorium McNay Art Museum Rihanna: Last Girl On Earth Tour 7/25, Sun @ 7:30pm AT&T Center Cinderella 7/25, Sun @ 8pm Backstage Live Honeybrowne with Stephen Pointer Band 7/28, Wed @ 6:30pm County Line BBQ on IH-10 Jonas Brothers with Demi Lovato 7/29, Thu @ 7pm AT&T Center The Gourds 7/30, Fri @ 8pm Gruene Hall
Josh Grider Trio 7/30, Fri @ 9:30pm John T. Floore Country Store Bart Crow Band 7/31, Sat @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store The Derailers 7/31, Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall Charlie Daniels Band 8/1, Sun @ 7:30pm Majestic Theatre Ray Wylie Hubbard 8/6, Fri @ 8pm Gruene Hall Gary P. Nunn 8/6, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store Zona Jones 8/7, Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall Queensryche 8/7, Sat @ 8pm Backstage Live Eli Young Band 8/7, Sat @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store Sunday Jazz at the Witte: Jazz Protagonists 8/8, Sun / 4-7pm Witte Museum Granger Smith 8/11, Wed @ 6:30pm County Line BBQ on IH-10
32 On The Town | July-August 2010
1964 The Tribute 8/13, Fri @ 8pm Majestic Theatre Max Stalling 8/13, Fri @ 8pm Gruene Hall Brandon Rhyder 8/13, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store Stoney LaRue with Midnight River Choir 8/14, Sat @ 7pm (gates open) Whitewater Amphitheater, New Braunfels Henry Bruns & Latin Playerz with Judi DeLeon 8/14, Sat @ 7:30pm Charline McCombs Empire Theatre Patti LaBelle 8/14, Sat @ 8pm Majestic Theatre Bobby Jordan and Ridgecreek 8/14, Sat @ 8pm Kendalia Halle
Pat Travers and Rick Derringer 8/20, Fri @ 7pm Backstage Live Randy Rogers Band with Kyle Park 8/21, Sat @ 7pm (gates open) Whitewater Amphitheater, New Braunfels Geronimo Trevino 8/21, Sat @ 8pm Anhalt Hall, Spring Branch Band of Heathens 8/21, Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall Two Tons of Steel 8/21, Sat @ 9:30pm John T. Floore Country Store Summer Latin Jazz: Richard Oppenheim’s A&R Band 8/22, Sun @ 12:30pm Leeper Auditorium McNay Art Museum
Lamb of God 8/15, Sun @ 5pm Sunken Garden Theater
Asia 8/23, Mon @ 8pm Majestic Theatre
JLS and Hot Chelle Rae Starburst® Summer Concert Series 8/18, Wed @ Time TBD Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Micky and the Motorcars with Luke Robinson 8/25, Wed @ 6:30pm County Line BBQ on IH-10
Coheed and Cambria 8/18, Wed @ 7pm Lonestar Pavilion at Sunset Station
Bleu Edmondson 8/27, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store
July-August 2010 | On The Town 33
3rd Annual Dia De Los Toadies Festival 8/28, Sat @ 3pm Whitewater Amphitheater, New Braunfels
Annie 7/8-8/1, Thu-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2pm Circle Arts Theatre, New Braunfels
On Stage
Cats 7/9-24, Thu-Sun @ 8:30pm Point Theatre, Ingram (no show 7/18)
Smokey Joe’s Café 7/1-24, Thu-Sat @ 8pm (Dinner @ 6:30pm) Harlequin Dinner Theatre The National Tour of Bill W. and Dr. Bob 7/2-3, Fri @ 10pm Sat @ 3pm & 10pm Cameo Theatre Shock Puppets Strike Back 7/2-10, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm The Rose Theatre Co. Willy Wonka Fredericksburg Theater Company Presentation 7/2-11, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm Sun @ 2pm Steve W. Sheperd Theater Grease 7/2-11, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm Sun @ 3pm Woodlawn Theatre Mourning Dove 7/2-11, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pm Cellar Theatre Science Fiction Blast-Off Theater 7/2-24, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Cameo Theatre’s Zumbro Lounge R.U.R. – Rossum’s Universal Robots 7/3-10, Thu-Sat @ 8pm The Overtime Theater
Rumors The Renaissance Guild Presentation 7/9-25, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 4pm Little Carver Civic Center The Last Five Years 7/15-16, Thu-Fri @ 8pm The Overtime Theater Is He Dead? 7/15-17, 22-25, 29-31 & 8/1, Thu-Sat @ 8pm (Dinner @ 6:30pm) Sun @ 3pm (lunch @ 1:30pm) S.T.A.G.E – Spotlight Theatre & Arts Group, etc., Bulverde Two Left Feet Playhouse 2000 Presentation 7/15-31, Thu-Sat @ 7:30pm Sun @ 2pm Kathleen C. Cailloux Theater, Kerrville
The Last Broadcast of Bailey and Long 7/23-8/14, Thu-Sat @ 8pm (no show 8/6) Sun @ 3pm (8/8 only) The Overtime Theater The Music Man 7/23-8/22, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pm Russell Hill Rogers Theatre San Pedro Playhouse Rumors 8/5-9/4, Thu-Sat @ 8pm (Dinner @ 6:30pm) Harlequin Dinner Theatre A Tuna Christmas 8/6-21, Thu-Sun @ 8:30pm (no show 8/15) Point Theatre, Ingram Bye Bye Birdie Playhouse 2000 Presentation 8/12-28, Thu-Sat @ 7:30pm Sun @ 2pm Kathleen C. Cailloux Theater, Kerrville The O9ers Return 8/13-28, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm The Rose Theatre Co.
Suburbia 7/16-31, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm The Rose Theatre Co.
Red, White & Tuna 8/13-9/5, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 3pm Cameo Theatre
Lone Star Love Potion 7/16-31, Thu @ 7:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pm Boerne Community Theatre
San Antonio Theatre Coalition Living Legends Gala 8/15, Sun @ 6pm Cameo Theatre
34 On The Town | July-August 2010
Broken Record 8/27-9/18, Thu-Sat @ 8pm (no show 9/3) Sun @ 3pm (9/12 only) The Overtime Theater A Prairie Home Companion 8/31, Tue @ 8pm Majestic Theatre
Standup Shayla Rivera 7/1-4, Thu & Sun @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Jesse Joyce 7/1-4, Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club Bryan Callen 7/7-11, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Chris Fonseca 7/8-12, Thu, Sun & Mon @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club Harry Basil 7/14-18, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club
Julian McCullough 7/14-18, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club
Hypnotist Gary Conrad 7/22-25, Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club
Loco Comedy Jam with Mike Robles and Friends 7/21, Wed @ 8pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club
Jack Mayberry 7/28-8/1, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club
Ward Anderson 7/21-25, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club
JJ Rameriz 7/28-8/1, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club
Ron White 8/7, Sat @ 7pm & 10pm Majestic Theatre
Chinaman 8/4-8, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Chad Daniels 8/4-8, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club Kathy Griffin 8/6, Fri @ 8pm Majestic Theatre
Rich Ramirez 8/11-15, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Spanky 8/11-15, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club
July-August May-June 2009 2010 | On The Town 35
Carol Leifer 8/12, Thu @ 7pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Loco Comedy Jam with Mike Robles and Friends 8/18, Wed @ 8pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Justin Worsham 8/18-22, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club Brian Regan 8/19, Thu @ 7:30pm Majestic Theatre JR Brow 8/20-22, Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Sun @ 8pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Robert Hawkins 8/25-8/29, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club
For The Kids Nickelodeon Presents Storytime Live! Broadway Across America Presentation 8/20-22, Fri @ 7pm Sat @ 11am, 2pm & 5pm Sun @ 11am & 2pm Majestic Theatre
Snow White & The Seven Amigos 7/2-8/7, Wed @ 10:30am Fri @ 7pm Magik Theatre A Year with Frog & Toad 8/20-9/4, Fri @ 7pm Sat @ 2pm, 9/7-25, Tue-Thu Fri @ 9:45am & 11:30am Fri @ 9:45am, 11:30am & 7pm, Sat @ 2pm
Miscellaneous MMA Alamo Showdown 7/17, Sat @ 7pm Municipal Auditorium Dallas Cowboys Training Camp 7/23-8/6 Alamodome WWE Raw 7/26, Mon @ 6:45pm AT&T Center PBR: Built Ford Tough Series 7/31-8/1, Sat @ 6:50pm Sun @ 2pm AT&T Center Taste of CIA Cookbooks: CIA Favorites 8/7, Sat / 9:30am-2:30pm Culinary Institute of America at Pearl Brewery Taste of CIA Cookbooks: Grilling 8/21, Sat / 9:30am-2:30pm Culinary Institute of America at Pearl Brewery
