Texas Performing Arts

I have worked in the ticket office for many years now. I started out as a work-study my freshman year of college, continued on all four years of school, worked as a temp when I graduated and eventually became full-time, first as a cashier and then as assistant manager. I feel in my time, I’ve learned quite a bit about the behind the scenes of the ticketing world and now I’m taking this opportunity to share my knowledge with you, the reader.

Phantom of the Opera is going on sale tomorrow and we have several popular shows next week-Lyle Lovett, Mannheim Steamroller, and Jackson Browne. With popular and high demand shows, many tickets are purchased and then resold through ticket scalpers and brokers at a higher price than face value. This is a hot button topic across the country and venues and artists are very divided on the topic. I always recommend that consumers purchase tickets directly from the venue or a reputable source such as the organization’s website or phone room. Not only do we provide better customer service, we sell tickets at face value, and are often much more acquainted with the hall. In addition, if there is any sort of problem with your tickets or experience, we’re better able to help and normally have accounts set up with your information. When you purchase tickets from a third party, there’s no way to verify your seat locations or your transaction even taking place. The catch-22 we face is that there’s not  a way to limit sales to scalpers. We’re unable to refuse service and online and phone sales are very hard to control. Patrons really should make sure that they know who they’re purchasing their tickets are and that the price they’re paying is the face value of the tickets. And if you’re ever in doubt, always call the venue or organization, we can usually point you in the right direction!

Austin Kleon, a local writer, cartoonist, and designer, brought his sketch pad along to the R. Crumb/Art Spiegelman/Françoise Mouly event and pre-preformance lecture by Sam Hurt.

Kleon was able to sketch some great drawings of the Sam Hurt lecture and Crumb and Spiegelman.

In addition to his sketches, Kleon is known for his Newspaper Blackout Poems—poetry made by redacting words from newspaper articles with a permanent marker. His first book, Newspaper Blackout, is due out in spring of 2010.

To learn more about Kleon and his work, check out his website: http://www.austinkleon.com/

-Curt Yowell

"Sam Hurt Lecture" by Austin Kleon

"Crumb, Mouly, Spiegelman" by Austin Kleon

"Many Ways to Draw a Duck" by Austin Kleon

As part of my job, I have the distinct pleasure of coordinating exhibits to fill the 300+ linear feet of gallery space spread across our beautifully renovated lobby in Bass Concert Hall.  We currently have some fantastic artwork on display, from local artists like Jennifer Balkan (level 3) and Julie Henslee Adams (level 4), to a wide range of works presented by Austin Community College faculty members (levels 2 and 6), to an exquisite collection of works by Kelly Fearing, faculty emeritus at The University of Texas at Austin (level 5).

Next week I am excited to be working with some of the talented artists in Karen Maness’s Fall 2009 Scene Painting Class. Karen is our Charge Scenic Artist at Texas Performing Arts and she heads up the paint shop that is responsible for the beautiful sets and backdrops that you see in performances by UT’s Department of Theatre & Dance.  This semester, her scene painting class worked on Translucent Stained Glass projects that, when illuminated from behind, give the impression of a lit window with opaque leading.

Examples of the students' works

By Wednesday, November 25th you will be able to see these students’ projects on the 4th floor of the Bass lobby.  The south-facing front doors of our lobby are open to the public from 11am – 2pm, Monday – Friday (excluding holidays).  This exhibit will be on display until mid-February, and Karen and I hope you will stop by to see the work of her extremely talented students.

-L. Lehman

When I meet people and I say I work for Texas Performing Arts, they perk up and ask what I do.  When I tell them I raise money, they tend to glaze over.  I guess it is not exactly the coolest job in a lot of people’s eyes.

But last Wednesday, I got a strong reminder of why I do what I do.

Sitting in the dark in Bass Concert Hall with representatives of National Instruments and Capital One, and 1300 middle and high school kids, I got really psyched.  As the Trey McIntyre Project performed and answered questions from the audience, I looked around and thought “okay, I can’t choreograph, I sure can’t dance, I don’t know how to rig a stage or set up the lighting or control the sound, but I can make something happen.  I can make sure that kids who might otherwise never step foot in a 3,000 seat state-of-the-art concert hall or see the amazing work of a world-class contemporary ballet get to experience the creativity and innovation and see the possibilities for their own lives.

