1683 Best Performing Arts Venues in USA

Opened in 1928 as \"America's first theater built for sound,\" this grand, late-Baroque-style theater is one of New York's classic venues for live music. During the Big Band era, Duke Ellington performed here, laying foundations for the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie. The jazz age ushered in an era of R&B and soul, followed by the rock 'n' roll of the 1950s and early '60s. However, the theater fell into decline and got repurposed as a local university's basketball arena for decades. Fast-forward to today, and the Brooklyn Paramount is back and better than ever, as Brooklyn's grand venue for live music and other shows, with a capacity for 2,700. Acts span the gamut of the music industry, including Ben Folds, Latin Mafia, Greensky Bluegrass, Franz Ferdinand, and The Pixies.

Crowds of hip twentysomethings line up to see the major indie acts and up-and-coming bands who play here. There's a busy year-round schedule, with shows every weekend night and certain weekdays. The concert venue is also home to the Kingston International Film Festival that takes place in late summer. Cover charge starts at $5.

This restored 1931 Spanish baroque theater has sloped floors that make it ideal for the comedy, rock, soul, and country shows hosted here.

Opened in 1939, this regional theater in an 18th-century mill by the Delaware continues a long tradition of staging musicals (Broadway revivals and new works, with top-quality performers) and plays. Performances are year-round, with the main shows generally staged May through December. The Deck Restaurant and Bar at the Playhouse ( playhousedeck.com), with fabulous river views, is open whether or not a performance is scheduled.

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra plays a variety of classical and pop concerts throughout the year at Klienhans Music Hall, which was designed by architects Eliel and Eero Saarinen and is renowned for its excellent acoustics.

Based in Denver's trendy Highland neighborhood, this small nonprofit theater produces cutting-edge, original works.

This seven-story amphitheater, located 1 mile west of Medora, is the area's most beloved performance space, hosting all kinds of concerts and performances. If you sit near the top, you can enjoy the best panoramic view of the badlands.

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 theme park hosts popular song-and-dance shows (country, gospel, opera, German folk) in several theaters; in the largest, the 5,000-seat Royal Palace, pop stars often perform.

The Byham Theater hosts music, dance, and theater events.

Most performances at BYU are held in this center, which houses a concert hall, recital hall, and three theaters. The ticket office is on the third floor, near the south entrance, and is open weekdays 9--5; there's another ticket office on the north side of the Marriott Center, ground level, with more convenient parking.

Each August, the festival brings some of the world's finest artists to the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium to play groundbreaking symphonic music, including major world premieres.

This theater feels more like an outdoor nightclub than a typical performance venue. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket if you've snagged some seats on the lawn, and prepare to listen to your favorite performers over the clink of dishes and the chatter of dinner conversation.

Designed by famed theater architects the Rapp Brothers, the Cadillac Palace opened to much fanfare in 1926. The ornate, gilded interior was inspired by the palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleau; restored to its original opulence in 1999, the 2,500-seat space now hosts a wide range of traveling productions.

It's a chill café during the day and a performance venue at night. Weekends bring live jazz, open-mic sessions, and acoustic musical acts.

Based out of U.C. Berkeley, this longtime autumn and spring series runs from September/October through May/June. It features a varied bill of internationally acclaimed artists for roughly 80 performances a season ranging from classical soloists to the latest jazz, world-music, theater, and dance ensembles.

What started as a music education program in 1977, offering classes with the Bay Area's best jazz players, has become one of the top regional concert destinations for the freshest sounds in jazz from around the world. Two 100-seat performance venues across the street from each other, Hardymon Hall ( 2087 Addison St.) and Rendon Hall ( 2040 Addison St.), offer intimate viewing of the fun performances. Classes and workshops continue to serve as the foundation of the conservatory, with regular, affordably priced concerts a few times a month for the public.

Independent and foreign films are on the schedule at the Callicoon Theater, one of the few single-screen theaters still operating in the country. The 1948 theater has changed with the times, but retains its old-time feel. At $5.50, ticket prices are also a blast from the past.

Every spring, an arts group hosts a celebration called Cama-i (in Yup'ik, cama-i means "hello"), a three-day dance and art festival in the local high school's gym in late March or the first half of April. Expect dancing, singing, art and crafts vendors, and a community potluck for sharing food and stories. Cama-i brings people together from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, along with dance groups and visitors from all over.

Every year, a professional troupe of actors presents a midsummer festival of Shakespeare plays beside the harbor. Held in Camden's beautiful amphitheater, the performances strive to engage audiences of all ages, including children. The festival is presented in association with the Camden Public Library.

The art nouveau Cameo Cinema, built in 1913, screens first-run and art-house movies. Equipped with Barco laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound systems, the 140-seat venue occasionally hosts live performances.

Nautical displays and a midway with rides and games are set up along the Eric Canal for eight days in late July during

It can be tough to find a room—or parking spot—during this single-day mid-June festival that's been going strong since 1964 and showcases the amazingly detailed sand constructions of both professional and amateur teams.

In 1950, actress Gertrude Lawrence and her husband, producer-manager Richard Aldrich, opened the Cape Cod Melody Tent to showcase Broadway musicals and concerts. Today, it's the region's top venue for pop concerts and comedy shows. Performers who have played here in the round include the Bonnie Raitt, Elle King, Gavin DeGraw, and the Beach Boys. Comedians including Nikki Glaser and Seth Myers are also recent headliners.

Several impressive productions, from original works to classics like "Our Town", are staged every year in this indoor Arts and Crafts–style theater set way back in the woods. Outdoor shows for kids are offered on some weekday mornings during the summer, as well as puppet shows.

Since its founding in 2005, the Capital Fringe Festival has grown each year, and it currently offers no fewer than 50 productions (and more than 300 individual performers) over a several-week period in July. Local and national performers display the strange, the political, the surreal, and the avant-garde to eclectic crowds at all times of the day in venues throughout the city. With tickets around $15, this is an affordable theater experience. Tickets go on sale in June.

Don't forget your Fringe Button, a pin that grants the holder access to all festival events and benefits from local retailers.

Be ready to party at the Festival Bar, in Georgetown, where performers, musicians, and patrons rock into the wee hours on festival days.

In addition to being the home of the NHL Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards and Mystics basketball teams, this 19,000-seat arena also hosts D.C.'s biggest concerts and other major events. Drivers need to park in one of the many underground garages close by, but there are several convenient Metro lines, too. During warmer months, be sure to check out the frequent street concerts at the intersections surrounding the arena.

The Capital Repertory Theatre is an intimate space for musicals, comedies, and dramas.