36 On The Town | July-August May-June 2010 2010
On Exhibit
Fire in the Belly Thru 8/14
ART PACE Hudson (Show)Room On The Road: Robert Adams, Ant Farm, John Baldessari, Walker Evans, Robbert Flick, Mary Heilmann, Roger Kuntz Danny Lyon, Catherine Opie, Allen Ruppersberg, Ed Ruscha, Stephen Shore, Alexis Smith, Kon Trubkovich, Andy Warhol Thru 9/5
It’s Rigged Kyle Olson Thru 8/15
Window Works Ken Little Thru 9/19 International ArtistIn-Residence New Works: 10.2 Jamal Cyrus Corey McCorkle Monika Sosnowska Curated by Patrick Charpenel Opens 7/15 BIHL HAUS ARTS Ancient Guardians of the Sky David Zamora Casas Thru 7/31 BLUE STAR CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER Launch-11: Recipient of the International Sculpture Center 2009 Student Awards Thru 8/14
Noumenon, And Other New Work Steve Brudniak 7/1-31 Passengers Lari R. Gibbons 8/5-29 GUADALUPE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER Essentials Guest Artist Curator: Anita Valencia Thru 8/27 INSTITUTO CULTURAL de MEXICO 40 Anos de Arte Joven… y los que faltan Curated by Marel de Lara Opens 7/8 The Alchemy of Color Opens 7/8 Al Otro Lado del Rio Opens 7/8 McNAY ART MUSEUM Janet Biggs Vanishing Point Thru 7/18 Terra Incognita: Dulac’s Suite de Paysages Thru 8/29
Jeanne and Irving Mathews Collection of Art Glass Thru 8/29 Neither Model nor Muse: Women as Artists Thru 9/12 Janet Lennie Flohr: Learning to Say Good-Bye 7/1-9/12 MUSEO ALAMEDA Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964 Thru 8/1
SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN Albert Paley: Art In The Garden Curated by Bill Fitzgibbons Thru 9/30 Playhouses & Forts Thru 10/24 SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART Season Three of Seasons of Beauty: Yoshitoshi’s Thirty-two Aspects of Daily Life Thru 7/4
Psychedelic: Optical and Visionary Art since the 1960s Thru 8/1 La Gran Lucha: Popular Graphics from Independence through the Mexican Revolution Thru 8/15 Season Four of Seasons of Beauty: Yoshitoshi’s Thirty-two Aspects of Daily Life 7/13-10/31
SOUTHWEST SCHOOL OF ART & CRAFT All School Exhibition 2010 7/15-9/12 Certificate Student Exhibit 7/15-9/12 Carra Garza: Ordered Kingdom 7/15-9/11 Teen Studio Intensive Program: Bee Nation 7/15-9/12
July-August May-June 2010 | On The Town 37
INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES A Salute to Military Flight Thru 7/4 Texas Trails and Tails Thru 7/30 Lone Star & Eagle: An Exploration of German Immigration to Texas Thru 9/19 Texas Contemporary Artists Series: Henry Cardenas 7/3-10/15 WITTE MUSEUM Texas Art: A Sense of History Thru 8/22 Dinosaurs Unearthed Thru 9/6 Feathered Fossils: The Latest Dinosaur Discoveries Thru 9/6 A Royal Garden Thru 9/15 Don Yena: Painting the South Texas History Thru 1/2011
Festivals & Celebrations First Friday Art Walk 7/2 & 8/6, Fri / 6-9pm Southtown / Blue Star / King William
Fiesta Noche del Rio 7/2-8/14, Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm (gates open @ 7pm) Arneson River Theatre 4th of July at Market Square 7/3-5 Balcones Heights 17th Annual Jazz Festival 7/9-8/6, Fri @ 7:30pm Wonderland of the Americas Mall Summer Literary Festival 7/9-25 Gemini Ink
On Screen Eugene Onegin: Metropolitan Opera Summer Encore: 7/7, Wed @ 6:30pm Cielo Vista 18 Fiesta 16 Theatre McCreeles Mall Cinema La Boheme: Metropolitan Opera Summer Encore 7/14, Wed @ 6:30pm Cielo Vista 18 Fiesta 16 Theatre McCreeles Mall Cinema The Innocence Saga: 10 Films - 20 Hours 7/17-18, Sat-Sun @ 12pm The Overtime Theater Turnadot: Metropolitan Opera Summer Encore 7/21, Wed @ 6:30pm Cielo Vista 18 Fiesta 16 Theatre McCreeles Mall Cinema
38 On The Town | July-August 2010 2009
Carmen: Metropolitan Opera Summer Encore 7/28, Wed @ 6:30pm Cielo Vista 18 Fiesta 16 Theatre McCreeles Mall Cinema Elvis On Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration 7/29, Thu @ Time TBD Cielo Vista 18 Fiesta 16 Theatre McCreeles Mall Cinema
Area Performance Hidhlights Austin Becky’s New Car 7/1-7/11, Thu-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pm & 7pm Whisenhunt Stage Zachary Scott Theatre The Drowsy Chaperone 7/1-8/1, Wed-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pm Kleberg Stage Zachary Scott Theatre H.E.B. Austin Symphony July 4th Concert & Fireworks 7/4, Sun @ 8:30pm Auditorium Shores The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat Austin Lyric Opera Presentation 7/9-11, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm Sat @ 3pm St. Martin’s Lutheran Church
The Sessions: The Black and White Years with L.A.X 7/10, Sat @ 8pm One World Theatre Blue October: The Acoustic Tour 7/22, Thu @ 10:30pm Paramount Theatre Dave Koz & Jonathan Butler with Shelia E. One World Theatre Presentation 7/23, Fri @ 8pm Riverbend Centre The Go-Go’s: Happily Ever After The Farewell Tour 7/27, Tue @ 8pm Paramount Theatre Canadian Brass 7/10, Fri @ 7:15pm Bass Concert Hall The Flatlanders with The Greencards 7/30, Fri @ 8pm Paramount Theatre Ottmar Liebert 7/31, Sat @ 7pm & 9:30pm One World Theatre Melissa Etheridge 8/2, Mon @ 8pm Bass Concert Hall Kathy Griffin 8/5, Thu @ 8pm Michael & Susan Dell Hall at Long Center 1964…The Tribute 8/5, Thu @ 8pm Paramount Theatre
Metamorphoses 8/5-9/12, Wed-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pm & 7pm Whisenhunt Stage Zachary Scott Theatre
Hiroshima 8/6, Fri @ 7pm & 9:30pm One World Theatre
The Wiggles: Wiggly Circus Live! 8/7, Sat @ 12:30pm & 4:30pm Paramount Theatre
Shen Yun 8/7, Sat @ 2:30pm & 7:30pm Michael & Susan Dell Hall at Long Center Ambrosia 8/8, Sun @ 7pm One World Theatre Cyndi Lauper with David Rhodes 8/10, Tue @ 8pm Paramount Theatre Christopher Cross 8/13, Fri @ 7pm & 9:30pm One World Theatre
Pamela Hart: It’s Ella 8/15, Sun @ 6pm & 8:30pm One World Theatre Nickelodeon Presents Storytime Live! 8/18-19, Wed @ 7pm Thu @ 10:30am & 7pm Michael & Susan Dell Hall at Long Center Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: Zing Zang Zoom 8/18-22, Wed-Fri @ 7:30pm Sat @ 11:30am, 3:30pm & 7:30pm Sun @ 2pm & 6pm Frank Erwin Center
Jersey Boys Broadway Across America Presentation 8/18-9/5, Tue-Fri @ 8pm, Sat @ 2pm & 8pm Sun @ 2pm & 7:30pm (Special Matinee – 8/19, Thu @ 2pm) Paula Poundstone 8/20, Fri @ 7pm & 9:30pm One World Theatre Natalie Merchant 8/20, Fri @ 8pm Paramount Theatre
July-August 2010 | On The Town 39
Asia: Omega Tour 8/22, Sun @ 7:30pm Paramount Theatre Judy Collins 8/27, Fri @ 7pm & 9:30pm One World Theatre Rippingtons 8/28, Sat @ 7pm & 9:30pm One World Theatre Corpus Christi Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: Zing Zang Zoom 7/2 -7/4, Fri @ 7:30pm Sat @ 1pm & 5pm Sun @ 1pm American Bank Center Arena Ludacris 7/18, Sun @ 8pm American Bank Center Arena Rock the Bay: Buckcherry, Flyleaf, Filter, Drowning Pool and more 7/25, Sun @ 2pm Old Concrete Street Amphitheater WWE Smackdown 7/27, Tue @ 6:30pm American Bank Center Arena Monster Jam Summer Heat 7/30-31, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm American Bank Center Arena Roger Creager and Kevin Fowler 7/31, Sat @ 7pm Old Concrete Street Amphitheater
Nickelodeon Presents Storytime Live! 8/24-25, Tue @ 7pm Wed @ 10:30am & 7pm Selena Auditorium at American Bank Center
Photo Credits
Hidalgo
Robert Earl Keen Courtesy cmt.com
Aventura 7/3, Sat @ 8pm State Farm Arena Alejandro Sanz 7/29, Thu @ 8pm State Farm Arena Brad Paisely H20 World Tour with Darius Rucker and Justin Moore 8/5, Thu @ 7:30pm State Farm Arena
Page 30 (L-R) Radney Foster Courtesy radneyfoster.com
Gary P. Nunn Courtesy liveatfloores.com
Polo Polo 7/8, Thu @ 8pm Laredo Energy Arena
Terri Hendrix Photo by Mary Burton Page 35 (L-R) Roger Creager Courtesy rogercreager. com
Two Tons of Steel Courtesy twotons.com
Charlie Daniels Courtesy Majestic Theatre
Page 31 (L-R)
Ray Wylie Hubbard Photo by Todd Wolfson
