Esther's Follies

Esther's Follies Copyright (c) 2010,2011 AO Design -. All rights reserved. http://esthersfollies.com/ @ The Gateway to Austin's Entertainment Texas' Premier Magic and Comedy Troupe en-us Sun, 19 May 2013 10:37:35 -0500 5 Esther's Follies 165 157 http://esthersfollies.com/ http://esthersfollies.com/images/logo.png The Velveeta Room Celebrates 25 Years With a June Comedy Festival http://esthersfollies.com/news//the-velveeta-room-celebrates-25-years-with-a-june-comedy-festival http://esthersfollies.com/rss/the-velveeta-room-celebrates-25-years-with-a-june-comedy-festival @ The Gateway to Austin's Entertainment Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:56:00 -0500 <img src="http://www.esthersfollies.com/im_images/kerry_awn.jpg" alt="" width="403" height="300" /> Esther’s Follies is stepping aside the weekend of the annual ROT Biker Rally to make room for The Velveeta Room’s 25th Anniversary and Comedy Festival, hosted by Kerry Awn. The Velveeta Room has evolved to become one of the best clubs in Austin to see stand-up comedy.  As a nationally known spot for stand-ups, the “Velv” has the vibe of a “comedy clubhouse” for local comedians and the occasional big name comic like Ron “Tater” White.  The festival will be pulling in  some of the best in Austin stand-up.   Prices and times: Thursday 8PM, $10 general admission/ $15 reserved Friday 8PM, $15 general admission/ $20 reserved Saturday 8PM, 10PM  $15 general admission/ $20 reserved Tickets can be purchased by calling (512) 320-0198. Ray Anderson Snapped Attending SXSW AL Gore Lecture! http://esthersfollies.com/news//ray-anderson-snapped-attending-sxsw-al-gore-lecture http://esthersfollies.com/rss/ray-anderson-snapped-attending-sxsw-al-gore-lecture @ The Gateway to Austin's Entertainment Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:51:00 -0500 <img src="http://www.esthersfollies.com/im_images/628x471ray_SXSW.jpg" alt="" width="628" height="435" /> Our own Ray Anderson was gathering material for Esther's Follies at the recent Al Gore SXSW lecture. Image courtesy of the San Antonio Express. SXSW Highlights Here at Esther's Follies http://esthersfollies.com/news//sxsw-highlights-here-at-esthers-follies http://esthersfollies.com/rss/sxsw-highlights-here-at-esthers-follies @ The Gateway to Austin's Entertainment Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:37:00 -0600 <img src="http://www.esthersfollies.com/im_images/marc_maron.jpg" alt="" width="442" height="600" /> Saturday March 9th,  6PM, don't miss Comedy Bang Bang, a live podcast recording from the Esther's Follies stage! 8PM Burning Love Showcase 10PM Burning Love Showcase Sunday March 10th, 4PM WTF with Marc Maron Live Podcast Recording 6PM Improv4Humans 8PM Comedy Bang! Bang! Live 10PM Comedy Bang!Bang! Live Monday, March 11th 6PM, Gelmania 8PM The Upright Citezens Brigade presents All Stars of Imporov 10PM The Upright Citizens Brigade Standup Showcase Tuesday, March 12th 6PM Talkin Walkin Live 8PM Robert Kelly's Nasty Show 10PM Robert Kelly's Nasty Show Wednesday, March 14th 6:30PM Who Charted? Thursday March 14th  6:30PM Loud Village Presents  Saturday March 16 6:30 PM The Benson Interruption  For a full listing of what's going on around town check out: <a href="http://schedule.sxsw.com/?lsort=venue_all_days&venue=Esther%27s+Follies" target="_blank">http://schedule.sxsw.com/?lsort=venue_all_days&venue=Esther%27s+Follies</a>   The Statesman Features Esther's Co-Founders! http://esthersfollies.com/news//the-statesman-features-esthers-co-founders http://esthersfollies.com/rss/the-statesman-features-esthers-co-founders @ The Gateway to Austin's Entertainment Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:31:00 -0600 <img src="http://www.esthersfollies.com/im_images/aam-real-love-1.jpg" alt="" width="635" height="600" />   By <a href="http://www.statesman.com/staff/helen-anders/">Helen Anders</a> American-Statesman Staff <div class="cmArticle cmOembedContainer"> The play’s the thing wherein Shannon Sedwick and Michael Shelton caught each other. And it’s the thing that’s kept them together through all the stages of their life. The two were University of Texas freshmen in 1969 when they were both cast in the rock musical “Now the Revolution.” “Shannon was on my shoulders,” Michael recalls. “I kind of became infatuated with her.” Counters the woman who would become his wife: “I saw him do a death scene and fell in love.” The production, which was busted by the campus cops for nudity, created the couple now best known as the founders and mainstays of Austin’s Esther’s Follies. The two moved in together, graduated five years later from <a class="ml-smartlink" href="http://www.find-e.com/" target="_blank">the University</a> of Texas and opened the now dearly departed <a