We had the pleasure of attending a concert at DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) in August. First, let me compliment the staff on the cleanliness of the place. Even though there were a lot of people there it was very clean and the staff was professional and friendly. Our seats were on the first row of the balcony and the view was probably better than from the main floor. I seriously don't think there is a bad seat in the house. We didn't drive (took Uber which I'd highly recommend) so the parking did not affect us but that is probably the only complaint I would have if I had. There did not seem to be sufficient parking for that many seats. Other than that it was A+. read more

Cannot say enough fabulous things about this place! Staff is always friendly, and the events are well organized and high quality. Would like to see a bit more variety on the snacks, as well as some that are a bit more substantial. Lots of bev options, and while a bit pricey, are on par for venues of that type. Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster and have some high service charges, but if you go to the box office, fees are minimal. It's a beautiful place, and highly worth checking it out! read more

I have been to a number of shows here, music as well as talking (e.g., Prairie Home Companion). I have sat in the balcony twice and found the leg room to be very small, even for a shorty like me! I like the floor seating the best. The DPAC draws diverse acts and performers. There are always at least a few I like each year. Kudos to the DPAC though for offering up another event substituting for missing the Whoopi Goldberg concert the other night due to an ice storm. I wonder how many people made it. In any case, it is up to the management of the act to cancel the show and they never did. So DPAC may be eating these replacement tickets. Good for them! It's not often that big business make things right! read more

Always love seeing any show here! There are no bad seats Parking us easy and getting here is easy too! It is a beautiful venue for live theatre! read more

By far one of the best venues in the South. I love NY and LA but I will be the first to admit this place rocks. I can tell no differance for any performances that I have seen. I love going here. If you have not been then you are really missing out. read more

This place is amazing and I love it and I love going here and I rate it 100/100. Food, bathrooms, seating, staff- literally everything about this place is great. read more

Horrible customer service. Originally said they don't charge for babies, then told us at the door that we had to buy a ticket for our 1 yr old lap baby. And we didn't even get to see the show on time. read more

We went and saw Alton Brown's "Eat Your Science" performance in April of this year (2016) and we loved it. Alton was his awesome self as usual and the staff at the DPAC were very nice and helpful. The facility is gorgeous and the stage and sound are great. I really like this venue and hope to return for another awesome show soon! read more

AMAZING event space. Saw Amos Lee a few weeks ago and was just blown away by the auditorium, the friendliness of staff, ease of getting our will-call tickets, and the variety of food available during intermission and before the show. We had great seats in the orchestra section so I definitely recommend those, but it looked like every seat had a great view. Sound was great and I could hear every word of the songs, which doesn't often happen. Only snag was at the end trying to buy a tshirt, and the line was really long, but that's not DPAC's fault. Looked like they had a lot of other great shows on the schedule: Mamma Mia, Once (the musical), and The Nutcracker come to mind. I am not sure about the price range of tickets based on where you sit, but if someone you love plays at the DPAC in Durham, it's a great venue. read more

DPAC is famous nationwide and it makes me feel so proud that it is in my hometown. I surprised my gf to see Wicked here for her bday because it was her favorite. I was apprehensive at first but it was actually pretty great. I even caught myself humming the tunes in the shower afterwards haha. The greeters at DPAC are always dressed up and are always very friendly. Be aware that the bars close before the show ends so double up on your drinks! Also saw The Weeknd here and he was great! Also Dave Chappelle! And even got to meet Weezer here too after the show! All genres perform here... such a great venue! read more

Best thing to ever happen to Durham! Very upscale not a bad seat in the venue. The staff there is unbelievable and friendly. This is the 3rd visit for a concert and the acoustics are perfect. It is within walking distance to the American Tobacco District where there are good restaurants and Tobacco Road Grill is right behind it. The quality of the Broadway shows are giving Raleigh a black eye in my opinion. Going to try to see Book of Mormon in February to see how a play will be in that venue. BTW parking and in and out of the place is great, I live 20 min away and that's exactly the time it takes to park in the garage behind the DPAC and get out and get home to Northwest Raleigh...big plus vs downtown Raleigh where I am equidistant and it takes forever to get out of downtown. read more

I've enjoyed every opportunity I've had to attend a show here. The parking is well-marked and reasonably priced; the staff is cheerful, informative, and efficient, the theater and restrooms are spotlessly clean and well-maintained; and the sound system and lighting are excellent. Everything that is directly under the control of DPAC is done flawlessly. read more

I absolutely love the DPAC! I saw Beautiful, was running late, in the pouring rain and a DPAC employee let us in the back entrance so we didn't have to run through the rain. During intermission they are amazing about getting you through the line for drinks,bathroom and back to your seat so as not to miss a bit. Can't wait to come back for the next show! read more

We are very lucky to have a beautiful Performing Arts Center like we have in Durham! Very professional Staff and wide variety of events.

