12 Best Performing Arts in The Tampa Bay Area, Florida

One of the best theater troupes in Sarasota stages productions year-round in varying venues, which include the Historic Asolo Theater on the Ringling estate.

Many major events take place at this conveniently located arena, which sits near Downtown Tampa in the Channelside district. The Tampa Bay Lightning call this spot home, but the 670,000-square-foot venue hosts at least 150 special events each year—mostly musical ones.

In existence for just over a century and affiliated with the Ruth Eckerd Hall, this theater brings local, regional, and national musicians to downtown Clearwater. In addition to a stylish, 750-seat auditorium it has a rooftop terrace and bar.

This old-timey, four-screen movie house is one of the few places in the region where you can catch indie and foreign films. It's on the edge of downtown, less than a block from Burns Square's many stylish yet low-key dining offerings, and, unlike your average corporate movie theater, admission doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Beer and wine are also available.

This venue at the south end of the Downtown waterfront is one of the few places in St. Petersburg to see big-ticket national acts as well as the Florida Orchestra, which plays here quite often.

The events roster at this modern, 73,000-square-foot hall includes opera, classical music, and dance performances, as well as concerts by big-name contemporary rock, pop, jazz, and country musicians.

Performing in a historic 1,122-seat, downtown theater, the Sarasota Opera features internationally known artists singing the principal roles, supported by a professional chorus of young apprentices. The season typically lasts from February through March, though a few special events take place throughout the year.

Performers have included members of the Florida West Coast Symphony, Florida String Quartet, Florida Brass Quintet, Florida Wind Quintet, and New Artists Piano Quartet. There are several performance series throughout the year, including Masterworks, Pops, Great Escapes, and Chamber Soirées.

With about 300,000 square feet, this is the second-largest arts complex south of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Among its facilities are the 2,610-seat Carol Morsani Hall; the elegant 1,042-seat Louise Lykes Ferguson Hall; and the more intimate, 312-seat Robert and Lorena Jaeb Theater and 130-seat Hinks and Elaine Shimberg Playhouse. Operas, concerts, plays, and ballet performances are presented here.

Rescued from demolition in the late 1970s, this 1926 movie palace is not only a Tampa City landmark, it’s also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The gorgeous throwback to Hollywood’s golden age has a charming indoor Mediterranean courtyard, replica antique statuary, ornate architectural artistry, and a Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ that’s still in use. In addition to showcasing foreign, independent, and classic films daily, it regularly hosts community and educational events, concerts, and historic tours.

A long-established community theater, having launched such actors as Montgomery Clift and Paul Reubens, this troupe performs comedies, special events, live concerts, and musicals.

With its purple, shell-inspired design, this 1,741-seat hall hosts most of the major acts that come to town as well as local performers. In a given month, you'll find a roster of acts ranging from comedians to musicians and dance troupes. The Roskamp Auditorium has an intimate feel to it; the back row is just 110 feet from the stage. In summer, the hall hosts a free Friday concert series on its lawn that offers lovely Sarasota Bay vistas.