FronteraFest Returns to Austin

FronteraFest, Austin’s longest-running, and well-known performance festival is celebrating its 30th year. A unique collaboration between Hyde Park Theatre and ScriptWorks, FronteraFest attracts actors, artists, poets, improv troupes, and performers of all types throughout Texas and beyond.

For three decades, FronteraFest has been an open opportunity for newly emerging artists to get their work on stage and for established artists to try new material. 

The 2025 FronteraFest includes three different components. The Short Fringe (a bill of four or five unjuried pieces 25 minutes or less) which runs the entirety of the festival (January 14 – February 15), and takes place at Hyde Park Theatre, 511 West 43rd Street. Mi Casa es Su Teatro takes place one day only on Saturday, February 8, primarily in private Austin homes. The third component Bring Your Own Venue (B.Y.O.V.) runs January 20 through February 2 at Quack’s Bakery and Coffeehouse, 5326 Menchaca Road.

This year, to both commemorate and celebrate its 30th year, FronteraFest has partnered with StoryCorps, to highlight and archive its rich history of performance and community.

StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that shares select stories with the public through a podcast, animated shorts digital platforms and best-selling books. Since its founding in 2003, StoryCorps has helped nearly 700,000 people across the country have meaningful conversations about their lives. These recordings are collected in the U.S. Library of Congress and in an online archive which is now the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered.

A selection of fascinating interviews were conducted with various participants, producers, volunteers and others who have been involved with the Fest over the past three decades. It is an insightful glimpse into the history, evolution and meaning of FronteraFest.

Christi J. Moore, the Executive Artistic Director of ScriptWorks says, “This is a landmark year for FronteraFest and we are both thrilled and humbled that it remains one of Austin’s most popular performance events. The event has grown and evolved over the years, attracting new people each year, while retaining a dedicated following. We’re ready to celebrate that with a full slate of performances of all varieties: short plays, monologues, improv, dance, cabaret, performance art, and different kinds of experimentation.” 

Hyde Park Theatre Artistic Director, Ken Webster, who has been involved in every FronteraFest since the first Fest in 1993 adds, “FronteraFest has become a cornerstone of the Austin arts community with an eclectic and exciting blend of performers. We’re especially proud to partner with StoryCorps to archive the many voices and stories that are fundamental to Austin’s cultural history and have contributed to making FronteraFest what it is today.”

Full details, show/performer line-ups and ticket information can be found at www.hydeparktheatre.org.

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