The State Theatre

The State Theatre is the smaller of the two historic rooms the nonprofit Austin Theatre Alliance operates on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin, sitting at 719 Congress right beside its sibling the Paramount Theatre. Built in 1935 to plans by architect W. Scott Dunne, it was the first theatre in Austin designed specifically to screen movies, and the intimate ~300-seat room now carries the organization's year-round Moontower Comedy program — touring standup headliners such as Phoebe Robinson, Janeane Garofalo, Josh Thomas and Jenny Tian — alongside music, theatre, spoken word and the Paramount Summer Classic Film Series. Every patron needs a ticket regardless of age, doors open an hour before shows (30 minutes for films), and the Congress Avenue box office serves both theatres.