Yep, it’s pretty cool.

Ann Stafford
Manager of Foundation and Corporate Relations

Student Madness!

I laughed, I LAUGHED, I cheered uncontrollably!

As a veteran of the theatre, working almost every aspect from acting to dramaturgy to playwriting to technician for over 20 years (and as a musician for even longer), I must sadly admit that I am, more often than not, disappointed in the quality of the vast productions that I am apart.  It is this regret that has brought me to the crossroads of re-thinking my career choice.

However, . . .

Last night, two of my closest friends and I wondered into UT’s tiny Lab Theatre to support one of our charming students. 

Here we found a sold-out house.  (Well, maybe I shouldn’t say ”sold out” since tickets are free to everyone.  Donations were and are certainly welcomed.)

In this once-abandoned venue, I immediately and most-joyously found myself re-immersed into a world of youth, energy, and unparalled enthusiasm.

From the bubbling box office personnel, the busy technicians, the patiently-waiting actors, the free home-baked concessions, the live tuning musicians (yes, FREE concessions and a LIVE band in a time when many big-budget Broadways are more and more turning to canned musicians!) . . . . 

Once the show began, the energy from the stage slammed me with a much-needed awakening. And I happily flashbacked 18 years to when I was on that very stage as an actor and remembered my own power of un-jaded enthusiasm.

Last night was the opening of Reefer Madness, the Musical a student production brought to the public by students who simply love what they do, the theatre.

Without reviewing the production, i.e., script, script interpretations, choreography, technical aspects, etc.  I find myself choked up on one simple fact; there was, and radiated, an absolute disregard and unconcern for financial, material, and bureaucratic issues.  Above anything, the students were there to entertain and enjoy.

This they did.  And it showed.

In the hundreds of productions I have worked, I have repeatedly found that high production costs do not necessarily mean high production value.  These young students know this and have made full use of this fact.

Without a hitch, this production dealt with, and yet was empowered by, an obvious lack of funds.  These students, instead of having the opportunity to cheapen themselves and wow the audience with big-budget Splash and Trash, chose the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid).  From their simple but effective costumes to their almost bare lighting and set, this production made perfect choices in almost everything it set out to do.  With creativity, ingenuity, and, often times, spontaneity, these students created a show whose production value was of the highest standards.

This low / no-budget production was lifted to the heights by the power of student creativity and unimpeded enthusiasm that brought this silly production to a level of professional that I have dearly missed.  This production reminded me why I fell in love with the theatre and thankfully beckons my continued interest and curiosity.

It is productions such as this, too far and few between, that reminds me of why I joined this special world and rekindles my hope of finding that theatre thrill and zeal once again.

No fancy lobby. 

No fancy furniture.

Reefer Madness. 

Student Madness. 

Student Enthusiasm.

Peace.

David “Seb” Boone

Master Electrician

Texas Performing Arts

University of Texas at Austin

Reefer Madness, the Musical runs thru Sat., Nov. 14. Show times 7pm.  Free.

UT’s Roundabout Players

Be charmed, once again

The email from Costume Shop Supervisor Pat Risser came at about 4:00 PM on Friday…”Volunteers Welcome!” It went on to invite staff to help get costumes ready for the P&P dress rehearsal on Sunday.  Only basic sewing skills were needed…. I was ready to turn off of my computer and this seemed like a good time to learn more about the workings of our costume shop.  I had admired the costumes I had seen and understood Texas Performing Arts’ role in training students in the design and construction of costumes, but wanted to know more.

Although much of campus seemed vacant as students, faculty, and staff had left  to enjoy the wonderful Fall weather, the costume shop was bustling as everyone rushed to get 38 period costumes ready for the Sunday rehearsal. Preparation for this play had begun months ago.  The dress rehearsal schedule was complicated because the football game on Saturday would make it very difficult to park or get into the building.  I was put to work basting details on two men’s coats.  My work would be covered with gold braid, so I did not have to worry about my inexperience hurting the quality of these exquisite garments.  Two costume facts that I learned that make sense, but I had never thought about: 1) the beautiful buttons are never used because velcro is sewn underneath to facilitate actors’ quick changes and 2) costumes must be made much stronger than regular clothes because of the wear and tear they receive.  I also learned that it is possible to make stage blood that looks real on stage, but easily washes out of  costumes.