Was there for Rent, third row. Fantastic venue. Easy to get in and out. This was my first time visiting and I loved it.

Came here to watch 'Beauty and the Beast'. First time here and throughly enjoyed the show and DPAC itself. Nice to know we can watch Broadway shows at a local venue. The seating was great and not a bad seat in the house. The staff was friendly and helpful! We will be back and certainly recommend! read more

Great local venue. Top notch sound, great variety of shows and easy walking distance to a wide variety of restaurants and bars for both before and after the show. read more

What's not to love about DPAC! What an amazing venue. I have seen everything here from Broadway plays to comics, psychics and concerts. Every staff member is extremely friendly and helpful. The building is immaculate. They haven't missed a detail. Who else has a person with a tall sign to let you know where the end of the bathroom line is? Best venue in the area without a doubt! read more

There was a lot I liked about DPAC, but a few key things missed the mark when I went to see Wicked. The worst was the bathroom lines for women, it was almost impossible to make it through the line and get back to your seat in 15 minutes, which means you can't get in to the show for ~10 mins. I just made it to my seat, but I know the 40+ women behind me in line didn't, which is so unfair to them. So, instead of relaxing during the intermission, and maybe grabbing a drink or snack, you are racing to the restroom and being hearded like cattle through the multiple lines like you are going through airport security. I had seats in orchestra 3 rows from the stage. My view was pretty good, except the seats were so low from the stage you are pretty much looking up the dresses of the actresses, so a little odd angle. I think next time I will get a little further back. From the seating chart (C127) it appears I would be center left, but it felt more left of stage. The seats were pricey, but not compared to Broadway, and I was glad I was able to finally see a show that was on my bucket list with a pretty darn good cast. The parking and drinks are on the high side, but I think all venues like this are, so that is par for the course. All the staff were helpful, very nice and courteous so they get a gold star for that:-) read more

Waited a long time to see Lion King. Love this location...you have options for dinner & drinks beforehand

Beautiful facility! We thoroughly enjoyed the show and our seats as well. It's very clean and well kept. I wish the concession stand and the bar had more staff to keep the line moving quicker (we were in line for a drink for approx 20 min and they only had one bartender working the bar and the iPad scanner for our credit card wasn't working either, which was frustrating). Still had a good time and will definitely be back in the future! read more

Great Sound. The most customer centered venue anywhere. Put myself on a waiting list for Mark Knopfler show, DPAC calls me on my cell 3 weeks before the show to ask me if I still want tickets. YES. Best Customer service ever! Great venue read more

I have seen a number of shows here and all have been increadble this is such a nice theater and have always been greated with a smile.

Beautiful venue! Great view of the show no matter where you sit. I highly recommend trying a show at dpac!

You can't go wrong seeing anything here. I've been to four shows last year, sat in four different places, and felt I had a great seat. The facility is clean, the seats comfortable and the concessions are upscale but affordable. Whether music, comedy or stage play, the parking is easy, the police are out after the show to direct you back to the freeway, and I never felt safer. read more

Really nice venue. Well run with friendly staff. I wish they had draft beer there. 7 dollars for a can of Fullsteam is too steep.