Charlie Robison Courtesy charlierobison.com Colao Courtesy San Antonio Botanical Garden Page 32 (L-R)
Laredo
Randy Rogers Band Courtesy randyrogers band.com
Stephanie San’t Ambrogio Courtesty Cactus Pear Music Festival
Queensryche Courtesy queensryche. com Page 36 (L-R) 1964 The Tribute Courtesy Majestic Theatre Max Stalling Photo by Allison V. Smith
Kelly Willis Courtesy kellywillis.com
Stoney LaRue Courtesy stoneylarue.com
Kevin Fowler Courtesy cmt.com
Asia Courtesy Majestic Theatre
Jenni Rivera 7/23, Fri @ 8pm Laredo Energy Arena
Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes Courtesy rotelandthehottomatoes.com
Page 37 (L-R)
WWE Smackdown 7/28, Wed @ 7:30pm Laredo Energy Arena
Page 34 (L-R)
Deer in the Headlights 7/10, Sat @ 3pm Laredo Energy Arena
Three Dog Night 8/25, Wed @ 8pm Laredo Energy Arena
40 On The Town | July-August 2010
Eleven Hundred Springs Courtesy liveatfloores.com Michael Bublé Courtesy AT&T Center
Dora: Storytime Live! Courtesy Majestic Theatre Annie Courtesy Circle Arts Theatre Grease Courtesy Woodlawn Theatre
Garrison Keillor Courtesy Prairie Home Productions / American Public Media Page 38 (L-R) Bryan Callen Courtesy Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Kathy Griffin Courtesy Majestic Theatre Ron White Courtesy Majestic Theatre Brian Regan Courtesy Majestic Theatre Page 39 (L-R) Robert Hawkins Courtesy thehawknest. com Fred Tomaselli Detail of Ripple Trees, 1994, assorted drugs, hemp leaves, saccharin, acrylic, resin on wood panel, 48 x 48 in., Collection of Peter Norton Courtesy San Antonio Museum of Art Taiso Yoshitoshi Japan (1839-1892) Smoky: the appearance of a housewife of the Kyowa era, 1801-1804 Thirty-Two Aspects of Daily Life, 1888
Woodblock print on paper 37.6 x 25.7 cm overall paper Lent by Lenora and Walter F. Brown Photography by Peggy Tenison Courtesy San Antonio Museum of Art David Zamora Casas Cuando el Corazon Mira Estrellas Courtesy Bihl Haus Arts Page 40 (L-R) Dinosaurs Unearthed Courtesy Witte Museum Wong: Rachael Wong Red Effect, Mixed media, Dimensions variable, 2009, featured in Launch-11 Courtesy Blue Star Contemporary Art Center Ottmar Liebert Photo by Luis Alvarez Christopher Cross Courtesy christophercross. com Page 41 (L-R) Paula Poundstone Courtesy oneworldtheatre.org Judy Collins Courtesy oneworldtheatre.org July-August May-June 2010 | On The Town 41
42 On The Town | July-August 2010
Visual Arts 44-60
July-August 2010 | On The Town 43
44 On The Town | July-August 2010
Dr. William Chiego Director of the McNay Art Museum By Angela Rabke Photography Greg Harrison
W
hen I was a young student, my friends and I would often head to the McNay Art Museum in our spare time. We would wander around the grounds, take artsy photos of our toes splashing in the water, and read Jane Austin under the shade trees. Sometimes we would watch brides having their wedding photos taken. Often, but not always, we would duck inside to experience the art collection— the first opportunity for most of us to see important pieces up close and personal. Those were memorable times, but as youngsters, it never occurred to us to wonder about the individuals who helped create the McNay experience. As an adult, I know that it was during that timeframe that Dr. William Chiego, the current director of the McNay Art Museum, came to San Antonio from Oberlin College, where he served as director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum. He was well aware of the quality of the collection at the McNay, and also had observed that the grounds and facilities were ripe for future growth and development. “San Antonio seemed to be in a growth phase, and the collection and grounds were inspiring to me,” Chiego says. “I knew there were some immediate challenges and was eager to begin.”
The first challenge involved a detailed assessment of the work that needed to be done on the house, taking into careful consideration the environmental requirements of housing such an important art collection. After six years of improvements to the existing structures and grounds, Chiego started an in-depth study of how the collection was expanding. The original collection of approximately 700 pieces had grown to more than 20,000 works, and the McNay needed more space. As a result, Chiego embarked on a long-range site and space plan. The result was a 25year plan that realized the need for gallery space that focused on changing exhibits so that the permanent collection could stay in the house. As plans to move forward with a new gallery space became more concrete, he began to think about the architectural requirements for the property. “Mrs. McNay’s house is so architecturally significant, and we had to decide between making a statement in the vocabulary of today instead of mimicking the existing house. We chose (French architect) JeanPaul Viguier because he understood that sensitivity and was experienced in creating modern statements without overpowering the existing structures,” Chiego says. The result of Viguier’s design process is July-August 2010 | On The Town 45
the celebrated Stieren Center for Exhibitions, which opened in June 2008. With the addition of the Stieren Center for Exhibitions, the McNay today is a visual tribute to the idea of modern and contemporary design. “Everything we do here goes back to why Mrs. McNay built her collection,” Chiego says. “She wanted to create a place that brings art and people together and acts as a bridge between past and present. I think that is what makes us unique within the city—no one else does that. We have tried to maintain her focus and have simply expanded it by adding new media and adding retrospectively. We are telling the story of how art developed from the 1800s to today, and I think that she would love to see what we have done.” The addition of the Stieren Center roughly doubles the size of the museum, enabling Chiego and his team to expand the permanent collection while bringing in a variety of relevant exhibits. “With the new addition, we get to show so much more of what she collected. We’ve also maintained the indoor/outdoor dynamic that exists on the grounds and in Mrs. McNay’s house. The use of natural light is unique in museum settings, and it lets people experience art in a new way.” With the successful completion of the expansion behind him, Chiego and others at the McNay once again are in the process of developing a new long-range plan.
Dr. William chiego FP editorial
Years after I roamed the McNay grounds as a student, it remains relevant to a different phase in my life: my family now shares picnics on the grounds as my kids run around one of Chiego’s favorite installations on the lawn, a George Rickey kinetic sculpture that was one of his first acquisitions for the museum. Our children stare at the art with awe in the same way we used to, and will learn about Georgia O’Keeffe, Raoul Dufy and Pablo Picasso in a world-class museum that we’re lucky enough to have right down the street from our house. While the next 25 years of the McNay are sure to include exciting additions and changes, one thing is certain: It will continue to be a haven for art lovers, students, photographers and families. The McNay currently is showing several exhibits including Neither Model nor Muse-Women as Artists, the Mathews Glass Art collection, and Terra IncognitaDulac’s Suite de Paysage. For more information about these exhibits or other events at the McNay, visit www. mcnayart.org.
46 On The Town | July-August 2010
July-August 2010 | On The Town 47
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48 On The Town | July-August 2010
Summertime Exhibitions at Museums and Art Centers Near you By Shannon Huntington Standley
L
ooking for something cool to do this summer? Look no further, San Antonio is home to a vast array of art and culture institutions, all boasting fabulous exhibitions and cold air conditioning.
