Can't believe we've never been here before? Or maybe I didn't review bec I felt like I had?!?!‍ the…read morelobby is cool in that it is round and Doris Weave was a provider with it. When we walked in the first thing I noticed was the smell...now they have said they need to repair the roof and have, or near enough funds, but...should put dehumidifiers/mildew-rid bags, etc all over before shows (my opinion). Next I noticed what a greatly designed stage-really nice and professional! The 5 actors were great...I'd say perfect in their parts, they gave their hearts into the play-Barefoot in the Park. If you need reminded what it was about- young couple facing the challenges of living together with two different types personalities (which is probably is what attracted them to each other) then add in a nosey neighbor, interfering mother and 5/6 flights of stairs and you have humor!

If you're looking for a thought-provoking show for a date night, this is where to go! The show is…read moreabout empowering women who find themselves and navigate the complexity of self-esteem self-worth and relationships. The cast is truly phenomenal! Passionate about what they do they truly make a difference. This costume design, stage design and backstage crew as well as tech crew truly Put a lot of effort into producing such a great show. Hats off to all those volunteers for getting back to our community outstanding way. We need positive things in today's society and coming here You will receive it!

I attended opening night of "Urinetown" last night. Performances are held at The Jacksonville…read moreBallet on Atlantic Blvd. The theatre is small and quaint. Talent is local and volunteer. Jacksonville has talent. This was my 2nd production at this tiny theatre. If you have never been follow them and put a show at the top of your list!

What a great local theater! It is the perfect place for an intimate evening of song and dance…read more Showstoppers was my first show at this theater but it won't be my last. There is not a bad seat in the house. They have a nice lobby with a small art display to match their current running show. The lobby is a nice space to enjoy intermission where you make donations for snacks and drinks. And the local talent we have here in Jacksonville is incredible. I can't wait to see more from the singers and actors in our community.

Wow! What a super cool space!! I went for a local screenplay…read morereading and learned that there is a regular schedule of events year round!! Seating is mostly folding chairs and they do have cushions (yay). Some people may also choose to sit on the stairs or in the small loft space overlooking the room and stage. There is a restroom and a foyer area right when you enter. The entrance is through a shadowy alleyway covered by trees so it can be easy to miss. I can't wait to check out their open mic "slam" nights!

I went here for a movie. It was great until.... These high…read moreschool kids were being obnoxious from the beginning. He had a laptop open at first. I didn't say anything because I was going to wait until the movie actually started. Then, when it did, he tried to shake a 2L of soda, to do who knows what .... Spray it I'm sure. I made a comment. He stopped for a bit. Later on my girlfriend and I were still being bothered by them. He kept farting on her and turning to her going, "Do you like the smell?" I finally (half way through), spoke up and said something. A tenant followed me in and then didn't say a word to them. We ended up leaving the theater. I DID get a receipt to come back to another show time, which is great. HOWEVER, I tried calling to talk to someone about some other things I witnessed, and I was placed on hold. Then I called back and was hung up on 5 times and placed on hold another. Whoever was working during this shift really didn't give a shit. I get it man, you're working a low paying job, in school, young, but most of us did all that too. Grow a pair and do your job. Mind you the staff was great in the beginning and friendly. But when it came down to it, they weren't answering and hanging up the phone on purpose.

Screen X was worth every penny and an amazing experience seeing Toy Story 5 with multiple screens.read more

We took our grandkids here to watch a movie on a Saturday. Their mom was working and the grandkids…read morewanted to watch Moana. We love this Epic Theater!!! Love the seating! Very comfortable. Love the staff. Everyone is always very friendly. When we pick a theater to watch a movie we always choose Epic....

The seats in some of the theaters have ripped leather and the cleanliness is gone. The place is…read morehurting and you can see it by the reduced staffing. What started as a deluxe movie experience has been hit hard by COVID and subsequent years and now needs repair and restoration. Make it once more an experience and it may survive.

I have to say that the production of Young Frankenstein that I saw last night was probably the…read morefinest performance I have ever seen at Orange Park Community Theatre. The utilization of the stage and isles, the talent of the actors, and the overall energy of the production were truly outstanding. What stood out most to me was the actress who portrayed Frau Blücher. She absolutely stole the show with her hilarious facial expressions and gestures, which conveyed so much joy and enthusiasm for the role. The gentleman who played the Monster was hilarious, and the actor portraying Inspector Kemp had me laughing throughout the performance. The young man who played Dr. Frankenstein clearly immersed himself in the character and appeared to genuinely enjoy every moment on stage. Overall, I can honestly say this was the best performance I have ever seen at Orange Park Community Theatre. I want to commend both directors for their remarkable work in bringing out the talent of every cast member and for their creative use of the stage. Despite the constraints of a smaller performance space, the actors moved seamlessly and worked together as a cohesive ensemble, never appearing crowded or out of sync. Congratulations to everyone involved on an exceptional production. It was an absolute joy to watch.

Love this little theater with a big heart!! So many great actors, performers and always a fun…read morelineup every season! They have made some updates to the interior as well, and the lobby and bathrooms. Such much fun for a group to see something LIVE and won't break the bank!!

We ordered online & came for a matinée showing of "Avatar: Fire & Water"…read more I swear, there were more employees here than I saw patrons. Expect to pay: - $12.79/person (matinée) Or - $15.81/person (in the evening) **does not include tax and fees We also paid about $10 for a jumbo popcorn (free refill included) but there were slushies/slurpees, sodas, candy, alcoholic beverages, and even nachos here as well. I'm not complaining about anything... I thoroughly enjoyed the popcorn, movie, and reclining seats in the theater. The women's restroom was also clean and there wasn't a line to use it. Negative remarks: I did notice the movie volume was louder than I would have preferred & a couple employees looked unhappy... but I'll continue going to this theater as long as it's there.

