Company Profile
Austin Theatre Alliance
Company Overview
Originally opened as a vaudeville house in 1915, the historic Paramount Theatre has been a second home for generations upon generations of Austinites to gather, connect, and get inspired. The Paramount currently operates alongside the Stateside Theatre next door under the Austin Theatre Alliance (ATA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
While we present hundreds of shows annually, the Paramount and Stateside Theatres are so much more than venues. The ATA reaches over 22,000 Central Texas students every year through award-winning Paramount Education programs both in classrooms and in the theatres; produces Moontower Just For Laughs Austin, one of the largest comedy festivals in the nation; hosts the star-studded world premieres of SXSW, Austin Film Festival, and beyond; programs the beloved Summer Classic Film Series, now in its 48th year; and works with experts to ensure the careful preservation of Austin history. The Paramount is one of only 20 theatres left in the entire country that is over 100 years old and still in use as a venue.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
Established in 1915, the Paramount Theatre has been home to iconic films and performances, including the likes of Harry Houdini, Katharine Hepburn and Miles Davis. Explore this historic venue’s first 100 years.
Imagine downtown Austin in the early 1900s when Congress Avenue was a wide dirt road stirred up by horse-drawn carriages. The flood of 1900, which washed away the power plant that generated the electricity for the streetcars delivering passengers to their downtown destinations, temporarily forced the cars to be pulled by mules. The main street in the capital city was one of the first to be paved in 1905 to accommodate the growing number of automobiles–the primary mode of transportation by the end of the 1920s.