We are big musical fans in my family but haven't had a chance to visit dpac until just yesterday. Last year we were in New York and saw a musical. We feel very lucky to be able to go at least once a year and thoroughly enjoy it every time. We usually try to get the best seats we can and always feel it's worth it. This time ticketmaster's app was not working and we were trying to decide if we'd have to try to switch our electronic ticket to will call but we tried to see if we could log in on the iPad and get our tickets there. It wasn't our first choice but it worked. I'm not blaming dpac for the technical problem that was happening with ticket master. We entered dpac and sent through security. Everyone was so kind and welcoming to not just us but everyone we saw (all the guests, people attending the show, the audience, the ticket buyers). Then we entered the seating area and were thrown out by Ann the usher. With 5 minutes to go before the show we paid over$300 to see she informed us that security should have not let us enter with the iPad. We left the show area to try to run to check in this illegal device and were told by staff that Ann was misunderstanding the rules because a plain tablet is ok but not a laptop. Well Ann refused to accept the ticket on the tablet as if somehow that's proof of ticket fraud. Luckily my husband was able to get the tickets to appear on his phone and finally Ann did her job of telling us where the seats were we had paid for days ago. It felt horrible that we were treated like criminals. It felt horrible like she might tell us we'd have to go miss part of the show and it felt horrible for an usher to single out your family in front of a huge seated audience. Even though we got to sit from the beginning of the show it took quite a while to not be distracted by the emotional upset of what happened. The show(Donna Summer) was so amazing. One of the best we've ever seen. Such a talented and hard working cast. They were beyond excellent. They all deserve armloads of bouquets each. I can't get over it .amazing costumes. Amazing sound. I want to go back. I'd love to see this show again. read more

A definite five star because: 1. The staff is so friendly and helpful. 2. They do everything they can to make traffic in and out easy. 3. They bring in a range of events and really light up Durham's entertainment scene. 4. The facility is world class. I highly recommend the season tickets if you like broadway musicals. It is also my favorite concert venue because it is more intimate (even though large) than an arena. Michael Buble, why aren't you coming to DPAC??! read more

The DPAC is one of the best run facilities - period. We are very fortunate to have such great venue in NC. My on design change would have been to incorporate escalators vs the amount of steps. Thank god we sit in the orchestra! read more

I've seen three musicals here and each time I am amazed at how great the DPAC is. I prefer the DPAC over Raleigh Memmorial Auditorium because the DPAC is has a more New York City feel rather than Raleigh Memorial. They always have a good line up of shows. read more

Saw CSN there recently. Wow. Acoustics are as close to perfect as you can find. Fantasatic. I can't wait to go there again. read more

2 of 5 stars Pending review 3 times to concerts and musicals, and every time they over-amplify sound until it is distorted. For Phantom and for Spamalot by the 2nd act the amp had been damped a tad to barely acceptable. But for both we went mid-run so why this incompetence? Yesterday evening, the Moody Blues were superb, but their lyrics were often garbled and swamped by over-amped backing. Was that the band's choice? I'd be surprised because they are balladeers first and foremost. Rest of the place is fine and presumably was acoustically balanced when designed/built. Other comments: Broadway tours are usually over-priced. Easy to park on nearby streets if you arrive early enough to enjoy slow dining options a block or two away, or park for $3 across the tracks vs $5 adjacent. But DPAC must hire someone competent to fix then maintain its currently awful sound. read more

DPAC is always a treat to attend. However, it has some shortcomings. First, the staff is very unaware of the audience and does not interfere with disruptive guest members (there were 4 women singing along with the Broadway show we were at behind us-no staff noticed, or if they did, they ignored it). It should not be up to the guest to handle this confrontation. Second, as opposed to other venues I have been to (I.e. Blumenthal Performing Arts in Charlotte) the balcony seats are much further away and a worse view, yet the same price. I'm not sure what they can do about this, but I definitely felt our seats were overpriced for the view we had (the performers were essentially blobs). Despite these qualms, overall it is a nice venue. Clean, comfy seats, and of course, it hosts Broadway! I will be attending again. read more

I saw Bill Cosby there and was amazed by this theater. It's the nicest performing arts theater i've ever been in. I love the modern, minimalist design. The staff was extremely nice - a bit over-eager, but hopefully they'll calm down over time. It's a nice addition to the American Tobacco area - where the Durham Bulls stadium is. Hopefully Durham keeps heading in this direction. read more

