1683 Best Performing Arts Venues in USA

Touring Broadway shows and occasional musical performances are mounted at the Auditorium Theatre.

Designed by notable architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, the 4,300-seat, Romanesque Revival–style Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University opened in 1899 as an opera house and later became a National Historic Landmark. Known for its perfect acoustics and excellent sight lines, the ornate theater features marble mosaics, dramatic gilded ceiling arches, and intricate murals. (Also of note: This was one of the first public buildings to have electric lighting and air-conditioning.)

Known for critically acclaimed productions like David Mamet's American Buffalo and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and frequently launching Northern California or world premieres of new plays, the Aurora is at the heart of Berkeley storytelling and community engagement. The theater's Alafi Auditorium seats 150 on three sides of the stage for premium viewing, and the smaller Harry's UpStage offers a more intimate experience for 49.

Austin's first professional opera company has been putting on multiple mainstage productions a year for 35 seasons and counting. Voted “Opera Company of the Year” for 2020 in a national BroadwayWorld.com poll, the company combines international stars with extraordinary local talents. Performances are hosted at the Long Center.

Eight classical concerts, four pops concerts, a holiday-favorite performance, a children's Halloween presentation, and many free events are performed by the Austin Symphony, Austin's oldest performing arts organization, throughout the year. Performances are held at the Long Center.

The resident artists at the Academy of Vocal Arts, a four-year, tuition-free vocal training program, present four or five fully staged opera productions during their September to May season. They are accompanied by the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and perform at various venues in and around the city.

This classic movie house from 1923 is D.C.'s only nonprofit film center. The theater offers a wide array of studio films and independent and foreign films, plus monthly showcases of the best in French, Israeli, Czech, and Greek cinema. The theater also offers programming for families and children.

a former vaudeville house built in 1921, has been restored as a venue for the Talbot Chamber Orchestra and the Eastern Shore Chamber Music Festival, as well as films and other performances.

This massive entertainment center housed in a former mill complex includes popular venues the Fillmore, the Underground, and the Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre. Here you'll find local, national, and international touring music acts and live entertainment.

This independent movie theater on Thayer Street, near Brown University, screens primarily art-house, independent, and foreign films. The College Hill theater's art deco styling dates back to its opening in 1938.

In summer the campus of Stony Brook Southampton and its Avram Theater hum with such musical events as Pianofest in the Hamptons and the All for the Sea fundraising concert, which draws the likes of Jimmy Buffett and Paul Simon here in July. Throughout the season several organizations sponsor plays, art shows, readings, workshops, and other activities for adults and children.

With concert stars in large theaters taking over the Strip, this successor to the long-running Le Rêve is the only big investment in year-round, general-interest shows since the peak years of Cirque du Soleil. Wynn spent $120 million dollars for an in-the-round fantasy with a sketch of a story that recognizes the impact—and potential audiences—of the Marvel comics movies. Awakening was perceived as a colossal blunder when it opened to mostly empty seats in late 2022, prompting a two-month shutdown and major makeover, with continued tinkering to strengthen and clarify the story, and to add more humor and heart. There's a sincere attempt to make viewers emotionally connect to the tale of three heroes visiting the realms of Water, Earth, and Air on a quest. The result is better at least by comparison, and Awakening is undeniably beautiful. The aquatics of Le Rêve have been replaced by a “floating” hydraulic stage in pieces, state-of-the-art video projections, and colossal puppets (by Michael Curry, best known for co-designing the original puppets for The Lion King). Performers make their way down to the stage in giant translucent chutes. Personal stereo speakers in every seat guarantee there's no problem hearing Anthony Hopkins as the recorded narrator. Patience may pay off in the long run for this very \"old Vegas\" idea of a spectacle you simply can't see anywhere else.

With its retro, eye-catching marquee, this historic downtown landmark that seats 750 is hard to miss. The theater has been through a lot since its conception in 1908. Originally holding live shows and boxing matches, it's now managed by the same folks who manage Billings's beloved indie film house, Art House Cinema. Today, the Babcock shows mostly independent and art house films. That said, it also hosts live music and special performances.

