San Japan, South Texas’ premiere Japanese culture and anime convention, is almost upon us.

The annual event, which draws thousands of attendees, will take place Aug. 5-7 at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel. This year’s guests include a bevy of artists, voice actors, musicians and [Read it all...]]]>

Cosplayers show off their fancy duds at San Japan 2010.

San Japan, South Texas’ premiere Japanese culture and anime convention, is almost upon us.

The annual event, which draws thousands of attendees, will take place Aug. 5-7 at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel. This year’s guests include a bevy of artists, voice actors, musicians and cosplayers, including Shinichi “Nabeshin” Watanabe, the anime director behind “Bonobono,” “Excel Saga,” “The Wallflower,” “Tenchi Muyo! GXP” and “Nerima Daikon Brothers.”

As with years past, San Japan 2011 will include a dealer’s room, a formal dance masquerade, cosplay events, art shows, screenings, panels, live-action role playing and an Ani-Idol singing contest. New this year are Poke-Battle Live!, a Pokemon play fight, and the Hetalia World Summit cosplay event.

Pre-registration is available via San Japan’s website. Three-day passes cost $45, and San Japan also offers less expensive single-day passes and pricier Gold and Silver passes that grant attendees special privileges.

If you’ve visited San Antonio’s Alamo Drafthouse locations lately, you may have seen a new San Japan 2011 commercial created by Bryan Ortiz (of “Doctor S Battles the Sex-Crazed Reefer Zombies” fame). You can watch the commercial after the jump…

Life, Or A Reasonable Approximation Thereof was written [Read it all...]]]> Is John Ellison living the same day over and over again? The same day over a thousand times? Or is it all in his head? Or is there a simpler explanation? Find out in the new original production Life, Or A Reasonable Approximation Thereof at the Overtime Theater.

Life, Or A Reasonable Approximation Thereof was written by Michael D. Burger and directed by Bryan Ortiz. Ortiz also directed several “webisodes” based on the events in the play. You can see the the full production in person at the Overtime Theater (1414 S. Alamo, #103) tonight or tomorrow night at 8:00 pm. The show runs through August 6, 2011.

Episode 1 “Greg’s Car”:

See webisodes 2 and 3 after the jump…

Episode 2 “I Quit”:

Episode 3 “Doctor Keller”:

Ticket prices are $12 general admission, and $9 for teachers, students, seniors 65+, active military, and SATCO members. For more information call the Overtime at (210) 557-7562 or check the Overtime’s web site.

What if your life wasn’t everything it seemed? What if that sense of déjà vu was really trying to tell you something more?

The Overtime Theater, San Antonio’s populist production company, presents the part comedy, part sci-fi drama [Read it all...]]]>

Life, Or a Reasonable Approximation Thereof premieres July 8th at the Overtime Theater (photo by Niki Aguirre)

What if your life wasn’t everything it seemed? What if that sense of déjà vu was really trying to tell you something more?

The Overtime Theater, San Antonio’s populist production company, presents the part comedy, part sci-fi drama original production Life, Or A Reasonable Approximation Thereof. The play tells the story of an ordinary day for John Ellison, but the day turns out not to be so ordinary. In the course of one morning, John Ellison quits his job, steals a car, and trashes his own kitchen. When his friends and fiancée try to intervene, his explanation is a little on the unexpected side. What’s his excuse? He claims he’s reliving the same day over and over again. But what is really behind John’s strange behavior? Is John reliving the same day, is it all in his head or is there a simpler explanation behind it all? Mysteries are revealed as the tale unfolds.

Life, Or A Reasonable Approximation Thereof was written by Michael D. Burger and directed by Bryan Ortiz. The cast includes Joshua Thomas as John Ellison along with Amanda Ireta, Sophie Bolles, Allen Dearborn and Charles A. Riley. The world premiere of this original SF dramedy is July 8th at 8:00 pm.

Show Dates are July 8 through August 6, 2011. Times are 8 pm Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; and there will be one 3 pm Sunday matinee on July 24. There will be no Friday show on August 5 which is First Friday art party nightin the Overtime’s neighborhood.

Ticket prices are $12 general admission, and $9 for teachers, students, seniors 65+, active military, and SATCO members. The Overtime Theater is located at 1414 S. Alamo, #103. For more information call the Overtime at (210) 557-7562 or check the Overtime’s web site.

