The Asolo Theater is currently showing Shakespeare Hamlet. It is the largest Equity theatre in…read moreFlorida, and the largest Repertory theatre in the Southeastern United States. Asolo Rep is a resident regional theatre company which also invites in guest artists. It works in conjunction with Florida State University's MFA Acting program, the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. This is a horse-shoe shaped theatre with 4 tiers of boxes and was modeled after La Fenice. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the building was the home theatre of the great Italian actress Eleonora Duse. In 1930, the Asolo Theatre was dismantled and put into storage. In 1949 the museum director of the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art learned of the theatre's existence and saw the theatre as an ideal acquisition for the museum. It's been in existence here for 67 years since 1958.

Stunning architecture, this building is from the 1500's in Oslo, Norway. It was transported to this…read morelocation & is truly remarkable how they are able to keep it up. There are very small parts of it that had to be reconfigured & restored that was damaged & didn't make the trip over, however about 85% of it is still in its original condition. It seats about 550 people & the acoustics are marvelous. My family & I went to see Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. As being someone who grew up going to broadway shows, this show transported me back to New York City! The friendliness of about half of the staff could be significantly better, nevertheless, everything else about this place was spectacular. Thanks Team Asolo Theater!

Here for the first time for a Sarasota Orchestra performance. Much smaller than the Van Weitzel…read morewith ample parking, easy in/out, a well marked campus ( it is the PAC for the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota). Great acoustics, comfortable seats with lots of leg room that allows for easy navigation to one's seat, intimate with a GORGEOUS organ. Friendly and helpful ushers, clean bathrooms. Great performance by the Sarasota Orchestra in their Master Works series ( we attended Beethoven's Fifth- fantastic!!) I was told this is the last performance by the Sarasota Orchestra here--- very disappointed in that.... But otherwise an asset to the community.

Bravo! SCF's music department is amazing!read more

This little theater was fantastic. Very intimate. But don't let the size fool you! The sound…read moretranscends. It was a great space with not a bad seat in the house. The sound and lighting effects are phenomenal here. We popped in to visit a friend who had flown down from Broadway and we were treated to the sights and sounds of an amazing production: Lucky Stiff! Will be planning a trip back to the Sarasota area and will have to catch another show when we return. The prices were very reasonable for such an equity cast. Brava!

December 2025 - Been going here as annual supporters/members since 2021 when we moved. Had been at…read moreWalnut Street Theater in Philly for two decades and then in Long Island and on Broadway for 16 years. FST ------- WE LOVE IT!! Of course no pictures BUT we did get a little snake the other day and since I usually do only food reviews on Yelp....... here is one for the FST. Banana Ice Cream Sandwich (new) is fantastic!!! And the Pecan Pie with vanilla Ice cream is very good (in truth the pie is pecan covered on top but the pie filling is just a sugary gelatinous filling and could be improved....but it was slightly warmed and was very nice. (see pictures) We don't go here for the food, but a lite snack and drinks are awesome and convenient and fairly priced!!!

The signage is horrible. We couldn't find it based on the address. Almost went home without seeing…read morethe performance we paid for. Small directional to direct us into the parking lot would have been helpful. Signage that isn't flush with the building would have helped as well. Having a live parking attendant is another solution. Frustrating when you are with someone who is disabled. That said.... The performance was the best of the season.... "Too fat for China" !!!

Couldn't get tickets for other more recognized theaters in the area, and this was the only one…read moreavailable during our one week stay in the area. Really expected a half baked production filled with silly woke and bogus climate change stuff. At $40 a ticket had low expectations and figured we would walk out at some point. BUT, the story line for "Job" and the acting (only two people) was actually quite riveting, professional and interesting. We were quite surprised. BRAVO. Also, nearby free parking is a plus in Sarasota. Next year? Sure

Saw LES MIS last night - a performance by super-talented high school actors & younger. It was well…read moreover a ten! The minimalist, effective sets & handling their setups was effective. The youth were superbly talented in their approach to this classic play, in full, glorious voice & touching roles well-played. Very hard to believe these were not professional actors - but then they were! It is brilliant, it shines, it is not to be missed if you can get on standby as the plays are all sold out at this point - but I got in, so tickets can be had... DO NOT MISS IT! Absolutely stunning in presentation, quality & presentation!

I have been volunteering both on and off stage as well as seeing shows at the players and I have…read morealways had a blast. The staff here is amazing and always very kind. Service wise, I have never had a negative experience here and performances are always great, considering that it's a community theatre. I would also recommend volunteering if you can, it really helps the theatre out and it's allot of fun working with and meeting new people every show you do.

This was so fun in original. I had a great time watching the performers too what they love and be…read moretalented at it. Excited to see different themes, coming to town in the future.

I'm a big fan of Cirque du Soleil, so it was hard to not compare. It definitely would not be fair…read moreto do so. With that said, this is a touring circus with decent acts. I enjoyed 3 or 4 of them. My seat was excellent, first tier, last row. But either section would have provided a great viewing of the show. No need to sit up close. Would I attend another tour? Maybe.