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Covering the beat of Portland Public Schools
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Category: National
Starbase demographics
February 11, 2010 by Steve Rawley
Demographic information readily available from the district does not provide a fine-grained detail of fourth- and fifth-grade students targeted by the military's STARBASE recruiting program, but it is clear that poor and minority students are over-represented.
Of the 18 schools participating this year, all but four are Title 1 schools. All but three have higher percentages of minority students than the district-wide minority enrollment (46%). All but four have higher poverty than the district at large (45%).
The schools participating average 11 percentage points more minority and 17 percentage points more poor than the district as a whole, even when factoring in the four wealthy schools that participate.
While many participating staff and families may swear there is no recruiting going on, the program is funded from the US Department of Defense recruiting budget. The military is clear about their need to target potential recruits early.
Student information is shared with the military with little or no notice to parents (or opt-out opportunities), and the program is explicit in its goals of improving the image of the military with young children.
Here are the schools participating this year, with their demographic information.
free/reduced %
minority%
Humboldt 100.00% 88.40% yes
Rosa Parks 94.80% 85.60% yes
Rigler 86.10% 79.00% yes
Peninsula 78.10% 73.00% yes
James John 79.70% 72.80% yes
Faubion 70.70% 69.70% yes
Whitman 86.70% 68.80% yes
Lee 71.70% 67.70% yes
Marysville 80.30% 59.00% yes
Bridger 74.10% 58.10% yes
Grout 70.20% 50.70% yes
Woodstock 27.30% 50.30% no
Arleta 66.40% 47.90% yes
Markham 54.70% 47.80% yes
Irvington 34.60% 47.70% yes
Buckman 28.70% 23.10% no
Cleary 14.40% 19.70% no
Laurelhurst 10.60% 19.30% no
Averages: 62.73% 57.14%
District: 45.00% 46.00%
Steve Rawley published PPS Equity from 2008 to 2010, when he moved his family out of the district.
Starbase questions the school board should ask
I know we've got a couple of peaceniks (term used respectfully and admiringly) on the school board right now, one who hasn't voted on Starbase before (Gonzalez) and the other who is now co-chair (Adkins). It's safe to say they had a lot to do with pulling the vote on next year's Starbase contract from the board agenda Monday night. It would be a great opportunity for them to pull together the two other votes needed to scrap this program.
Here's what I sent to the whole board about this opportunity:
Word is that Deputy Superintendent Charles Hopson, who has been outspoken about the PPS high school system as "a civil rights violation of the worst kind," will answer board questions before you vote on continuing Starbase.
Here are some questions the board — and Hopson — should be asking:
Is it not also a civil rights violation that black, brown and poor children are specifically targeted for military recruiting at extremely young ages?
What is the precise demographic breakdown (ethnicity and poverty level) of students participating in Starbase? Why are Title I schools over-represented?
What student information is shared with the military?
Is it legal to share information about pre-teens with the military without explicit parental permission?
If parents choose to pull their children from this program, is their information still shared with the military?
How are families notified of this program?
Can families opt out of both the program and the information sharing? How are parents informed of these options?
Do counter-recruiters have equal access to participating students?
Assuming the curriculum is great (and non-military), why can't it be incorporated into the normal classroom science and math curriculum and taught by existing classroom teachers? (In other words: Why does it need to be taught on a military base, and what's the advantage of having the extra staff to teach it when it doesn't free up classroom teachers to work with other students? )
How does exposing students to large-scale, highly advanced weapons square with the district's zero tolerance policy on weapons?
Once we're satisfied with the answers to these questions, it might be interesting to find out more about the curriculum.
Board set to approve $320,000 military recruiting contract
February 8, 2010 by Steve Rawley
The Portland Public Schools board of education is set to approve a contract with the U.S. military to take $320,000 in exchange for access to elementary school children.
The Starbase program, funded from the US Department of Defense recruiting budget, has been raising parent hackles since at least 2006. It is up for re-authorization at tonight's school board meeting, in the midst of two shooting wars and the "Global War on Terror."
Parents opposed to the program issued a press release this morning urging the board to vote down this contract. They are also calling on parents to contact the school board about this program.
"We oppose the militarization of our children through a science curriculum," said Jessica Applegate, mother of two PPS students.
"Students of color are disproportionately represented in their program," writes parent Carrie Adams on her blog, Cheating in Class.
Nancy Rawley, PPS Equity co-publisher, notes that the $320,000 could pay for "a whole lot of microscopes and science supplies." She wrote about Starbase here last month.
Update, 3:45 pm: sources tell PPS Equity that the resolution has been pulled from the agenda for today's meeting, and will appear again soon.
Chalkboard on the Wrong Road
February 1, 2010 by Steve Buel
Someone ought to tell the leaders of the Chalkboard Project that no one uses a chalkboard anymore.
And someone should also tell them that schools are about educating kids not teachers. There is a great confusion in educational circles that the major problems in the schools can be solved by better educating or evaluating teachers. Yep, we need more realistic education in our university teacher-training programs, and mentoring young teachers is a good idea. But spending millions of dollars and stealing time from children's education in the form of half days and stealing hours and hours of time from teacher classroom preparation to do in-service to make teachers incrementally better, and sometimes worse is an educational travesty.
Most education takes place in the classroom and within schools. Improving education should focus on these two things. How do we make the school run better? How do we make the classroom work better so kids can learn more? These are not questions which will be solved in Washington D.C. with Race to the Top bribes or by school reform based on suspect, supposed educational research.
School problems need to be directly addressed by the staff in that school working together in an open manner which focuses on the problems particular to that school. Sure, the staff can ask for help upstairs in the administration office (which might include such requests as we need a librarian), and sure this can include training the staff thinks they might need. But, training in the latest educational trends, mostly designed to cover the backsides of administrators, is not particularly helpful. (This doesn't mean an administrator can't write down ideas and give them to his or her teachers to consider.)
Same goes in the classroom. Each classroom is different. Each is a little world unto itself with an infinite number of interactions and nuances. Spending hours on imparting national trendy reforms isn't really much help. But that is what we do. Instead we should create an atmosphere which allows real communication between staff, including administrators, about ideas which teachers might find useful, including ideas specific to that particular classroom or the teaching of that subject. This doesn't mean evaluating more, it means encouraging and supporting more.
My fervent hope is that PPS and the State of Oregon will figure it out. The Chalkboard project isn't helping.
Steve Buel has taught in public schools for 41 years. He served on the PPS school board (1979-1983) and co-authored the 1980 School Desegregation Plan. He has followed PPS politics since 1975.
Run, Run as Fast as You Can
February 1, 2010 by Sheila Wilcox
Recently, The Oregonian has published a few articles about the new "Race to the Top" grant that Portland Public Schools has signed on for, along with many other Oregon school districts. The grant stipulates that a student's test scores will follow teachers, and be part of a teacher's professional file. Indeed, a teacher will be evaluated based on a student's standardized test scores. The state's willingness to sign on smacks of desperation and ignorance.
Besides the obvious, that "one test does not a good teacher make", there are numerous other reasons why this clause in the grant is ludicrous. One is that not all grade levels are tested. Indeed 3rd-8th and 10th grades are tested consistently in math and reading. If you teach K-2nd grade, or 9th, 11th, or 12th grades, you just may have dodged a bullet. In addition, if a teacher teaches subjects such as art, P.E., or social studies, which are not currently tested, then the testing does not apply to them. I would hesitate to bring this up to the state, however, as their answer might very well be to test in every single subject, every, single, year.
I know fabulous teachers who teach at schools that have not traditionally done well on standardized tests. I happen to teach in a cluster in PPS that typically has low test scores. I could teach in another cluster, but I choose not to. Does a teacher magically become a better teacher if he or she moves to a school with higher test scores? Apparently the state of Oregon thinks so. I cut one of the Oregonian articles out to pass around to the staff at my school. Many teachers said that they would like to consider withholding their dues to the OEA, as our state teacher's union has signed on with this as well.
There are many, many influences in a child's life. A teacher is just one of them. This heinous grant asserts that a teacher's sole purpose is to get a child to pass some contrived, intrusive test that has little to do with what he or she does on a daily basis, while also asserting that a teacher is the only one responsible if said child passes or fails. I'm sorry, but "No Child Left Behind" is starting to look like a picnic. We need to run far away from "Race to the Top."
Sheila Wilcox is a PPS parent and K8 teacher.
Why is PPS Partnering with the Department of Defense to Racially Profile Kindergarten to 5th Grade Students?
January 31, 2010 by Carrie Adams
It's simple. The kindergarten to 5th graders are expected to be the Department of Defense's (DoD) future workforce. PPS has a contract with the DoD Starbase supplying them with mini recruits. In 2008 Congress appropriated $20,203,000 for the program which is available in 34 states. This year PPS received $350,000 of it.
The DoD Starbase website states: "DoD STARBASE students participate in challenging 'hands-on, mind-on' activities in aviation, science, technology, engineering, math, and space exploration. They interact with military personnel to explore careers and make connections with the real world. The program provides students with 20-25 hours of stimulating experiences at National Guard, Navy, Marine, Air Force Reserve and Air Force bases across the nation."
The real world includes white kids but you won't find too many of them in the Department of Defense marketing materials.
Starbase targets "at-risk youth" which they define as "students at risk are those who have characteristics that increase their chances of dropping out or falling behind in school. These characteristics may include being from a single parent household, having an older sibling who dropped out of high school, changing schools two or more times other than the normal progression, having C's or lower grades, being from a low socioeconomic status family, or repeating an earlier grade."
I'd love to see the data that PPS used to help Starbase identify those students. First of all, aren't a lot of military kids living in single parent households while one or sometimes both parents are fighting in the war?
