19 Best Performing Arts in Virginia, USA

This elaborate theater with towering minarets and desert murals was built by the Shriners in 1926. Dubbed "the Mosque," a name still retained by locals, the theater sits just west of downtown, and is known for its excellent acoustics and for having the largest permanent proscenium stage on the East Coast. The Altria hosts the road versions of Broadway shows, symphony performances, ballet, children's theater, concerts, and fashion shows.

Experience Shakespeare's plays the way the Elizabethans did at the world's only re-creation of the bard's indoor playhouse, which has gained acclaim for its attention to detail. Unlike the open-air Globe Theatre styled around a courtyard, this theater was, in its time, an innovative indoor winter venue. As in 17th-century London, most seating consists of benches (modern seat backs and cushions are available), and some stools are right on stage.

From February through the Christmas season, audiences flock to Barter Theater, America's longest-running professional repertory theater. Founded during the Depression by local actor Robert Porterfield, the theater got its name in the obvious way: early patrons who could not afford the $40 tickets could pay in produce. Patricia Neal, Ned Beatty, and Gregory Peck are among the many stars who began their careers at the Barter, which today presents classics, dramas, comedies, musicals, and new and Appalachian works. Although times have changed since Noël Coward was given a Virginia ham for his contributions, patrons can still barter for their seat a few times a year. But don't show up at the box office with a bag of arugula and expect to be seated—all trades must be approved by advance notice.

This theme park hosts popular song-and-dance shows (country, gospel, opera, German folk) in several theaters; in the largest, the 5,000-seat Royal Palace, pop stars often perform.

This restored 1928 motion-picture palace is now a performing-arts center that mounts opera, traveling shows, symphonic music, and ballet. It's the cornerstone of the Center Stage Performing Arts Complex, which also boasts the intimate Rhythm Hall for local performers, as well as the Gottwald Playhouse, and a visual arts space called the Showcase Gallery.

Open year-round, this chamber music venue in the heart of Virginia's Allegheny mountains also offers lodging in the Manor House and gourmet meals paired with live music.

This state-of-the-art performance complex on the suburban Virginia campus of George Mason University satisfies music, ballet, jazz, dance, and drama patrons with regular performances in its 2,000-seat concert hall, the 460-seat proscenium Harris Theatre, and an intimate 140-seat black-box theater. 

Well-known artists on tour play at this 10,000-seat hall at the College of William and Mary.

The city's professional classical ballet company often performs at the Carpenter Center in addition to various venues throughout the city.

The Coliseum has been a Richmond institution since the early 1970s. With 11,330 permanent seats, and nearly 2,000 more for concerts, it hosts top entertainers and artists, the Ringling Brothers circus, basketball games, Disney on Ice, and other large events.

Founded in 1957, the symphony often features internationally known soloists during performances, holding shows in various venues from the Carpenter Center to the Altria. The Richmond Symphony All-Star Pops hosts popular guest acts.

This festival brings classical, jazz, and folk music to the Allegheny Mountains on weekends from May to September. The events are held at the Orkney Springs Hotel, an early 19th century spa that's now an Episcopal retreat. An ice cream social and an art display precede each concert. Concertgoers can sit on the lawn or in one of two pavilions.

The Tony Award–winning Signature Theatre company has earned national acclaim for its presentation of world premiere and reimagined musicals, especially those of Stephen Sondheim, as well as contemporary plays. Signature’s modern facility has two intimate black-box performance spaces where theatergoers can see Broadway-caliber shows performed with live orchestras 50 feet or less from the stage.

One of the most distinctive performing arts groups in the Washington area uses music, dance, high energy, acting, and athleticism to transform the works of Shakespeare, Dante, Edgar Allan Poe, and Robert Louis Stevenson into visual theatrics that are guaranteed to leave audiences fascinated. The award-winning theater is tucked away in Virginia's Crystal City, a short Metro ride away from downtown Washington.

This concert venue hosts everything from the Richmond Symphony to alt-rock and alt-country bands, with a full schedule of performances throughout the year.

has hosted such notable authors as Garrison Keillor and Michael Ondaatje. Thousands attend, and it is open to the public. Most of the events are free.

Every autumn, Charlottesville hosts the Virginia Film Festival, with screenings of important new movies, panel discussions, and appearances by stars of the cinema. The movies are shown at four sites throughout the university and downtown.

Some of the best operatic talent in the nation performs in season (September through April) at Norfolk's elegant Harrison Opera House, which is known for its excellent acoustics. Their schedule includes the most popular operas of Europe and the United States.

At the only national park dedicated to the performing arts, the 7,000-seat outdoor Filene Center (half of them sitting on the sloping lawn) hosts more than 80 performances from June through September. They range from pop and jazz concerts to dance and musical theater productions. The National Symphony Orchestra performs here in summer, and the Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods, running for seven weeks, delivers 40 free interactive performances, including puppetry, dance, and storytelling. In colder months, the intimate, indoor Barns at Wolf Trap fill with the sounds of musicians playing folk, country, and chamber music, along with many other styles. The park is just off the Dulles Toll Road (Va. Rte. 267), about 20 miles from downtown Washington. WMATA provides round-trip bus service from the McLean Metro stop to the Filene Center during summer events.