Month: July 2017

Whataburger fundraiser to benefit YMCA Youth Sports

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This Thursday July 13 Whataburger is having a fundraiser to benefit the YMCA at O.P. Schnabel Park’s Youth Sports programs. Photo: Whataburger, used with permission.

Whataburger periodically hosts events to help the community and schools. These events have ranged from “Oh Whata Nights” to jalapeño eating contests, drawings and raffles. Coming up this week, Whataburger is hosting an “Oh Whata Night” fundraiser to benefit the YMCA at O.P. Schnabel Park’s Youth Sports programs. This event is scheduled for Thursday July 13 from 5p.m. to 8p.m. at the Leon Valley Whataburger. (Whataburger, 2017)

The public is invited to come and show their support by enjoying their favorite menu items and Whataburger will donate 20 percent of the sales during the posted hours to the organization. Guests will be able to participate in the popular “Whataburger for a Year” drawing where one customer’s name will be drawn to win the ultimate prize-a free Whataburger every week for a year. There will also be a photo booth and the first 100 customers will receive free Whataburger sunglasses.

Whataburger has been making burgers since 1950 when Harman Dobson opened a humble hamburger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas. He wanted customers to take one bite and say, “What a burger” so he named his stand on Ayers St “Whataburger.” Since then Whataburger now has over 700 locations across the country and continues to deliver fresh, made to order meals everyday with superior customer service. Community support includes charitable giving and volunteerism to nonprofit organizations that focus on children’s charities, cancer research, hunger assistance, disaster relief and military support.

Whataburger
7016 Bandera Rd near Huebner Rd
Leon Valley, TX 78238
(210) 680-0721

Theater review: ‘Shrek, The Musical’ at the Woodlawn Theatre

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Morgan Clyde as Fiona, Alejandro Pesina as Donkey and Joshua Goldberg as Shrek in the Woodlawn Theatre’s production of ‘Shrek, The Musical.’ Photo: Woodlawn Theatre, used with permission.

The hot summer months are here and those looking for an indoor activity to enjoy with the family might want to consider a night at the theater. Now playing at the Woodlawn Theatre is ‘Shrek, The Musical,’ the family friendly tale of the loveable green ogre based on the hit DreamWorks animated movie. It runs until Sunday July 30 with show times on Friday and Saturday at 7:30p.m. and Sunday at 3p.m. Tickets range from $18 to $29 and are available online. This highly entertaining show brings the beloved characters from the movie to life onstage for a musical about an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess.

The story begins with Shrek’s parents throwing him out on his seventh birthday to fend for himself, “Big Bright Beautiful World,” while warning him that his life will not be easy because of his looks. Years later, Shrek is living in a swamp, alone and bitter but content with his solitary life. That is, until the quiet is interrupted by a group of fairy tale characters, including Pinocchio, The Three Bears, Peter Pan, the Ugly Duckling and many more. They have been thrown out of the Kingdom of Duloc by the evil Lord Farquaad just for being different. Shrek agrees to travel to see Lord Farquaad to convince him to let them come back so he can have his swamp back. Along the way he rescues a talkative donkey from some of Farquaad’s guards and in return for his kindness, he offers Shrek his friendship, “Don’t Let Me Go” and ends up tagging along for the rest of the journey. Once there, he is given the task of rescuing Princess Fiona who is trapped in a castle. In return, Lord Farquuad promises to give Shrek the deed to the swamp.

While the cast of ‘Shrek, The Musical’ is bigger than in most shows, they all work in synch to make this an enjoyable show. Joshua Goldberg, as Shrek, has good chemistry with Morgan Clyde who plays Fiona and they complement each other on stage. Alejandro Pesina’s spot on comedic timing makes him the perfect choice for playing the funny and sometimes irreverent Donkey. Joshua Buce’s hilarious portrayal of Lord Farquaad makes this production a must-see. Show highlights include Shrek and Donkey’s “Travel Song” when their friendship evolves and “Freak Song” when the ensemble accepts who they are and agree to fight together against their tormentors. Some of the humor is off-color but it still appeals to audiences of all ages with its themes of friendship and acceptance.

‘Hairspray’ at The Playhouse San Antonio

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Kass Ortiz stars as Tracy Turnblad in The Playhouse San Antonio’s production of ‘Hairspray’ opening this week.  Photo: Daniel D Baumer, used with permission.