Does PPS track dropout siblings? Changing schools two or more times? Does it count when it's PPS that keeps closing schools in poor schools then reassigning kids? Does that put those students at risk? Do kids even repeat classes anymore?
Starbase and PPS aren't identifying individual students based on the characteristics mentioned above. Schools are being identified through socioeconomic status and race. PPS tracks both of those.
Check out the presentation on the DoD's plan for the future and you'll see that students of color are disproportionately represented in their program. The Portland schools participating in Starbase are schools with high percentages of minority students.
One of the stated goals of Starbase is about increasing drug awareness and prevention. If PPS is serious about supporting at-risk youth, administrators might try looking across the river. It's widely known that students on the west side are struggling with drugs and mental health problems. Why aren't they being enrolled in Starbase classes? Is it because they are wealthier white kids?
One look through the DoD Starbase 2008 Annual Report makes it clear that Starbase is a recruitment program. The report also talks about the need to engage kids early because they lose interest as they near middle school age. Here are some items from their post-program assessment:
Military bases are fun.
I am enjoying coming to a military base.
The military base is a good place to work.
Military people do lots of different things.
What do any of those questions have to do with math and science skills? But then that's not the real goal of the program.
Just when I think PPS can't do anything more despicable to poor kids, I learn about something new. The most appalling thing is that Starbase isn't new to PPS. The superintendent and board have known about this for years.
Years ago the Education Crisis Team brought a coffin to a protest before the school board. Protesters carried signs saying that the district was handing poor kids a death sentence. People thought it was extreme. Maybe it wasn't extreme enough.
At the time Education Crisis Team leader Ron Herndon was quoted as saying "This may not be the kind of parental involvement you want us to have, but this is the kind of involvement we need to have". Amen.
Take action: Call or write PPS Board members to demand that PPS terminate the contract with the Department of Defense immediately.
Sourced from: Cheating in Class. Used by permission.
Carrie Adams blogs at Cheating in Class.
Title I: Did You Know….
January 6, 2010 by Carrie Adams
The No Child Left Behind act requires public school districts to provide Title I services to eligible public and private school students.
Title I Overview
This is the part of No Child Left Behind that supports programs in schools and school districts to improve the learning of children from low-income families. The U.S. Department of Education provides Title I funds to states to give to school districts based on the number of children from low-income families in each district.
US Department of Education Audit of ODE
The US Department of Education audit on Oregon's Title I program in 2008 produced many findings centered on accountability. Among other things, there was an almost complete absence of oversight in how some Oregon districts handle services to private school children. The findings listed below are taken directly from the Title I report (emphasis mine).
Finding (1): The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has not ensured that its LEAs (school districts) maintain control of the Title I program for eligible private school children and their families and teachers. For example:
As part of the process for selecting a third-party provider in PPS, private school officials meet with potential providers without district officials present.
PPS provides its third-party providers with a list of possible criteria to use to select students for services, but leaves it to the third-party provider and private school officials to decide which criteria are actually used.
PPS gives the third-party provider and the private schools the responsibility of deciding the types of services (i.e., reading or math) that students selected for services receive and how the services will be evaluated.
In Woodburn School District (WSD) the private school officials develop the plan for services, the selection criteria, and how the services will be evaluated.
Finding (2): The ODE has not ensured that its districts have consistently met the requirements for consultation with private school officials regarding: (1) the method or sources of data the district will use to determine the number of private school children from low-income families residing in participating public school attendance areas; and (2) the evaluation of the Title I program for private school children. PPS tells interested private school officials to report free and reduced priced lunch data in October without first consulting with them concerning the different options that may be used to obtain data on low-income students. PPS's affirmation form does not include this topic. In both PPS and WSD the third-party contractor designs the evaluation of the Title I program for private school children. Neither LEA has determined in consultation with private school officials how the Title I program for private school children will be evaluated, what the agreed upon standards are, and how annual progress will be measured.
Finding (3): The ODE has not ensured that its LEAs have consistently exercised proper oversight in awarding contracts for the provision of Title I services to participating private school children. A contract that PPS has with a third-party vendor to provide services to participating private school children did not have enough detail to enable PPS to determine that the Title I statutory and regulatory requirements are being met. The contract has not broken out the specific amount for administration, instruction, family involvement, and professional development that the vendor is charging.
PPS' handling of Title I services to private school children is the equivalent of handing private schools a check and walking away. Where is the accountability for that? Unfortunately, this is typical of how PPS manages its money. District staff consistently argue that questioned expenses are just a small portion of their budget. They don't get it that the pennies add up.
The PPS 2009/10 budget includes $20.2 million in Title I funds PLUS $14.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. PPS reports that the ARRA funds will be targeted towards: standards and assessment; data systems; teacher effectiveness; and support for lowest performing schools.
Schools need the money but they need to use it effectively. Don't let the district piss the money away.
TAKE ACTION – You have a right to know how your child's school is spending their money. Find out if your child's school is a Title I school. If so, here are some questions (ask any or all) that you should ask your school principal:
How much has the school been allocated in Title I funding?
How much in funds did the school carryover from last year?
Who was involved in completing the School Improvement Plan (SIP)?
Request a copy of the School Improvement Plan or schedule a time to review it.
Is the school required to provide supplemental services (individualized help for struggling students)? If so, who is the provider? What services are provided?
Is the School Improvement Plan and budget aligned?
What parent involvement activities are included in the School Improvement Plan?
Don't worry about whether you'll understand all of it. Most parents don't understand it. You'll get it over time. The important thing is to ask questions and always follow-up.
If you need help with any of the information you collect, you can email me by going to the About page or you can post questions on this blog. There's a very supportive online community of parents with tons of expertise and various perspectives.
Sourced from: Cheating in Class
What do Oregon Educators Want?
November 15, 2009 by Kenneth Libby
Susan Nielsen had a pretty decent article in today's Oregonian (even a blind squirrel stumbles upon a nut!). Teachers, Nielsen finally realized, aren't a bunch of lazy, incompetent, know-nothing idiots – they're actually hard workers, pretty sharp, and — get this — really like kids! What did these teachers list as problems?
Class sizes too big to manage.
Lack of backup during the school day.
Parents who can't or won't help.
Small class sizes. Adequate staffing (so teachers can, say, have a 5 minute bathroom break). And let's get parents involved. Some parents are too busy to visit the classroom regularly – but the school-home partnership is absolutely essential in education.
Now, oh dear Oregonian reporters and editorial board writers, go back and review your fawning over Race to the Top and NCLB-like reform proposals. Do they address ANY of those three problems teachers are currently facing in the classroom?
Nope. And that's why you have a shitty newspaper.
Sourced from: Our Global Education
Kenneth Libby is an independent education researcher and a recent graduate of Lewis and Clark's Graduate School of Education and Counseling. He writes about national education issues, testing and philanthropy on Schools Matter and Global Ideologies in Education.
Money Talks, Bulls**t Walks. But Money + Bulls**t = Bulldozer
November 6, 2009 by Kenneth Libby
Much has been written, at least of late, about the Gates Foundation's influence on public education. From donating money to Race to the Top applicants to the multiple Gates officials serving in the DOE (and all the billions of dollars flowing in between), there's no doubt the foundation has a great impact on public education. One of my big concerns is this: Bill picked former PPS superintendent Vicki Phillips to head his domestic education program. Why'd he pick her? She's a hammer (or, as she was known here, a "hurricane"). She'll say all the right things, deliver her bit about just bein' a humble Kentucky girl, and repeat a litany of education catch-phrases – just like Duncan (he's not a Kentucky girl, but he has his own scripted story about his path to education stardom). It's scary to think of what those two could accomplish (or demolish). Oh – and Vicki's assistant, Margot Rogers is now Duncan's chief of staff. Neat. For a nice taste of Vicki's dog and pony show, check out Willamette Week writer Beth Slovic's summary of Vicki's recent speech to the Council on Great City Schools. Here are a few highlights:
Phillips' audience was a mix of about 200 to 300 superintendents from large, urban school districts and school board members from around the country. Perhaps that might explain why Phillips opened with a statement that might have angered teachers (had there been any in the room.)
"What's the toughest job in education?" Phillips asked. "Urban superintendents and school boards."
It's what's happening inside the classroom, Phillips said, that really mattered. "Structure is not enough," Phillips added, before dropping a line that sounds kinda funny when repeated outside the room. "High school is not high enough," she said.
She then jumped to the controversial topic of merit pay, though when I spoke with her after the talk she said "merit pay" wasn't the right phrase for what she was promoting. "This has been the third rail," she said, but "we can do this the right way." She then introduced the Gates Foundation's "Measures of Effective Teaching" project, which involves videotaping teachers to find out what makes the great ones tick.
PPS attendees at the lunch included Superintendent Carole Smith; Zeke Smith, chief of staff; Robb Cowie, communications; Jollee Patterson, general counsel; Sara Allan, system planning; Mark Davalos, deputy superintendent; Sarah Singer, high school redesign; Cameron Vaughn Tyler, partnership manager; Dave Fajer, procurement; Judy Brennan, student enrollment; Cynthia Harris, Jefferson High School principal; plus School Board Members Dilafruz Williams, Ruth Adkins, Pam Knowles, Bobbie Regan, Trudy Sargent, Martín González and — for old time's sake — Cathy Mincberg, formerly chief operating officer for Portland Public Schools.
