First time to the theater, watching Little Shop of Horrors. Very elegant and beautiful waiting area…read morewith bar and friendly staff! They have a "pre-order" option for intermission. Definitely take advantage of that as the line at the bar gets quite long. The theater was very comfy and elegant as well. We parked underground at the library. Getting out was worse than hockey games. Next time I would think twice about parking there. It's definitely nice not having to walk outside side to get to your car in winter though.

Came here for a musical. My first time! Parking is not fun but we took advantage of La Ronde's free…read moreWednesday parking with food/drink purchase and went for drinks before the show. Website is super clear and was great to know how long the show was, that there is no intermission, where to park, etc.. Since we had to change our tickets we had to pickup from box office but that was very easy to find and very nice people working there. We were in the Shocter theatre I think. It was more tight that I would have liked as it was awkward when we/other people had to squeeze by to get to their seats. Show was 10/10 great, definitely loud enough.

L'UniTheatre is a gorgeous theatre in Edmonton that is sometime forgotten by the general public…read more Tucked away in the french quarters of Edmonton L'UniTheatre produces its own french theatrical programming as well as is a popular rental venue for companies such as Good Women Dance Collective and Workshop West Theatre. It is also programmed heavily during the Fringe Festival. Built in the late 1990's the theatre is a beautiful space with 3 levels of seating stacked in a manner that allows everyone to be near to the stage and with great sight lines. There really aren't any bad seats in the house. The theatre remains well kept, easy to access and a great spot in a beautiful neighbourhood.

Went here for the first time last night to see a dance performance. The theatre is small - looks…read morelike it can seat around 100 people - and pretty basic. The audio seemed fine but they were only playing recorded music so I don't know what it would be like for a live performance. Two pet peeves: - The seats aren't staggered at all so the person in front of you is right in front of you. Moving their head at the same time as you are moving your head, etc. If you get stuck behind someone taller than you, it's pretty much tough luck, suck it up. Also, not a lot of leg room, rows very close together. - I don't know if it's just because it was -30 outside, but it was boiling hot in the theatre. I got a little dizzy! A few of my friends commented on it as well.

Went to the "Fake Wake" they had right before Halloween. Fun space, interesting décor, but small. I…read morecould see this filling up fast. We did not eat, but our cocktails were lovely and it was a great atmosphere. The show itself was a lot of fun and the actors were great to talk to. Definitely will go back to see what else they have to offer.

I didn't even know this place existed until we went to a fringe show here. It's a super unique…read morecomedy club with a great outdoor patio space. Their menu has such things as vegetarian and meat hot dogs, nachos etc. they also have a wonderful selection of local craft beer and local ice cream. The theatre hosts comedy, magic and improv. They also teach classes on sketch riding in Prague and comedy. Check their website for more details. I will be returning. I like the idea of going out to a comedy show and then having a beer on the patio right after.

My husband and I went to see First Date in February when it was playing. Show was decent but not…read morewhat I would say memorable. It is one of those cute Valentine's type of shows that they play that time of year. Fairly predictable but enjoyable. The service we recieved was excellent considering that it was a buffet but the servers were attentive and our water and wine glasses were always topped up. Buffet is large and extensive. I normally dislike buffets but here they are well executed. Salad bar, a small seafood session (didn't enjoy the sushi rolls), cheese section. What has changed is instead of the prime rib station was replaced with a striploin and beef brisket station. I tried a piece of each. They were certainly not stingly. I am surprised on how much I enjoyed the striploin. But for a girl that doesn't like sweets, I love the Mayfield dessert choices. They are bite size so you can try a selection. I always get the rice pudding. So for a fairly predictable night out for both food and entertainment, which you won't be blown away but you won't be disappointed, try here.

