Paramount Theatre

Programming: after more than a century, the paramount and stateside theatres remain premier historic venues for austinites and tourists alike to find connection and entertainment in the wide breadth of talented artists and entertainers who grace our stages all year long. We pride ourselves on celebrating beauty and human achievement wherever it is found, and our diverse lineups showcase these local, national, and international sensations nightly. Throughout these events and programs, the ata prioritizes building impactful community partnerships, offers reduced venue and equipment rental rates for other arts organizations, and strives to facilitate a welcoming and inclusive environment for all people who walk through our doors. Through our community programs, we partner with 100+ local organizations annually to provide opportunities for individuals to access the arts at not cost to them, alleviating the economic barriers so many are facing. We are tightly woven into the live music, spoken word, and film communities that Austin is renowned for, being principal venues for the sxsw film festival, the Austin film festival, and the summer classic film series. The ata has also elevated the comedy scene in Austin to the nationally noteworthy with the production of our moontower just for laughs comedy festival.

Preservation: constructed in 1915 and listed on the national register of historic places, the paramount Theatre is one of the world's few surviving examples of a fully operational, early twentieth-century vaudeville Theatre and working hemp-house system. Standing next door is the stateside Theatre, an art deco building constructed in 1935 that was the first in Austin built specifically to show motion pictures. The theatres continue to honor the vaudeville vision by being home to a variety of performances; in a typical year bringing in 250,000 guests to attend events from concerts, films, comedy, live podcasts, magic shows, spoken word, community events and more. We work to preserve the spirit of the theatres as well as the physical buildings; restoration projects are ongoing to ensure these landmarks remain intact and available for the public to enjoy for another century. The Austin Theatre Alliance manages all preservation work at the paramount and stateside theatres.

Education: ata's paramount education is one of Austin's largest and most effective arts education organizations, expertly delivering four programs that focus on equitable access and connection to the arts for central Texas youth. Our programs have proven to be successful at improving literacy rates in some of Austin's most underserved schools, consistently closing performance gaps between title 1 students and their non-title 1 peers. The paramount itself plays an important role in our outreach efforts, as more than 15,000 students annually attend high-caliber performing arts events in our culturally and historically significant venues. With these efforts, students strengthen their creative confidence, improve curriculum retention, and gain valuable social-emotional skills. Each program offers complimentary tickets, reduced fees, or scholarship opportunities for those students, schools, and families experiencing economic barriers to participating in these impactful experiences.