Rollins Studio Theatre, Long Center for the Performing Arts

The Debra and Kevin Rollins Studio Theatre is part of the Long Center for the Performing Arts complex, and occasionally is used as a venue for special screenings and film festivals. The theater can be configured to seat from 80 to 229 people. You enter the theater from a side door right near the Long Center box office.

We don't know how the theater will be configured for SXSW 2011 as this is the theater's first year as a SXSW venue. But for Austin Film Festival, chairs have been placed on risers, much like the ACC theater configuration at SXSW, to seat about 225 people. The seats are fairly comfortable and have pretty good legroom. The screen is a little small, but picture and sound quality are good.

One of our readers (thanks Brad!) noted that SXSW Music will host some big free shows at Auditorium Shores on March 17-19, which is right next to the Long Center. On those days, you might get to the theater earlier than usual, plan to take the SXSW Shuttle and not try to park near here, and be aware of possible crowds when making dining plans nearby.

Pros: Close to other downtown venues and restaurants, but at enough of a distance that this venue usually has space for passholders and even ticketholders. Rollins will be on the SXSW Film Shuttle this year.

Cons: There are often no concessions, so if you're walking from a free parking lot or from downtown on a warm day, bring a water bottle. The Long Center parking garage is expensive for movie parking. If other events are going on at Long Center or Auditorium Shores, your free parking possibilities dwindle considerably.

Screens and Capacity: The theater will seat 210 people for SXSW. The screen is a temporary setup but generally looks and sounds pretty good.

Parking: You can pay to park in the Long Center garage, but alternative parking nearby isn't usually hard to find. After business hours and on weekends, the surface lot at One Texas Center (505 Barton Springs) has free parking, which is a short walk from Rollins. If you prefer a walk across the park part of the complex, there's a small free parking lot by Dougherty Arts Center (Barton Springs and Dawson).

Bus routes: #5, 10, 30 and others.  The routes listed go downtown (northbound).

Distance: It's a long but manageable walk to the downtown area, which you might not want to try if you're in a hurry. If you've got a car, this venue is pretty convenient to downtown nightlife; and if you don't, a cab shouldn't be too pricey. For SXSW, the shuttle is your best bet.

Food and Beverages: A kiosk in the lobby sometimes offers coffee, bar drinks and a few snacks, but it's not reliably open. However, when it's closed, no one seems to notice if you sneak your own water bottle in there. If you want to stay on this side of the lake, you can have a hearty "home-cooking" meal at Threadgill's, or grab a bite at Sandy's Hamburgers, an old-fashioned burger stand that also offers delicious frozen treats. Or you can cross the river and return to downtown Austin for a wealth of restaurants, cafes and coffeeshops.

Wireless: Unknown (unlikely).

[Photo credit: "Long Center 7" by codexterity. Found on Flickr, used under Creative Commons license.]