Zilker Theatre Productions celebrates 65 years

Here’s a timeline chronicling decades of the nonprofit organization entertaining Austin at no cost.

A large outdoor stage with sets designed for "Newsies" in the 2022 production, with people in lawn chairs and on blankets in the audience in the foreground. — The Zilker Summer Musical was “Disney’s Newsies” in 2022.

“Legally Blonde the Musical” will premiere on Friday, July 12 and run through Saturday, August 17 at Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theater. You can bring picnic blankets, ground chairs, and snacks + drinks to enjoy the production under the stars — just as Austin locals have for the past six and a half decades.

Zilker Theatre Productions has produced the Zilker Summer Musical every year (except 2020) since 1959, aiming to “make the arts more accessible and inspire the next generation of artists and audiences.” The summertime tradition of free performances draws 45,000+ folks to the lawn each year.

In a performance of musical comedy "Seventeen" performed on stage at the Zilker Hillside Theater, a cast sit on the steps of a set that looks like a two-story house — The first Zilker Summer Musical was “Seventeen” in 1959.

A timeline of Zilker Hillside Theater’s history

1937: Austin Parks and Recreation Department Director Beverly S. Sheffield began a sing-song program at the outdoor venue.
1959: Funded by the Parks and Recreation Department, a cast of high school actors hit the stage in a production of “Seventeen,” the theater’s first musical. About 400 people were in the audience.
1987: Zilker Theatre Productions was established as a nonprofit organization when city budget cuts threatened the theater group’s survival.
1994: The Zilker Hillside Theater structure as we know it was built directly across from Barton Springs Pool.
July 2024: Austin Parks Foundation invested $150,000 to revitalize the theater, removing the damaged wooden stage and replacing it with a new one in time for the opening night of “Legally Blonde the Musical.”

Four women in costume stand on the stage with their arms behind their heads in a dance move, with a countryside set behind them and more actors. — Actors perform a song in “Finian’s Rainbow,” circa 1963.

What to know before you go

The shows begin at 8:15 p.m., but it’s best to arrive early to grab a spot
Ride sharing is encouraged
Attendees can bring a picnic or buy concessions
American Sign Language interpreted performances are Thursday, July 18 and Friday, July 26
High-back chairs are only permitted in the ADA seating and at the top of the hillside

Facebook
Twitter
Nextdoor
Email
Copy
Link copied