On the western outskirts of town, The Backyard offers a modern stage setting beneath the starlit sky featuring a similar line up of classic rock bands, singer-songwriters, country musicians and more during the spring, summer and fall. (Open from March through October.) Each season opens with an annual performance from the Hill Country's adopted son, Willie Nelson.

What started out as a lending library for printed sheet music has evolved into a nonprofit organization focused on music education and performances. Its online calendar lists all upcoming performance events.

This fully restored theater celebrated 100 years of entertainment in 2024 and offers a variety of performances including ballet, music, plays, and even stand-up comedy. In addition to architectural splendor, the space offers unsurpassed acoustics and is home to one of the last Wonder Morton theater organs in the world.

The state's professional ballet company presents a full season of classical and contemporary works (including pieces commissioned for the company) in Tucson and Phoenix. The season runs from October through May.

Located in a state-of-the-art downtown center, Ballet Austin has risen in prominence since its founding in 1956 as the city's preeminent dance company. Part performance company and part dance academy, with classes available to the general public, Ballet Austin puts on a regular lineup of ballet productions at the Long Center throughout the year, including an extremely popular annual rendition of the classic The Nutcracker each holiday season. The performance season runs from September through May, and the downtown studio offers a diverse schedule of dance, Pilates, and other fitness classes throughout the year.

About two dozen hot-air balloons participate in this annual three-day event held the second weekend in June. Live bands, balloon rides, and food and crafts vendors are part of the fun.

The Baltimore Theatre Project is dedicated to showing original and experimental theater, music, and dance.

This old-style-cowboy venue, about 10 miles from Durango, serves steaks, barbecued beef and chicken, and biscuits under the stars every summer evening. After supper, the Bar D Wranglers entertain the crowd with guitar music, singing, and corny comedy. Reservations are required.

This is the place to see Broadway musicals, concerts, symphony performances, and comedy shows.

A cultural hub in the area, Bard College hosts several outstanding performing-arts festivals. The mix of events during Bard SummerScape, which runs from mid-July to mid-August, might blend orchestral and choral concerts, operas, dance performances, puppetry and other theater presentations, films, and panel discussions. The annual Bard Music Festival is devoted to a single composer deemed worthy of a new look and is held over two consecutive weekends in August.

This fabulous car auction attracts thousands every January.

This self-guided art crawl takes place along Logan Avenue the second Saturday of every month, with stops at 15 different galleries, museums, and art collectives.

Barry Whistler Gallery often showcases contemporary Texas artists and their prints, paintings, sculpture, and photography.

From February through the Christmas season, audiences flock to Barter Theater, America's longest-running professional repertory theater. Founded during the Depression by local actor Robert Porterfield, the theater got its name in the obvious way: early patrons who could not afford the $40 tickets could pay in produce. Patricia Neal, Ned Beatty, and Gregory Peck are among the many stars who began their careers at the Barter, which today presents classics, dramas, comedies, musicals, and new and Appalachian works. Although times have changed since Noël Coward was given a Virginia ham for his contributions, patrons can still barter for their seat a few times a year. But don't show up at the box office with a bag of arugula and expect to be seated—all trades must be approved by advance notice.

Famed dancer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov's longtime vision came to fruition in this modern performing arts venue for contemporary dance, theater, music, and film. The center, a few blocks from Hudson Yards, hosts a range of resident artists, including dancers and musical groups, as well as productions by boundary-breaking international choreographers, playwrights, filmmakers, and musicians. The vibrant programming is presented in the center's 238-seat Jerome Robbins Theater and the 136-seat Howard Gilman Performance Space.

Affectionately known as \"the Beast,\" The Basement East is an East Nashville offshoot of the long-popular Basement venue located across the river. The midsize venue draws an eclectic array of local bands and national touring acts, hosting shows in an intimate environment convenient to Five Points.