Note: PPS Superintendent Carole Smith was Vicki's chief of staff; Zeke Smith worked for the Portland Schools Foundation, a big Gates recipient and believer in all things Gates; Sara Allan is a former Broad Resident and is now in and executive director in charge of systems planning and performance management; Sarah Singer is not only a Broad Resident, but also in charge of Portland's high school redesign process; Cathy Mincberg – a former HISD board president, well-known Broad lover, and partner of both Don McAdams and Rod Paige – is now working for a company owned by Michael Milken's Knowledge Universe, KC Distance Learning. Fitting.
The reform proposals of Vicki, Bill, Arne, Eli, and their pals is "the light at the end of the education tunnel" the late Gerald Bracey referenced in a July 5th twitter posting. Bracey said it was a "standards freight train," but it's driven by a hurricane, a former Chicago education chief, and their philanthocapitalists backers.
Great schools conference: sorry about small schools, let's try merit pay
November 2, 2009 by Steve Rawley
As Portland teachers approach 500 days without a contract, and as discontent bubbles to the surface over a failing experiment in K8 schools and an ill-conceived "surplus" auction, senior management of Portland Public Schools spent last week at the downtown Hilton, enjoying seminars and speakers, not to mention complimentary breakfast and lunch.
They were there as hosts of the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) fall conference, with a headlining keynote address by former PPS superintendent Vicki Philips. Philips, now director of education for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was the architect of Portland's devastating experiments in K8s and "small schools" high schools.
She openly acknowledges that small schools were a failure (as does PPS, at least as implied by the proposed high school redesign). The latest trend being pushed by Gates — not to mention the Obama administration — is merit pay. Only we can't call it that. "This has been the third rail," Philips told Willamette Week's Beth Slovic.
Instead, much as fundamentalists have re-clothed creationism as "intelligent design," Philips and other merit-pay proponents dress up their union-busting with terms like "performance" and talk about ways of measuring it, like videotaping teachers, sampling student work and surveying students.
According to Oregonian education blogger Betsy Hammond, Gates "will award millions to several pioneering urban districts that agree to hire, place, train and pay teachers differently….."
So while bargaining team members from the teachers' union report intransigence on the part of the school district in resolving their contract dispute, while a second generation of middle graders begins a middle school career in contained classrooms, and while parents report no homework due to a paper shortage even as the district auctions "surplus" paper, our superintendent and at least ten administrators spent last week taking tips from the very person responsible for a great deal of the morass our district faces today.
Portland Public Schools spends $35,000 a year in dues to the CGCS, and it spent at least $1,750 on conference fees (the superintendent and board members attend at no additional fee), not to mention the much greater cost of 11 person-weeks spent away from the district's business of (ahem) educating our children. On Facebook, a senior PPS administrator defended attendance at the conference as a "relative bargain."
But what's the value to our students in sending so many senior administrators to a week-long conference (at a luxury hotel) touting the latest corporate foundation-driven trends in urban education? Under Carole Smith, our district has taken a welcome turn away from trend-hopping, instead proposing a bold, homegrown vision for our high schools, firmly repudiating the bad Gates medicine we swallowed under Philips.
Why should we blow good money to listen to Philips now?
(see more comments)
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STARBASE rally TONIGHT!
FREE Public Education… But Please Donate at Roosevelt
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Both stereoisomers of the novel ruthenium complex [Ru(tpy)(pynp)(CO)]2+ containing 2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine (tpy), a terminal carbonyl, and the unsymmetrical bidentate naphthyridine ligand 2-(2-pyridyl)-1,8-naphthyridine (pynp) were selectively synthesized. In addition, two more ruthenium complexes [Ru(ptpy)(pynp)(CO)]2+ containing 4′-phenyl-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine (ptpy) instead of tpy were also prepared. These complexes were fully characterized and their molecular structures were determined by X-ray crystallography. Some obvious differences between the isomers were revealed by the structural, computational, and spectroscopic results. Furthermore, redox properties and carbonyl ligand-based reactions of these four complexes were examined to evaluate the steric and electronic effects of the other ligands on the carbonyl reactivity. Both effects, based on the structural differences, exerted a large influence on the reactivity.


text:
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Home GST All About GST
All About GST
GST (Goods and Services Tax), is an Indian indirect tax that has been implemented to replace a number of earlier indirect taxes like service tax, excise duty, and VAT. The GST was passed in a Parliamentary bill on March 29, 2017 and finally came into effect on July 1st, 2017.
The Gods and Services Tax is imposed on the supply of goods and services. It is the solitary domestic indirect tax law for the whole nation.
Benefits of GST
Components of GST
Price Reduction under GST
New Compliances Under GST
Reverse Charge Mechanism
GST has several benefits across government, states, consumers, and trade and industry, such as price reduction of goods and commodities, accelerated process of various activities, and a lowering of corruption. The various advantages are given in detail.
Benefit to Government
GST helps to develop a unified common Indian national market that gives a boost to overseas ventures and 'Make in India' initiatives.
It removes the cascading effect on the sale of goods and services and brings down their prices.
It helps in harmonizing the laws, tax rates, and procedures across states and also between states and center.
An enhanced compliance atmosphere since entire returns are filed online, and the input credits are also verified on the net. This gives rise to an encouraging trend of a greater paper trail of transactions at every level of the supply chain.
Comparable uniform SGST and IGST rates bring down tax evasions as rate arbitrage is eliminated between neighboring states and that between intra and inter-state sales.
An enhanced probability of a stronger taxation system through tax refunds, common registration procedures for taxpayers, uniform tax return formats, a common tax base, and a common structure for classification of goods and services
Minimal human interface amid taxpayer and tax administration through greater involvement of IT. The move is stated to reduce corruption.
A boost in export and manufacturing activity, resulting in job generation and an augmented GDP. The final aim is to remove poverty by increasing employment and fiscal resources.
Benefits to Trade and Industry
Simpler tax regime with lesser exemptions.
A greater ease in business practices.
Brings down tax multiplicity.
Removes double taxation on specific segments such as works contract, software, and hospitality.
Alleviates tax cascading as Input Tax Credit is available across goods and services at each supply stage.
Low compliance expense. Businesses are saved the time and labor to maintain multiple records for a variety of taxes.
More effectual tax nullification specifically for exports, resulting in competitive products in the international market.
Abridged and computerized processes for diverse steps like registration, returns, refunds, and tax payments.
Benefits to Consumers:
A transparent final price of merchandise due to seamless flow of input tax credit between the manufacturer, retailer and service supplier.
Lower priced goods and services due to the lowering of cascading taxation impact.
A high number of small retailers are exempted from tax or have to pay a very low tax rate under a compounding scheme. Hence, commodities from such suppliers are less expensive.
Benefits to States:
* Expanded tax base.
* Power to tax services is resulting in increased returns.
* Favourable consumption tax.
* Enhanced overall investment climate in the country is impacting state development.
* Improved revenue collection.
GST has three applicable taxes- CGST, SGST & IGST.
CGST: This tax is collected by the Central Government on an intra-state sale (e.g., a transaction happening inside Haryana)
SGST: This tax is collected by the state government on an intra-state sale (e.g., a transaction happening inside Haryana)
IGST: This tax is collected by the Central Government for an inter-state sale (e.g., Haryana to Uttar Pradesh)
In the earlier tax structure, each purchaser, including the last customer had to pay tax on every tax. This pre-requisite of tax on tax is defined as the cascading effect of taxes. The introduction of GST helped in the removal of this cascading effect, and here the tax is calculated just on the value-addition at every phase of ownership transfer.
GST has brought numerous new changes such as online filing of the GST returns. The other new changes are mentioned as follows:
E-Way Bills
Through the implementation of 'e-Way bills', GST has launched a centralized system of waybills for inter-state goods movement. From April 15, 2018, there has been an introduction of waybills for intra-state goods movement. Through this system transporters, traders, and manufacturers could easily generate a single e-way bill for the transportation of goods from the place of origin to the final destination on a common online platform. This system also benefits the tax authorities as their check-posts time is reduced and they have to deal with lesser tax evasion.
In January 2020, there has been a trial launch of the e-invoicing system, which finally got implemented from October 2020 onwards. Under this new system, big-sized businesses with yearly returns of over Rs.100 crore are required to comply with certain requirements. For example, businesses are needed to obtain a unique invoice reference number for each instance of business-to-business invoice by uploading these invoices on the GSTN's portal termed as the invoice registration portal for the verification of authenticity and correctness of the invoice. Once verified, the invoice gets accepted through a QR code and a digital signature.
This system permits interoperability of invoices and aids in the reduction of data entry mistakes. The portal is developed is such a fashion that it passes invoice information directly from the IRP to the GST and the e-way bill portal. Hence, the need for manual data entry in the course of ANX-1/GST returns filing and the generation of part-A of the e-way bills is removed.
Different items have different rates of GST on them. For example, the GST on washing detergents is 28% while those on soaps is 18%. Similarly, we find that GST on movie tickets is based on slabs, where tickets in the range of Rs.100 or less are charges 18% GST, and those more than Rs. 100 are charges 28%. Vehicles, both private and commercial are charges 28% GST, whereas readymade clothes are charges 5%. If you buy an under-construction property then you will have to pay a GST of 12%. However, certain products and industries are exempted from the GST, like dairy products, meat products, fruits and vegetables, products of milling industries, and other groceries and essential items.
GST has introduced a system named Reverse Charge Mechanism (RCM) where the receiver is payable for the tax on the behalf of unregistered, smaller material and service suppliers. Here, the unregistered dealer is not eligible for Input Tax Credit which must be paid by the receiver.
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Upcoming: Holier Than Thou by Bastion Carboni, FronteraFest at Salvage Vanguard Theatre, January 26 - February 4
Holier Than Thou
by Bastion Carboni (60 minutes)
directed by Bethany Perkins
with Joshua Baker, Melanie Conrad, Bethany Perkins, Kacy Todd and Bastion Carboni.
