Welcome to the Velveeta Room
Shannon Sedwick and Michael Shelton met in 1969 at the University of Texas in Austin. They were freshmen participating in a controversial play called "Now the Revolution." They began a long and productive relationship which included opening the Velveeta Room in 1988.
Michael and Shannon went on to run the Tavern for a couple of years. It's still there at 12th and Lamar. They started Liberty Lunch and, after they left, it went on to become a legendary music venue. While they were running Liberty Lunch, some of the most innovative theatre artists in Austin got together and put on a show called "Esther Williams Hard Core du Ballet." It was a hit and led to the idea of doing a new kind of Vaudeville. Michael and Shannon got the lease on a place at 515 E. 6th. It was pool hall so they called it Esther's Pool and started a comedy show called Esther's Follies. The entrance was in the alley and the stage backdrop was the window on Sixth Street.