If you haven’t checked out Dinosaurs Unearthed at the Witte Museum yet, you’re missing out. The Cretaceous creatures that have invaded the Witte have greeted a record number of visitors for a reason. On view through Sept. 6, this exhibition is one the most comprehensive displays in the world—featuring state-of-the art animatronics, fossils, skeletons and a dino dig pit where the visitor can become a paleontologist. This is the last chance to check out the Witte’s annual Fiesta exhibition, A Royal Garden, which is on view through Aug. 22. Then get a sense of the people and places of Texas history through the strokes of the brush in Texas Art: A Sense of History, also on view through Aug. 22. This summer marks the first chance for visitors to experience the Jeanne and Irving Mathews Collection of Art Glass since its bequest to the McNay Art Museum. On view through Aug. 29, the first group of works to be shown from this collection focuses on the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods in France, one of the most creative chapters in the history of glass. The great glass artists of the time are included, from Daum Frères and Emile Gallé to René Lalique,
as well as rare works by Gabriel Argy-Rousseau, François Decorchement and Jacques Gruber. Since its opening, one of the McNay focuses has been acquiring works by female artists—with inspiration spurred by art collector, educator and artist Marion Koogler McNay. Their latest exhibition on view through Sept.12, Neither Model nor Muse: Women as Artists, celebrates this focus by bringing together for the first time the McNay’s works by women artists, including paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs and theater designs. Blue Star Contemporary Art Center has four new summer exhibitions gracing the galleries, all on view through Aug. 14. Launch-11: Recipients of the International Sculpture Center 2009 Student Awards showcases the 11 winners of the International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Student Achievement in Sculpture Awards. The winners were selected from more than 441 faculty-sponsored nominees representing more than 176 colleges and universities from around the world. Fire in the Belly brings together a group of undergraduate artists from eight universities and colleges in San Antonio. This survey exhibition showcases work of exacting technique, conceptual rigor, humor and politics. Kyle Olson presents It’s Rigged, representing his philosophy of “practice has become praxis.” Embedded features Linda Lewis, who creates her body of work from books and July-August 2010 | On The Town 49
paper with printed text and found objects. For this recent series, the books retained their original shape, but were altered by embedding objects in them. UTSA’s Institute of Texan Cultures is giving a nod to a historic military unit, the Buffalo Soldiers. On view July 22 through Oct. 31, this exhibition takes a look at the African-American regiments of the U.S. Army established in 1866. Focusing on the experience of individuals serving with the 9th U.S. Cavalry between 1866 and 1875, visitors can explore who these soldiers were, why they joined the Army and what daily life was like during their service in Texas. To get the full experience, don’t miss Buffalo Soldiers Encampment on ITC’s Back 40 on July 24 and 25. For more “real life” experience, make a stop at Texas Trails and Tales, through July 30 on the Back 40. Junior docents in the roles of pioneers, ranch hands and trail bosses welcome visitors to a one-room school house, log cabin, barn, fort and adobe house. Then step inside to check out Lone Star and Eagle, an examination of the history of German Texans on view through Sept. 19, and Texas Contemporary Artists Series: Henry Cardenas, on view through Nov.7. If you haven’t made the “trip” to the San Antonio Museum of Art to check out Psychedelic: Optical and Visionary Art since the 1960s, here is your last chance as it closes Aug. 1. This “eye-popping” exhibition documents the origins and development of a psychedelic aesthetic sensibility in contemporary art from the Op Art of the 1960s to the present day. The fourth and final season of the popular, yearlong exhibition of Taiso Yoshitoshi’s (1839-1892) Seasons of Beauty: Thirty-two Aspects of Daily Life is on view July 13 to Oct. 31. Like the previous three seasons, Season Four features prints depicting 19th century Japanese women engaged in daily activities. Three new exhibitions are arriving at the Southwest School of Art & Craft campuses, all on view July 15 through Sept.12. The annual All School Exhibition 2010 showcases outstanding recent works in a variety of media by faculty, students and artists associated with the Southwest School of Art & Craft. The Certificate Student Exhibition will feature works by Mark Crutsinger and Sara Katherine Boyd as a culmination to completing the school’s certificate program in ceramics. Finally, Carra Garza: Solo Exhibition features the works by this San Antonio photographer, created during the completion of her 50 On The Town | July-August 2010
certificate program at the school. Ancient Guardians of the Sky takes over Bihl Haus Arts this summer. On view through July 31, this on-site installation by David Zamora Casas transforms the Bihl Haus with his interactive installation and new series of work. The Museo Alameda presents Bittersweet Harvest through Aug. 1. This moving, bilingual exhibition examines the experiences of bracero workers and their families, providing rich insight into MexicanAmerican history and useful context to today’s debates on guest-worker programs. The exhibition, organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and circulated by SITES, combines recent scholarship, powerful photographs from the 1950s from the Smithsonian‘s collection and audio excerpts from oral histories contributed by former contract workers and their families. From roaring Cretaceous creatures, brand-new collections and student exhibitions to cultural crosssections and funky psychedelics, there are plenty of ways to beat the heat this summer while getting a glimpse at the world from 65 million years ago to the present. Page 48
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Taiso Yoshitoshi Japan (1839-1892) Strolling: The Appearance of an Upper Class Wife of the Meiji Era, 1888 Woodblock print on paper On loan from Lenora and Walter F. Brown Photography by Peggy Tenison Courtesy San Antonio Museum of Art
Above: Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) Pink and Yellow Hollyhocks, 1952 Oil on canvas Bequest of Helen Miller Jones © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Courtesy McNay Art Musuem
Page 50 Sanford Mirling Brandi, Won’t You? Oak, vinyl, 87” x 34” x 30”, 2008, featured in Launch-11 Courtesy Blue Star Contemporary Art Center
Below: Dinosaurs Unearthed Witte Museum
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Portfolio:
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The Art of Janet Campbell By Susan A. Merkner
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an Antonio native Janet Campbell found her artistic calling early in life, but put her creative dreams on hold while she and her husband raised their children. Despite the hiatus, recent years have brought her renown for her watercolor paintings, many of which feature famous sights around San Antonio and South Texas, captured in luminescent hues.
The Campbells returned to Texas in 1976, and the artist began painting scenes around Austin, where the family lived, and San Antonio, which they visited frequently. J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art was among the first commercial galleries to display Campbell’s work, and she says she has been exhibited there for 20 years.
Campbell and her husband were Jefferson High School sweethearts “back in the Dark Ages,” she says with an infectious laugh. After graduation, she worked in commercial art at Joske’s as an advertising apprentice, illustrating a wide range of the department store’s products for its newspaper ads, “everything from lawn mowers to cologne to fashion.” After her husband graduated from St. Mary’s University, he entered the military, serving as an Army officer for 22 years, during which they traveled and were stationed around the world. Family life took precedence over career aspirations. “I put my brushes down and had five children,” Campbell says. While stationed in Leavenworth, Kan., in the mid 1970s, Campbell was persuaded by another Army wife to take a class on post in watercolor painting, taught by an artist from the Hallmark Cards company in nearby Kansas City, Mo. From that point on, “I was hooked” on watercolors, Campbell says. After that first class, Campbell painted steadily for a full year, amassing a portfolio of work for her first show, which was held on base. “It was one of my most successful shows because I had works of all sizes and prices,” she says. “It was a very encouraging sign.” July-August 2010 | On The Town 53
In 1997, Campbell submitted three proposals to the San Antonio Conservation Society for consideration for that year’s poster commemorating the 50th anniversary of A Night in Old San Antonio, a major annual Fiesta San Antonio event. One of her scenes of historic La Villita was selected, and she was commissioned to produce that year’s NIOSA poster. She went on to paint the NIOSA posters again for the 2000 and 2006 events. More of Campbell’s work – commissioned posters for the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County -adorned the covers of the AT&T San Antonio phone books in 2004, 2005 and 2006. She has a lengthy list of corporate commissions and collections over the past 34 years. Financial institutions, commercial spaces, professional organizations, law offices, universities and many other businesses and individuals have featured Campbell’s work. Among her influences were Julian Onderdonk (18821922), often referred to as “the father of Texas painting,” who was well-known for his impressionist works and landscapes. “My great-aunt Florence studied under Julian Onderdonk, and I saw his influence in her work, especially in how she handled trees,” Campbell says.
portfolio FP editorial
During her high school years, Campbell took drawing and watercolor classes with Warren Hunter (19041993), who ran a school of art in La Villita. She also studied with Louisiana artist Doug Watson. Campbell has traveled to England, France, Italy, Japan and Mexico and has been influenced by the art of those and other cultures. Campbell describes several ways in which her work has evolved over time. “After a trip to Guatemala in 1991, my color palette exploded. It really changed to include bolder colors and a wider variety of colors,” she says. “My work always had value but it became less muted.” The artist, who favors the wet-on-wet technique, first develops the composition, drawing and sketching her subject matter. “Then I bring the pigment to the paper, building layers of colors until I get deep, rich colors,” she says. Among her favorite subjects are creeks, limestone outcroppings, landscapes, lake scenes, architectural
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and historical structures and cityscapes. Campbell, who has had a studio in her Austin home since 1976, says she enjoys capturing the contrast of light and shadow on a building, or the color reflections and patterns in glass or on water. Her work was exhibited at the annual Night of Artists art sale and dinner in March sponsored by the National Western Art Foundation and the Briscoe Western Art Museum, which is scheduled to open next year on the San Antonio River Walk. It was Campbell’s fourth year to participate in the invitation-only show, and she received the show’s People’s Choice Award in 2009. Among her work sold at this year’s show were paintings of the state Capitol in Austin, a view of St. Mary’s Street downtown featuring the Aztec Theater, and Light the Way, a scene from the University of the Incarnate Word’s annual holiday lighting display. Campbell says she enjoys having the challenge of upcoming shows before her. “It helps me to have those goals to reach for.” Her advice to fellow artists is simple: “Paint what you love.” Campbell’s work is carried at Artistic Endeavors gallery in La Villita (www.artend.com) and at J.R. Mooney Galleries, 8302 Broadway (www.jrmooney galleries.com). For more information, visit the artist’s Web site at www.janetcampbellwatercolors.com.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Photo Credits: Page 52 La Mansion Page 53 Janet Campbell Page 54 Above: The Texas State Capitol Below: The University of Texas Page 55 Above: Alamo Facade Below: Celebrate the Season July-August 2010 | On The Town 55
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The Art of Play By Kyla McGlynn Photos courtesy San Antonio Botanical Garden
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xperience a childhood playtime thrill! The San Antonio Botanical Garden invites you to explore their new exhibit, Playhouses and Forts.
