We have been coming here for years, but it seems we are coming less and less because we just aren't enjoying the shows. It's so disappointing because I love local theatre, but honestly haven't seen anything good for awhile. We just saw 39 Steps and none of the 4 of us cared for it at all. We left at intermission which I don't like doing, but it just wasn't enjoyable. read more

Manatee Performing Arts Center - Performing Arts Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

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Not a bad seat in the house. The show Prince of Egypt was incredible. What highly recommend to see any show that they put on! read more

Manatee Performing Arts Center - Red wine - Performing Arts Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

Saw Death of a Salesman and continue to be amazed at the quality of the production, the incredible acting and overall experience in a small theater with plenty of parking and reasonable snack & drink prices. Volunteers provided top notch service and the vibe in a small theatre is so good. read more

Always a great experience at this theater the staff is so efficient making sure everyone gets to their seats and as a nice kind word. The performances are always outstanding and I love the theater because there's not a bad seat in the house. I hope many many years of good theater performances Will continue in this wonderful little gem In Bradenton. read more

Nice facility Good performance Friendly staff Parking available Beautiful chandelier from Gone with the Wind in main lobby.

I've seen multiple performances here and have never been disappointed. This evenings performance of The Glass Menagerie was no different. A small, intimate venue, four excellent actors...and a classic Tennessee Williams play..It did not disappoint! Each character so different and played so well. It is difficult to select one actor tonight as my favorite...each character portrayed such depth...and so believable. So much takes place at the tips of your toes on this stage. Do yourself a favor ...rediscover " live" theater ..." Here," there is a lot of variety to choose from during season. Be the first to change old habits with new ones...plus the shows are reasonable priced. You will not be disappointed. suport "live" theater. read more

The Center is a very nice community theater. There is a small snack and drink stand that offers wine and other refreshments There are two theaters within the building. One is quite a bit larger than the other. The larger theater seat well over 100 patrons and hosts bigger productions which are often musicals. The smaller theater seat under 40 people and it hosts plays and less involved musicals. I have attend several shows in each of the theaters and have never been disappointed. read more

Manatee Performing Arts Center - a stage set for a play - Performing Arts Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

A lovely performing arts center. Everyone so helpful. Great a/c & seats. So impressed with the quality of the production!

We saw The Sound of Music at the MPAC this past Sunday. And, as usual, it was a superior production. The actors were superb and the sets were gorgeous. I have been a member for about five years and I have never been disappointed. So I thank them for 6 years of wonderful productions - very professionally done. read more

Got to enjoy their black box theater this past January. It is a nice space and they had an amazing set. Finding the parking lot is a bit tricky depending on where you are coming from. We had to turn away from the theater before we arrived at the theater's port cochere to find the lot entrance across the street. It is not clearly marked. The show we saw was very entertaining. However, I didn't feel that they really rolled out the red carpet for us. Perhaps because it was a smaller show or for pandemic reasons, but the concessions were shut down and the seating procedures were a bit muddled by the ushers. Not more than 5 minutes after the show we were waiting for our friends and were asked to leave the building on a not so pleasant night. Perhaps it's just an off time. I would give them another shot. read more

The Thee-ay-tar! We love going to see live entertainment and have had great experiences a here! The plays are well constructed and the comedians have been decent. If you are looking for an entertaining evening and wanted to be treated special, come on down for this place will not disappoint! read more

What a beautiful venue! We stopped in mid-day just to check it out, not for a performance. We were fortunate enough to be invited on a tour that had just started. We got to see all the backstage areas and all the efforts that go in to a production. It's a super comfortable theater, with nice cushiony seats, plenty of legroom and not a bad seat in the house. The lobby is large and has an impressive bar for pre-show or intermission beverages. There is also a private balcony that can be rented for groups of about 14 or so. Personal bartender and snacks for the group as well! The chandelier in the lobby is one of three from the original Gone With the Wind movie! Beautiful piece of history! Can't wait to see a production here someday! read more

Manatee Performing Arts Center - Chandelier in the lobby is one of three from the original Gone With the Wind movie. Beautiful! - Performing Arts Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

