The Hideout Theatre Relocated to North Austin Annex
The venue moved to North Lamar last year after leaving its home of 26 years on Congress Avenue.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Performance Art
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After vacating its long-time Congress Avenue site in 2025, The Hideout Theatre transitioned to a temporary annex space in North Austin. The theater group is now working to stabilize its future operations through a city-wide arts program.
Why it matters
The move marked the end of a 26-year tenure downtown, as the former building owner repurposed the space for a bar. The theater now navigates the challenge of finding a permanent, larger location after a previously planned move to South Austin did not materialize.
The current North Lamar annex offers a 40-seat stage compared to the 89-seat and 49-seat theaters available at the previous Congress Avenue location. Future plans aim for a 200-seat theater, though a specific site is still unknown.
The players
The Hideout Theatre
An improvisational theater group that operated on Congress Avenue for 26 years.
Artspace
An organization that manages an Immersion program to support arts facility planning.
The Moody Foundation
The charitable organization providing funding for the Artspace Immersion program.
Kaci Beeler
The artist who created a mural for the theater's former Congress Avenue location.
The details
To maintain performances after leaving downtown, volunteers converted a North Lamar office space into a lounge and theater. They reused original stage components and mural panels from the Congress Avenue site to build the current facility. The group is currently one of six organizations participating in the Artspace Immersion program, which aims to help them plan for a future venue featuring two theaters, classrooms, and a coffeehouse.
Timeline
2009: Kaci Beeler painted a mural for the Congress Avenue location.
2025: The Hideout Theatre moved from its Congress Avenue location.
May 2026: The Artspace Immersion program began.
December 2026: The Artspace Immersion program concludes.
The Texas Context
The Hideout Theatre's efforts mirror broader challenges faced by long-standing local arts institutions as property use shifts in the urban core. The theater currently follows the planning frameworks established by the Artspace Immersion program to secure a permanent venue.
Patrons can currently find performances at the North Lamar annex, which is significantly smaller than the previous downtown venue. Residents interested in the theater's growth should watch for updates regarding a potential move to a larger, permanent site following the program's conclusion.
The takeaway
The theater continues to operate in a temporary capacity while planning for a larger, multi-use permanent facility. Keep an eye on the group's future announcements following the conclusion of their strategic planning program in December 2026.
What happens next
The Artspace Immersion program is scheduled to conclude its work with the current cohort of six organizations in December 2026.
Further reading
For more on the city's shifting arts landscape, see the Performance Art section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KUT.
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