Our costume shop has trained professionals that are working in the industry and in theaters across the county.  I am looking forward to a new appreciation of the costumes when the UT Theatre and Dance Pride and Prejudice premiers on November 13.

Cathryn Dorsey

I finally saw Spring Awakening last night!

After months of non-stop Guilty Ones coordinating, listening to the short blurbs from the Sample CD, and hearing the overwhelmingly excited feedback from fans, I was able to personally put together the big picture I had been anticipating.  Fortunately, I was not let down.

My favorite part of the show was the intensity.  The rock and roll atmosphere of the entire production is what clearly sets Spring Awakening apart from other Broadway shows.  And even more intense is the actors’ passion.  As a House Manager for Texas Performing Arts, I was able to listen in on some of the post-show talk-back Wednesday night, 10/21.  The actors care deeply about the subject of Spring Awakening and seemed very interested in having an impact on their audience- good or bad.  As long as the show caused people to think and question things, they were satisfied.

In a nutshell, Spring Awakening was shocking and intense- just what I was hoping for.

There’s still time to see it!! http://texasperformingarts.org/event/spr…

Student Rush: 2 hours before every performance, students present with valid student ID can purchase tickets 50% off!

Part of our commitment to the academic mission involves engaging our campus and local community through activities surrounding the performances. We hope these activities enhance your experience at Texas Performing Arts.

Before the first performance of the 2009-2010 Season, “An Evening with Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer,” the community had the opportunity to talk live online with the artists. If you missed it, please take a look at the archived discussion.

We hope to do more of these live online chats in the future, and there still plenty of great performances left in the season. Be sure to check the website, texasperformingarts.org, often for news on the next online chat with our performing artists.

Tuesday I had the privilege of taking a tour of the Spring Awakening set and backstage areas of Bass Concert Hall as the tour prepared for its first night in Austin. Eric Sprosty, Production Stage Manager for the Spring Awakening Tour, showed us around. A clip of the tour can be found by clicking this link Spring Awakening Backstage Tour.

A few fun facts: Did you know?

• The tour travels with 45 people (21 cast members, 8 musicians, 10 crew, 3 stage managers, 2 company managers, 1 merchandise person)
• To load in the set, it takes 13 hours with a 4 hour spotting call and they must hire 53 local stagehands to assist
• There are 366 light cues, 24 hand props, 35 sets of costumes (not including understudies) and only 1 wig for the entire show

As part of our educational mission, Texas Performing Arts offers tickets to students from UT Austin and other institutions in the area for most of our events for just $10. That’s a live performance by a world-class artist for less than the cost of a movie and popcorn.

And, the word is out. Ticket purchases by students from UT Austin and other institutions in the area are on the rise. Although it is too early in the season to tell exactly how many student tickets will be sold this season, early estimates are that we will exceed our goal of 15,000. We have already sold more than 3,200 student tickets and the 2009-2010 Season just started September 1.

Because the student ticket prices represent only one half to one quarter of the actual ticket cost, Texas Performing Arts must raise approximately $300,000 to cover the additional costs of the program. Funding comes, in part from Texas Inner Circle members and Corporate Sponsors who recognize the value of their investment.

“Students deserve the opportunity to enjoy the offerings of their university to the fullest,” said Leslie Lockett, Community Affairs Director for Presenting sponsor H-E-B. ‘Whether they are majoring in music or engineering, performing arts enrich the educational experience and spark the creativity that ingenuity and innovation demand. H-E-B is proud to help Texas Performing Arts make these programs affordable and accessible.”

For more information on how you can support Texas Performing Arts, contact Ann Stafford, Manager of Corporate and Foundation Relations at (512) 471-7583, or Mindy Graves, Member Relations Manager at (512) 471-1195, or visit www.texasperformingarts.org/support