Playwright Michael Burger pored himself into the story. “There’s a lot of me on those pages. I think there’s a lot of most people there,” he said. Burger is best known as an accomplished actor in San Antonio community theaters and he also works as a theater teacher at Taft High School.

“I wrote this play because I think most people feel like John at some point in their lives, and at some point, everyone feels like they need something more. One of the reasons I do theater is that I’m afraid of every day being exactly like the day before,” Burger said.  “This play lets me explore that fear, while exploring a bit about my favorite aspects of human nature.”

In business since 2007, the Overtime Theater is dedicated to providing innovative and accessible entertainment at an affordable price.  The shows are all new, original works or unconventional adaptations of old classics.  The Overtime Theater specializes in world premieres of works never before seen on stage!

In just three years, the Overtime has produced over 30 new shows, including four original musicals:  Sheer Bloody Lunacy!, Pirates Vs. Ninjas, The Brain That Wouldn’t Die: A New Musical, and Dr. “S” Battles the Sex-Crazed Reefer Zombies: The Movie: The Musical.  Other notable productions have included The Good Samaritan, Poet Faustus, Sob! Choke…LOVE!, Action Philosophers, and most recently, the world premieres in 2010-2011 of The Hard Bargain, The Happy Couple, The Last Broadcast of Bailey & Long, Broken Record, All Good Things, and The Decorator. The Overtime Theater also collaborates with local visual artists, giving them a prominent local space in which to display their works in the Blue Star Complex.

The Overtime Theater is now a non-profit organization as determined by the IRS.  This decision has been made to extend the Overtime’s mission of “art for the people” to the greater community, including through low-cost workshops in acting, playwriting, comedy improv skills, and art by working professionals.

This short film was created by Bryan Ortiz of Film Classics Productions for the [Read it all...]]]> The Overtime Theater’s The Life and Death of the Amazing Captain Piledriver is showing four times this weekend, starting tonight. Piledriver’s death has shocked the citizen’s of Excalibur City and News 4 offers up this special presentation in his memory.

This short film was created by Bryan Ortiz of Film Classics Productions for the Overtime’s original superhero tale. The Life & Death of the Amazing Captain Piledriver was written by Scott McDowell and is directed Lupe Flores. It runs through June 5th with this week’s showings Thursday May 20 at 8pm, Friday May 21 at 8pm, Saturday May 22 at 8pm, and a matinee on Sunday May 23 at 3pm. Tonight’s showing is their special Pay What You Can! deal. If you’re broke, then Thursday’s a great night to check out “the show cheap. Of course, if you’ve got a spare 20 bucks to contribute, nobody will turn you away.

On Friday at 10 pm, after Captain Piledriver, the Overtime will also screen some ‘classic’ superhero movies. Scheduled for Friday, May 21 are the Joss Whedon fan fave Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog followed by the feature Hero At Large, a 1980 movie starring John Ritter and Anne Archer.

The next Friday, May 28, the superhero movies include the locally-made short Now Hiring and the feature The Specials, about “the sixth or seventh best superhero team in the world.” This obscure flick stars Rob Lowe, Thomas Haden Church, Jamie Kennedy, and Jordan Ladd.

Of course Saturday nights at 10 pm, after the mainstage show, the Overtime has the improv stylings of The Denials improv comedy troupe. Come on out to see one of the best improv groups in the city! $8 general admission, or only $5 if purchased simultaneously with a Captain Piledriver ticket.

We’ll have more info [Read it all...]]]> You may have heard of San Antonio’s FILM CLASSICS PRODUCTIONS. They took their short film Four Minutes Till The End to the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. They’ve also been showing the longer format Doctor “S” Battles the Sex Crazed Reefer Zombies. Sounds like somebody just mashed up my Netflicks queue!

We’ll have more info about a local screening coming in the weeks ahead, but for now content yourself with COMPOSE from 2006. This long short film, directed, written and produced by Bryan Ortiz, relates the tale of what happens when a loner misfit gets what he’s always wanted…to unexpected results, naturally. Enjoy. (Oh, you might want to turn down the volume if your mom is in the room. There’s some swearing going on).

Compose