1679 Best Performing Arts Venues in USA

The area surrounding Eunice is the major stomping ground for an annual event, Courir de Mardi Gras, French for "Fat Tuesday Run," which takes place on Mardi Gras Day. Costumed horseback riders dash through the countryside, stopping at farmhouses along the way to shout, "Voulez-vous recevoir cette bande de Mardi Gras?" ("Do you wish to receive the Mardi Gras krewe?") The answer is always yes, and the group enlarges and continues, gathering food for the street festivals that wind things up.

This professional theater on the campus of the University of Chicago has a mission of producing "classic theater," but it's expanded the definition of that term well beyond Shakespeare and the Greeks. You'll find those here—done exceptionally well—but Court also produces stunning reinventions of musicals, works by August Wilson and Pearl Cleage that have helped it tap into Hyde Park's largely Black population, and the occasional new play dealing in classical themes.

Two annual shows are held in early July and again in mid-August, during the Chautauqua Institution season. More than 60 artists and craftspeople participate, displaying their paintings, jewelry, pottery, carvings, and other works.

This beautifully restored 750-seat 1920s performing arts center with state-of-the-art acoustics is steps from downtown restaurants and microbreweries and hosts a wide range of concerts and shows, including some big-name talents and national touring companies.

This small music venue only accommodates 350 people, but has a loyal following for its eclectic calendar of indie acts. The lounge is open nightly.

It's worth peeking inside the Crest even if you don't catch a show, just to see the foyer's swirling art deco design or dine at the Empress Tavern. The theater's a beloved venue for classic and art-house films, concerts, and other events.

Such abundant foliage carpets the surrounding mountains that Crested Butte has been nicknamed the "Wildflower Capital of Colorado." For 10 glorious days in mid-July, the town celebrates this bounty with a varied event lineup: guided hikes, wildflower identification and photography workshops, classes on medicinal plants, and four-wheel-drive tours. Check the website, because even if you can't make it on festival week, events run from June through the end of August.

Even in his late 50s, Criss Angel puts on the loudest and most energetic of the Las Vegas magic shows, in a Planet Hollywood theater that's been customized with wraparound video walls and surround sound to create a club-like atmosphere. Now a Las Vegas veteran with more than 17 years on the Strip, Angel's show is still dependent on how big a fan you are of him as a performer and how excited you were about his TV glory days. Angel is consistent in his Long Island rock-star image, even as the fast-paced barrage of illusions unfold with a schizophrenic tone that shifts from heavy-metal sinister to rave-up dance party.

Opened in 1932 and run as a nonprofit since 2014 with help from a $2 million anonymous donation, this art deco gem with a floating balcony in the heart of downtown shows movies and hosts live performances. Depending on when you're in town, you may catch a drag show or live music.

This show, the longest continuously running play north of Boston, transports audience members to Bridget Bishop's witchcraft hearing of 1692. After hearing historical testimonies, the audience cross-examines the witnesses and decides whether to send Bridget to trial or not. Actors respond in character, revealing much about the Puritan frame of mind. Each show is different and allows audience members to play their "part" in history. Check online for seasonal schedule.

Reduced-price tickets for many of the Playhouse Square Center stages are available through Ctix.

This lively center plays host to a full schedule of art openings and exhibits, workshops, readings, various performances, and great live music.

Housed in two Victorian buildings originally commissioned by the Vassar family, the Cunneen–Hackett Cultural Center houses nonprofit organizations, a dance studio, a workshop, an auditorium, and an art gallery.

Inspiring, innovative, and even edgy theater is held in the same venue in which Curious's founders first met more than 20 years ago—a 19th-century church in Denver's artsy Golden Triangle. Each season begins in September and ends in June.

Some of the biggest touring shows come to this local gem, which has hosted classical music, dance, and stage performances since its 1922 opening. Productions are of the long-running Broadway musical variety, such as Stomp and The Book of Mormon.

Above the local library, Stowe's premier art center hosts impressive rotating exhibitions of contemporary and local art throughout the year, as well as film screenings. It also provides art education to adults and children alike through workshops, lectures, events, and courses.

The gifted students at this world-renowned music conservatory give free recitals several times a week from October through May. All of its students are on full scholarships; its alumni include such luminaries as Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, and Anna Moffo. The school also has an opera and symphony orchestra series.

At the Dahl Arts Center across from the downtown Rapid City Public Library, exhibits by local artists rotate regularly, and there is a permanent piece: a 180-foot oil-on-canvas mural depicting United States economic history from the colonization by the Europeans to the 1970s. A small performance space features emerging artists, and a gift shop sells the work of local artisans.

Connected to TIAA Bank Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Daily's Place is a 5,500-seat, covered amphitheater. Since opening in 2017, the venue has hosted big names such as Kenny Chesney, the Dave Matthews Band, Rod Stewart, and Sting. 

Located in an old dairy building, this center is a hub for the arts community, housing multiple galleries and providing a venue for films as well as locally produced plays, music, and dance performances.

The top performing-arts attraction in Dallas is whatever's on at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, where the Dallas Symphony Orchestra plays.

The city's highest-profile theater performances are from the Dallas Theater Center at the Kalita Humphreys Theatre, the only theater designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Monday through Saturday from June through September, head to this redbrick performance space behind the Irma Hotel to watch the popular country-cowboy variety shows led by Dan Miller, a popular radio and TV host, singer, and actor.

Thought-provoking fare with leading national and international contemporary-dance artists is presented by the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.

Performances (and classes and workshops) by local and visiting choreographers take place at Julie Ince Theatre, an intimate space that draws a multicultural crowd. Styles range from classical ballet to contemporary and world dance, beginner street dance moves to advanced hip-hop. Occasionally, when weather permits, performers take to the streets for fun pop-up outdoor sets.

This studio theater showcases an eclectic array of local, national, and international dance and performance art talent in an assortment of modern and ethnic shows. Performances take place most weekends, and drop-in dance classes are held daily. The company is a bit of a trek from Capitol Hill (about 3 miles north of the Capitol), but it’s quite close to the Brookland–CUA Metro station on the Red Line, just three stops from Union Station.

Founded to foster the work of independent choreographers, Danspace Project sponsors performances that are as fresh—and idiosyncratic—as the historic church space they occupy. Series curated by guest artists are also a regular part of the calendar. Some events are free.

Acts ranging from the Bolshoi Ballet to U2 to B.B. King have performed at this 3,702-seat venue, one of Washington's grand old halls. It's well worth a visit for both the excellent performers it attracts and for its awesome architecture and acoustics. The design of the performance hall makes for an intimate concert space and great views from every angle of the venue.