Jan 26th, 31st at 9:00pm; Jan 28th at 5:30pm; Feb 4th at 8:15pm
at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre, 2803 Manor Rd (click for map)
$10 -- Click here to purchase tickets for Holier Than Thou
Comprised of candid interviews taken after the expiration of a non-disclosure agreement, Holier Than Thou centers around a reality TV show wherein the contestants compete to possess the powers of Jesus for a week. A dark comedy about what we want and why we need it.
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Austin Texas, Bastion Carboni, FronteraFest, Salvage Vanguard
Profile of Hidden Room Theatre by Dawn Youngs at Culturemap
On-line at www.austin.culturemap.com:
The Hidden Theater: A secretive Austin gem that's going global
By Dawn Youngs,12.31.11
As Master of Company and Theatrical Deviser Beth Burns put it, "The Hidden Room Theater is a Theatrical Curiosity Shop specializing in Original Practices classics, technologically forward-thinking works, intriguing new plays, and rarely-done oddities." The company, critically acclaimed for its media jumping cross-Atlantic theatrical event You Don't Know Him He Lives in Texas/You Don't Know Her She Lives in London, will be bringing all of these diverse specialties together in this season's production of Rose Rage.
Hidden Room has been making waves in the modern world of Shakespeare by going old school. Their recent Original Practice production of Taming of the Shrew had a historically accurate all male cast, period Elizabethan dress and stayed true to the minimalist staging of Shakespeare's time. The company is not lost in the past, however, evidenced by a recent Kickstarter campaign which harnessed the power of the internet to take the company to the Blackfriar's Conference at the Shakespeare Center to present the work to some of the world's most renowned Shakespeare scholars. This trip was a big success for Hidden Room Theater, solidifying their place on the international stage.
Read full text at www.austin.culturemap.com . . . .
Labels: arts reporting, Austin Live Theatre, Beth Burns, Hidden Room Theatre, Judd Farris, Ryan Crowder
Auditions for The Twelfth Labor by Leegrid Stevens, Tutto Theatre, January 7 and 8
Invitation to Audition for The Twelfth Labor by Leegrid Stevens
directed by Gary Jaffe
(A World Premiere from the author of The Dudleys!: A Family Game)*
Scheduled for August, 2012
AUDITIONS are Saturday, January 7th & Sunday, January 8th by appointment only - Callbacks Saturday, January 14th. To set up a brief audition time email daniel@danielbrock.com.
We're looking for men and women between the ages of 18 and 50 for a multitude of roles.
The Twelfth Labor follows a single day, October 15, 1949, filtered through the warped and damaged mind of an Idaho farm girl. Through her memories, dreams, and swirling language, we come to understand the price she and her family have paid for a little dignity, as they await the return of their long absent father, lost somewhere in the war, half a world away.
The production will run 4 weeks at McCallum Fine Arts Academy, from August 9th – September 1st. Rehearsals will begin in June. The Twelfth Labor will be directed by Tutto Theatre Company's Artistic Director, Gary Jaffe.
WHAT TO PREPARE? We will provide you with scenes and monologues from the play at least one week prior to auditions. Please select your two favorites and prepare them. We may ask you to perform others, but we only expect two to be "prepared." Be ready to make choices and take direction.
Please also bring two copies of your headshot and resume, and--if available--send digital versions to daniel@danielbrock.com when scheduling your audition time slot.
*Tutto's May 2011 production garnered eight awards in the 37th Annual B. Iden Payne Awards this fall.
Tutto Theatre Company is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization in Austin, Texas, and is funded in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division.
Labels: Auditions, Austin Live Theatre, Austin Texas, Gary Jaffe, Leegrid Stevens, Tutto Theatre
Adam Roberts Appointed Artistic Director of Theatre at the J
Published in the January 2012 edition of
The JCC Youth and Teen Department announces the appointment of Adam Roberts as the new Artistic Director of Theatre at the J. He succeeds Trisha Reed Baughman, who also directed the JCC's School of Dance prior to relocating to the East Coast with her family.
Roberts has served as musical director or choreographer for over one hundred productions to date, with choreography credits including two European concert tours. He has taught and coached musical theatre voice, acting and dance styles throughout the country. His students have appeared on and off-Broadway, in regional theatre and national tours, and on film and network television. In addition to his current role as Musical Director for Music Theatre Online: 1866-1923 with the New York Public Library and the University of Maryland--College Park, Adam is a contributing writer and arts critic for the Austin Chronicle and is currently writing a book focused on music analysis for practitioners of musical theatre. [. . .]
Theatre at the J summer musical auditions are Tuesday, March 20 and Wednesday, March 21. Contact Adam for more details at adam.roberts@shalomaustin.org. Registration opens for Performing Arts Camp at the JCC Summer Camp Fest on Sunday, January 8 at 1:30 p.m. in the JCC Community Hall.
Click to read full article on-line at The Jewish Outlook. . . .
Labels: Adam Roberts, arts reporting, Austin Live Theatre, Dell Jewish Community Center, Jewish Community Center, Theatre at the J
Auditions for Inherit The Wind, City Theatre, January 23 and 24
Auditions for Inherit The Wind, directed by City Theatre guest artist Perry Crafton.
January 22 and 23, 2012 at the City Theatre. 3823 Airport Blvd. Suite D. Austin, TX 78722 (click for map)
Sunday, January 22, 5 – 8 p.m.; Monday, January 23, 6 – 9 p.m.
Ten minute slots by appointment. Callbacks January 23, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Show dates: May 10 – June 3.
Casting all roles. We would be happy to work with you if not able to make the audition or callback time. One of the greatest plays of the twentieth century inspired by the famous 1925 "Scopes Monkey Trial." When a young teacher is arrested for teaching Darwin's Origin of the Species, the small southern town becomes the focus of the entire nation. Evolution and Creationism go head to head in one of the most momentous and groundbreaking courtroom battles in history. Bring headshot, resume, and a one minute prepared monologue. Scenes may also be performed. 512-524-2870 or info@citytheatreaustin.org to set up an appt. For more audition details, go to www.citytheatreaustin.org
Labels: Auditions, Austin Live Theatre, Austin Texas, City Theatre
Upcoming: The Alien Baby Play, Tutto Theatre at Salvage Vanguard Theatre, January 20 - February 5
presents the world premiere of
The Alien Baby Play
by Nicholas Walker Herbert
Preview Performances:
Friday, 20 January 2012, 8:00p.m.
Saturday, 21 January 2012, 8:00p.m.
Sunday, 22 January 2012, 8:00p.m.
A Private Residence in Westlake* Preview Performances: $10
SEATING is LIMITED, Reserve Your Seats TODAY.
*Location sent out upon ticket purchase/reservation.
Tickets Available via TuttoTheatre.org
FronteraFest Long Fringe Performances:
Tuesday, 24 January 2012, 7:00p.m.; Saturday, 28 January 2012, 1:00p.m.; Sunday, 29 January 2012, 8:45p.m.Sunday, 5 February 2012, 7:15p.m.; all at Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Road (click for map)
FronteraFest Long Fringe Performances: $10
Tickets Available via FronteraFest.org
Featuring the return of Austin's own, Kathleen Fletcher.
Bethany is 15 months pregnant with an alien baby, and she's invited you to the birth! Kathleen Fletcher returns to Austin for the world premiere of Nicholas Walker Herbert's The Alien Baby Play, an interactive theatrical experience which will leave you clutching your womb with joy and terror. Presented as part of the FronteraFest Long Fringe 2012.
Click to view bios of director Gary Jaffe, Pam Fletcher Friday, Daniel Brock, Matthew Ervin, and producers David Robinson and Pidge Smith
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Gary Jaffe, Kathleen Fletcher, Tutto Theatre, Upcoming
Images by Kimberley Mead: Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, Austin Shakespeare at Rollins Theatre, Long Center, February 2 - 19
Images by Kimberley Mead for the
presentation of
by Tom Stoppard
a brilliant comedy of wit and romance
February 2-19, 2012. Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3 p.m. Special low-priced preview Feb. 1
High Tea Saturday 2/11 at 5p.m. followed by performance at 8 p.m. Discussion between audience and actors to follow every performance.
Rollins Studio Theater at the Long Center for the Performing Arts (click for map)
Tickets: (512) 474-LONG or buy online.
Valentine Weekend Sat Feb. 11 "High Tea" $50 pp; $80 pp to include High Tea and Arcadia ticket (seating limited) by "Full English Cafe" (a bit of cool Britannia). For reservations, contact alex AT austinshakespeare.org.
The New York Times praised Arcadia as a 'perfect marriage of ideas and high comedy.' Arcadia won the Tony Award for Best Play 2005 and again this year for Best Revival of a Play.
"We love bringing scripts to life that have sparkling wit and brilliant language side by side with sex, romance and complex ideas," said Austin Shakespeare's Artistic Director Ann Ciccolella.
Arcadia traverses the past and the present in alternating scenes at the same English country home from 1809 to 1993 when academics, mathematicians and literary types of the present seek to uncover a mystery in the home and garden two hundred years earlier. Audiences will be captivated by the whirlwind stirred up by Lord Byron, who is an unseen visitor to the 19th century characters. The parallel lives climax in a masquerade garden party with 20th Century characters waltzing the same moment of transformation with the lovers of the early 19th Century.
To enhance the romantic mood for Valentine's Day weekend, Austin Shakespeare is hosting an unforgettable evening Saturday, February 11, 2012, including traditional English High Tea at 5 p.m. preceding the show at a lovely Austin private home, with an array of delicious teas, delectable tea sandwiches and authentic British sweets provided by Full English Café.