Playhouses and Forts features eight unique playhouses and forts, specially created by members of the local design community. Visitors will see everything from contemporary and modern interpretations of a playhouse to whimsical and quirky structures. Most designs include environmentally friendly features and all enlist the viewer to participate in some way. “Playhouses and Forts simply invites visitors to have fun. Each year we see more and more families enjoy coming to the Botanical Garden, and these interactive creations will intrigue the visitors throughout the summer and into the fall,” says garden director Bob Brackman. The innovative structures were chosen from 33 entries submitted in a contest held earlier this year. Contest entries came from artists, architects, businesses, families, neighbors, community groups and students. All designers let their imaginations run wild. Winners were given a $3,500 stipend to build and install their designs in the garden. A few of the designers solicited additional sponsorships for supplies or construction. Fun and creative family activities, including building a fort, identifying forest animals, weaving, painting, “green” living, preserving our water supply and much more are planned for opening weekend, June 26-27. Family entertainer Rudy Harst, performing as Rudi and the Rudiments, will supply silly, musical fun for all ages during opening weekend. Playhouses and Forts will be on display through Oct. 24. The playhouses and forts: The Inside/Outside Fort features furniture that is twice life-size, recreating the childhood playtime experience of building a fort from furniture and objects inside the house. As visitors step inside this fort, their inner child is invited to come out and play. Designed by Kristin and Jeffrey Fetzer, AIA, and Guy Ewing, Two Hills Studio. El Presidio Chrysalis is inspired by a chrysalis, the intriguing form from which a butterfly emerges as part of its life cycle. Keeping a child’s imagination at the July-August 2010 | On The Town 57
heart of this design, the fort structure becomes a child’s observe the world through recycled objects, explore chrysalis. Designed by James Haynes and Patrick Winn. soil layers from bedrock to soil to living plants, and measure themselves to see what kind of forest creature En Plein Air invites the imagination and embraces the they might be. Designed by Tomatoberrie Design— environment. Features of this playhouse serve as a Stephanie Keller and Elizabeth Loggie. canvas, a loom and a drawing board – all catering to an Fortè, through its extremely interactive design, invites artist’s whim. Designed by Laura Kaarlsen. visitors to peer into periscopes, crawl through tunnels, This eco-friendly fort, The Water Wheel, uses captured create music and look for a surprise sculpture in the rain water, recycled materials and native plants to create glockenspiel! Designed by Urbanist Design pllc, Ron a place for activity and excitement. By interacting with Evans, Christine Westerman. the wheel at the center, visitors are able to deliver cool relief from the Texas heat to the surrounding plants and The exhibit is presented by the San Antonio Botanical visitors in the garden. Designed by Durand-Hollis Rupe Society in partnership with the American Institute of Architects San Antonio Chapter and the San Antonio Architects Inc. Parks and Recreation Department. Woven Passage is based on the organic woven design of a bird’s nest, creating a sheltered passage for families to Sponsors of Playhouses and Forts include Ewing Halsell use their imagination and explore the world of nature. Foundation, Robert J. Kleberg Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg The design team includes Cristina Ontiveros, Damian Foundation, Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation, the Guerrero and Waqas Bukhari. USAA Foundation, AT&T and Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation. Media sponsors include the The Modern Swiss Family Robinson is built with recycled San Antonio Express News, Magic 105.3 FM Radio and materials from active job sites or from the post-consumer Imagine Homes/KSTX 89.1 FM Radio. The San Antonio waste headed to the landfill. Children can climb on the Public Library is one of the exhibit’s community partners. stationary bike and start pedaling to generate enough power to play the radio. This playhouse will be auctioned The Botanical Garden is operated under the auspices on www.tpr.org with proceeds benefiting Texas Public of the City of San Antonio Department of Parks and Recreation. The garden is at 555 Funston at North New Radio. Designed by Imagine Homes. Braunfels Avenue, with free parking and is open daily Forest Magic is a playhouse inspired by a storybook from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas tale: here, visitors can create their own unique music, and New Year’s Day. 58 On The Town | July-August 2010
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Bruce Auden The World is his Oyster By Chris Dunn Photography Dana Fossett
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eing able to make and prepare foods and combine them, it’s just experience more than anything,” Bruce Auden says in his humble, matter-of-fact way. But Auden has been accumulating culinary experience for more than three decades, which helps explain why this five-time James Beard award nominee for Best Chef of the Southwest has achieved, and continues to achieve, so much.
At Polo’s, Auden responded to culinary trends without following them, taking the best they had to offer while retaining the best of what he already knew. His insatiable curiosity about, and in-depth study of, world cuisines constantly inspired him to refine and redefine his own culinary world.
He integrated elements of Italian, Asian, Southwestern and Cajun into his dishes. Where other chefs might Auden’s career began at the age of 17 when he left have turned fusion cuisine into confusion, Auden made his native England and came to the United States to it seem perfectly natural to have a Vietnamese stock work at the Northmoor Country Club in Highland Park, simmering on the stove while Mexican quesadillas, a suburb of Chicago. At the time, the only culinary Italian pizzas and quail stuffed with boudin browned knowledge he had was an inherent sense of what good to perfection in Polo’s wood-fired oven. food should be. In 1991, Auden opened Biga in an historic house in “Subconsciously,” he says, “it came from the way I was north central San Antonio, along with LocuStreet brought up. Mom was a tremendous cook…Back then Bakery, run by his wife, Debra. According to Auden, the in England, she was organically correct and sustainable name, which is Italian for a lively preferment of yeast, before it was fashionable over here…So everything water and flour used in bread making, was inspired she cooked for us was fresh and delicious.” by Carol Field’s book, “The Italian Baker.” “That’s why Debra starting baking bread, and that’s why we called Northmoor gave Auden a strong foundation in classic the restaurant ‘Biga,’” Auden says. French culinary techniques which continues to underpin all his dishes. “The first chef I worked with in It was an apt description of the dynamic energy of the country club was a Swiss chef and everything had Auden’s first restaurant. Debra, a culinary artist in to be just right,” he says. her own right, supplied the large variety of breads, baked goods and rustic loaves the restaurant (and In 1977, he began a six-year stint at award-winning neighborhood) required. Crickets in Chicago, and subsequently, worked at Exposure in Dallas and Charley’s 517 in Houston. Auden, along with his talented chef de cuisine, Mark Bliss (who later founded Silo Restaurant), offered a wideIn 1985, he moved to San Antonio to open the Fairmount ranging “contemporary American” menu of appetizers, Hotel’s Polo’s restaurant. While there, he was named salads, soups, entrees and desserts, including dishes one of 1988’s “Ten Best New Chefs of America” by Food such as savory oak-roasted mushrooms with thyme, and Wine Magazine and, in 1991, Esquire Magazine rosemary and garlic; Asian-inspired crab packets with added Polo’s to its “Best Bars and Restaurants” list. cucumbers and dipping sauces; and Texas antelope July-August 2010 | On The Town 63
roasted in a wood-burning oven. In its first year, Biga was named to Esquire’s “Best Bars and Restaurants.” In 1996, Biga was inducted into “Nation’s Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame.” By 2000, Biga’s success had outgrown its original home; Auden and his partners, Perny Shea, Pete Selig and Don Thomas, moved the restaurant to its current location above the River Walk, dubbing it, “Biga on the Banks.” The modern décor of the restaurant provides the perfect setting for Auden’s eclectic dishes. “We just celebrated our 10th year,” says Auden, crediting Shea’s expertise in putting together private dining events as a major contribution to the restaurant’s success. “She’s fantastic at doing them,” he says, adding, “We have some of the nicest private dining spaces for people coming to the city for weddings and things like that.” But it’s the dependably innovative menu that keeps Biga at the forefront of fine dining in San Antonio. Auden continues to rely on his knowledge, experience and inherent sense of what good food is to continually surprise and satisfy his clientele. Auden says his latest venture, Auden’s Kitchen -- a casual, very affordable, family-friendly restaurant located on the north side of San Antonio -- has much in common with Biga. “Some of the dishes we have here originated at Biga,” he says, adding that several employees, including his highly experienced head chef Patricia Wenckus, worked at Biga or continue to do so. He also enjoys having a restaurant that, like the original Biga, is in a residential area. “We were more of a neighborhood place then when we were on Locust Street, and now again, we’ve become a neighborhood place,” he says. At Auden’s Kitchen, the chef continues to draw from a panoply of world cuisines, with dishes ranging from classic French duck confit and Viet/Thai-influenced tempura shrimp bowl to Texas wood-roasted mushrooms and Southern-inspired buttermilk fried chicken. Auden even gives a nod to his own British roots with fish of the day and chips and Scotch eggs. This may seem like a diverse group of dishes, until you consider what they all have in common--great taste and Bruce Auden. 64 On The Town | July-August 2010
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Undaunted, the couple shifted their focus to the project’s accompanying Web site, goodtastewithtanji. com, which was taking off “like a rocket,” she says. “We decided that instead of trying to sell the pilot, we had a bird in the hand with the Web site.” Videos After being a familiar face on local NBC affiliate WOAI- are a mainstay of the site: Patton writes, produces and TV for 17 years, Patton’s contract was not renewed in stars in “mini-shows” covering everything from a visit 2007, leaving the Emmy award-winning journalist, with super-chef Bruce Auden at his new Stone Oak anchor, producer and host/creator of “San Antonio restaurant to La Gloria’s Mexican street food at the Living” in search of her next “new adventure,” as she Pearl District. describes it. She also writes a blog (“Tanjents”), newsletter, passes Turns out she didn’t have to look far. At the on recipes, writes knowledgeably about wine, and time, she and husband Mike were working on interacts with readers and viewers on her occasional a television pilot called “Good Taste With Tanji,” “Girls Night Out” events around town. “The goal of designed to educate viewers on wines (“to take the site is to be fun, entertaining, and to encourage away the intimidation factor”), good food and people to share family time around good food and a travel, including visits to some of the Pattons’ bottle of wine.” favorite vineyards, restaurants and other getaways encountered during a 27-year marriage. Slickly The life-changing event that was the genesis of produced and beautifully photographed, the pilot “Good Taste With Tanji” was a trip to Tuscany. – most of it shot in Italy -- featured the telegenic “ There was a particular wine we wanted to try, so Tanji talking to chefs, winemakers and others in we sought out the winemaker. The winery turned her trademark breezy, informative style. “That was out to be his house.” There, in a countryside completed and ready to sell about the same time kitchen, sampling bread, sausage, cheese and of course, wine, Patton says, “We talked about his the market crashed in 2008,” she says. hen life handed Tanji Patton lemons, she didn’t just make lemonade – she whipped up lemon meringue pie, baked a lemon pound cake and opened her own lemonade stand.
