Washington Center for the Performing Arts

Jeff Miller

Wow, it’s been a few years since I’ve been here. I was pleasantly surprised today to see and hear what felt like massive improvements to the sound and lighting systems over what I remembered. Clarity was top notch and plenty punchy and the lighting looks were brilliant and on point. House lighting seemed brighter as well. Staff was friendly and professional. Parking is a challenge - all street parking - and lobby and stairways get really congested post show. There is no real proper reception hall to greet / meet talent (i.e. your student performer) so you’re left with meeting them in the bank parking lot behind the stage after the performance. Not ideal in Washington weather, but it’s an old building so not much they can do. Interior was clean and well kept - paint seemed fresh and sharp. Arrive early for best chance parking.

The World of Shannon

We were seated on ground level 2nd row from the back. The floors were so sticky that our shoes were sticking to it like glue. It was so sticky that at one point when I tried to move my feet, the tar like substance, on the floor, pulled the heel cap off of my very expensive Stewart Wiseman heels! After the performance, the four of us stayed seated waiting for the room to clear so we could leave easily. When we stood to go we all checked the flooring out and found what appeared to be tar on all the flooring. In that isle were coins and other items lodged into it and were mostly buried in the goo. Not only is that disgusting, it is distracting from the performance and costly if your shoes are damaged like mine were. Now I'll need to take my shoes to my shoe repair person and have the heels re-tipped. Other than that the seats are not very comfortable, but the setup is visually stimulating. They definitely need new flooring, chairs and a parking garage. If the floors hadn't had tar or a tar like substance on them, it would have gotten 5 stars because of the well kept nostalgia vibe. I really liked that.

Stephanie Mace

We've gone to comedy shows here as well as some fantastic professional dance performances. Great place for locals to get in a little entertainment. Reasonable prices and lots of parking.

Blu Otis

This is a beautiful venue for high-quality performances from all types of entertainment. For a city this size to have a facility of this caliber speaks directly to the commitment of the community to support the fine arts. I truly enjoy coming here for entertainment and would highly recommend it to anyone!