Best bet is to get season tickets. I've found more and more the shows that focus less on the…read more"greatest hits" and more on the "off the beaten path" selections.

The Austin Symphony Orchestra is the oldest performing group in Austin, Texas, USA. It was founded…read morein 1911. The mission of the Austin Symphony Orchestra is to bring live symphonic music to the people of the Austin area through community orchestra concerts, to provide enjoyment and enhanced musical appreciation and knowledge, to provide an avenue of artistic growth for regional performers, and to encourage continual musical study for area musicians. The symphony hosts entertainers who specialize in jazz, swing, and other brass supported musical disciplines. Thing Two and I have been here on multiple occasions to support the orchestra. Each performance is unique and timeless. Patrons who attend the symphony are allowed to bring in their own food/picnic baskets to enjoy while in attendance. The alcoholic drinks served here are at premium costs, but that is to be expected at venues such as this one. Thing two and I have also had the pleasure to meet Peter Bay (Music Director and Conductor of the Austin Symphony Orchestra since 1998) on several occasions. I appreciate the time he has taken with Thing Two and others who have stopped him after shows to educate them and get them more involved in music. If you are looking for a fun night out with family or for looking for date ideas, Austin Symphony Orchestra should definitely be a consideration.

It's official - immersive theater has arrived in Austin, thanks to NunaMaana…read more I discovered NunaMaana through Ballet Austin about a year and a half ago and have been going to their shows ever since. Seeing a NunaMaana show is like nothing else in Austin. Think of New York's Sleep No More - but instead of terrifying and creepy, tons of fun with vibrant colors and beautiful dancing. Oh, and lots of laughs. I love watching the show unfold and seeing people open up as the performance progress - by the end, even the stodgiest of folks find themselves getting involved in the story and playing along. I cannot recommend NunaMaana more - they provide professional entertainment mixed with quintessential Austin friendliness.

NunaMaana and its performances are easily one of my favorite things about Austin. Their…read moreperformances are not something you go to see, they're something you go to DO, to experience along next to the performers and other audience members. Their shows range from funny with characters that have you laughing, to heartaching with pieces that reach from the souls, to intricate with stories that unravel throughout the show and will have you eagerly awaiting what will be revealed next. It is not a sit down and watch the stage type of show -- the stage and characters are around you. They will interact with you if you are interested, and you can get to know each characters' unique stories moments before they all come together for another energetic dance (which they'll teach you a couple of, too!). Every show is such a different theme, you never know what you're getting into -- from hip hop to indie rock, from soft romantic tunes to booty-rockin' jams. Settings range from masquerade balls to medieval kingdoms, glow parties to out-of-this-world get togethers with lawn games. I would recommend this to anyone, and that's the beauty of it. Go for a girls night out and get dressed up to match the theme. Bring a big group of friends and play some cornhole in between dances. Go for a date night and have some drinks while eating delicious cupcakes left at the tables while mingling with the characters. Bring the family and kids can dance right along with the young dancers in the show giving out lollipops and glow sticks. These shows are creative, magical, and make you forget the outside world. They are all different enough that you never know what you're getting into, but the surprises are always such a delight. I highly recommend.

