First, the good/fine: This is a very nice high school theater that often hosts fairly well-known artists. You can see everything from local recitals to bands you've heard on the radio. Most seats are good. Parking is easy and free. And now, sigh, the bad: The night we were there, after the show my family was accosted by a staffer who was incredibly creepy. She followed us around, listened to our conversation, yelled at us. She was so hostile, it was weird. The other kids and parents who were around noticed and were upset. read more

Beautiful new venue. Saw the Marshall Tucker Band tonight, good show, great music and 50 years later going strong. Tons of parking, zero traffic, beautiful new theater, comfy seats, clean restrooms, good lighting and sound. Orchestra/mosh pit area for VIP ticket holders to dance. Only complaint, audio was too loud for the size of the theater. read more

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Interesting little community theater with some problems. I can't believe I've never reviewed this before. First- the parking. It's poorly managed- and a mess. Gates are put up on entrances, the exiting mass of people tend to cause a jam- it's a high school parking lot, not a decen't theater parking lot. It is what it is. The entrance is kind of small and pokey. And the women's bathrooms are not sufficient. The seats are not too bad- but up against the walls the view is not so great. Unlike some other theaters- like the Bankhead- there ARE bad seats here. Also, along the sides in the lower rows- you can only get in from one side- so you have to crawl over people, the same people, if you want to get out- because there's a side railing hemming people into their seats on the South wall. Finally, the acoustics seem a little muddy here. I was not very impressed with the sound quality. That said, if you get the center, maybe it's better. We were over on the side, and maybe directionality is important here. As with many theaters, the average audience age seems to be about 70. read more

Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center - Performing Arts Near Me - San Ramon, California

We went to watch impressions of the Nutcracker by the San Ramon Valley Dance Academy. We wanted our two toddlers to watch the Nutcracker for the first time. Initially, I was concerned that our seats were going to make it hard to see the performers. But the theatre was a good size. You get a good view of the stage regardless where you seat. Even my 3 year old had no problem being at row H and at the far right of the theater. The only concern I had was the numbering of the seats. I didn't understand why they would go by odd and even numbers instead of sequential. read more

Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center - It's a full house. - Performing Arts Near Me - San Ramon, California

Came here on 3/25/18 with my dad to see Judy Collins. While I agree with the other reviewer from today that it was mostly Baby Boomers here, I'm not sure what else one would expect with someone whose heyday was in the 60s. When Mr. Jenbert and I saw Jackson Browne in a different place, we were the youngest ones by a good margin, and I'm the same age as his youngest son. I enjoyed how easily accessible and convenient the parking was. No traffic and no problems. The parking lot is right next to the Performing Arts Center, so it's hard to get lost returning to your car, even if your name is Mr. Jenbert. Very clean theater. Acoustics were good and the facility is nice and spacious. The lighting seemed a little limited. Although we were in the back in the center row, I was not disappointed with our view. Although I can't speak for the side rows, the center row is fine, even in the back. read more

It's an ok facility. Between the doors that locked behind us so we couldn't get back into the theater after leaving to use the bathroom, to the staff canoodling on the couch during an elementary school performance, the mediocre sound quality, it was all just ok. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back. Parking was ok. Eh. read more

The Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center (DVPAC) is one of two venues under the "San Ramon Performing Arts" umbrella. The other venue is the "Front Row Theater," located inside the Dougherty Station Community Center. Both are located inside the Windemere master plan development on the southern side of San Ramon, on Bollinger Canyon Road near the Alameda County border. I attended Caroline Rhea's comedy show at DVPAC on June 21, 2008, and was pretty impressed with the facilities. Being situated at Dougherty Valley High School, it has a little bit of a sterile school feel when you first enter the lobby. Though, once inside the theater, dark woods accent the interior, along with warm blue acoustic panels. DVPAC also doubles as - unbelievably - a high school auditorium. From the looks of it, you would have never guessed it. The 600-seat community theater has very comfortable stadium-style cloth seating. Every seat has a good view of the stage, along with great legroom. It's at least double the legroom that you would find at a theater like the Warfield or the Orpheum. Unfortunately, most of the center section seats are always reserved for season ticket holders, so if you are able to snag a seat in the first 10 rows or so, they'll always be at stage right or stage left. My only gripe with the stage/seat layout is that the stage is really far away from the seats. We're talking a couple of stone throws away, not just one. Caroline had to come down from the stage into the audience because she felt very uncomfortable being so far away from everyone. Ticketing was easy enough. The City of San Ramon doesn't use Ticketmaster (thank god!), but rather, its own ticketing system. There's a small $1 convenience charge per ticket, and you can pick your seats online with a single click. Will call is located at the box office window at the side of the building that faces the parking lot. DVPAC opened less than one year ago, and the newness definitely shines. The bathrooms are clean, but they did have an indescribable "high school" smell. Parking is ample and there are zero traffic concerns. The Safeway shopping center down the street really isn't all that great for a dinner before the theater, though it might do in a pinch. Overall, it's a good venue. It lacks community character and charm, but makes it up in cleanliness and legroom. Although I don't think any celebrity or performer on the A-list would perform here, I would definitely go back for a local show. If another B-list celebrity like Caroline Rhea performs here again, I would definitely come back. Why go to the city and deal with all the hassles when you can see a show right in your own backyard? read more

