The arts district in East Austin is where it's at:
Check out East Austin Studio Tours for a glimpse at all the visual art created east of I-35.
You can find original theatre, music and dance at three venues on the East Side:
The Off Center
(http://www.rudemechs.com) Rude Mechanicals Rude Mechs manages this space.The Blue Theatre
(http://refractionarts.org...) Refraction Arts manages this space.The Vortex
(http://vortexrep.org) Vortex Repertory Company manages this space.ALLGO Austin Latino Lesbian & Gay Organization has a small performance venue.