Place Post: Zilker Hillside Theater

Image courtesy of:  http://www.zilker.org/thehill.html

I chose Zilker Hillside Theater as my place post being as I had never been there before but was always accustomed to hearing about Zilker Park from friends and other students. I am also interested in theater and was extremely excited to relate such an experience with nature. The theater carries popularity amongst the residents and visitors as there have been shows performed since 1969. Roughly an hour away from the school campus by bus Zilker Theater is located opposite of Zilker Park. I arrived Zilker Hillside Theater roughly at 11am on a Saturday which I learnt later on was probably not the best idea as there were a very few number of people around the area maybe because there was no shade and the weather was extremely hot, making me wonder how uncomfortable people would be if they had o watch a show at that time period. Most had come to swim in the pool and the theater was basically empty, upon further investigation I realized that the play ‘The Sound of Music’ was scheduled for later on in the evening at 8pm. Instead of focusing solely on that section I decided to look around the larger area. Extremely close to the theater was a parking lot which came as a major interest to me because of how it would interfere with the audience whilst they were watching their show, it was a stark reminder that I wasn’t as close to nature as I would have liked.  I also noticed that when people were not there, the location was filled with a number of birds. Right next to the parking lot were a bunch of benches and areas for hanging out as well as a little stand for people to buy drinks. The atmosphere around the area was extremely ambient; most people came with family and friends and proceeded to the pool slightly below the ground level of the theater whilst others sat on the benches caught up in conversations whilst eating. Compared to the environment in Zilker Park where there were numbers of people running around and luckily  for me a Quidditch tournament, biking or with their dogs this was much more quiet, reserved and hidden. 

Image courtesy of  http://russellstanford.blogspot.com/2010/08/annie-at-zilker-hillside-theater.html

It did register that unlike Zilker Park where people could park around, the theater area required people to pay for parking spaces. This could be as result of the number of employees they had on ground that would have to be paid. Getting there, I noticed that there was a vast amount of healthy grass and trees despite the extremely hot weather. A lot of effort had been put into preserving the appearance of area, probably as lure for families towards nature? It also reminded me of the Lawn presentation Sherri gave in class in relation to the effort that is put into preserving the lawns. Even in the area for hanging out although the floors were cemented, a number of trees were around in a convenient manner for shade. Compared to everyday experiences this was probably the closest I had come to experience nature in Austin. It was much more peaceful and cleaner.

However, despite the picturesque environment one cannot ignore a times the blaring of horns due to the road close to the area. This experience got me thinking back again to the relationship we have with nature and the contradictions we face while trying to get closer to it. Zilker Hillside Theater is a beautiful place where people can go an relax and get a taste of nature without the constant hustle and bustle of the world but the location and reminders that we are not too far from the technological world does interrupt these experiences sometimes. The amenities that were the area to provide some sort of comfort such as the drink stand and benches were also a reminder as you would not find these things in a forest. To what extent can we say we are experiencing nature and where is this desire to do so stemming from?

Image courtesy of  http://foxhill-austin.myaptportal.com/around-town/do-not-miss-the-zilker-hillside-theatre-musical-production-of-%E2%80%9Cfootloose%E2%80%9D/

I would definitely recommend you paying a visit sometime if you haven’t been!