Arts Alive San Antonio

Everybody likes to laugh and this weekend San Antonians will have a chance to indulge in lots of laughter during the second annual HA Festival -The Art of Comedy, taking place in our city Sept. 17-19.
The fest will showcase more than 20 shows and some 40 Hispanic comedians, with events spread over several venues. It is a new and improved version of an older similar celebration of Hispanic humor called the Latino Laugh Festival.  

Things change in more than twenty years. Today’s comics will represent those new ideas, views and general changes in society, including a growing number of funny women who are now sharing the limelight with their male counterparts. HA Festival is produced by Jeff Valdez of New Candence Productions, the same man who brought us the original laugh fest. In a brief interview he explained that he and his partner Sol Trujillo, chose to locate the festival in San Antonio – rather than in LA where he lives – because Los Angeles is so big and so many things happen there that HA would be lost in all of that. San Antonio’s River Walk was also an asset, and the City of San Antonio’s support helped, too. “We wanted a sense of intimacy, a community festival,” he said.

Local comics will be Joined by colleagues from all over the U.S., including Danny Trejo, Carlos Santos, Jessica Keenan, Steve Trevino, Lisa Alvarado, Paul Rodriguez and Emilio Rivera. Most shows require a ticket but some are free or discounted “to make comedy and entertainment accessible to all.”
For full schedule visit www.hacomedyfest.com.

The comedy fest fits perfectly into the wider celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which was launched Sept. 15 with a El Grito Civic Ceremony & Cultural program at the Mexican Consulate in San Antonio. A good place to visit to enjoy the festivities is Market Square, but special events are planned at many other places, including the San Antonio Museum of Art, URBAN-15, SAY SI, the San Antonio Public Library, SOLI Chamber Ensemble and more. But there’s one festivity that we want to single out in a special way because it has a connection with another celebration. Namely, this year the Guadalupe Dance Company is celebrating its 30^th anniversary. This is a dedicated ensemble of professional-level dancers who perform folkloric dances of Mexico and Spanish flamenco dance.

Led for years by dancer/educator Belinda Menchaca, the Guadalupe Dance Company continues to pursue its mission through performances, collaborations and education under its current dance program director Jeannette Chavez. The 30^th Anniversary Celebration consists of two events: Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. at the Plaza Avenida Guadalupe, and Ocr.2 at 6 p.m., Noche de Gala, both in-person. https://guadalupeculturalarts.org/celebrando-30-years-of-the-guadalupr-dance-company/

The Briscoe Western Art Museum also has something special to mark the Hispanic Heritage Month. Opening Sept. 25, the museum will present Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo, an exhibition of contemporary photography of the Northern Mexican Cowboy. Making its American debut at the Briscoe, the exhibit features the photos of photographer Werner Segarra, “inviting audiences to peer into the world of the Norteno cowboys from Sonora, Mexico – not as a casual tourist but as an intimate observer.” Over 20 years of work, Segarra captured aspects of daily life and the essence of that lifestyle. Video clips help tell the vaqueros’ story, and Norteno music completes the experience.

Several special events are planned, including an Artist Lecture with Segarra and John Philip Santos on opening day at 1-3 p.m. Segarra will also sign copies of his book. The lecture and signing are free with museum admission, Segarra will also lead a tour on Sept. 16, (Briscoe Museum, 210 W. Market St., 210-299-4499; www.briscoemuseum.org)

The San Antonio Arts League and Museum (SAALM) just opened its Artist of the Year exhibit featuring the work of Raul Rene Gonzalez, a multidisciplinary artist who tackles a range of themes, media and genres. You’ll like this exhibit – we promise! (130 King William St., 210-223-1140; www.saalm.org; free admission. To read more about it, see our story from Sept. 14)

For those who might miss the HA festival, or simply want to laugh some more, Rob Schneider may be the guy to see, Sept. 19 at the AT&T Center’s Bud Light Courtyard at 7:30 p.m. (Tickets through Ticketmaster; www.attcenter.com/events)

Theater openings are getting to be a regular thing again. The Magik Theatre is starting its 2021-22 season with an endearing and meaningful play, “Maddi’s Fridge,” a play about a little girl who becomes aware that her friend’s family has hardly any food in the fridge, and her dilemma about how to help without betraying the promise she made. It opens Sept. 17 and runs through Oct.30. (Magik Theatre, 420- South Alamo, 78205; 210-227-2751; www.magiktheatre.org)

Ballet San Antonio is offering a preview of its upcoming season with a free Ballet in the Park performance Saturday, Sept 18 at 7 p.m. Its season starts Oct. 22-24 with “The Sleeping Beauty.” (Travis Park downtown, E. Travis St. You may want to bring your own folding chairs. 210-404-9641)

And the Broadway in San Antonio tradition has been restored this fall at the Majestic Theater. The first show of the series is “My Fair Lady, a well-known and beloved classic, reimagined by director Bartlett Sher for a 2018 Lincoln Center production. (Sept 21-26, Majestic Theater, 224 E. Houston; box-office 210-226-3333; info@majesticempire.com)

The Cactus Pear Music Festival has finally announced the name of its new artistic director designate who will replace Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio, founder and long-time leader of the summer chamber music showcase. He is pianist Ryo Yanagitani, the winner of several piano competitions, including the San Antonio Piano Competition, and a highly praised soloist and group player whose leadersgip skills are also recognized. He will assume full duties a year from now.

In conjunction with FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA International Photography Festival, The Ruiz-Healy Art gallery will have a new exhibit opening Sept. 22 and featuring work by four guest artists: Rahm Carrington, Carlos Limas, Joel Salcido and Tito West.  “Using film and digital photography, the artists capture the landscapes, traditions and architecture of Mexico, Texas and the Wild West,” says the press release. (Opening reception 6-8 p.m. Sept. 22; 201-A E. Olmos Drive, 78212; 210-804-2219; www.ruizhealyart.com; closes Nov. 6)