Click to view additional images by Kimberley Mead at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . .
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Austin Shakespeare, Austin Texas, images, Kimberley Mead, photos
Upcoming: The Last Five Years, Brauntex Theatre, New Braunfels, January 6 and 7
UnderMotion Production Corporation
is proud to present its debut production
with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
directed by Chris Berry
January 6 at 7:30 p.m., January 7 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The Brauntex Theatre- 290 West San Antonio Street , New Braunfels, TX, Texas, 78130 (click for map)
For Reservations Call the Brauntex Theatre in New Braunfels, TX at 830-627-0808 or email the box office at boxoffice@brauntex.org
This off-Broadway hit tells the story of a couple of New Yorkers who fall in and out of love over the course of 5 years; however, the way in which they tell their story is unique because Jaime, the male, tells his story chronologically while Cathy, the female, tells her story backwards. They only meet once, when they get married in the middle of the show.
Starring Lindsay Pearce from the hit tv show "Glee" and fourth place winner of the popular series "The Glee Project. Also starring Alex Trevino, a local San Antonio actor living in Los Angeles who just made his film debut in the feature film "Little Boy".
There are only 3 performances planned so far, but we will add more if we have to! You do not want to miss this exciting production!
Prices for tickets will range from $25-$35 for reserved seating.
SPECIAL DISCOUNT TO ALL UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS STUDENTS!
For more information, please contact the Brauntex Theatre at 830.627.0808 or visit their website at www.brauntex.org
Starring Lindsay Pearce from "Glee" and "The Glee Project" and Alex Trevino
Musical Director: Charles Barksdale
Assistant Director: Amanda Werley
Stage Manager: Kate Elizabeth Chiappe
Assistant Stage Manager: Dolores Hernandez
Technical Director: Phil Cerroni
Light and Sound Designer: Michael Jarvis
Costume Designer: Jessie Burke
Production Manager: Brandon Steven Cruz
Associate Producer/Creative Consultant: Michael Kerker ASCAP
Executive Producer: Gabriel Hugoboom
Producer: Alex Trevino
Director: Chris Berry
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, musical theatre, New Braunfels, New Braunfels Texas, The Last Five Years, Upcoming
Images By Bret Brookshire: Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman, Different Stages at the City Theatre, January 6 -28
Found on-line: images by Bret Brookshire for
The Children's Hour
by Lillian Hellman
January 6 - 28, Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.
at the City Theatre, 3823 Airport Road (behind the Shell station)(click for map)Pick your Price Tickets: $15, $20, $25, $30
** Reservations: 926-6747 **
Click to view additional images by Bret Brookshire at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .
Labels: Bret Brookshire, Different Stages, images, Laura Ray, Nikki Zook, Rae Petersen
Scott Kanoff of UT Theatre and Speech Voted Teaching Award from Texas Exes
From UT Theatre and Dance, December 26:
Scott Kanoff Recognized with 2012 Texas Exes Teaching Award
Scott Kanoff, Department of Theatre and Dance lecturer of directing, has been named a recipient of the Texas Exes Teaching Award. The student-nominated and student-selected awards were first given by the Texas Exes in 1982. The annual awards promote quality teaching at The University of Texas at Austin by publicly recognizing professors who have had a positive influence on the educational experience of university students.
A director, dramaturg and producer with a special interest in new work, Kanoff has taught at the university since 2003. His courses include graduate and undergraduate directing, advanced acting, acting Shakespeare, and a popular audition workshop. From 2000-2005, Kanoff served as producing artistic director of Austin's State Theater Company, where he staged a range of classic and contemporary plays. Kanoff also spent nine seasons as resident director and head of new play development at The Cleveland Play House, where he collaborated on the genesis of more than 50 new works by American playwrights including Wendy Kesselman, Seth Greenland, John Henry Redwood, Joan Ackermann, Wendy MacLeod and Randal Myler.
Kanoff will be formally presented the Texas Exes Teaching Award on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center. Past Department of Theatre and Dance recipients include Joan Lazarus, Suzan Zeder and Lucien Douglas.
Click to go t Scott Kanoff's page at the website of UT Fine Arts
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Awards, Scott Kanoff, University of Texas
Upcoming: Picasso at the Lapin Agile by Steve Martin, Texas State University, February 7 - 12
Picasso at the Lapin Agile
by Steve Martin
Directed by Aaron Johnson
February 7-11 at 7:30 p.m., Februaury 12 at 2:00 p.m.
[poster image: Geoffrey Douglas]
Laugh along with the noble denizens of a down-and-out Parisian bar as a youthful Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso meet in 1904 shortly before either is to become famous. As they debate art and science, they are eventually interrupted by a time-traveling stranger, the once and future King from Tupelo, Mississippi, who adds his own "twist" to the discussion. This inventive, witty comedy was the first full-length play by Steve Martin, the award-winning actor, writer, comedian, and musician.
Click for more information and performance image at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, San Marcos Texas, Steve Martin, Texas State University
Upcoming: Funny, You Don't Look Like A Grandmother, Hill Country Community Theatre, near Marble Falls, February 16 -26
Funny, You Don't Look Like a Grandmother
Book and Lyrics by Lois Wyse and Sheilah Rae
Music by Robert Waldman
Hill Country Community Theatre, 4003 FM 2147 West • Cottonwood Shores, TX 78657 (click for map)
Box Office: 830-798-8944 • Box Office Opens February 6 for Patrons, February 9 for General Public: 830-798-8944
Click for additional ticket information
Fun for the whole family, this new musical comedy is based on the #1 New York Times bestseller. This humorous and heartwarming revue looks at modern grandmothers and grandfathers too, in a whole new light. No more granny glasses and shapeless black dresses! These grandmas prefer cute little tennis dresses and condos in Florida. Songs from the show include "Granny's Gotta Dance", "She's Old Enough to be My Wife" and "There Oughta Be a Law to Outlaw In-Laws". Whether you are a grandparent or a grandchild, every generation of your family will love this show!
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Cottonwood Shores, Funny You Don't Look Like A Grandmother, Marble Falls, musical theatre, Upcoming
Upcoming: Chrome Cruisin' Cabaret 50's cabaret & dinner theatre, Playhouse Smithville, February 3 - 14
Chrome Crusin' Cabaret 50's
a dinner theatre presentatioin
February 3, 4, 10, 11, 14
Dinner at 6:30 - Show at 7:30
TICKETS: $20.00 ($10.00 show only)
Click to Purchase Tickets
Step back in time with us to the era of rock-n-roll, soda fountains and car hops as we re-visit the music of the 1950's! Enjoy a gourmet hot dog from Smithville's own Frankendog (with lots of groovy toppings), yummy sides and delicious desserts. Be sure to reserve your seats early for this rockin' good time Valentine's Day date night!
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, dinner theatre, Playhouse Smithville, Smithville Texas, Upcoming
Upcoming: The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman, Different Stages at the City Theatre, January 6 - 28
Different Stages continues its 2011 – 2012 season with The Children's Hour. Award–winning playwright Lillian Hellman entered the world of the theater with a resounding thunder of acclaim in 1934 with this, her first and most famous play. The Children's Hour is the story of how a selfish child's whispered accusation destroys the lives of two young schoolteachers. A devastating story of deceit, shame and courage, its potent exploration of a culture of fear remains startlingly relevant.
Karen Jambon (Mornings at Seven) is the director of The Children's Hour. Playing the two schoolteachers, Karen and Martha, are Nikki Zook (Spider's Web) and Bridget Farias (Titus Andronicus). Erich Peterson (Suddenly Last Summer) plays Doctor Joe Cardin, Karen's boyfriend, the only male character. Laura Ray (Agnes of God) plays Mary Tilford, the student who accuses the two teachers. Rae Petersen (The Red Balloon) plays Mary's grandmother, Mrs. Tilford, and Miriam Rubin (Eurydice) plays Martha's meddling aunt, Mrs. Lily Mortar. Rounding out the cast are Molly Bentley, Bethany Harbaugh, Helen Hutka, Katie Kohler, Sara Billeaux, and Nguyen Stanton.
Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. Tickets are Pick your Price: $15, $20, $25, and $30. For tickets and information call 926–6747.
Dont forget to "Like" us on Facebook!
Visit www.main.org/diffstages for more information about Different Stages!
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Bridget Farias, Different Stages, Karen Jambon, Nikki Zook, Rae Petersen, Upcoming
A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599, by James Shaprio
James Shapiro opens his narrative with the close-up, confidential tone of a detective novel. In his first paragraph he establishes the scene as snow-covered London on December 28, 1598 and continues,
As the snow fell, a dozen or so armed men gathered in Shoreditch, in London's northern suburbs. Instead of the clubs usually wielded in London's street brawls or apprentice riots, they carried deadly weapons -- "swords, daggers, bills, axes, and the like." [. . .] The Chamberlain's Men were in trouble, and the only way out was to get in a bit deeper.
You'd be hard put to situate your story any more in medias res than that. Headed by master carpenter Peter Street, this gang is about to disassemble a theatre building and haul every bit of it away to a warehouse facing the frozen Thames. Two days earlier the Chamberlain's Men performed at Elizabeth's court at Whitehall Palace and they were expected there again on New Year's Day. In the interval their laborers were reappropriating the timbers, lumber and fittings from the site where their lease had expired and storing the dismantled theatre for later use on a south bank property with a newly signed 31-year lease.