I saw Raped Clarity at the Gemini and was fairly impressed with the space and how they use it. When…read moreyou first enter, you arrive at a very professional ticket and snack counter, and paintings and photographs by a local artist adorn the walls. I enjoyed a nice Malbec while surveying the works, which seemed to exemplify a simple, contemporary style infused with elements of pop culture - such as you would find in greeting cards and cartoons. Some of them were quite clever, and even the photographs somehow speak to the modern style and popular ambitions of this theatre's proprietor. Despite my fine first impression, there were quite a few problems. Seating is unfortunately folding, metal chairs - but at least they were the padded kind. The stage itself was quite good - raised a foot or so above the floor, with adequate space and entrance portals, and decent sound - but the lighting was barely adequate and could not possibly be useful in most, true theatrical productions. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of Raped Clarity was marred by the lack of quality lighting. Finally, the script itself has problems, with incongruities that tend to distract one's attention as the action unfolds. Glaring examples include an inconsistent, unprofessional, and even unethical psychologist character. If this were a minor, peripheral character, perhaps the problem would not exist or it might be insignificant, but this is a central character that helps drive the action throughout the heroine's journey. Some minor problems with props may have simply been mistakes during the particular performance I attended, and these might not necessarily be blocking and choreography errors. The dialogue, in general, is problematic, with some vocabulary and word choices that seem inconsistent with the characters who deliver them and the situations in which they are delivered. By far the best performance in this production was that of the heroine's father, an archetypal southern working man and alcoholic. This character functioned as both an anti-hero and comic relief, and was oddly endearing. The heroine's mother was also a good performance, and contributed some fine, comic moments, but the character was fraught with some of the aforementioned dialogue problems. Raped Clarity is a work in progress and may very well be autobiographical, representing the author's sorting out of her own psyche after experiencing rape. I find, in fact, that the only way that I can reconcile the various characters and situations of this play is to consider them as symbolical. Indeed, I conclude that each character and situation represents an aspect of the heroine's - and perhaps the author's - own mind as she works toward recovery after a violent rape. This is the only way Raped Clarity makes any sense to me.

I was recently in a play here, and was very impressed with the Gemini playhouse. The facilities are…read moreclean and well-maintained, and though it's a bit tricky to get to, a quick phone call to the friendly and helpful owner Anita will set you straight. I would highly recommend the Gemini for shows, rehearsals, and events.

Always entertaining - with a perspective on the Asian experience in Austin, TX…read more The shows frequently sell out, so buy your tickets or show up to the box office early. This show is put on at the Salvage Vanguard Theater on Manor Road. Always worth the money!

Local theater troops are a blessing... and this one tucked into the loving and welcoming First UU…read morechurch on Grover is no exception. With performances 3 times a year, the team draws upon classic and contemporary, professional and locally crafted material - always professionally staged and performed.

Phenomenal performance of Incorruptable!…read more I was really amazed by how well the show was cast, directed and the overall production. There was never a dull moment. It was filled with quick wit, brilliant acting by the two older monks. And a lot of promising performances by the rest of the cast. Truly an ensemble. I can't wait to see what they are working on next!

Genuinely is my childhood I LOVE KIDSACTING Ï have been in so many of these plays used to be in the…read moregoogle maps picture, absolutely built my confidence. Is the reason why Ím in theatre. Love Kel Sanders, Anthony, Mary, and Henry! (Srry if I spelt any names wrong) AND DON'T FORGET EVERY CHILD IS BORN TO BE A STAR!!!

Stumbled into the production of "Cabaret." Surely this would be some very creative adaptation…read moreappropriate for the cast members. NOPE! I was astonished to see high school girls....14,15,16,17,18,19 year old girls in lingerie! Really! Fish nets, thigh highs, garter belts, corsets, laughing up shaking their barely covered bums and bosoms in clear sexual intent towards an audience of adults. Imagine your 15 year old daughter saying they found a job, making good money, scantily clothed and provocatively dancing for adults. Sign me up, right?!? But hey, for the "arts," let's encourage it. *Parents beware.* There is a serious lack of judgement by this organization and some of the performance had to be bordering on criminal. I don't have photos to add to the review...I would end up on some watch list if I did.

