All good things must come to an end. It's been a joy writing this blog, and it has taught me that not all writing has to be serious. If anything, it is my favorite way to decompress and write down my favorite theatre experiences. Maybe I will continue doing a blog in college (who knows?) after the shock of freshman year settles in. I found out not too long ago that you can get paid up to $500 a blog if you're smart enough to market it. Sign me up!
But what will I write about? I 100% won't be able to write about Broadway in Chicago. I won't even be close to Chicago anymore. If you didn't know, I was accepted into the University of Texas at Austin, which is about a 16-hour drive from Peoria. Even if I wanted to see a Broadway show in the Windy City, I would have to take a plane there and back to attend classes the next day. As a future broke college student, that's not really my cup of tea and I would waste thousands of dollars for one show (but I would still do it if I could). What I've decided to do is to not dwell on the fact that I can't see Chicago shows and move towards a fun and new outlet: Broadway in Austin.
Yes, there IS Broadway in the capital of Texas. I know, I was surprised too. Of all of the things Austin, or even Texas, is known for, it's definitely not Broadway-level shows. What Austin is known for is its creative and weird residents. Austin is the host of amazing events such as Austin City Limits, South by Southwest, and many others. It's fastly growing into one of the most populous cities in the South, and it is the live music capital of the world. Sounds great, right? I decided to see if the theaters in Austin were living up to the same hype.
1. Bass Concert Hall at the University of Texas at Austin
UT Austin has a spectacular theatre program, and the university's stage hosts "Broadway in Austin" throughout the year. It's crazy to me that national tours of Broadway shows like Hadestown, Wicked, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will be a five-minute walk from my dorm. The Performing Arts Program at UT Austin also offers incredible performances in the Bass Concert Hall, with one of the most recent being Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show with famous UT alumna and professor Matthew McCougnahay.
2. Paramount Theatre
This theatre on Congress Avenue is one of the first-and few remaining-original theaters in the Austin area. It has been open for over 100 years and still going strong. It hosts one of the largest children's community theater events in the state of Texas, and it is a regular destination for international tours and multiple film premieres including SXSW, Austin Film Festival, and many more! it hosts over 250+ performances and more than 200,000 audience members a year.
3. ZACH Theatre
The Austin Civic Theatre was renamed the ZACH Theatre in honor of Austin-raised, Academy Award-nominated film star Zachary Scott. It is known for its new and original scripts that are performed on its stage every year, and they are avid believers in giving small voices the opportunity to shine. They also own three outdoor theatres along Lady Bird Lake for summer shows, and they employ over 300 actors, musicians, and designers across the Austin area. I visited this theatre on one of my first visits to Austin, and it certainly won't be my last time.
4. Austin Playhouse
The Austin Playhouse is one of the newer professional regional theatres in the area and has recently opened a second sister playhouse, the Larry L. King Theatre. Over the past seventeen seasons, they have produced over 100 professional productions including 36 world or regional premieres. The Austin Playhouse mostly focuses on classic, contemporary, and musical plays, many of which have been debuted for Broadway writers. While it is far from the heart of the city, it is on my bucket list to visit one of their premieres in the future. You never know, it could end up in Manhattan in a couple of years.
5. The Hideout Theatre
To come full circle with this blog, the Hideout Theatre chain began in Chicago in the late 1980s, and they have opened several more branches across the US, including Austin. This specific theatre is an improvisational auditorium that debuted in 1999. They teach improv to theatre lovers of all ages and bring the joy of improv to companies for a fun team-building exercise. They are located on Congress Avenue, and after business hours they turn into a hip live music and comedy club.
It is time for a curtain call for this blog series. Thank you to all who have followed up throughout this year, and I hope that I have made you appreciate theatre in a different light or even convinced you to go to a show on your own. No matter where you are, you can always trust the theatre community to have your back, and I can't wait to start my next theatre adventure in Austin!