class="ml-smartlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Lunch" target="_blank">Liberty Lunch</a>, where they built a stage out back for bands in the mid-’70s. Eventually, they decided to go bigger, renting a place on Sixth Street for $100 to house nightly revues. The couple invited performer friends to show up on Friday starting at 11 p.m. and do their various things. “It just kept going, sometimes for hours,” Shannon recalls. Finally the fire marshal said the group had to have defined hours. The couple complied, and the resulting show was the foundation for Esther’s Follies, which Shannon describes as “ ‘Saturday Night Live’ with a little ‘Ed Sullivan’ thrown in. It’s a music comedy variety show with magic and political satire.” Despite its popularity, there were lean years in the ’80s. “We moved into the dressing room with our dog and cat,” Shannon says. They managed to move out of the dressing room just before the building burned down in 1983. You’d think bickering and recriminations would come into play during these times, but the two say no. “We were just living for the moment, and we were in sync,” Shannon says. “We had each other’s back.” The couple moved their show into the Ritz movie theater down the block, and <a class="ml-smartlink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005499/" target="_blank">Lily Tomlin</a> and <a class="ml-smartlink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0723954/" target="_blank">Ann Richards</a>, dancing as <a class="ml-smartlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritz_Crackers" target="_blank">Ritz cracker</a> boxes, headlined a benefit. In 1987 Esther’s moved again, then finally settled into its current space at Sixth and Red River streets in the early ’90s. By then, the two were married. After 19 years of living together, they tied the knot in 1988 because they wanted children. They adopted a daughter, Suze, now 19, and later a son, Noah, now 12. Is there drama in their lives? “Yes,” Shannon says, “and it’s mostly about writing the shows,” the stress of creating a new one every week. “We try to make the disagreements pass quickly,” says Michael. “We try to have a loving time.” Sharing both work life and home life, she says, has its challenges, but these two vow they’ll keep making it work until they shuffle off their respective mortal coils. “You just have to be able to balance your love life and your work,” Shannon says. “You can’t separate them. Our business is fun, so that helps.” </div> Q & A With Matt Hislope http://esthersfollies.com/news//q-a-with-matt-hislope http://esthersfollies.com/rss/q-a-with-matt-hislope @ The Gateway to Austin's Entertainment Sat, 13 Oct 2012 21:28:00 -0500 <div class="im"> <div><img src="https://www.esthersfollies.com/im_images/VdhVZMVc6TEKbgheI_2nTgeo3AHpaFL2xv1alB5Q-CUmatt.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="600" /></div> <div>When was your first Esther’s Follies show? What do  you remember about it?</div> <div>October, 2004.  I don't remember very much, as I was very nervous and a little disoriented (I had always been accustomed to longer rehearsal periods). Here is the only particular instance I remember:I had to come down on a rope from the fly system to make an appearance as the Mountain Dew "Do the Dew!" guy, and I was having some sort of trouble getting settled into position to come down.  I came down on cue and  A O K, but I remember making such a nervous fuss up there that I noticed a few people in the first few rows pointing.</div> <div>What do you do for the group? Your favorite character(s)?</div> <div>Like everyone in the show, I do whatever is needed of me.  I pull curtains, I do window gags, I sing, I walk on stilts, I change costumes like there's no tomorrow.  As of this writing, my favorite things to do in the show are:</div> <div>1) playing Ray's over-the-top assistant Tomas.It's a ridiculous costume, and I like making use of my tragic "Smell Here" tattoo.</div> <div>2) It's a very minor appearance, but in Ray's "FRANK AND LUCKY" routine I make a few entrances to assist, and appear at the end to clap and point at Ray.  I find this greatly enjoyable, as I'm changing costume by degree as the routine progresses.  I also just like being a little helpful toady.</div> <div>3) 6th Street Boys.  There's something about all of us fellas being together... </div> <div>What actor or actress inspired you growing up?</div> <div>Buster Keaton, Woody Allen, and when I was very young I was pretty into Bobcat Goldthwait.  At age 8, I thought he was incredible in "Hot to Trot" with John Candy as the voice of his horse. </div> <div>Favorite Esther’s Moment onstage or off</div> <div>It turned out to be a horrible experience, but I was initially just exhilarated by the fact that I was taking an audience member I'd just met home with me. </div> </div> <div class="im"> <div>How has living in Austin shaped you? </div> <div>Austin has been incredibly kind to me.  