Architect Ulrich Franzen designed the Alley Theater facility to include two separate theaters, one seating 800 and another seating 300. The larger theater was designed with a modified thrust stage and allows for unusual exits and entrances. Lighting takes the place of curtains. The smaller theater is a replica of the theater company's original small square arena under a hooded light grid. The exterior of the structure is concrete, sandblasted to give the look of aged stone. Nine towers are both decorative and utilitarian, housing elevators and air-conditioning equipment. A tunnel entrance gives credit to the alley entryway of the company's earlier building. Polished concrete, curved wood, and rich colors decorate the interior. The theater opened officially in November 1968, with a special performance of Bertolt Brecht's Galileo. (Adapted from the Texas State Historical Association website)