The Hideout Theatre

Founding (1998–1999)

Sean Hill founded Austin Theatresports in 1998 and the following year co-founded The Hideout Theatre with Shana Merlin, who performed with the Austin improv troupe We Could Be Heroes. The theatre opened at 617 Congress Avenue at 7th Street in downtown Austin, occupying a formerly run-down pawn shop space.

Congress Avenue Years (1999–2025)

The Hideout operated from its Congress Avenue location for more than twenty-five years, establishing itself as Austin's primary dedicated improv venue. In mid-2009, when Sean Hill's lease ended, Jessica Arjet, Kareem Badr, and Roy Janik acquired the property and continued the theatre. The Hideout presented regular short-form and long-form shows, an Improvised Shakespeare format, youth Sunday shows, and training programmes.

Relocation (2025)

In October 2025, The Hideout announced the end of its twenty-six-year run at 617 Congress Avenue and a planned relocation to the Art Hub ATX complex at 2801 S. I-35 in South Austin.

The Hideout Theatre operates across multiple improv forms: short-form competitions in the Theatresports tradition, long-form narrative improv, and format-specific shows including the Improvised Shakespeare series. This breadth reflects the venue's position as Austin's primary generalist improv institution, serving both the local improv community and the broader Austin arts audience. The Congress Avenue address, near the symbolic centre of downtown Austin, gave the theatre a physical presence in the city's cultural core.