Queer Choirs, Theater and Film in Austin

If you want to sing, the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus and SoCo Women’s Chorus both hold auditions for spring, and the Gay Men’s Chorus says you don’t need to read music. If you’d rather watch, The Vortex on Manor Road stages queer shows, Austin has an LGBTQIA+ theater company, and the Austin Film Society runs a queer film history series.

Every group here describes its LGBTQ+ focus on its own site and has held or posted a show, rehearsal or audition in the last 12 months. For drag, see our drag shows guide. For bands and singer-songwriters, see LGBTQ+ musicians in Austin.

The Short List

Group	Why it’s here
Austin Gay Men’s Chorus	Since 1989; open to singers of any gender in the tenor and bass range
SoCo Women’s Chorus	Auditioned treble chorus for women and LGBTQ+ singers
Gender Unbound	Art events for trans and intersex people, including a one-night sing
The Vortex	Manor Road theater with queer shows in its 2026 to 2027 season
Austin Rainbow Theatre	An LGBTQIA+ theater company, started in 2021
aGLIFF	Austin’s LGBTQ+ film festival; the 2026 one ran in September
AFS queer film series	A queer film history series at AFS Cinema

Sing

Austin Gay Men’s Chorus

Founded in 1989, the chorus calls itself “one of the most visible LGBTQ+ performing arts organizations in Central Texas,” with more than 150 singing and non-singing members. Despite the name, you don’t have to be a gay man. Its audition page says, “Our members represent a wide spectrum of gender identities and sexualities,” and asks only that you can sing tenor, baritone or bass.

You don’t need to read music. Auditions are closed right now, and the chorus says spring auditions “will be announced later in the Fall Semester.” There’s a dance team too, with its own auditions.

• Rehearsals: Mondays, 7 to 9:30 PM, late August through mid-May
• Concerts: the holiday show December 4 to 6, 2026, and the spring show May 21 and 22, 2027
• Cost to join: dues and performance fees for new performers were $120 for spring 2026. The chorus offers scholarships on request and payment plans
• Contact: (512) 477-7464
• More: AGMC auditions

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SoCo Women’s Chorus

SoCo says it has “proudly been a welcoming and safe space for women and LGBTQ+ individuals who are treble singers.” It’s an auditioned chorus of about 100 singers, and it welcomes “singers of all gender identities with voices in the treble range,” meaning soprano and alto.

Spring 2027 auditions are open now. You can send a do-it-yourself video audition until Friday, January 15, at 5 PM, or sign up for an in-person audition on Sunday, January 17, from 1 to 4 PM.

• Free preview: Saturday, November 28, 2026, 2 PM, at the Austin Central Library
• Winter concerts: “Joyful, Joyful! A Gospel Holiday,” December 12 and 13, 2026, at First Austin
• More: SoCo auditions and events

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If you’d rather skip the audition, Tapestry Singers, the Austin Women’s Chorus, is “a welcoming, non-auditioned chorus for any woman who wants to sing.” Its mission names “all women, regardless of race, color, sexual identity, or vocal confidence.” It rehearses Monday nights, and its next concert, Mother Tongue, is November 21.

Gender Unbound

Gender Unbound runs art events for trans and intersex people through the year: an art market and picnic for Trans Day of Visibility each March, a Mini Art Fest in September, and smaller gatherings. Its Community SING! is the closest thing in Austin to a trans choir with no audition. “All trans and intersex folks 13+ are welcome,” the event page says, with “no rehearsals, no long-term commitment, no performance.” The 2026 sing was on August 24, and it ran in 2025 too.

• Next: Intersex Art Jam, Saturday, October 24, 2026, 1 to 4 PM, with art supplies provided
• More: Gender Unbound events

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Watch Theater

The Vortex

The Vortex is a nonprofit theater on Manor Road in East Austin. “We uphold that every person has a right to express their gender as they wish,” its about page says. Its 2026 to 2027 season includes three queer shows:

• A Body in the O, February 26 to 28, 2027, a solo show from performance artist Tim Miller
• OUTsider Fest, March 5 to 7, 2027, 18+. OUTsider is an Austin nonprofit that “celebrates the bold originality and creative nonconformity of the LGBTQ+ communities” in film, dance, theater and art, and it holds its yearly festival at The Vortex. More at outsiderfest.org
• Amaging!, May 20 to 22, 2027, stories “written and told by Queer Elders,” with Rainbow Connections ATX

The Vortex also runs burlesque, poetry and family shows, so check which night you’re buying.

• Where: 2307 Manor Rd, Austin 78722
• Phone: 512-478-5282
• More: Vortex season 39

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Austin Rainbow Theatre

Austin Rainbow Theatre “provides affordable theatre” built around “LGBTQIA+ history and stories.” It started in 2021 with The Laramie Project. Its Hedwig and the Angry Inch earned 17 nominations at the 2026 B. Iden Payne Awards, including outstanding production of a musical. Its most recent show was The Recipe Box by Del Shores in September 2026, and the next one wasn’t posted when we checked.

Its safe space policy says it’s “a space where LGBTQIA+ voices are celebrated.” Volunteers join a crew it calls the Friends of Dorothy, and it holds auditions for actors.

• More: upcoming shows

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Watch Film

aGLIFF

aGLIFF is “Austin’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival.” Its 2026 edition, The Big Queer Weekend, ran September 24 to 27 with indie films, filmmaker talks, a free queer music show and a brunch. The closing night sold out. The 2027 dates aren’t posted yet, so join its mailing list or check the site.

• More: aGLIFF

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AFS Cinema’s Queer Film Series

A queer film history series at AFS Cinema, the Austin Film Society’s theater. Archivist and historian Elizabeth Purchell programs it, and some screenings have a Q&A or panel after. aGLIFF and local groups co-present some of them.

• Next: Drinking and Driving, November 29 to December 3, and My Father Is Coming on December 20, 2026
• More: Queer Cinema: Lost & Found at AFS

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For something every week, see our queer Austin by day of the week page.

Before You Go

• Ask about the range before you audition. AGMC sings tenor to bass and SoCo sings soprano and alto. If your voice is changing or you’re not sure where it sits, ask the chorus. AGMC says it finds your section at the audition, and SoCo tests your range
• Ask about cost. Choruses charge member dues; AGMC lists $120 and scholarships. Ask SoCo and the Austin Women’s Chorus what theirs are
• Check the age on the ticket. OUTsider Fest is 18+, so check the age on any Vortex night
• Ask about access. Ask each venue about steps, seating and restrooms before you buy

What We Couldn’t Check

• We haven’t been to these shows or rehearsals
• Dues for SoCo and the Austin Women’s Chorus, which weren’t on the pages we read
• The theater company’s next show and aGLIFF’s 2027 dates, which weren’t posted on October 15, 2026

Last checked: October 2026. Each group’s own site read on October 15, 2026. See how we choose what goes on a list.