Stone Hall is a small theater located near the Riverwalk of Bradenton. It's a nice way to support local arts and watch live theater. Kudos to the performers, stage crew, set designers, the musicians, and everyone else that goes into putting on a live performance, including the donors. There's no way this place could survive charging only $30 a seat with the venue and location. It's a nice theater. I was even surprised to see an actual orchestra pit with live musicians. We sat close to the front for Shrek, but it looked like the theater was small enough you could have a decent seat from anywhere. Our friends saw Peter Pan and said the same thing and loved the little theater. Like the other reviewer, I didn't have a good experience with parking or with the ticket handler. I know most of them are retired seniors volunteering, but the attitude of one was a bit much. I ran out of paper and printed my tickets double sided on photo paper. She was appalled and repeated 'terrible' over and over and called for reinforcement. A gentleman came over, looked at what I had, tore off the bar codes for each ticket, and said it was okay. Seriously not the end of the world, lady. When we arrived there was a huge line for valet. There was another parking lot to the right that required some time to circle back around then park and walk. Just make sure to leave enough time for parking whichever route you choose. I was surprised to see they served alcohol albeit one choice for red or white wine. They also had a nice selection of Hershey and Mars corporation chocolates. This probably won't be the best theater you'll visit, but it's not bad for little Manatee County. Check out the calendar, see if one interests you, and support your local artists :) read more

Manatee Performing Arts Center - Not a bad seat - Performing Arts Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

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Visually, this space is five stars. This theatre is beautiful! Both the interior and exterior have that old feel of Broadway luxury with the upgrades of modern theatres thrown in. The Stone Hall (Main Stage Theatre) is a standard proscenium set up. The seating is very nice. The seats are large and comfortable. I sat in the back row, where sightlines were not an issue, and they have ample space in front of them so that you don't even to stand to let someone pass. A big bonus! The sound booth is situated house left, towards the back, but still in front of a few of the rows of seats. It isn't a sightline issue, but while watching "A Chorus Line," where there seemed to be an inordinate amount of sound issues, I found myself a bit distracted by the amount of activity over there. The sound issues cost them half a star. Perhaps the sound is usually very good, but when you are billed as a Performing Arts Center and one of your main offerings is what you bring to your stage and share with your audience, the lighting and sound are inextricably linked to the overall experience. Some of the mics were too hot and offered feedback and some seemed turned off completely. The other half of a star was lost because of the parking. Such a large and elegant theatre space, I think the parking lot should match. Parking seems to be a crucial detail often forgotten. If you want to attract new people to your space, you need to make it easy to get there. Bradenton is a smaller city, and there is more than enough surrounding area to pave, but the MPAC has opted to leave it grass and dirt. I came on a particularly rainy evening, pulled my car into the "lot" and was greeted with mud on my nice shoes. They do offer a valet service, but the walk from the "parking lot" to the theatre is short, the valet service waiting line was rather long, and I don't see the necessity to charge me to park when the ticket price itself was near 30.00. Overall, a great experience. I would return, but not on a rainy evening. read more

This experience was a treat from the very beginning. First of all ample parking right across the street from the venue. Easy walk to the front doors and into a beautiful building. The show Barnum was thoroughly entertaining with wonderful performances by the cast. It was comfortable in the large theater and not a bad seat in the house! read more

Attended the production of "Les Miserables" at this theater last month and, aside from the debacle that was the ticketing process, and the debacle that was the parking situation, and the debacle that was the design of the new venue, I actually thought I was seeing "Les Mis - the Comedy" due to the overacting in some of the numbers (and no, I don't mean the Thenadiers). I was astounded to read all the reviews in the local papers about how the production could compete with Broadway. It looked to me as though the actors had watched the movie in preparation for their parts and were attempting to emulate the anguish that worked with close-ups in a movie but can't possibly work on stage where the music is truly meant to convey the emotion of the story. Having seen Les Mis done in over half a dozen community theaters, I have to say this wasn't just the worst Les Mis I've seen, it was the worst play -- period. Tack that on top of the attitude of the woman who took my ticket who admonished me for not having the right piece of the online ticket (that wouldn't print upon purchase -- I called and was told it wouldn't be a problem because my receipt had a bar code printed on it), the fact that I couldn't drop off my elderly mother at the front door because all the lanes were blocked by an incompetent execution of valet parking, and the fact that I was called a liar to my face by one of the valets when I tried to pick up my car. Well, it wasn't a lovely night at the theater. Then there's the venue. The temperature was absolutely miserable. And for a brand new theater, there are inadequate women's restrooms for the number of patrons, the view is obstructed even in the first row of the second section (patrons behind me were complaining they couldn't see over the first section), you have to stand in line at the men's room to use the handicap restroom, and they failed to account for feet when they put the first row so close to the orchestra pit (they increased the leg room, but seemed to forget there is no seat in front of the row for your feet to fit under). And I know Florida is laid back, but for the marketing director to get up on stage in his ill-fitting jeans to welcome patrons, well, let's just say that by that point I wasn't surprised. All in all, Manatee Players proved that Les Miserables truly is a tragedy. But giving credit where credit is due, although the exceptional talent on stage (and under it, in the orchestra pit) was undermined by inadequate direction and insufficient sound equipment, the set design was truly genius. And the house did not start the show again until all patrons had plenty of time to return to their seats after intermission -- a thoughtful thing I've never experienced at another theater. read more