Opening at The Playhouse San Antonio this week is the local production of the Tony Award-winning musical ‘Hairspray.’ This wildly popular musical opens on Friday July 7 and will run until Sunday August 6 in the Russell Hill Rogers Theater. It is the story of Tracy Turnblad, whose innocent desire to dance on a television show ends up shaking up her hometown of Baltimore. The book was written by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music is by Mark Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Mark Shaiman. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8p.m. and Sunday at 3p.m. Tickets are available online and are $42 for general adult, $23 for military with valid ID, $23 for seniors aged 60 and up, $15 for students with valid ID and $12 for children aged 12 and under. Discounts are available for groups of ten or more. (The Playhouse San Antonio, 2017)

‘Hairspray’ is set in 1962 where Tracy Turnblad, a plus size teenager with a passion for singing and dancing, dreams of her chance to dance on the local dance television show. When she finally wins a spot on The Corny Collins Show, she becomes an overnight celebrity and meets a wide variety of characters. They band together to challenge the status quo which leads to social change when they campaign for the show’s integration. Amid singing and dancing, ‘Hairspray’ tackles such topics as racism, segregation and finding love despite weight and color differences. Omar Leos is the director and it stars Kass Ortiz as Tracy Turnblad, David Nanny as Edna Turnblad, Brendan Brady as Corny Collins, Emily Cleveland as Penny Pingleton and Cade Thomas as Link Larkin.

The Playhouse San Antonio
Russell Hill Rogers Theater
800 W Ashby Place
San Antonio, TX 78212
(210) 733-725

‘Burning Patience’ at The Classic Theatre of San Antonio

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Hector Machado as Pablo Neruda in ‘Burning Patience’ opening Thursday at The Classic Theatre of San Antonio.  Photo by Siggi Ragnar, used with permission.

Opening this week at The Classic Theatre of San Antonio is ‘Burning Patience.’ Teatro Farolito is bringing the premiere of this love story to San Antonio audiences as part of the Classic Presents series. It opens on Thursday July 6 and runs until Sunday July 16, 2017. This stage adaptation of the 1985 novel by Antonio Skármeta tells the story of Mario Jiménez, a fictional postman in revolution-era Chile who befriends the real-life poet Pablo Neruda. It was adapted to the screen in the 1994 film Il Postino: The Postman. (The Classic Theatre of San Antonio, 2017)

In ‘Burning Patience,’ Mario is the postman of Isla Negra, a small Chilean fishing village where almost everyone is illiterate except for Latin America’s greatest poet Pablo Neruda. Neruda not only lived through World War II, but he also lost his friend and fellow poet, Federico García Lorca, during the Spanish Civil War. In Chile, there is a dance in which wives, daughters and mothers of thousands of “missing” dance with photographs of loved ones pinned to their clothing. Skármeta’s ‘Burning Patience’ is such a dance. In the absence of marked graves, art is the closest thing to a memorial that the missing in Chile may ever have.

There will be only eight performances with show times on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8p.m. and Sunday at 3p.m. at The Classic Theatre of San Antonio. General admission tickets are $20 and are available online. There will be no late seating at any performance. It is directed by José Rubén De León and stars Hector Machado, Marisa Varela, Amanda Ireta-Goode and Juan Calderon.

The Classic Theatre of San Antonio
1924 Fredericksburg Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78201
(210) 589-8450

Artpace’s Summer Artists-in-Residence Exhibitions

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Artpace’s Summer 2017 International Artists-in-Residence Exhibitions will be on display from July 13 through September 3, 2017. Photo: Sandra Cruz

Artpace recently announced the opening of the Summer 2017 International Artist-in-Residence Exhibitions. These residencies feature artists Christie Blizard from San Antonio, Texas, Rolando López from Aguascalientes, Mexico and Kang Seung Lee from Los Angeles, California. The opening reception is set for Thursday July 13 from 6p.m. to 9p.m. and will include talks between the artists and curator Yoshua Okón beginning at 7p.m. This event is free and open to the public. The exhibitions will be on display from Thursday July 13 through Sunday September 3, 2017. (Artpace, 2017)

Christie Blizard – she works with a variety of media that merge painting, poetry and performance. Recent venues include the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, TX, the School of Visual Arts in New York, NY and the Lawndale Art Center in Houston, TX.

Rolando Lopez – his work generates relevant questions about the meaning of modernity and capitalism. He is interested in the relationships that occur between the economic field and the culture, particularly in the socio-cultural strategies that have developed throughout history for the development of what is considered art.

Kang Seung Lee – he is a multidisciplinary artist who was born in South Korea and now lives and works in Los Angeles. He has had solo exhibitions at Commonwealth and Council in Los Angeles, CA, Centro Cultural Border in Mexico City and group exhibitions at LAXART in Los Angeles, CA.

Texas Open Call is Artpace’s primary resource for identifying artists who are interested and eligible for participation in Artpace’s artist programs including the International Artist-in-Residence program, Hudson Showroom, Main Space, special projects, Chalk It Up and more. It will be live from July 1 through August 31 and the fee to apply is $15 or free for Artpace members.

Artpace is a contemporary art space located in downtown San Antonio created to support artists with residences, exhibitions and educational programs to foster the creative process. Since it opened in 1995 Artpace has housed more than 200 artists through the International Artist-in-Residence program. Every year the program hosts three residencies that include a Texas-based artist, one national artist and one international artist who are each chosen by a guest curator. After an eight-week residency, the artists have their exhibits on site for two months. The purpose of these residencies is to give artists every opportunity to grow by giving them the resources they need.

Artpace
445 North Main Avenue
San Antonio, TX 78205
(210) 212-490