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life. We talked about our lives. We went out on his patio and watched the sunset.” On the way back to San Antonio, Patton says, “We decided we wanted to do something where we were living life and not doing life. We knew we wanted to do something we were passionate about and not just a job.” She pauses. “And that’s not to say that I wasn’t passionate about the news business and being a journalist. I absolutely was. But the reality is that no matter how hard we try not to let the bad news in, I think subconsciously it does.” Another pause. “And I was definitely burned out.” There’s no sign of even a singe on the Lubbock-born, Houston-bred entrepreneur, stylishly dressed in crisp white cotton and sporting a hefty shoulder bag and her ever-present cell phone. Patton wears change well, although she admits that “how much I didn’t know about the Web was the biggest surprise -- the technical stuff, the strategizing and producing.” She caught on fast (with a little help from son Cash, 24, an IT professional) and now Facebooks and Twitters with the best of them. Although she’s not working any fewer hours than she did at the station, the small scale of her venture (it’s only her, Mike, a videographer/ editor, and a part-time producer) means “a lot more freedom.” Her travel wish list includes “Bordeaux, Argentina and more of Spain and Portugal.” When you do for work what most other people do for fun, then what is her definition of fun? “For us, it’s a luxury to cook a good meal and sit and talk, or throw on a Netflix.” Personal training sessions, a healthy diet (no fast food), and an occasional massage help to keep stress at bay. As for her former life, Patton looks on the bright side: “I don’t miss the bad news, the stress, or the deadlines.” What she does miss: “The crazy sports guys. They made me laugh on a daily basis.” As to navigating life’s curves, Patton says, “The reality is that change will happen. You either fight it or go with the flow. So we kind of go with the flow.” She feels “the sky’s the limit” in both the real world and cyberspace. The Internet, she says, is a medium where “if you can dream it, you can do it.” For a moment, the ever-practical journalist pokes through the sunny smile. “For the most part.” 68 On The Town | July-August 2010
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David Kellaway and the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio
MOre Culinary Arts A Winning Combination FP editorial T By Chris Dunn Photography Greg Harrison
bars, as well as a 12,000-seat event center, 24-hour in-room dining, and catering and concession services for the nation’s fifth-largest convention facility. He also has been director of culinary operations at the 3,000-room Mirage Resort and Casino; executive chef at the high-end boutique hotel, Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls in Washington state; a chef Kellaway, who most recently served as corporate instructor and educational department chairman director of culinary operations for Las Vegas- at the Hyde Park campus of the Culinary Institute based Station Casinos Inc., has made a career out of America; and he even helped design the kitchen of winning — from the gold medals he has been at the Bellagio Hotel. “Every job, position and awarded in culinary competitions to the respect he relationship is unique,” he said, explaining how every new challenge he has faced in his career has has won from his peers. required a totally new approach. Previously, he was executive chef, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and THEhotel, where he The Houston native’s culinary journey began at planned, developed and implemented food-service age 19 when he took a job working nights as a operations and directed the activities of 500 culinary dishwasher in Aspen to finance his days spent employees working in 19 restaurants and 17 snack skiing. But it wasn’t long until his work ethic caught he decision-makers at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., weren’t taking any chances when they chose David Kellaway to be the new managing director for their San Antonio campus -- they knew they were betting on a sure thing.
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MOre Culinary Arts FP editorial
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the eye of his employer; within six months, he had are currently fewer than 60). Adding to that risen from prep cook to saucier, and he began to impressive credential, he won the Crystal Chef see the culinary arts as a career path. award for attaining the highest overall score during his certification examination -- two weeks of Seeking more experience and greater oppor- grueling, 16-hour days that tested every aspect of tunity, Kellaway moved to New York City where Kellaway’s culinary knowledge, both in the kitchen he eventually met Joseph Trombetti, executive and through written and verbal exams. chef at The Plaza Hotel. Trombetti was an Italian who happened to love Texas, cowboy boots and In spite of his achievements, Kellaway is quick rattlesnake roundups, and he hired the young Texan to note, “You hardly learn anything from your to work for him. “Trombetti added new meaning to successes.” In a recent speech to a graduating class the term, ‘Spaghetti Western,’” Kellaway said with a at the Culinary Institute of America, he said, “The laugh, noting that The Plaza provided the perfect most significant difference professionally between “university” for an aspiring chef. you there and me standing here today is that I have made a lot more mistakes than you have… If you Without formal training, Kellaway took full ad- don’t mind coming back again and again and again vantage of the “brigade de cuisine” system then and hearing the critical commentary about the prevalent at top restaurants -- a military-like work you do, in very short order you will be miles structure that enables an individual to learn every ahead of your competition.” aspect of the kitchen while rising through the ranks. Kellaway did and eventually attained the position Under his leadership, the San Antonio campus of of executive sous chef. the Culinary Institute of America is expanding from 5,000 to more than 25,000 square feet, making it It was at The Plaza and through its association with capable of graduating 150 students a year, as well the highly respected Societe Culinaire Philanthro- as offering professional continuing education pique that Kellaway became involved in food classes and boot camp and enthusiast classes for competitions. “My first show platter was a lobster the general public. It will also house the Center platter -- two spiny lobsters standing like crossed for Foods of the Americas, a multifaceted research swords, surrounded by caviar timbales and lobster center that promotes, preserves and promulgates medallions. It was all pomp and circumstance… the unique foods and cuisines of Latin America. there was probably about 15 percent edible on there,” he said, adding that the experience taught The grand opening of the new facility is scheduled for him “there is a difference between having pretty Oct. 9. It will coincide with the Latin Flavors, American food and appetizing food.” Kitchens Leadership Symposium (Oct. 7-9), which will focus on the world heritage of Latin cuisines, their Kellaway went on to be the regional captain of future on American menus and the advancement of the 1988 U.S. Culinary Olympic Team. That year, in Latin-American culinary professionals. Frankfurt, West Germany, his team won three gold medals and two grand prizes. In addition to the school dedication, area high school culinary teams will compete for scholarships “There was a chemistry to that team that was just by preparing and presenting healthy after-school wonderful,” Kellaway said. Members of the world snacks. The winners will be determined by food championship crew included the Culinary Institute professionals and attendees. of America’s current president, Tim Ryan; vice president-dean of education Mark Erickson; and Chris As an educator, Kellaway is enthusiastic to be Northmore, one of only three certified master pastry part of the ongoing development and growth of a chefs recognized by the American Culinary Federation. culinary school that could have a great impact on the people, cuisine and culture of San Antonio. “I’ve Kellaway also was recognized by the ACF as a always enjoyed teaching,” he says, “mostly to do certified master chef — the highest honor a with the fact that I was so excited about knowing culinarian can receive in the United States (there this stuff. It’s a lot more fun to share these things.” July-August 2010 | On The Town 73
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Literary Arts 79-86
Š Michael Flippo | Dreamstime.com
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Susanna Nawrocki
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Twig Book Shop employee and former longtime manager Story and Photo by Jasmina Wellinghoff 80 On The Town | July-August 2010
Book Talk: I
n a world of chain stores and Internet suppliers, the independent, locally owned bookstore has become an endangered species. Yet, San Antonio’s Twig Book Shop has defied the odds for decades. Founded in the early 1970s by Harris Smithson, the beloved shop-cum-gathering spot was managed by Susanna Nawrocki from 1976 until mid-2009. Though she resigned that position to spend more time with her grandchildren, Nawrocki still shows up for work every morning at 10 a.m. and still functions as a buyer. Her love affair with books started early in life. She holds a master’s degree in library science and is also the co-author (with our publisher Gerald Lair) of the book “Our San Antonio,” first published in 1992 and reprinted in 2008. A few months ago, the Twig’s current owners, John and Frannie Douglas, decided to relocate the Twig from its old digs in Alamo Heights to the historic Pearl Brewery complex, which is where we met with Nawrocki to talk about the move, local literary tastes and the book business in general. JW: How do you like the new space? SN: Oh, we like it! We are getting people from all over the city. On Saturdays, with the market here (farmers’ market), it’s huge. We just think it’s a great place to be. JW: It does seem more spacious than the Broadway location. SN: It does, but it’s actually smaller. It looks spacious because it’s one large space rather than two connected rooms like we had before, and there’s a nice open area for events. One day there were 70 people here for a children’s program. Also, we have more flexibility in terms of adding and taking away bookshelves. (She points out the free-standing, lighter bookshelves in the center of the floor.) JW: Is the Twig the only independent bookstore in San Antonio? July-August 2010 | On The Town 81
SN: You have to narrow it down a bit. It’s the only independent general bookstore selling only new books. We have been fortunate to have owners who really want San Antonio to have such a bookstore and who support it.