Given the dispute over the ownership of the building that would become the Globe, the enterprise had the makings of a conspiracy. It was also a new type of business venture. Richard Burbage had convinced five company members to invest the enormous sum of 70 pounds each for the new construction. In exchange, each was to receive ten percent of the profits of the new venture. Among those investors were Will Kempe, the company's renowned clown and jig-maker, and William Shakespeare, its principal playwright.
The theatre raid isn't the only developing story available to Shapiro with his choice of the final year of the sixteenth century. Shakespeare was at mid-career, of course, and in the following twelve months he and the company would be premiering Henry the Fifth, Julius Caesar, and As You Like It. At the end of the year Shakespeare would be writing Hamlet, a remarkably different type of play both for him and for the English stage. In addition, intrigue and politics at Elizabeth's court would be deeply marked by the mercurial Robert Devereux, second earl of Essex, who had ambitiously courted the queen. Elizabeth would send him off to Ireland with the assignment to put down Tyrone's rebellion; Essex would fail, negotiate ineptly with the adversary, and then abruptly sail home and ride back in haste to burst in upon Elizabeth in her private quarters. By Easter of 1601 he would be dead -- executed for conspiracies against the queen.
Click to read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .
Labels: A Year in the Life of Shakespeare, Austin Live Theatre, book, James Shapiro, review
Upcoming: Southern Fried Chickie by Christy McBrayer, FronteraFest at Salvage Vanguard, January 25 - February 4
Southern Fried Chickie
(75 minutes) at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre, 2803 Manor Road
Written and performed by Christy McBrayer, Southern Fried Chickie is a one-woman play about a "fortyish" actress returning from Hollywood to her hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi. Without ever leaving stage, McBrayer narrates while becoming ten characters with the help of musicians called her "Red Neck Greek Chorus." The show was called "clever, funny and beguiling" by New Orleans Times-Picayune and "an impressive array!" by Variety. www.southernfriedchickie.com
Jan 26th, Feb 1st at 7:00pm; Jan 28th at 9:00pm; Feb 4th at 4:45pm
Click here to purchase tickets for Southern Fried Chickie
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Austin Texas, Best of FronteraFest, comedy
FronteraFest Announces Long Fringe Productions for January 24 - February 5
UPDATE: Lisa Scheps and Stuart Moulton interview organizers Ken Webster and Christi Moore, January 11
The FronteraFest Long Fringe schedule was published by the Hyde Park Theatre on December 20. FronteraFest Long Fringe shows are 45 to 90 minutes long and staged at the Blue Theatre and Salvage Vanguard Theatre. Click where indicated to purchase tickets
Precious Little Talent
by Ella Hickson (Capital T Theatre) (90 minutes) at the Blue Theatre, 916 Springdale
Precious Little Talent is a refreshing story of love's triumph over loss and what it means to arrive at adulthood during a time when the rules seem to be shifting and the ground is unsteady. Capital T is proud to present the US Premiere of the latest breakout hit from London penned by Britain's hottest young playwright, Ella Hickson, starring Joe Penrod, Joey Banks, and Melissa Drew, directed by Scott Tipton.
Jan 25th, Feb 3rd at 7:00pm; Jan 27th at 9:15pm; Jan 29th at 2:00pm
Click here to purchase tickets for Precious Little Talent
Akimbo Bubble Scuttle
by Topping Haggerty (Da Foundry) (60 minutes) at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre, 2803 Manor Road.
Akimbo Bubble Scuttle Ruckus is the dark adorable sketch comedy extravaganza you've been waiting for from DA Foundry. Do all puppets have a violent nature? What do rocks feel? Why are suicidal zombies so easy to empathize with? How did you really learn about sex? And why, oh, why is Evil so verbally incontinent? Come experience this hilariously touching, disturbing, raucous display of comedy-licious-ness.
Jan 29th at 6:45pm; Jan 31st at 7:00pm; Feb 4th at 1:00pm; Feb 5th at 3:00pm
Click here to purchase tickets for Akimbo Bubble Scuttle
written by Nicholas Walker Herbert, directed by Gary Jaffe
(Tutto Theatre) (90 minutes) at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre, 2803 Manor Road.
Bethany is 15 months pregnant with an alien baby, and she's invited you to the birth! Kathleen Fletcher returns to Austin for the world premiere of Nicholas Walker Herbert's The Alien Baby Play, an interactive theatrical experience from Tutto Theatre Company which will leave you clutching your womb with joy and terror. www.TuttoTheatre.org
Jan 24th at 7:00pm; Jan 28th at 1:00pm; Jan 29th at 8:45pm; Feb 5th at 7:15pm
Click here to purchase tickets for The Alien Baby Play
Click to go to AustinLiveTheatre.com to view full list of 17 productions for the FronteraFest Long Fringe . . . .
Labels: Blue Theatre, FronteraFest, Hyde Park Theatre, Salvage Vanguard
Upcoming: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enough, Uprise! Productions at the Vortex Repertory, February 16 - 25
brings back
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf
Weekends Thursday, February 16 until Saturday, February 25 at 8 p.m.
Vortex Repertory, 2703 Manor Rd. (click for map)
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange, Directed by Zell Miller, III received standing ovations and rave reviews through its entire run at The VORTEX last September. We are delighted to announce that this vibrant production of Ntozake Shange's award-winning play will be returning to The VORTEX by popular demand, with the same stellar cast for two weekends in February!
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf is directed by award-winning theatre artist Zell Miller, III. Choreography by Ananda Mayi Moss and Sadé Jones.
The stellar cast features Whitney Weathersby, Sadé Jones, Chelsea Manasseri, Patricia Robinson, Ebony Stewart, Minerva Villa, and Chandra Washington.
For ticket info and reservations, contact www.vortexrep.org or call 512-478-5282.
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide, Ntozake Shange, Vortex Repertory, Zell Miller III
Upcoming: Vortex Repertory's Fire and Brimstone Awards Party, January 6
VORTEX's Annual Fire and Brimstone Awards
8:30 pm until 12:00am at the Vortex, 2703 Manor Rd. (click for map)
Join VORTEX friends and family to celebrate VORTEX's Annual Fire and Brimstone Awards, honoring our recent 23th season. For many years, VORTEX Producing Artistic Director, Bonnie Cullum, has given dozens of Fire Awards to honor artists and technicians for their achievements and Brimstone Awards to roast notable gaffs about which we can finally laugh. We are thrilled to welcome The Late Joys to play for our party!
In celebration of VORTEX's 23 years of theatre in the Austin community, we gather together to remember a notable artistic year, our 23th Season, 2010-11: Vampyress, GAYlicious! Planet of The Mermaids, The Elementals: AIR, Footnotes for People Who Don't Speak Spanish, Ecosexology, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf, LEAR, and Summer Youth Theater's The Physicists, as well as the fabulous new addition of The Butterfly Bar.
Admission to the party is FREE. Donations are welcome. Come celebrate Friday, January 6th, 8:30pm to midnight with a fabulous spread in The Butterfly Bar. Cash bar.
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Awards, Bonnie Cullum, party, Vortex Repertory
Arts Reporting: San Pedro Playhouse Trades 'Streetcar' for 'My Fair Lady', by Deborah Martin, San Antonio Express-News
Found on-line at
San Pedro's 'Streetcar' jumps the tracks
Posted on 12/19/2011 by Deborah Martin
The San Pedro Playhouse has made a change to its spring lineup.
"A Streetcar Named Desire," slated to open in March, has been pulled from the schedule. The show was to be directed by Carol Lee Klose, who had cast Sam Gilliam, Rick Frederick and Susanna Morrow in the leads.
In a statement, Artistic Director Frank Latson explained that "The move comes in the interest of continued economic growth and a move closer to family friendly programming in its Russell Hill Rogers Theater.
"Replacing Streetcar was a very difficult decision, particularly with the stellar Director and Cast which had been assembled for it. However, the Playhouse is at a crossroads, and many tough choices are being made in order that we enter our second century with a strong and steady foundation."
In its place, the theater will stage "My Fair Lady," which Latson is planning to direct.
Click to see article at www.mysanantonio.com . . . .
Labels: arts reporting, Austin Live Theatre, San Antonio Express-News, San Pedro Playhouse
Upcoming: Earth Beat Life New Year's Eve, Blue Theatre, December 31
Earth Beats Life:
Blue Theatre Annual Fundraiser Party!
916 Springdale (click for map)
New Year's Eve, December 31, 6 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Come One; Come All To The MARVELS of CARNIVAL
A night of Carnival is always a whimsical affair
filled with bevies of burlesque beauties
remarkable human marvels
bizarre sideshow wonders
and all the sights of the cabaret artistique.
This NEW YEAR'S EVE, we transform the BLUE THEATRE into the deep, dark, mysterious world of Carnival. We invite you to step into our whimsical carnival playground of delights.
999 Eyes Freak Show
Sky Candy Aerialists
Minor Mishap Marching Band
Interstellar Transmissions
Savonne the Minx
Ciara Blossom
The Wave Farmers
and Iris the Artiste
Cocktails and Carnival Desserts courtesy of TITO'S HANDMADE VODKA and APHRODITE DIVINE CONFECTIONS.
Tickets Are All-Inclusive and include: admission, bar, carnival eats and games!
$30 Door
MOREMOREMORE
Oddities, Curiosities, the strange, the bizarre, and the beautiful...999 EYES Vaudevillian Freakshow is the last genuine traveling freakshow in the U.S. featuring authentic human oddities, an authentic freakshow museum, Lowrent the Clown, and LIVE music from their dark carnival jug band -That Damned Band. SEE THE HISTORY AND PRESENT OF FREAKSHOW!
