Recommended Arts: 'Let Love Flow,' Waffle Fest, 'Tuna Does Vegas,' Robert McDuffie and the Austin Symphony Orchestra, 'Benjamin Butler: Dark and Leafless'

THURSDAY

'Let Love Flow.' We love our green spaces and natural springs in Austin. We cherish them, worship them and fight for their protection. But that kind of exaltation leads to the inevitable mass romanticism that in turn transforms the very things we try to protect into branded products or marketing flashpoints. Houston-based artist Sasha Dela explores this conundrum with new video and installations. Sure, we want to save our springs, but what happens when all that love and attention makes that beloved swimming hole a commodity? Opening: 6 to 8 p.m. today. Regular gallery hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Exhibit continues through Jan. 10. Women & Their Work, 1710 Lavaca St. Free. 477-1064. www.womenandtheirwork.org. - Jeanne Claire van Ryzin

THURSDAY-SATURDAY

Waffle Fest. What goes best with improv comedy? All-you-can-eat waffles of course! Among the 15 troupes who will take the stage are Available Cupholders, Parallelogramophonograph, The Frank Mills, Coldtowne and Girls, Girls, Girls. Shows at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. today through Saturday. Hideout Theatre, 617 Congress Ave. $10 (includes all-you-can-eat waffles). www.hideouttheatre.com. - J.C.v.R.

THURSDAY-SUNDAY

'Tuna Does Vegas.' The inimitable comic duo of Joe Sears and Jaston Williams reprise the latest in their installments about the lovable and eccentric characters from Tuna, the 'third smallest town in Texas.' When the off-kilter conservative radio host Arles Struvie announces on air that he and his wife, Bertha Bumiller, are headed to Las Vegas to renew their wedding vows, the whole of Tuna, Texas, follows. 8 p.m. today-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave. $26-$56. (866) 443-8849. www.austintheatre.org. - J.C.v.R.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

Robert McDuffie and the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Although composer Miklos Rósza is best known for his movie scores - among them, 'Ben Hur,' 'Spellbound' and 'Double Indemnity' - he also wrote compiling classical works. Celebrated violinist Robert McDuffie joins the Austin Symphony Orchestra for Rósza's lyrical and sweeping Violin Concerto. Also on the program is Brahms' Symphony No. 4 and his Hungarian Dances 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Dell Hall, Long Center, 701 W. Riverside Dr. $19-$48. ($5 student rush tickets). 476-6064. www.austinsymphony.org. - J.C.v.R.

SATURDAY

'Benjamin Butler: Dark and Leafless.' New York-based artist Benjamin Butler's strange little paintings of trees are simultaneously beguilingly simple and psychologically charged and ominous. His latest series - all in shades of black and blue - are both innocent and potent. Opening reception: 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Regular gallery hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Exhibit continues through Jan. 10. Lora Reynolds Gallery, 360 Nueces St. Free. www.lorareynolds.com. - J.C.v.R.