I would rate them 4 1/2 if the system allowed 1/2 stars. I have to agree with the other comments about parking, but in the theatre's defense they have implemented a number of changes to help address the issue (valet parking and shuttle service). I don't think it's entirely fair to "ding" the theatre for the general parking challenges in a downtown region like their current location. I'm sure that it's not economically feasible for them to construct their own parking. I've been a member of other community theatres, and they all have some of the same challenges. They need to keep tickets affordable, while trying to offer the best theatre experience possible and stay within budget. I'm a 5-pack subscriber, and I have to say that most of the shows have been very high caliber for a community theatre. They have excellent stage design, excellent performers, and superior lighting -- and they are improving every month at this new location. I saw Shrek & Peter Pan last year (among others) at the new location, and I thought they were both outstanding. The special effects and stage design were quite amazing for a community theatre. They'll continue to work out the "bugs" that can be expected with any new location/venue. Parking still isn't ideal, but take advantage of either their valet parking or their shuttle service to the nearby parking facility. read more

I was absolutely blown away by this theater! I had low expectations and as i was pushed into going by my spouse. It was a surprise to drive right up to the building and have a professional valet park the car for us. Talking with some other patrons, I guess parking has been an issue in the past. Valet is a great fix and there was even a shuttle running to the parking lots for those who didn't make use of valet service. We entered through a new, beautiful and HUGE lobby where I purchased a nice glass of wine. When it was showtime, I went to put down my glass and was told that I could take it in to enjoy at my seat. The seats were comfortable and I agree with the other reviewer that there didn't seem to be a bad seat in the house. The show itself was a hoot. I had seen the movie of Best Little Whorehouse in Texas but this was so much better. A lot more raunchy which surprised me too. I know Bradenton is very conservative, so this must have been a risk for them. The voices of the actors were fantastic. Appropriately country (although that isn't usually my thing) The dancing, acting, the sets, costumes, all great... it was just a lot of fun sharing energy with the performers who seemed to be having so much fun themselves. KUDOS all around! read more

As a volunteer at Manatee Players, I am lucky enough to see the show. I cannot stop thinking about last night's performance of Bridges of Madison County. WOW! Outstanding performance in every way. Acting and singing was definitely Broadway quality. Bravo! Changes of scenery, backdrops, lighting and music were inventive, authentic and well done. Everyone leaving the theater was marveling as to how they put this onto our local stage. Show runs through 2/26. A must see! Congratulations to all involved on a wonderful performance! read more

Attended Chorus Line tonight with friends. Very entertaining. I love that we have such a beautiful venue in our area. Kudo's to the cast and staff. read more

Although the role of the narrator for "Into The Woods" calls for a child, selecting a 10-year-old might seem a risky venture. But Judah Woomert carries it off with the style and vitality of a seasoned actor, and the entire cast feeds off his energy and enthusiasm throughout this splendid adaptation. Each of the musical numbers sounds fresh and alive, and the transitions between scenes are handled seamlessly. To me, these actors showed a solid understanding of the symbolism of this timeless tale. Costumes and scenery were also top-rate. A hearty thanks to all involved for creating such an enjoyable evening, and a special shout-out to Amanda Lade (it wasn't until I referred to the playbill after the curtain call that I learned she was in the "Milky White" costume) -- great job, Amanda! read more