Sky Candy Aerialists presents Chelsea Laumen on Silks. Chelsea Laumen is a professional performance artist, teacher and community activist. An integral part of the Birimbau Academy of Capoiera, Chelsea has served as a co-choreographer, core artist, student and also teacher of the Afro-Brazilian martial dance form in her beloved New Mexican community.
Savonne The Minx is a versatile-vixen who can point tootsies en pointe, tappa-tappa tap dance, and saunter and twirl to a mishmash beat. A magnetic medley of the magical kind let her exceed your expectations, unbind your boundaries, and find your fancies. Savonne danced with the award-winning dance troupe, Eye Candy Burlesque, and has performed everywhere from Kansas City to Little Rock.
Ciara Blossom, a.k.a. the Hula Hoop Enchantress specializes in spiral seduction with 2 tiny fire-hoops, and the smooth fluid movements of L.E.D glow hoops. Armed with a giggly golden smile, ornate handmade costumes, and wicked sick tricks to mesmerize and inspire audiences long after the show is over.
Strawberry ignites her hoops of fire to manipulate the flame through play and dance. This fire twirling Sprite is sure to delight!
Iris the Artiste transforms into the bodyart painting Gypsy who won't tell you your future but will help create one with you. Just give her a section of your body, details of your New Year's Resolution and let the creation begin.
MINOR MISHAP MARCHING BAND is a renegade brass band- Bourbon Street meets Budapest. An absurd expression of boisterous pandemonium and washboard-tuba-punk-rock ridiculousness: fun, loud and in the streets.
INTERSTELLAR TRANSMISSIONS is carnivalesque Shamanic Tribal Rock Fusion blending exotic sacred healing scales and frequencies with dynamic fast changing, primal rhythms. Let them take you on an epic journey of the soul that encompasses a vast spectrum of emotional depth, magic, excitement and color.
THE WAVE FARMERS cover a wide variety of sonic landscape from glitchy/psychedelic downtempo to electro-acoustic breaks. With collective music releases on Psymbolic--sounds, Organic Records, and Latchkey Records, The Wave Farmers is sure to bring you a night of experimental crossover electronic jam music that is not to be missed.
HOLDING SPACE adds the triply elements of Jazz Psychedelic Funk.
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Austin Texas, Blue Theatre, New Year's Eve
Upcoming: Searching for Eden by James Still, after Mark Twain, Paradox Players, February 10 - 26
Searching for Eden
Written by James Still, after Mark Twain
Directed by Joni McClain
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm • Sundays at 3 pm
HOWSON HALL THEATER, Unitarian Universalist Church, 4700 Grover Avenue (click for map)
Tickets -- $20 Opening Night Gala, Friday, Feb 10th (includes a special reception with refreshments)
$15 all other performances ($10 for seniors and groups of 10 or more)
Reservations by web , phone 744-1495 or Purchase via Paypal
Free childcare Feb 12 Matinee if reserved by Feb 5. Email childcare@austinuu.org or call 452-6168, ext. 313
Adam and Eve meet in paradise and embark on an epic, exuberant battle of the sexes. Several thousand years and a fall from grace later, the middle-aged couple returns to present-day Eden, now an upscale resort. Searching for Eden is a fresh, funny new look at the question of how to make the magic last, and a tender testament to enduring love.
The play is inspired by and adapted from a pair of short stories by Mark Twain. Says director Joni McClain, "Several thousand years after Adam and Eve meet in paradise, they return to a very different Eden. It's a comic testament to enduring love; a fresh look at how to make the magic last."
Variety Magazine called Searching for Eden "An engaging blend of wit and whimsy." The Indianapolis Star wrote, "Eden is a paradise of a play, a captivating romantic comedy that captures the wit and warmth of Mark Twain's timeless paeans to love and marriage and updates them for today."
Searching for Eden will be presented at the Howson Hall Theater, located in the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, 4700 Grover Road, Austin, TX 78756. Performances are February 10 – 26, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 3:00 pm.
Tickets for the Opening Night Gala are $20, and for all other performances $15 General Admission and $10 for Seniors and groups of 10 or more. Purchase tickets online at www.paradoxplayers.org or phone 512-744-1495 for reservations.
Searching for Eden features actors Matt Gauck as Adam and Marsha Sray as Eve.
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Austin Texas, Marsha Sray, Matt Gauck, Paradox Players
Upcoming: A Neon Christmas dance party, Paper Chairs at Cheerup Charlies, December 21
Paper Chairs invites you to
A Neon Christmas dance party
December 21, 6:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
Cheer-Up Charlie's, 1104 E. 6th Street (click for map)
We don't care if you've been bad or good. Frankly, we don't really care! This has been a milestone year for paper chairs as we said goodbye to some, bon voyage to others, and hello to still more as we grow our collaborative efforts. We'd love for you to join us in celebrating our favorite time of year! Tis the season to be jolly, and we've put together an electrifying evening of enjoyment for you.
Cheer Up Charlie's has graciously offered to host our bright, bright take on the holidays Wednesday, December 21. We'll kick things off with happy hour at 6:00p, get the juices flowing with Christmas Karaoke hosted by Sonny & Cher, and break it down with an all-out dance party to write home about. Throughout the night, we'll also be raffling off White Elephant Christmas gifts, and Santa and his Sexy Helper will be available for some serious photo ops.
As we prepare for the launch of our next original work - a collection of plays by Austin's own Hank Schwemmer in February - we're asking that all guests make a $5 donation to partake in the night's festivities. Friends of paper chairs will receive drink specials for the evening - including such deliciousness as soynog, peppermint coffee, spiked apple cider, and more.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me here on Facebook. Or just ask your favorite paper chair. We're looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday!
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Austin Texas, dance party, fundraiser, Paper Chairs
Poste Restante, The Secret Agents, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, December 15 - 17
I went up to Tim Gallagher after the Secret Agents' first run-through at the Salvage Vanguard on Thursday, congratulated him and asked, "What's the hidden message?"
I know: wrong question. But I couldn't help myself. I'm a narrative theatre guy, analyst, reporter, decipherer of mysteries. And I'd known a fair number of secret agents in my former career, even though I was in the overt diplomatic service, not the covert service.
Tim gave me a grin. "We just like to have fun!"
Spoken like a true secret agent, without a trace of guile. So you can puzzle over it as much as you like after you've experienced the multidimensional fun of Poste Restante ("dead letter office") by Tim Gallagher and Bonnie Duncan. There's a message in there; in fact, there are many messages in their post office of the mind. But they're largely wordless, expressed in an ever-surprising modulation of mime, physical comedy, contortion, ballet, puppetry, music and video projection.
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, Austin theatre reviews, puppetry, touring troupe, Trouble Puppet Theatre Company
Upcoming: I Hate Hamlet by Paul Rudnick, Georgetown Palace Theatre, January 13 - February 5
I Hate Hamlet
by Paul Rudnick
directed by David Sray
Jan. 13 - Feb. 5 - Fri. & Sat. at 7:30 p.m. and Sun. at 2:00 p.m.
Georgetown Palace Theatre, 810 S. Austin Street, Georgetown (click for map)
Prices: General: $24; Senior(55+): $22; Student(13-22)/Active Duty Military (with ID): $14; Children(12 or younger): $10
Click to choose seats and purchase tickets on-line
This hilarious romp takes us into the life of hot, young TV star Andrew Rally who has been asked to play Hamlet in Central Park. But Andrew has two problems: he hates Hamlet, and he's being haunted by the drunken ghost of actor John Barrymore who used to live in his apartment.
Labels: Austin Live Theatre, David Sray, Georgetown Palace Theatre, Paul Rudnick, Upcoming
Auditions for The Dixie Swim Club, Georgetown Palace Theatre, January 29 - 30
The Georgetown Palace Theatre is holding AUDITIONS for
Dixie Swim Club
directed by Mary Ellen Butler, on Sunday, January 29th from 6-9pm, and Monday, January 30th from 7-10pm.
We are looking for six women who can play 45-80 yrs old. All types, ethnicities and sizes are encouraged to audition.
Auditions will at Georgetown Palace Theater at 810 S. Austin Ave in Georgetown (Click for map). Auditions will consist of cold reads from the script only. For an audition time, please email: auditions@thegeorgetownpalace.org with your name, phone number and audition day preference.
SYNOPSIS Five southern women who were college swim teammates meet one long weekend every August in the same beach cottage in North Carolina's Outer Banks to catch up, laugh and meddle in each other's lives. The show focuses on four of those weekends, and spans a perioud of thirty-three years. The Dixie Swim Club is the story of five unforgettable women--a hilarious and touching comedy about friendships that last forever.
Click for character descriptions and additional information at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .
Labels: Auditions, Austin Live Theatre, Georgetown Palace Theatre, Georgetown Texas, The Dixie Swim Club
Opinion: Houston: A Town Without Critics by Robert Bales, Arts Journal
Arts writer Theodore Bale is moody about the lack of arts writing and criticism in Houston. ALT attention was caught by opening paragraphs in his blog Texas, A Concept at www.artsjournal.com:
A Town Without Critics
December 15, 2011 By Theodore Bale
Many years ago in Cambridge, I had the pleasure of meeting the esteemed former New York Times dance critic Anna Kisselgoff. The lecture she'd delivered that night at Harvard was so inspiring that I decided I was going to become a critic as well. In a hopelessly naïve gesture, I went up to her after the talk and asked if she could explain my next move. "Well," she said with a sigh, "the first thing to remember is that you're going to have to conduct your education in public."
Many decades later, that advice continues to ring true, and it's particularly applicable to the contemporary blog. Gone are my fact-checkers, my editors, my copy desk, my headline writers and photo editors. Or rather, now I am all of them. This isn't big news to anyone who started in print publications and moved to blogs. In my case, I continue to play both fields, writing for newspapers and trade publications as well as websites.
