12 Best Performing Arts in Atlanta, Georgia

Founded in 1979 and in its current location since 1987, 7 Stages is known for an edgy attitude and exciting works. The adjacent bar and coffee house, Java Lords, serves up delicious brews and affordable drinks pre- and postshow.

This acclaimed theater group presents an eclectic selection of classic and cutting-edge productions in its 150-seat theater at King Plow Arts Center, a stylish artists' complex hailed by local critics as a showplace of industrial design.

Atlanta's Tony Award–winning professional theater presents everything from Shakespeare to the latest Broadway and off-Broadway hits.

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company stages plays by the Bard and his peers, as well as by contemporary dramatists. Performances vary in quality but are always fun. The Elizabethan-style playhouse is a real tavern, so alcohol and pub-style food are available.

Founded in 1995, this scrappy playhouse with a sense of humor offers a variety of comedy and improv classes and performances as well as original theatrical works.

This dramatic faux-Moorish theater is the principal venue for touring Broadway shows, national productions, concerts, and the Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival.

This professional troupe, established in 1983, debuts provocative and entertaining contemporary plays in its 172-seat theater.

A 708-seat theater, a 13,000-seat arena, and a 50,000-square-foot expo center are all here, 30 miles north of Downtown Atlanta. The venue hosts national touring acts and the Atlanta Gladiators hockey team, as well as conventions, sporting events, outlet sales, and jewelry shows.

This 2,500-capacity venue 6 miles west of Downtown Atlanta stages jazz, R&B, and country music.

Developed by Georgia State University in a beautifully renovated and restructured former movie theater, the Rialto hosts film, theater, and dance, as well as musical performances by local and international performers.

Internationally renowned musicians perform everything from chamber music to jazz at this gleaming, modern, acoustically magnificent performance center 15 miles south of Atlanta. The hall is considered one of the country's finest concert venues.

The Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the High Museum of Art, and their combined arts education programs are all housed in this complex.