The Best Theatre, Dance and Comedy to See in Austin This Spring
Put a spring in your step and welcome the season with soaring performances
Spring has arrived! As the trees bloom, so do some of our favorite celebrations of theater, dance, comedy and much more across the city’s stages. Find your favorite performing arts events coming to Austin.
“What the Constitution Means to Me”
April 16-May 11 at varying times. ZACH Theatre, 201 S. Lamar. $25-$95.
When playwright Heidi Schreck was a teenager, she traveled around the country participating in Constitutional debate competitions to help fund her college tuition. In this Pulitzer Prize-nominated play, Schreck traces her family’s maternal history, weaving in the story of her own abortion, her mother’s abuse, and her great-great-grandmother’s mental health issues — all while highlighting who the Constitution does and does not protect.
“Madame Butterfly” by the Austin Opera
April 25-27 at various times. Long Center, Rollins Studio Theatre, 701 W. Riverside Dr. $15-$352.
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Puccini’s classic operatic tragedy comes to Austin with the talents of soprano Raquel González in the lead role and Opera San Antonio’s General Director E. Loren Meeker. In the early 1900s in Osaka, Japan, 15-year-old Cio-Cio-San was wed by a U.S. Naval officer, Pinkerton, who had the intention to eventually leave her for an American wife. What follows is a story of abandonment, injustice and the heartbreak of being a mother without options.
Broadway in Austin: “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
May 13-25 at various times. Bass Concert Hall, 2350 Robert Dedman Dr. $35-$150.
The Broadway and film hit musical by Baz Luhrmann takes the stage at Bass Concert Hall. Follow the romance, splendor, and heartbreak of French bohemians at the famous Moulin Rouge Cancan club in Paris, with a familiar mashup of beloved songs from “Lady Marmalade” to “Your Song.”
The Texas Burlesque Festival
May 2-3 at 8 p.m. Long Center, Rollins Studio Theatre, 701 W. Riverside Dr. $27.25-$68.63.
Celebrate all things sultry, silly and sexy with burlesque performances from dozens of performers over two nights, featuring the World Famous BOB, Jeez Loueez and the Fat Bottom Cabaret troupe.
“Homenaje al Mariachi” by Ballet Folklórico de Austin
May 18 at 5 p.m. Long Center, Rollins Studio Theatre, 701 W. Riverside Dr. $35-$50.
The Long Center hosts its annual fundraising event with the Ballet Folklórico de Austin performing with a full live mariachi band, Mariachi Clásico. Experience the vibrant colors and sounds of traditional Mexican dance.
“Fat Ham”
June 6-29 at various times. Austin Playhouse, 405 W. 22nd Street.
Playwright James Ijames reimagined Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” from the viewpoint of modern-day Juicy, a young Black man navigating the recent death of his father and his mother’s quick remarriage to his dad’s brother. Yes, a fatherly ghost makes an appearance — but so do hilarious moments alongside conversations about generational family trauma and modern masculinity. Get tickets here.
“Julius Caesar” by Austin Shakespeare
May 15-25. Zilker Hillside Theater, 2206 William Barton Dr. Free.
“Et tu, Brute?” Hear one of Shakespeare’s most known lines (or utter it under your breath in the audience) at Austin Shakespeare’s free performances of “Julius Caesar.” Experience the Ides of March at the hillside outdoor theater in Zilker Park “gratis,” as the Romans would say.
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For more performances and art events this spring, be sure to check out our online calendar.