The Hideout Theatre
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
The Hideout Theatre offers a unique dual experience: highly interactive and kid-friendly improv shows (specifically the Sunday 4pm family show) perfect for children to participate and laugh, alongside competitive, late-night improv shows for teens and adults. Its intimate theater setting, located at the back of a coffee shop, allows for convenient access to snacks and drinks, creating a comfortable and engaging entertainment option in downtown Austin.
Key Highlights
- ✓Dedicated Sunday 4pm family, interactive improv show where children are encouraged to participate.
- ✓Kid-friendly cast in family shows, ensuring age-appropriate entertainment for an hour.
- ✓Audience members, including adults, have opportunities to participate on stage in some shows.
- ✓Located at the back of a coffee shop, allowing patrons to bring purchased snacks and drinks into the theater.
- ✓Comfortable, stadium-style seating in a small theater, creating an intimate yet uncrowded atmosphere.
- ✓Top-notch AV team provides excellent music and lighting for the performances.
Standout Features
- ⭐Interactive performances that involve the audience, making shows engaging for both kids and adults.
- ⭐Specific kid-friendly improv events that cater directly to families.
- ⭐Ability to purchase coffee, pastries (like Easy Tiger), and other snacks/drinks from the attached coffee shop and bring them directly into the theater.
- ⭐Comfortable stadium-style seating designed to feel intimate without being crowded.
- ⭐Central, convenient downtown Austin location.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →For family outings, specifically target the "Sunday 4pm family, interactive improv" show.
- →Arrive at least 10 minutes before doors open (5 minutes before the show starts) to secure preferred seating, especially if attending with a group.
- →Avoid bringing younger children to any late-night or adult-focused improv shows due to potentially inappropriate content.
- →Take advantage of the attached coffee shop for convenient snacks and drinks to enjoy inside the theater.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Late-night adult improv shows (e.g., Saturday 9:30 PM) are explicitly not recommended for younger kids due to performance content and language.
- ⚠Seating is first-come, first-served, meaning groups need to arrive early (at least 10 minutes before doors open) to ensure sitting together.
- ⚠The quality of individual improv performers can vary, as they have different levels of experience.
Price & Value
Tickets for the "improv kid events" are described as "affordable." While no specific prices are listed, the ability to bring coffee shop items into the theater adds convenience and perceived value, as parents can get refreshments without leaving the venue.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accessibility accommodations for special needs are mentioned in the reviews.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •Patrons are allowed to bring snacks and drinks purchased from the attached coffee shop into the theater.
- •The coffee shop offers coffee and pastries, including "delicious easy tiger pastries."
- •No information is provided regarding bringing outside food or drinks not purchased from their coffee shop.
🚗Parking Info
- •Parking options include street parking or nearby parking garages in downtown Austin.
- •A reviewer found parking to be "not too bad for a Saturday night."
👥Crowd Levels
- •Seating is first-come, first-served, suggesting shows can attract enough people to make early arrival beneficial for groups.
- •The stadium-style seating is designed to feel "intimate without feeling too crowded," indicating good space management within the theater.
🛡️Safety Features
- •No specific safety measures or features are mentioned in the reviews.
⏰When to Avoid
- • Bringing younger children to any adult-oriented or late-night shows (e.g., Saturday 9:30 PM) due to language and performance themes.
- • Arriving just as the show starts if you are with a group and wish to sit together, as seating is first-come, first-served.
Pricing/Package/Events
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
Connor Ratliff Presents THE ACTING CLASS
Fri. Oct 3, 9:30 PM (ONE NIGHT ONLY)
$20.00 – $25.00
A one-person improv show disguised as an acting class by professional actor and podcaster Connor Ratliff.
Maestro RAW
Sat. Oct 4, 5:45 PM
$7.00 – $12.00
Watch rising stars of Austin Improv compete for the comedy crown.
Austin Secrets
Sat. Oct 4, 7:00 PM
$12.00 – $18.00
Award-winning show about real secrets that put The Hideout Theatre on the map.
Across the Impro-Verse
Sat. Oct 4, 7:30 PM
$3.00 – $8.00
The inaugural Show Class’s show – a thrilling retrospective of your favorite made-up superhero!
Hideout Kids (Bluish)
Sun. Oct 5, 4:00 PM
$5.00 – $10.00
An improv show for the whole family!
Student Showcase
Sun. Oct 5, 5:45 PM
$5.00 – $15.00
Improv Student Showcase – Level Four & Level Eight / New Hideout Students!
Free Improv Class
Sun. Oct 5, 5:30 PM; Sun. Oct 12, 5:30 PM
Free
A 90-minute taste of our in-person improv classes.
🍎Food Policy
- • The Hideout Coffee House is an independent coffee shop on-site, implying food and beverages are available for purchase.
📅Booking Policy
- • Online booking available for shows and classes.
What People Say
What's Great
- Fun and entertaining activities (mentioned in 4 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Edward Cao
a month agoThis is an improv show, and for the first timers like me who saw the Saturday 9:30 PM show who don't know what to expect, it is as follows: Location: Will take you to a coffee shop they run, but the box office and actual theater is at the back of the building. It's first come first serve seating, so get there at least 10 mins early before doors open (5 mins before the show starts) to ensure you get seating with friends/family. Setup: There are 12 improv actor/actressss (all that have taken classes through this theater and have varying levels of experience), that compete in various different skits. The organizers will draw random numbers and different actors who have their number called will come on stage and perform a skit assigned by the organizer (for example, a group of clowns in the circus). Audience feedback will be collected on a scale of 1-5 (5 bring the best) by clapping, and the actors will get points (also audience members are highly involved in participating in the show). After every actor has gone once, points are summed up and the lowest performers are eliminated. This continues on for several rounds until one performer is left standing and crowned improv king/queen of the night. In total this lasts about 1.5 hours, no intermission. Based on the performance and language, I would not recommend bringing younger kids. Rating: 9/10. Very comfy place, easily good location in downtown Austin. Parking is street parking or the garages and wasn't too bad for a Saturday night. Organizers were good and controlled the pace well, AV team was top notch and always had great timing with their music and lights. Some of the performers were clearly more experienced than others and it showed. Wished a couple of the stronger performers had a chance to perform together, but that's okay. It was still pretty fun and I even got to perform on stage in one of the skits, so that was a cool experience. Would highly recommend for those that want to see a different style of comedy and a fun competition based theme.
Amanda Bright
5 months agoWe went to the show last night. We’ve been to a lot of stand up but not improv. Let me say The Hideout didn’t disappoint! We laughed and laughed! It was amazing. Coffee was great too! Highly recommended from this Kentucky girl visiting!
s Ullah
3 months agoTook our grand kids for Sunday 4pm family, interactive improv. Our family loved it and the kids all participated!! The cast was great and very kid friendly. Kept them entertained for an hour. We will be back
Diana Lorena Pirez
9 months agoI was looking for a third place, one that was not my home or work, but somewhere in between. The Hideout quickly became one of my absolutely favorite places, one that has allowed me to express myself through improv theater (classes starting all the time!) but more importantly, I found a community of awesome and supportive people. Come for the live theater, stay for the friendliness (and delicious easy tiger pastries) I hope you enjoy what these funny, talented people have in store for you!
Katy Valias
3 months agoReally fun space at the back of a coffee shop. The improv kid events are a lot of fun, especially for how affordable the tickets are! It’s a huge plus that you can bring in snacks and drinks from the coffee shop into the theater. Another favorite feature of this theater is the seating. I love the stadium style seating in such a small theater. It feels intimate without feeling too crowded.