The theme of this week's blog is so unwieldy that I couldn't possibly cover it thoroughly within the "confines" of this ever-scrolling page. "Don't write in a way that forces readers to click for too long," I'm learning that lesson. With this delayed lede, however, I'll proceed and try to convey a current crisis in Houston's critical culture.
Read more at www.artsjournal.com . . . .
Labels: Arts opinion, Austin Live Theatre, review
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Haha, amazing! We always say that Havi would lick an intruder to death!
I know it's wrong … but a teeny tiny part of me can't help but wish that Zee would stay right where she is … so that we'll never have to stop seeing sweet pictures like this! Can you make it part of the adoption that the new family has to start a blog so that we never lose touch with Miss Zee?
It is my absolute favorite when she greets you upon your arrival home and leans so far in to you that she kind of slowly melts to the floor then all of a sudden everyone is on their butts. Love the pictures, as usual!!
I've loved every one of your fosters! It's a good thing I live no where near you and can really only handle one dog at a time due to limited space because I'd want to adopt every stinking one of them! But I admit that Miss Zee the Bumble Bee is my favorite.
Oh, I second Tucker's Mom! Though I have enjoyed and cherished reading about all your other foster dogs (Gonzo Bunny-Ears in particular), Miss Zee has truly become special – esp. after seeing that sweet, bumbling, playful video!
Love the picture of her looking around the corner.
We second Laura, there is just something so great and goofy about Zee. She seems so move-in-ready for that lucky family!
Awww Lady Zee. I cant believe she hasn't been scooped up already!
It seems silly for me to say this, since I hear it all the time, but Zee is so tiny! Talk about a lap dog! She has the lean-n-roll move down- another benefit of being an older and more experienced pup. She knows all the best moves to get some lovin'.
omg- what a sweet girl! I love the peering around the corner pic! I wish my Nyxie would bark less at every little sound and bump on the door. We still have a few bugs hitting the door to our home which sends her into a panic. Arwen and Fenway are more like Zee…que sera sera!
Poor Zee. I hope she wasn't counting on getting a job as a security dog. Of course, she is certainly capable of "cuting" an intruder to death.
Little Zee loves her foster daddy. And it looks like it's mutual. Super cute!


text:
Tapestry Unveils Regenerative Leather Goals and Coach's (Re)Loved Apprenticeship
New Kids' Clothing Start-ups Sweeten Allure in Rental, Resale, Swap
Kids' clothing rental, resale and swapping platforms are growing in popularity as a sustainable, affordable option for parents. Which is best?
By Kaley Roshitsh Plus Icon
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Everlasting Wardrobe is one new start-up tackling kids' clothing rental. Courtesy
Kids' clothing is the next sector stepping into the world of rental, swap and secondhand.
Despite being a relatively small sector within fashion, there's still billions in waste generated by kids' clothing, and parents are still frustrated over the costs of quickly outgrown clothing. Both factors are inspiring a new suite of start-ups to specialize in circular solutions for kids' clothing as sustainability continues to become mainstream.
Pointing to a convergence of trends — including online shopping, peer-to-peer secondhand marketplaces and broader consumer and corporate demand for a sustainability and reuse ethos — Chris Randall, managing director at L.E.K. Consulting, said kids' rental could be advantageous for brands looking for improved inventory monetization and new customer acquisition.
Backstage at Viktor and Rolf Couture Spring 2022
Backstage at Alexandre Vauthier Couture Spring 2022
Clothing Rental for Kids
"The consumer value proposition of children's clothing rental is attractive given the higher frequency of new purchases due to wear and tear as well as size growth," according to Randall. "Rental can provide a more economical solution for parents to turnover their children's wardrobe" so long as the repeat "wear and tear dynamics" that created allure for kids' rental is properly reflected in margins.
Rental has typically been geared toward occasion dressers, with companies like Rent the Runway as a pioneer in the category, and companies such as By Rotation, Style Lend and even H&M (with its free 24-hour suit rental service for men interviewing) following suit. But as lifestyle rental options spiraled out from veterans — so did lifestyle kids' rental.
One company chasing this gap is Brooklyn-based Everlasting Wardrobe, a monthly clothing rental membership for children based in the U.S. that launched in January. Since then, members have averaged more than five months on Everlasting Wardrobe's platform.
Describing the viability of the kids' rental market, Joshua Luft, chief executive officer of Everlasting Wardrobe, said it makes more sense than any other market.
Within Everlasting Wardrobe's model, families get 98 pieces of clothing (valued at more than $4,000) through a one-year membership priced at $480 (or $40 a month). Brands offered include Burt's Bees Baby, Finnish brand Mainio, Peruvian brand Red Caribou and Guam-based Lovingly Organic. Eight rental pieces can be kept for 30 days, and families can purchase an item after renting it by going directly to the brand's website.
"Even if a child has a favorite item of clothing they love to wear, it's unfortunately outgrown every three to nine months," Luft said. "Most rental services act as a replacement for purchasing, while ours is built as experiential marketing, helping families discover their new favorite brands and styles by getting the opportunity to enjoy them through the month. Parents tell us all the time children can manage to wear eight pieces of clothing in a single day, so this certainly doesn't eliminate all purchases. But it does prevent mistakes or buying items that just sit in the closet, never worn."
According to the company's survey of more than 1,000 families, "sustainability" was rated as the number-one reason parents are testing rental. Features like the gameified data-backed recommendations — where users can tap "less of this" and "add to list" — are what kept customers coming back.
Given the importance of sustainability, Luft addressed a lingering environmental concern for rental. "Although pieces in our everyday membership range from $25 to $150, less than 1 percent of our total inventory is dry clean only, which is a major sustainability issue with many services," he said.
While not providing detail on the impact of water use during laundering or the company's end-of-life recycling partnerships, Luft cited eucalyptus-based detergent as one element to reduce toxins.
Joining the resale fray
Other platforms are leaning into tried-and-true resale where volume is king.
A look from Kid's o'Clock resale marketplace. Courtesy
U.K.-based Kid's o'Clock is a pre-loved peer-to-peer marketplace available across the U.S., Europe and the U.K. founded by former Net-a-porter, Moda Operandi and Harvey Nichols buyer Laura Roso Vidrequin.
Items from brands like Ralph Lauren, Vans, Adidas and more, in varying conditions of wear, dot the explore page for Kidsoclock.co.uk.
Paying respect to hand-me-down culture, Vidrequin said Kids o'Clock aims to widen access to a global network of people "who may want to buy what you no longer need, and then give you the opportunity to come back on the platform to sell the same item at a later date when you also no longer need it."
The business was founded amid the pandemic where habits went virtual and consumption became more conscious.
Kids o'Clock has pre-owned offerings for newborns all the way up to 10-year-olds for 60 percent to 70 percent off retail prices. Parents list items themselves or, if particularly time-crunched, the platform offers up a 10 pound a month service (for the first six months) that passes the onus to the Kids o'Clock team to list items once families either mail them in or coordinate a local pickup or closet clean out.
An editorial flair comes across through curated edits, campaign look books and a variety of brands and price points. "We try to make the concept of shopping very easy and natural for parents so that they don't miss out on the 'fun' that comes from shopping for their children's clothing," Vidrequin said.
Finding the present market "disparately built" among many different brands, price points, productions and strategies, Vidrequin is keen to centralize the children's secondhand shopping experience within a bustling, easy-to-use online community that will soon doubly bring retailers into the fold with physical collection bins.
Circular Opportunity
New kids' products are gaining a circular edge, too.
Toy-maker Mattel announced its circularity program on Monday where old Barbie, Matchbox and Mega Bloks materials are repurposed into new toys. Clothing, it seems, is only just getting started.
On Mother's Day, Los Angeles-based brand For Days announced a waitlist for its kids' clothing line dropping this August, which will be similar to its "closet in the cloud" swap concept for adult essentials.
"It's through this lens of understanding our community and what they want so we can be very thoughtful about what they want….Our community is really our pulse," said Kristy Caylor, the brand's cofounder and CEO, on how the initial waitlist is free of expectation and more for market positioning. "I think it's in contrast for some of the rental programs — kids ruin things. For more occasion dressing or fancy things, rental can be a solution," but Caylor finds "swapping" a step above the other alternatives.
No matter the condition or length of ownership, the For Days kids' styles — which will include foundational basics, onesies, T-shirts and leggings in a range of details and prints, according to Caylor — can be swapped out for new products.
Customers who purchased a new $44 For Days ribbed top, for example, can get an $11 credit to put toward a new item or the same style. A potential kids' use case can include exchanging three tattered and stained onesies for a brand new T-shirt or legging.
As with For Days' adult lines, the kids' collection will feature natural materials and dyes certified by the likes of the Global Organic Textile Standard and Cradle-to-Cradle Products Innovation Institute. The same mechanical recycling process that transforms old For Days shirts back into new garments will find its way into the kids' collection.
On the brand's stance on circularity, Caylor said, "We haven't had to do much to adjust because we started there."
Despite women putting off having kids and a declining fertility rate in the U.S., Caylor believes now is the time to pursue the business given the Millennial and Gen Z core customers will be next in line to have kids, furthered by the potential to relieve added "expense and burden" at a time when more and more consumers can't stomach it.
Caylor expects the kids' collection to turn much faster than existing lines with little ones outgrowing things. Framing the swap system within a lifestyle use case, Caylor said, "We're not sensitive to frequency – we encourage frequency. It doesn't actually hurt our margins."
FOR MORE, SEE:
Rent the Runway Offers Fashion for the Younger Set