26 Best Performing Arts Venues in Virginia, USA

This elaborate theater with towering minarets and desert murals was built by the Shriners in 1926. Dubbed "the Mosque," a name still retained by locals, the theater sits just west of downtown, and is known for its excellent acoustics and for having the largest permanent proscenium stage on the East Coast. The Altria hosts the road versions of Broadway shows, symphony performances, ballet, children's theater, concerts, and fashion shows.

Experience Shakespeare's plays the way the Elizabethans did at the world's only re-creation of the bard's indoor playhouse, which has gained acclaim for its attention to detail. Unlike the open-air Globe Theatre styled around a courtyard, this theater was, in its time, an innovative indoor winter venue. As in 17th-century London, most seating consists of benches (modern seat backs and cushions are available), and some stools are right on stage.

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.

The center's outdoor amphitheater is the site of an ambitious concert series of regional and national musicians that has included the likes of Ricky Skaggs and Doc Watson. Impromptu jam sessions often break out in the center's plaza area.

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.

This restored 1928 motion-picture palace is now a performing-arts center that mounts opera, traveling shows, symphonic music, and ballet. It's the cornerstone of the Center Stage Performing Arts Complex, which also boasts the intimate Rhythm Hall for local performers, as well as the Gottwald Playhouse, and a visual arts space called the Showcase Gallery.

At this 1,000-seat auditorium, live music is performed on Saturday night; a two-day festival is held each August. A museum in an adjacent building displays memorabilia from the Carter Family; descendants often perform in the shows.

What were once just sessions have evolved into a Friday Night Jamboree attended by local folks and visitors from afar. In summer, music often breaks out all around the store. "Granny Rules" are in effect: "no smokin', no cussin', and no drinkin'." But clogging on the dance floor is encouraged.

Open year-round, this chamber music venue in the heart of Virginia's Allegheny mountains also offers lodging in the Manor House and gourmet meals paired with live music.

This state-of-the-art performance complex on the suburban Virginia campus of George Mason University satisfies music, ballet, jazz, dance, and drama patrons with regular performances in its 2,000-seat concert hall, the 460-seat proscenium Harris Theatre, and an intimate 140-seat black-box theater. 

This concert venue hosts everything from the Richmond Symphony to alt-rock and alt-country bands, with a full schedule of performances throughout the year.

Hundreds of musicians and thousands of fans gather at Felts Park the second week of August for performances, contests, and jam sessions.