Stopped in to watch an afternoon matinee with my son at this westside movie theater located in a…read morestrip mall in the Argyle/ Oakleaf area of Jacksonville. Upon arrival, there were very few cars in the parking lot and even less people in the business. We were greeted by a personable young lady who appeared to be the only person manning the front of the business. As such, all drink, snack and popcorn orders appear to be card only - no cash. I am not sure about tickets bc we bought online. Matinee prices are around $10 per ticket online. They do not take American Express credit cards. After entering and picking up some drinks, we made our way to our theater but we had to walk back to the front to the only employee we could find to double check the theater bc the signs were not updated (apparently the night shift guy forgot to do it and no one had remedied it by 2pm). Once in the theater, I noted that my reclining seat had a faux cover on it to cover damage and some seats are even so damaged that you cannot even book them online. The cover kept sliding and had to be adjusted. No complaints about the movie projection or sound as everything worked well. Not a bad place for a movie but a little understaffed and beginning to show some wear and tear.

I moved to Jacksonville recently from California and I am always on the lookout for new places to…read morecheck out. There is a building I pass every day near my home which caught my eye right away. Its stone façade and bright yellow sign flanked by two Medieval Knights, with the words "The Arena" across it in large block lettering stood out in comparison to its neighbors, a church and a discount furniture store. I quickly put on my detective cap and began scouring the internet for any explanation or reviews but information was sparse. I eventually found the website... The Arena | Jacksonville's Premiere Concert Venue... "The Arena is definitely one of Jacksonville's premiere and edgiest night scenes. With four stages, and full audio-surround sound, you will be blown away..." I ear marked it as a place to check out in the future. As Halloween grew closer The Arena began to look more and more like an off-beat community haunted attraction. A giant, ominous, clown face appeared over the door along with some additional lights and carnival décor. A new sign was added, "Carnevil". Of course I got back on the internet and found, "Welcome to Carnevil! The darkest and final act of the circus empire..." From the description it sounded pretty scary, I don't really do scary, but it was Halloween and we had no other plans and it was FREE. Now let me tell you, the free thing immediately set off some red flags, nothing is free but curiosity got the best of us. We invited some friends, put on our costumes and headed to the Arena but it was completely full and they sent us away with priority tickets for the next showing. Sunday night just my fiancé and I went back. Like I said, I don't really do scary well and as I stood in line my heart was racing. They announce that we are about to go in and once we are inside we will not be allowed to leave until the end. Honestly, we were half convinced that this place lures unsuspecting people in and keeps them forever... how else does a "Premiere Concert Venue" have almost no internet presence and NO reviews? The whole experience started off great. Creepy ghosts shambled through the lines, small groups were let into the theatre at a time, entering through a miniature haunted maze with all the scares and screams as a professional haunted house. There were plenty of scares for the audience while we waited for the show to start. The play had a great campy/spooky community theatre feel complete with frightening clowns, quality makeup, sound and lighting effects. Over and over I kept thinking, "How is this free?" and then it started... "drugs", "sex", "rebelling against authority"... "sin". Suddenly I realized I was at church. A preacher dressed as a cop stood center stage asking the audience to raise their hands, come up and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to avoid a hell worse than the clown camp we just witnessed. I want to be clear... I do not have a problem with this being a church function; I appreciate the local church for pulling together a great community event... I do have a problem with being completely ambushed. Nowhere on TheArenaJax.com does it mention its affiliation with Victory Church. To solicit itself as one of the country's premier, edgy music venue, "showcasing a spectrum of internationally renowned artists" is more than slightly misleading. I have to say, I felt a bit violated to be lured into what appeared to be a fun community theatre, told I could not leave until it was over and then force fed a religious message while adults in scary masks and makeup stood blocking the exit. Here is the TL;DR: The production quality is great for a free event. I really enjoyed the first hour and a half of my experience. I would even encourage people to check out one of their events but be advised... this is a religious venue affiliated with its neighboring church. You will be held inside the building and asked to approach the stage to accept their message.

I have seen the Carnevil show twice now and I absolutely love it. Yes, it wasn't for the faint of…read moreheart, but it was awesome nonetheless. I am not one to like scary things but after seeing the show I had to see it again. The storyline and characters are well-made and very nice people. They put all they had into making this show work and after the show you get to meet them and get to know them personally. The theatrics of it were stunning and very luring and the sound effects blew me away. I loved how well the actors dressed up and scared people. They'd pop out of the dark, they sang along to hit songs from Slipknot and they made it a very good memorable experience. Along with the thrills they made some funny remarks during the show which made it more enjoyable and fun. If they were able to keep the show going on for more days I would go to all of them. For free it was worth it- if I had to pay, it would've been totally worth it. At the end of the show there was a part where a character made a statement about being "lost" and how he was able to come to terms with himself. Yes, they help people to believe but even if you aren't into Christianity or religion at all it didn't matter. They wanted people to remember the show and to tell everyone else back home about it. They wanted to inspire people to not be afraid and to become more than what people think of you. They don't force any part of religion on anyone and they don't force people into a prayer at all. They merely want to help people and for the people who were just there for the show, they got to see how much hard work and dedication the actors put into this to make it fun and memorable and thrilling. I absolutely loved it and would go to many more shows for the rest of my life for the experience. Amazing job well done.