It's allowed me to do a lot of the kind of work that I want to do with a considerable amount of success. For the past ten years, I've run a theatre company (<a href="http://www.rubberrep.org" target="_blank">www.rubberrep.org</a>), and the openness of Austin audiences has been great.  Many times we thought that we were pushing things too far (even to the point where we might get in some sort of legal trouble), but the work has been embraced...</div> <div>Where do you go when you aren’t working at Esther's?</div> <div>Currently, I try to stay in my room as much as possible.  I mainly venture out to act as a spectator...at the theatre, at the movies, at the opera at the movies. </div> <div>I do love Jumpoline Park and public, chlorinated pools. I'm entering a period where I'll have other rehearsals. I'm in the Rude Mechanicals' re-creation of Dionysus in 69 that will have a brief engagement off-Broadway in November. <a href="http://www.newyorklivearts.org/event/dionysus_in_69" target="_blank">http://www.newyorklivearts.org/event/dionysus_in_69</a></div> </div> <div>I'm also working on a new show using the songs of Austin legend Dick Price (<a href="http://www.dickprice.com" target="_blank">www.dickprice.com</a>) and featuring the talents of (former-Esther's pianist) Lyova Rosanoff, among others. </div> Six Questions for Cast Member Rachel Sedwick http://esthersfollies.com/news//six-questions-for-cast-member-rachel-sedwick http://esthersfollies.com/rss/six-questions-for-cast-member-rachel-sedwick @ The Gateway to Austin's Entertainment Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:58:00 -0500 <img src="http://www.esthersfollies.com/im_images/Rachel_headshot.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="600" />   When was your first Esther’s Follies show? What do remember about it? My first show was the third weekend in January, about two days after I moved to Austin. Mostly I remember not having any panty hose and that being a pretty big deal. What do you do for the group? Your favorite character(s)? While I've been at Esther's I've played characters such as Lady Gaga, and one of the lovely ladies in the classic "Director's Cut", both of which I very much enjoy. Most of the time I play whatever young, silly girl that gets written into a sketch or number.    What actor or actress inspired you growing up? Though not a part of my generation, I grew up loving actors like Fred Astaire, Doris Day, Gene Kelly, Rock Hudson, Bette Davis, and Elizabeth Taylor. They all inspired me with their incredible talent and beauty. These are the people that made me want to grow up to sing and dance in the theatre.    Favorite Esther’s moment onstage or off My favorite moments on stage often tend to be the unplanned ones. We had a newly written sketch a while back in which I was playing one of three children, and our father was giving us a stern talking to about the importance of survival. As the kids stood in a line listening to this speech, the actor playing our father completely forgot his lines, and just kept pacing the stage in character, much like a military drill sergeant. Finally the actor says under his breath to my "brother", "I'm blankin' man!!!" We all had to fight to not completely lose it; I just love those moments when everyone on stage is in the same place, and were all sinking together, but still having a roaring good time.    How has living in Austin shaped you? Unlike the rest of the cast I've only lived in Austin about 10 months. It's been great finding out the fun little spots around the city that have become my favorite places to eat, drink, and play. its made me healthier and happier, and definitely made me want to do more with my free time. I could still afford to explore more of Austin though, there's a lot I haven't seen. Where do you go when you aren’t working? I go to the gym, run outside, see movies, take local dance and improv classes, and I recently found Austin rock gym, which I've started to enjoy.  Early Esther's Follies--Jake Rachett Short Detective http://esthersfollies.com/news//early-esthers-follies-jake-rachett-short-detective http://esthersfollies.com/rss/early-esthers-follies-jake-rachett-short-detective @ The Gateway to Austin's Entertainment Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:12:00 -0500 An early Esther's Follies piece (1977-78) by <a href="http://www.meanlittledeafqueer.com/">Terry Galloway</a>, and Ernest Sharpe. With permission of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GlobalVillageVidiot?feature=watch">Gordon Thomas</a>. <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WaKw9-IyJp8" height="136" width="190" frameborder="0"></iframe>