then, (making ordering decisions) is a combination of knowing the customers, working with the reps, checking trade journals and using Internet resources. But it comes down to a gut feeling in the end.
JW: What are the Twig’s areas of concentration? JW: You have watched a number of independents go out of business here and elsewhere over the last SN: Those evolved over time. I have always focused couple of decades. What kept you going? on having a really fine children’s section. Over time, it also became clear what we sold most of – general SN: I guess it’s that romantic love for the book business. fiction, regional books about Texas and children’s I still can’t wait to come to work every day. I have this literature. So those are strong even today. Next idea that we are contributing to the whole comm- come history/current affairs and biography and then unity by putting out a broad selection of books. My things like cooking, gardening and other lifestyle children grew up coming to the store, and now my subjects. That’s how it’s been historically for us. grandchildren are coming. It’s fun to see people who Things may change in this new location. were coming to the store as children returning with their children… I love it. JW: What changes have you observed over the years in what is being published and/or sought by JW: When you started managing the Twig 34 years customers? ago, you had a master’s degree in library science but how much did you know about the business side of SN: In the ‘70s, there was very little published by running a retail establishment? non-American or non-British writers. Now we have works from authors from all over the world. Another SN: Nothing! (laughs) It was a learning experience. change is that books for kids today reflect all kinds But we have a great national organization, the of ethnic backgrounds. That was definitely lacking American Booksellers Association, that does a great before the early ‘80s. There was a time when we had job educating independent booksellers. I also had a huge craft section but no more. People may be some guidance from the L&M Bookstore (owned still buying those books but they are buying them by the same company) in terms of budgets and elsewhere. All kinds of places carry specialized books, inventory. I also had to discipline myself. You want to craft stores, gardening and discount stores, even order every interesting book there is, but, of course, fabric stores. At one time the self-help section was you can’t carry everything. really big. Today, there’s an emphasis on publishing books for “young adults” (teens and pre-teens). And, JW: How would you decide what to order? There are of course, the Internet has brought a lot of changes. always so many titles out there. JW: That’s a different kind of change, a change in the SN: I already knew quite a bit about children’s litera- delivery of material. ture before I started, so that helped the store grow in the beginning because we had a really good selection SN: None of us know where those changes will of children’s books. On the whole, however, it’s trial ultimately lead us, especially the e-readers. One young and error. It’s very hard to predict what is going to woman said to me (about a title she was interested catch the public’s imagination. You get to know your in), “If I can’t get it from the Kindle, I’ll come to the customers and that helps. Also, the publishers’ reps get store.” That’s one reason I am happy that we are here to know your store and they filter what they are going (at the Pearl). Because events will probably become to present to you. A recent example was “The Immortal more important for us – signings, story hours, book Life of Henrietta Lacks,” a book I would have passed club meetings, things like that that you can’t get from over if it weren’t for a sales rep who was convinced the Web. that everybody needed to stock this book. Well, he was right. It’s a great read. It’s that kind of interchange JW: The Twig has always been very supportive of San that really makes it work for a small store because you Antonio authors. Has that policy been good for business? can’t have everything. To get back to your question 82 On The Town | July-August 2010
SN: Oh, local writers are hugely important. We used to have them in a separate section. Book signings bring new people into the store. Some of the writers have books in high demand, such as Naomi Shihab Nye, Bob Flynn, Sandra Cisneros, Mary Margaret McAllen Amberson who wrote, “I Would Rather Sleep in Texas” (a history of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and South Texas). We sold about 500 copies of that one when it first came out because it was on a topic that there wasn’t much on, and it was so well done. Books about the King Ranch have also been good sellers. It’s probably because many San Antonians are descendants of people who worked on that ranch. It’s their history. Then there’s also Jay Brandon, Carmen Tafolla, Lewis Fisher and, of course, Rick Riordan. Rick is huge, huge! His new book (for children) goes on sale May 4 (a couple of weeks after the interview). We’ll have signed copies to sell, so that’s really good. We are so happy to have him here living in San Antonio. He has put on his Web site that if people wish to order signed copies they should contact us. We are getting orders from all over the country and from Japan and Australia. This is the first book of his new series, “The Kane Chronicles,” called “The Red Pyramid.” And as I understand it, it’s all based on Egyptian mythology. His “Percy Jackson” series incorporated Greek mythology. Kids love these books. What we are seeing here is the same kind of thing we had with the Harry Potter series. People tell us that kids are reading again. JW: Do you have a message for readers and potential readers out there? SN: I would say, if you value your local businesses, support them. You know, a study was done on what happens to money spent at your local businesses as opposed to chains. With the chains, most of the money goes out of town by the next morning. A much larger percentage of the money stays in your community when you spend it at a locally owned shop. (Specifically, $68 of each $100 spent versus $43 of each $100 spent at a chain store. J.W.) Besides, it’s the local businesses that make the community unique. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Nawrocki’s comments have been edited slightly for reasons of clarity and space. The Twig Book Shop is at 200 E. Grayson St. in the Pearl Brewery complex on the San Antonio River. Find it online at www.thetwig. indiebound.com. July-August 2010 | On The Town 83
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Literary Arts
Gemini Ink’s Summer Literary Festival Explores Nature By Jennifer Herrera Photos courtesy Gemini Ink
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emini Ink celebrates its 13th year hosting the Summer Literary Festival, which will focus on biomimicry, an emerging discipline based on imitating nature to solve human problems. Gemini Ink will feature artists focusing their work on the “green” age during the 2010 Summer Literary Festival, “What Would Nature Do?,” taking place July 9-25. “Since writers and readers have been comparing, linking, imitating and bringing like and unlike together throughout history, we are naturals at the creative thinking involved in biomimicry,” Gemini Ink executive/artistic director Rosemary Catacalos said. “We dedicate this summer’s festival to honoring the role of language in healthy solutions.” There always has been a bond between the natural world and the arts, a symbiotic relationship in which
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nature serves as conduit for artistic expression, and the artist works to preserve nature’s beauty and utility. The festival will feature this message throughout workshops and readings with Joe Nick Patoski, Shin Yu Pai, Sherwin Bitsui, Mobi Warren, Lyle Rosdahl and others. Gemini Ink’s always popular Young Writers Camp, with instructors Derek Delgado and Donna Peacock, will guide students as they nurture and celebrate their perspective and voice. Rosdahl, who will teach the workshop Structural Biomimicry in Short Prose, hopes to help students explore the beauty and complexity of the world through writing. “Gemini Ink provides the community with a brilliant service by bringing a variety of writers together to participate in and discuss a variety of writing,” Rosdahl said. “This summer, I hope to continue this great tradition by considering how
nature can structure short prose.”
by executive director of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance Analisa Peace, executive director of Solar San Gemini Ink also is sponsoring many free events, Antonio Lanny Sinkin, and environment writer for the including 2 to Watch, a collaborative event with San Antonio Current Greg Harman. The discussion will Artpace, which pairs a literary artist and a visual artist explore the issue of environmental justice and each as they discuss the ins and outs of their works and citizen’s responsibility to protect land and natural processes. Poet Trey Moore and artist Ken Little are resources. the featured duo. Moore previously worked with Gemini Ink’s Writers in Communities program as a Gemini Ink’s Summer Literary Festival takes place July writer-in-residence at various local schools. 9-25. Festival information can be found online at www. geminiink.org. For more information, contact Gemini “My work with Gemini Ink allows me to return poetic Ink at (210) 734-9673. ideas to the community that grew me,” Moore said. During 2 to Watch, Moore will read vignettes from his book of poetry, Some Will Play the Cello (Pecan Grove Press, 2010).