We have been going annually to the Mayfield for our wedding anniversary for over 10 years now…read more Until now, we have been very happy with our choice, except perhaps for the time they did improv. This year, we happened to go the first week of the new season, Simon and Garfunkle. The show was excellent, the two singers channelling Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle perfectly. The only fault I could find with the show was that the drums were inappropriately loud. I have S&G vinyl that I just played to prove that my memories of the 60's are quite correct: The drums on the original are very subdued. The likely cause is that the program had a long resume for the drummer. Likely his ego was as puffed up as his resume. Where we were disappointed was with the dinner. It's always a buffet and excellent if you arrive as soon as the doors open. This time, we chose the brisket from the carvery and found it quite dry. The baked desserts were stale, as if they had been saved for the month the MDT was closed. Everything elsa was freshly made, salads and the items on the steam tables. Another problem was with the air conditioning. My wife complained that it was too cold in the theatre and was told that nothing could be done about it. Thankfully, the staff brought her a fuzzy warm blanket that she was able to wrap around herself. Before the show started, I looked around and another man in short sleeves was wrapped up as well. There had been a late summer heat wave which would have required cooling one or two nights before. The MDT should have been able to adapt more quickly. Hopefully when our anniversary rolls around next year, the MDT will be back on its game.

Coming here for the Western Canada Fashion Week (WCFW), the event was a wonderful experience…read more The venue for the event was amazing. The open clean space to the beautiful runway. The fashion show went on smoothly with tons of entertainment. I love the local fashion artists and I'm excited to go on a shopping spree in the near future. Overall I love coming to Arts n Barns for events and will be back soon!

I love the versatility of this venue! I've been here to see plays during the Fringe Festival,…read morefashion shows during Western Canada Fashion Week and even an awards ceremony for John Humphreys Human Rights! It's amazing how the decor and change in seating transforms the look and overall ambience in this space! Sometimes I have to remind myself that it's the same venue! Usually I buy my tickets online and then pick up my tickets at the will call window, right before the show. Sometimes there can be long line ups prior to the shows. Tickets I've bought have ranged in price from about $10-25. Give yourself extra time in case you need to find a parking space outside, pick up your tickets, have a quick washroom break and line up early to grab some good seats. This is a fairly small and intimate venue. Seats can be quite limited depending on the particular event. Seats are usually on a first come, first serve basis. This venue has a great location in the Whyte Ave area. You have plenty of options of places to eat in this vicinity, before or after the show. There is also a small concession stand inside this venue, in case you want to grab a quick refreshment. Overall, I love this venue! If you haven't been here yet, give it a try! It's pretty awesome!

Awesome awesome AWESOME belly laughing night at a Rapid Fire Theatre's Inprovaganza tonight! The…read moreBenjamins ROCKED it with their kiss or cut scene! All us ladies had our jaws dropping to the floor when those ladies cut their hair on stage! Say what? Yeah, for real - with blunt stationary scissors! Be sure to arrive on time! Show starts sharp :-) Concessions halfway thru include twizzlers for 2 bits. I highly recommend you drink your wine or beer through a twizzler to get the full experience!

Quite honestly with improv theatre, you never quite know what type of entertainment you're really…read moregoing to get: it will be improvised meaning that it will not follow a script but beyond that, you really don't know. Over the years I've been to numerous RFT shows and events though I definitely don't attend frequently. They are currently located in the Zeidler hall in the Citadel Theatre and this venue is pretty much a perfect size for their shows. They sell drinks (including alcohol) and twizzlers/nibs which can be purchased either before the show or at intermission (depending on the type of show, this may vary). As they're located in the Citadel, you can get here easily via transit and there are many parking garages available within easy walking distances (including the attached library parkade).

I took my mother to a Valentine's Date showing here the past weekend to see Valentine Train!…read more First of all, LOVED loved LOVED the theatre made to be a replica of the original. From the pictures on the walls to the vintage curtain to the the replica windows, it was like a movie set! I did find it a tad odd that we waited in the lobby for the doors to open until 810PM when the website had said show at 8PM but none the less it was great! The accoustics and visual inside was perfect and you were even allowed to bring in drinks or snacks purchased from the goody stand which included old fashioned favourites like flavoured candy sticks (think candy canes without the curve). The intermission was the perfect length of time. Seating was first come, first serve. The seats themselves were a little uncomfy - I'd like a modern update to the chairs perhaps :-) And let's not forget how cute it is driving into Fort Edmonton Park (my first time there if you can believe it!). Even though the park protion was closed, it was cute walking past the old fashioned shop fronts. There is a hotel there open year round called Hotel Selkirk which offers date night packages and dinner. It is a reconstruction of the 1920's hotel originally located on Jasper Avenue. Check them out at: http://www.fortedmontonpark.ca/hotel-selkirk/ I admittedly have not eaten there but the pictures look divine! Their website mentions weekly Sunday Brunch as well as dining events like Murder Mysteries! Yes Please! I can't wait to come back in the summer to take the whole experience in with the fam jam.

