Before Whitney Houston recorded “I’m Every Woman,” Chaka Khan had already established herself as the “Queen of Funk’ performing as one-half of the multiracial group Rufus in the late 1970’s. After going solo and racking up hits like “Ain’t Nobody” and “Through the Fire,” Chaka ventured into jazz, gospel, pop and country music, marking a…
Arts & Culture
‘Thinking Like a Drag Queen’ With Best-Selling Author Jackie Huba
After stumbling upon an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, best-selling author and motivational speaker Jackie Huba realized the transformational power of drag. Since then, she has been channeling her inner-fierceness through her own drag alter ego, Lady Trinity, and made history by becoming the first female drag queen to give a TED Talk. In the…
Toni Braxton Announced for November at Tobin Center
With hits like “Another Sad Love Song,” and “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” Toni Braxton has become an icon of R&B music as well as one of the top selling female recording artists of this generation. Her superstar status was cemented in 1996 when “Un-break My Heart,” the second single from her sophomore album “Secrets,” spent eleven…
Naomi Smalls to Make SA Debut at Heat
When Naomi Smalls walked into the room and declared, “Check your lipstick before you come for me,” she was easily one of the most striking queens on season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Her signature style (inspired by 1990’s era supermodels) emphasized her slender body and flat chest, and she was known for having ‘legs for days.’ Think…
Documentary Portrays Emotional Transition of Young Texan
A short documentary that premiered in March at the South by Southwest Film Festival tells the emotional story of a young Texan who is transitioning from female to male, with mixed reactions from his family. The 13-minute film, “Becoming Blair,” is a truly personal effort by director Bri Barsalou, the cousin of Blair Hanner, the…
The Overtime Hosts World Premiere of Spooky Gay Comedy ‘Ghostbears’
While it champions Texas-bred productions, the wild and wacky Overtime Theater also stages offbeat works concocted by like-minded playwrights from across the nation. Given his track record fusing Goth culture, Netflix fandom and David Attenborough-inspired nature docs (Among the Squirrels), not to mention setting a Greek myth in a 1950s-era Arizona diner (Iphigenia in Kingman),…
Benefit Concert for Orlando Victims Planned at UIW
Over 40 classical musicians will participate in an August 13 concert at the University of the Incarnate Word Concert Hall to benefit the victims of the Orlando shootings. Proceeds from the donation-only performance will be sent to The Center Orlando. The Orlando San Antonio Tribute Concert includes the participation of musicians from San Antonio and other…
Broadway in San Antonio to Kick Off New Season with ‘Sound of Music’
Since its original Broadway opening in 1959, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music has had many lives, each time working its way into the minds and hearts of a new generation. It was to be Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstien’s final collaboration as the “golden age of musicals” came to a close in the…
Ruben C. Gonzalez Plays 10 Characters in ‘La Esquinita USA’
Los Angeles-based actor-writer Ruben C. Gonzalez portrays 10 characters in his solo theatrical work, “La Esquinita USA,” which makes its San Antonio debut at the Guadalupe Theater on August 5 and 6. Times are tough in the town of La Esquinita. The city’s largest employer, the Thompson Tire Factory, has moved to China, leaving the…
SA Native Robert Camina Revisits Tragedy in ‘Upstairs Inferno’
After working seven years at a marketing and research firm in Dallas, Robert L. Camina was finally ready to pursue the dream that seemed to evade him since graduating from Roosevelt High School in San Antonio in 1991. Filmmaking was all he wanted to do. “I’ve always had entertainment in my blood ever since I…