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
The Summer Literary Festival features an array of workshops and events that aim to enlighten the community about various environmental issues. Gemini Ink is partnering with Say Sí for the PBS POV (point-of-view) documentary series. The series will screen the award-winning documentary, Libby, Montana. The film’s director and producer Doug Hawes-Davis, who also is teaching the workshop Writing Treatments for Documentaries, will be on hand to take questions following the screening. The festival closes with a Community Talk moderated
Photo Credits: Page 84 (L-R) Marian Aitches Sherwin Bitsui Page 85 (L-R) Joe Nick Patoski Trey More
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Eclectics 88-98
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Pistol Packin’ Paula
The Best Lady Gun Spinner in America By Michele Krier Photography by Greg Harrison
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ake a short drive to Enchanted Springs Ranch in Boerne and visit an authentic replica of a Western town complete with an old-time general store, a six-gun saloon, bank, blacksmith and livery. While you’re there, say hello to Pistol Packin’ Paula, the main attraction at the ranch and a huge draw for tourists from all over the country. Paula literally rides herd over the 86-acre ranch which is home to Texas longhorns, buffalo, deer and a variety of exotic wildlife. Kids especially enjoy the Indian encampment and taking rides on Woodrow, one of the gentle longhorns on the ranch. Petite and energetic, Paula, who trained professionally as a stuntwoman, puts on one heck of a Wild West show. She twirls two .45 Cimarron revolvers (and these guns are heavy!) in the air, over her shoulder, behind her back, and straight into her specially made holsters. Kids and adults are captivated by her speed and showmanship.
After graduating from stunt school, with $50 in her pocket, Paula headed west to follow her dream. In 1990, she landed a job as a stuntwoman at Rawhide Western Town in Scottsdale, Ariz. Despite being told she’d never be able to twirl guns because her hands were too small, Paula today has the distinction of being the only woman in the United States who twirls real guns professionally. “I was born back east,” says Paula, who fits in so well you would think she’s a native Texan. Her onewoman show includes gun twirling and cracking bullwhips (you many need earplugs -- these whips create a sonic boom, they’re so loud!) The traditional 7-foot leather bullwhips move and crack in excess of 750 miles per hour. The whip is never used on the cattle -- the sound is used to startle them so the herd instinct kicks in, sending them all running in the same direction. July-August 2010 | On The Town 89
Paula says, “The bull whip sound keeps the cattle moving on an open range -- that’s the only way a small team of cowboys can control a thousand head of cattle.” She’s honed her skills to such a level that she can whip off a snippet of paper from a paper airplane she holds tight in her teeth. Sit up close at her show and you could find yourself smack dab in the middle of the action as she calls for a brave volunteer. Ringling Bros. doesn’t have a thing on this Western performer. As they say on TV: Don’t try this at home. Paula went to stunt school to learn high falls, roof rolls, car hits and saddle falls. Fittingly enough, the ranch puts on a stunt show and re-enacts a bank robbery in the center of town with Paula heroically coming to the rescue. Talk about a role model for girls! Little did Pistol Packin’ Paula know that honing these skills would catapult her career and lead to her being named “The Best Lady Gun Spinner” in America. In 2003, she won her second award from the International World Championship for Gun Twirling in Las Vegas. And she’s also taken home International World Championship trophies in South Dakota during Wild Bill Hickok Days and in Oklahoma. Her notoriety earned her appearances on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the History Channel and the Western Channel, and she starred at many Las Vegas hotels, including the Riviera, Tropicana and Hacienda. Paula’s trusty sidekicks, her horses Jake and Tonto, are part of her popular Western act. Paula’s reputation as a world-class Western entertainer has landed her TV commercials and movie work. She also enjoys performing at conventions, Western theme parties and special events around the world. With her talent, it’s easy to see why she’s a natural choice for portraying Annie Oakley in Wild West shows. Bring the family out to see Paula’s show at Enchanted Springs Ranch in July and August and experience the romance of the Old West. For great memories, grab some grub at the ranch’s chuck wagon dinners which are held Wednesdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Reservations are required by calling 830-249-8222, ext.205. The ranch is located at 242 Highway 46 West in Boerne. 90 On The Town | July-August 2010
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Artistic Destination:
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Long Center is Austin’s
Art and Soul By Julie Catalano Photography by G. Russ Images
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t was an event they are still talking about. “One of the most epic parties ever done in Austin,” remembers Cliff Redd, executive director of the Long Center for the Performing Arts. “Opening it was more fun than I can tell you. It was truly a moment for Austin and a cherished memory.” Two years later, the state-of-the-art Long Center has more than earned its rightful place as Austin’s artistic crown jewel. In a city that already enjoys the reputation of having one of the most vibrant and supportive arts scenes in the state, if not the country – one report places the economic impact of the performing arts at $300 million a year – the Long Center attracts continued attention as arts leaders, architects, acoustical experts, designers and others come to study the center.
Much of the interest has been focused on “the history of the building and its adaptive reuse,” explains Redd, along with the center’s “green” aspects. “There’s a fascination with that.” In 1998, the citizens of Austin voted to approve the city’s lease of the 40-year-old Palmer Auditorium to the nonprofit group Arts Center Stage (ACS) for renovation into a community performing arts venue. The following year, ACS received its lead gift of $20 million from Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long, and the project was renamed to reflect their contribution. Donations from more than 4,600 supporters in amounts ranging from $1 to $22 million have made the $77 million center a privately funded accomplishment. Construction began in 2005 and July-August 2010 | On The Town 93
was completed in 2008. “We received no city funds,” configuration, and is used primarily by community Redd says proudly, and it continues to operate on arts organizations. philanthropic donations. Along with the center’s sweeping design and its The 190,000-square-foot center is a study in beautiful vistas of the Austin skyline from the sustainability and eco-consciousness, set on the 30,000-square-foot terrace, the real star of the show, shores of Lady Bird Lake. More than 95 percent of the Redd says, is the incomparable acoustics, placed in material from the deconstructed Palmer Auditorium the top 5 percent of all performing halls in America. was recycled into the finishes and fixtures of the new “We rival Carnegie Hall,” he says. A staff of about 40 center. One example: the aluminum panels on the full-time employees, a handful of part-timers and “a multicolored roof of the Palmer have been reborn as wonderful armada of about 800 volunteers” keeps the exterior finish of the new 2,400-seat Michael and the place running smoothly. “We strive for five-star Susan Dell Hall, the center’s main venue and home to perfection every day,” Redd says, “whether you’re founding resident companies the Austin Symphony onstage, backstage or in the audience.” Orchestra, Austin Lyric Opera and Ballet Austin. The second venue, the Debra and Kevin Rollins Studio Audiences have a veritable wealth of offerings Theatre, seats from 80 to 226, depending on the to choose from as the center kicks off its 2010-11 94 On The Town | July-August 2010
season Sept. 3-4 with a local production of “The Intergalactic Nemesis – Live Action Graphic Novel,” combining actors and artwork. The Legends Series will present Liza Minnelli, Tommy Tune, and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Other productions include Tango Buenos Aires, the Vienna Boys Choir, Cirque Dreams Illumination and Blue Man Group. “It’s very eclectic and purposely so,” says Paul Beutel, managing director. “We are really working to reach out to as many different audiences as we can. I look for things that will have appeal to the diverse Austin communities.”
meet otherwise will meet at the Long Center if there is a symphony going on in the main theater and an avant-garde production in the smaller theater.” Adds Shaady Ghadessy, marketing manager: “It’s true. Everybody comes together at the same bars, the same lobbies. Only in Austin will you see a man in black tie next to a guy in flip-flops and jeans.” Redd adds, “Austin is a city about possibilities. The Long Center is the absolute essence of Austin. It is the best of us.”
Free public tours are held every Wednesday. For groups larger than 10, please contact Guest Services It’s that diversity that excites Redd the most. “This at 512-457-5171 for reservations. has been a great sociological and anthropological experiment for Austin. Audiences that might not July-August 2010 | On The Town 95
Picture This: in
Samuel Gompers Statue
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Sebastian’s Torch of Friendship
Victoria at the McNay by Philip Grausman
Star P by J Hen
n the public eye
Pointer John nry
Korean War Memorial
Big Shoot Sculpture at SAMA
George W. Brackenridge Statue
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images by dana Fossett
Borglum’s Old Traildrivers at the Witte
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Memorial to Confederate Dead in Travis Park
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
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