When I go to see Broadway shows, I have gone to quite a few different venues, mainly Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. However, last night, my parents and I came to see Mamma Mia because it's only about 45 minutes from my sister. Well, even though BPAC is closer, I believe we won't be seeing many shows there anymore. We had a much better experience at DPAC than we ever have in Charlotte. Parking was easy because of the parking attendants. We got into the building with only about 20 minutes before the show started. And we arrived at our seats with about 15 minutes to spare. In Charlotte, if we had gotten there with the same amount of time left, we probably would have gotten to our seats with only about 5 minutes before the show starts. Everything was easily accessible! If you live anywhere within a couple of hours from DPAC, I would definitely recommend going there to see a musical! read more

First DPAC is s shining example of the best of Durham Everything, other than the occasional accoustic issues are good. However one glaring issue issue is the season ticket fee prices. Which is the the same as another monthly payment. we use the 12 month payment program. This theater is owned and run by the Netherlander organization which continues to make a fortune off of "Wicked" For others that additional monthly fee payment maybe a small matter. For those of us on a fixed income, it's the difference between a drs. visit, or Rx. or food. DPAC doesn't allow you to place your orders for season tix as they do for individual shows. Thereby by passing the 90.00 fee. To be fair they have offered a refund for what we've paid thus far. However this will be our last year as season ticket holders. read more

WHat can I say, I love going to DPAC! They bring the best Broadway shows here. The building is fairly new, the seats are comfy, and I have sat in the orchestra, mezzanine, and balcony and have enjoyed each performance. Not a bad seat in the house. I like that they send out reminder emails of your event. I will have to say that the women's bathroom can be a bit of a trial. Oh to be a man and not have to wait in a line of over 30+ women! I will say that the women who work the bathrooms are hustling you along, they are pointing you to stalls and have paper towels ready to move you on out of there. Which is good, you usually only have a 15 minute intermission and if you are late you will be stuck waiting outside watching the next 10 minutes on a TV. The 2011-2012 season looks fabulous! So excited they are bringing WICKED back!! Ticket prices are fair and reasonable. If you are a major fan of Broadway always try the stage door after the performance. Cast members usually come out to sign autographs and take pictures. Stage door is to the left on the side( if you are facing the front of the building) Its worth a try, even if its freezing. I have met cast members from Wicked, In the Heights, and Lion King( which I got lucky enough to get a backstage tour)!! Yes I have a picture of myself on the DPAC stage too!! This place has given me lasting memories....sigh;) read more

I love DPAC! Over the past couple of years they have really started to bring acts that I would actually pay to go see. I recently saw Bring It On The Musical, as well as the Color Purple a year a so ago. Parking is pretty accessible and there are plenty of restaurants or things to venture into in the surrounding areas. I parked in the East Deck(I believe right behind DPAC near Tobacco Road House). Paid 5 dollars but was told when I paid that if I go to a restaurant in the American Tobacco campus that I would get 4-5 dollars off my bill! I ended up going to Cuban Revolution - they took 4 dollars off my bill so I only paid 1 dollar for parking which isn't that bad! They also have a courtesy shuttle that I would have walked right past if my friend had not pointed it out. They drove us from the American Tobacco campus to the front of DPAC, so look out for the guys in golf carts to get a free ride! read more

I bought tickets to Young Frankenstein on line. They didn't tell me what the seat numbers were, just that it was "best available". When I got the tickets in the mail I saw they were in the nose bleed section. I figured I was lucky to get tickets at all, yet during the performance I looked down to see entire rows and sections empty. If I had been sitting in one of the scores of empty seats 2 stories down, I could have seen the play. I have 20-20 vision and from where we were sitting I could not see the actor's faces. I did not get "best available". The seats, comfort wise, are less comfortable than Cameron Indoor Stadium and a Continental business class seat with two fat guys on either side. My high school auditorium had more comfortable seats. The acoustics were good, the play was good, parking was easy, the people were helpful and freindly. My advice. Never buy tickets on the internet unless you know exactly where the seats are. The "Best Available" selection is flawed. The nose bleed section is way high, my wife and I had to chew coca leaves to keep from getting altitude sickness. read more

I went to see Wicked last night and got to check out DPAC for the first time. I am thoroughly impressed. Got a reminder email and suggestions a few days before the performance. Getting to the theatre was easy, parking for $5, dining options nearby, greeters were friendly, I didn't really see a bad seat (ie any obstructions) in the theatre, accoustics were great, line to ladies room was efficient. It was llooooooong, but they got people in and out so quickly with directing them, paper towels ready, etc. Ready to go back for the next show! read more