Tonight I went to the Capitol Theatre, which is theatre in Fort Edmonton Park. It was completed…read morelast year (I believe) and made to look like the original Capitol Theatre that was in Edmonton in the 1920's. While Fort Edmonton Park is only open during seasonal months (May to October) and for special occasions the Capitol Theatre is open at various times throughout the year when the Capitol Theatre is putting on a production. I should say this is a live theatre (as in plays and musicals) but apparently during regular Fort Edmonton Park dates/times they show a historic movie about Edmonton called "Northern Lights" that's free with park admission. During the off-season when a production isn't on the theatre can be rented out for group functions, which would be kinda neat. The outside of the theatre, from the parking lot at least, looks like just another grey cement building. I have to admit that kinda saddened me. I mean the Hotel Selkirk is right next door, and looks very lovely with its brickwork. I don't know maybe the hotel Selkirk isn't made of real brick, but it looks real. The Capitol Theatre has a lovely front facade that looks like a theatre from the 1920's. A bright marquee, a lovely wood panelled box office, vintage movie posters. It totally sells the part. Except for the fact you turn your head two inches and you can see the rest of the building is an ugly grey cement box. It's a bit disappointing that no one sprung the little bit extra to make the whole building look nice. So the disappointing part out of the way, like I said the front of the theatre is very nice, and the inside is nice as well. The theatre is done up in an Art Deco style. The lobby has framed posters of the original theatre, and other historic theatres in Edmonton. Plus there are posters from some of the plays and movies that were originally shown around Edmonton. If you're like me and you love vintage movie posters it was a pretty cool thing. The actual theatre where the stage of was lovely. It sort of reminded me of the Cannon Theatre in Toronto. Definitely not the same size, but there was that same Art Deco kind of style. The theatre looked like it could hold a couple hundred people, so it's not too big. The seats just look like any seat you might see in a theatre, but they're actually quite comfortable for a theatre seat. Trust me. I love theatre, but I've been to shows where I start fidgeting after 20 minutes because the seats are so uncomfortable. The Capitol Theatre seats were very nice. I saw "The Next Chapter", a Neil Simon play about a widowed man and a divorced woman. It was kinda funny, kinda cute, lots of snappy dialogue (Neil Simon seems to write snappy dialogue well), a little more dramatic than I expected. But I enjoyed it. The theatre was maybe half full, but to be honest I completely forgot that Fort Edmonton Park had a theatre until I was doing research for a school project. The price is very reasonable. Students (with ID) and seniors get tickets for $20, a regular adult admission is $28. The play I saw wasn't appropriate for the under 12 crowd so I don't know how much a regular kids ticket would cost. I do know that they will put on kids shows, because they're going to do The Velveteen Rabbit in December. The theatre is very nice (except the back part outside). The show was good (although live theatre can vary), and the ticket price was reasonable. Another bonus to seeing a show at the Capitol Theatre is getting to see part of Fort Edmonton Park in the evening, after a snow fall. It was quiet and quite pretty.

It's smaller than I expected, but that makes it easy to navigate for kids. There are a few food…read moretrucks and arts and crafts stands. The performers enjoy being there. They blatantly ask for money, around $20, from you for watching. Give what you can. It's in Winston Churchill Square, which is fine during the day but not somewhere you should walk at night.

I've been here pretty much every year since I was a kid, and I've never not had a great time…read more The performers vary a fair bit in terms of talent, but if you watch a few, you're pretty much guaranteed to be impressed overall. I love that they added a fresh fruit vendor. It's great to see healthy options pop up at events like this..... though I'll admit that I didn't get any, and instead opted for green onion cakes and ice cream. Hey, it's tradition. Hopefully the next generation can form new traditions involving the fruit vendor, because I'd like to see him stick around. :)