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Awesome little venue tucked away here in San Ramon. My kids are involved in a lot of the drama programs in the area and have often performed here at Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center. Ample amount of seating. Location is always clean and the staff is pretty friendly. Keep up the great work y'all!!! read more

Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center - Performing Arts Near Me - San Ramon, California

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At first I was happy with this place, but as I think on my experience more and more I realize it was more my excitement with the performer than the action location. Let's run down my annoyances: * Parking is for a high school, it's not setup to handle a mass exodus of people so I recommend bringing a book or just using your phone so you can get their early and leave late so everyone else clears out. * There is no place to loiter, what do you do until the doors open and the weather it too hot/cold/wet to hang around outside? * Bathrooms, not really setup to handle their capacity * Seating looks more comfortable than it is, I was expecting more from a place this new. * Seating arrangement, it just feels strange. I've been in a lot theaters and this one seems too wide for the depth, or the angle, it's hard to put into words. The end result is there are a lot of seats that just aren't great, even close up. I would honestly rather see a performance at the California High theater, seats are better arranged and are more comfortable. So, will I go again? Yes if there is someone I want to see. But will I keep an eye on their calendar? No. Unlike many other theaters around I'm not going to watch their calendar, either it's an artist I really want to see and then I'm watching them or it's not worth it for me to go. read more

Great intimate venue for a performance. I went to see Jim Brickman tonight. Jim was exceptional. But, this review is for the PAC. The parking is clean and nice. . . Definitely needs some type of security lighting though, as a car had been broken into during the concert. Shame!!! The center itself is comfortable and intimate. Good sound system. I would go back to see another performance there. read more

Beautiful venue! Extremely impressive for a high school performing arts facility! I recently went on tour with my university's wind ensemble, and Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center was one of our 6 high school gigs. DV, no doubt about it, had THE most excellent venue out of the 6 schools we visited. The venue is practically brand new, is spotless, clean, well taken care of, and has an ample amount of seating. As a performer, we really enjoyed the stage. There was more than enough for our 50+ person band setup. The hall also carries a resonance that is hard to find in many performing arts buildings. I would definitely recommend you take a visit to this venue sometime and watch a performance, or just admire the beautiful building! Seriously impressive. read more

Glad to see such a nice upscale community theatre where the locals support the arts with passion and love. Watched a high school play of the Sound of Music mixed in with adult actors and it was a cute rendition. My wife wants to return soon but maybe without me as I laughed at all the miscues. read more

Don't get me started on the bathrooms. I was there all day there for four back-to-back recitals and ALL bathroom supplies were depleted by the second show. And that means ALL. And no one around to complain to. Nice or not, they skimped on preparing their facility for an all day event. ONE star. read more

I went to Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center on October 16, 2009 to watch the Boyz II Men concert with some friends. It's a very quaint little theater, and it's true that there was no bad seat in the house. It's a very intimate place - in our case, we could see the performers up close from where our seats were located. Of course, if you've been to bigger venues, you'll be used to extravagant theaters. That being said, the sound system wasn't as great as I had hoped. However, for being a community theater, it was pretty good. I wouldn't mind seeing something here again. read more

I saw a band concert here, and I thought the venue was very nice. Clean, comfortable, and acoustics good enough that I didn't notice them. The seats aren't very deep, so if you're short (like me) and stuck behind someone tall (as I was), it's a little annoying...but I don't think it was so bad that average-sized normal people will notice too much. read more

I am reminded once again in 2017? Why I always wind up at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore, CA. as opposed to my hometown Perf. Arts Ctr. Went online to get tickets - tried 15 times with the clearly, open, blank seats available (gold centered reserved) I had to call the office once again (sigh!) Apparently? They "hold" many of the "blank" one's for POSSIBLE season re-subscribers who have until mid-September. If this is the case? WHY NOT PUT ANOTHER COLOR THERE INDICATING THIS? Not one of the 15 tries I attempted were "available". If this isn't shoddy theater management, what is?! read more

Love this theater, great use of space - wonderful for performers backstage too!! The staff is outstanding and so professional and encouraging. Thank goodness for this theater in our area!! read more

Beautiful theater, very nice people working there, and very clean. We went to see Vicki Lawrence as herself and as her alter ego, Mama. I loved her TV program where she played Mama on Mama's Family. Vicki Lawrence was funny playing herself and hilarious as Mama. Lots and lots of laughing. Jenny, the lady I bought a 2nd ticket for the show on the phone was very nice and exceptionally helpful. The lady at the "Will Call" window got my lady friend a seat in the same row. How nice was that!! Thanks so much for making that a special night to remember. Greg read more

Beautiful building, great acoustics - unfortunately this is overshadowed by the snobby and rude employees.