6 Best Performing Arts in Austin, Texas

In a restored downtown vaudeville house and movie palace, this gorgeous 1915 theater presents musicals and plays by touring theater companies and hosts concerts by well-known jazz, folk, and rock artists, along with the occasional stand-up comedian and speaker series. In April, it hosts the annual four-day Moontower Comedy Festival, and during the summer, movie lovers escape the heat for the Summer Classic Film Series, featuring time-honored films from Gone with the Wind to The Wizard of Oz.

Eight classical concerts, four pops concerts, a holiday-favorite performance, a children's Halloween presentation, and many free events are performed by the Austin Symphony, Austin's oldest performing arts organization, throughout the year. Performances are held at the Long Center.

Now in a state-of-the-art downtown center, Ballet Austin has risen in prominence over the years as the city's preeminent dance company. Part performance company and part dance academy (with classes available to the general public), Ballet Austin puts on a regular lineup of ballet productions, performed at the Long Center, throughout the year, including an annual rendition of the classic The Nutcracker each holiday season. The season runs from September through May, with season tickets options that offer better seating for frequent attendees.

Along the banks of Lady Bird Lake, this cultural arts center is a celebration of latino heritage that blends a variety of theater, music, dance, literature, and culinary traditions into workshops, live performances, and educational classes to help foster a cultural foundation throughout Austin. On the last Tuesday of every month, there is a free screening of films from the Golden Era of Mexico's cinema in its main auditorium. The building houses two art galleries with free admission (closed Sunday).

One of the city's most vibrant and innovative theaters, this nonprofit now has an expansive multistage complex that hosts a number of theatrical performances, intimate celebrity talks, and special events year-round. An integral part of the Austin community for nearly 90 years, ZACH also serves the local arts community with a year-round season of shows, theater camps, and educational activities.

Bring a blanket and picnic basket and enjoy a Broadway-inspired musical under the warm Texas sky. Right in the heart of the Zilker Park complex, this locally run outdoor theater has been performing on the hillsides just across from Barton Springs for 61 years and counting. The shows run through summers only and charge a pay-as-you-wish admission.