The Original Recipe Band...We have really mixed feelings about our experience with them…read more Unfortunately, more negatives than positives stand out, which is our reasoning for the 2 stars instead of the neutral 3 stars. We were recently married in Hill Country, and felt very strongly about having a live band rather than a DJ at our wedding, mostly because all of the weddings that stood out in our memories had awesome live bands to make the reception memorable. We did a lot of research on bands, which definitely took a lot of time. Getting married in the Austin area leaves a ton of options to sort through! What originally attracted us to the band is that they were large, seemingly flexible in accommodating our wishes, offered a great price, and despite not having many online reviews, they provided us with a list of emails to previous clients who we were able to email us references. While the "booking" process what relatively easy, once we did book, our impression of the band manager, James, started to decline. While he was initially quick to respond to us when we were scouting them, once we booked he took months to get our signed contract back to us. I had to email and encourage him multiple times. I come from a family of lawyers and have always had the mentality that nothing is final or confirmed until it is in writing, so waiting so long to see our agreement in writing made me uncomfortable. James often commented that he was preoccupied with moving forward with other endeavors professionally and home repairs, and that this was the reasoning for his delay, which I found to be unprofessional. Let me throw in some positives: They were accommodating of our song choices for special dances. We arranged to have one of the band members play guitar for our ceremony. His name is also James (a different James than the manager) and he was very prompt at responding, kind, and his ceremony performance was excellent. The jazz/piano music for the cocktail hour were appropriate. When it came to the reception music and orchestrating the order of events, the manager, James, seemed to have no idea what was going on despite having had been emailed a timeline for the evening and order of events. He initially kept coming up to me (the bride) and asking me what was next, etc. Keeping him organized and on schedule was the last thing that I wanted to be doing at my own wedding. We had two wedding coordinators and he didn't even think to go to them first with questions without my prompting. When James was speaking and introducing speeches, etc. he was very mumbly and difficult to understand. After the first dances were over and it was party time, instead of playing music that would get people out on the dance floor it was still a lot of jazz and swing music...not exactly what's going to get 20 and 30 something's out on the dance floor. After asking our coordinators to have them step it up a bit with the music, things did get better. Another thing of note was that the transition between songs felt like it took forever. A song would wrap up and guests would just be standing and waiting for the next song. It made it difficult to keep the momentum going. A few guests would even shout out, "Come on! Let's keep it going!" Overall, it was not the experience we were hoping to have with our band. I feel like the band really sets the vibe for the night and it wasn't exactly the upbeat party atmosphere we had in mind. We had amazing experiences with all of our other vendors, but we would not work with ORB again.

Original Recipe Band performed at my daughter's wedding in January 2011 and did an outstanding job…read more Our guests commented repeatedly about how great the band was and how much fun they had. They played a variety of music and kept everything lively. Our guests were out on the dance floor dancing and truly enjoying the event. In addition to the actual performance, my experience with James Fenno in engaging the band, selecting the music, and working through the details of the schedule of events for the reception was exceptional. He is professional in his dealings and responsive to communications. I have to say that having Original Recipe Band perform for the reception really made the event successful. I highly recommend them to anyone planning a wedding.

Pollyanna could be a theatre company that you may not have heard of, unless you are seven... or in…read morethe know when it comes to the Austin theatre scene. It's a children's theatre company that fit's its mission and purpose well. I caught a revival of a New Mexico children's' play called Wonderdog, a young girl's journey from loss to new school to friendship and ultimate reunification of family. Pretty serious stuff for kidd-os, huh? At this performance, there were about 100 audience members, and the kids were mesmerized. They loved it, and so did the adults. The company is expertly produced by artistic director, Judy Matetzschk-Campbell. She took the time to welcome the audience before the show and help the children understand the difference between television and live theatre. Smart move! She made the medium accessible for the kids but did more than tell them they had to stay seated. You can tell she's a teacher. The kids were ready for an hour of live theatre. The performance itself was expertly written, directed, and designed. The kids loved the dog costumes, which were cleverly crafted with styrofoam hats with cool doggie snouts, and woolly jackets, and they suited the characters' needs well, since all of the dogs of Dog Alley like those "belly rubs." The show itself is very appropriate for young ones but full of thoughtful, real themes such as bereavement and unconditional love. The actors handled the script well and warmed our hearts when the scene demanded. Nice job! If you have a kiddo in your world, share Pollyanna with them. They'll be more than entertained; they'll learn a skill set and mature their understanding of and love for live theatre.