Part of the University of Florida in Gainesville, this venue presents varied forms of performances. With about 1700 seats they offer a variety of shows. I purchased tickets for I thought a children's play but it happened to be a local dance school recital. The website did not have a good description. It was not what we expected and left halfway through the show. The theater is very nice but just made a mistake picking the wrong show. Parking is free on the weekends in the garage across the street. read more

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Fun Fact: I graduated from high school right here, at The Phillips Center! I also remember attending many Nutcrackers, plays, and other field trips here while in grade school! It's definitely (or used to be) an Alachua County public schools field trip staple! While it's a place of nostalgia and great memories, it's also a favorite venue. Upon returning for a graduation, it all came rushing back. Seating is comfy, it's quiet spacious, and there's not a bad view in the building. Great theatre in good ol' Gainesville! read more

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As a UF student, I'm so happy to have an amazing performing arts center right here on campus! It is a beautiful venue that is the perfect moderate-size, so there isn't a single bad seat in the house. I've had the opportunity of both seeing shows here and performing on the stage, so I have extensive experience with the staff. The tech staff is extremely helpful, I've worked with them closely for lighting and sound details. The Phillips Center doesn't have the fanciest lighting or sound package, but it's certainly enough to put on a great show. My experience with the box office staff has only ever been pleasant. Their employees are always ready to help you at the best of their ability. The ticket buying process is extremely easy since you can do it either over the phone, online, or in person. If you are coming here for a show and picking up your tickets from will call, I would recommend coming early (30-45 minutes before) to avoid long lines. I would also recommend getting here early if you are driving, for the parking garage closest to the building gets pretty busy pretty quickly, and you might have to park in the surface lot which is the tiniest bit farther away. read more

Curtis M Phillips Center For Performing Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

If you have not been to a show at the Phillips Center, you definitely should! This is actually where my fiancée and I went on our first date years ago. The national and international performers they bring here are always fantastic. In the past few months I've started going to the Phillips Center's Upstage performances. Upstage performances are their way of bringing that intimate comedy club feeling here to Gainesville. For Upstage, the backstage area in transformed into a small arena. It gives you an up close experience with the talent. Just recently, I went to see one of these amazing shows. As you can see from the picture, I was very close. These shows are very intimate and you get free desserts for attending. The staff here are great and always have a smile on their faces. I highly recommend the Phillips Center! read more

Curtis M Phillips Center For Performing Arts - a grand piano on stage - Performing Arts Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I love going to the Curtis M Phillips Center For the Performing Arts (Wow that is a long name!). I have been here for several performances and really enjoy how large it is and how nice and friendly the staff is that works at this location. As a UF PhD Student, I am happy that we have such a great place for the performing arts on campus. One of the classes I take for my PhD requires us to go see a few plays and write about what we thought. I love that they give such a great student fee for most of the plays. I have seen great shows and great performances. I recently saw the Visa talent show here and it was a great performance! We are really lucky to have this theater here in Gainesville! read more

I have watched multiple shows at the Phillips Center, and my experiences here have been phenomenal. They always feature a variety of shows for different audiences, which they showcase in a brochure that is accessible to the public in a shelf when you walk in. The service of box office staff, in my opinion, makes my experience here easy and efficient. They provide multiple suggestions on where to sit, allowing me to personally choose the best possible spot. They always review my order to make sure everything correct as tickets are non-refundable. There are three to four windows open and available during the day, so I can purchase or pick up my tickets with no wait time. During show nights, they have all six windows open, so that they are able to accommodate the lines for will call in a fast and efficient manner. I have not had any problems with the staff, and they are always happy and eager to help. In terms of parking, they have a parking garage and lot so it is easy to find a spot! read more

Nine of us friends went to the musical 'Kinky Boots' at The Philips Center. The Philips Center is beautiful, well laid out, has ample parking and pristine grounds. The musical 'Kinky Boots' was entertaining, up-beat, and conveyed a great message (to accept who we are) The actors who played the main characters Lance Bordelon, Jon N. Banks and Sydney Patrick as well as all the cast gave a great performance. Our only complaint...a lot of the time we had trouble clearly hearing what the actors were saying (we were sitting in the lower level rows N & O). Faulty sound system? Acoustics? read more

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Why haven't I been here before? It's my loss!!! This is a beautiful center to see any kind of performance. The interior reminds you of an old theatre but it's not. It's smaller than your average theatre but not too small. Just the right size. There's not a bad seat in the house!!!! Even sitting in the last row you have an unobstructed view that is still close enough to see all the action!! All of the staff is so polite and helpful. That is except for the staff in the box office. I had never been here before and they could not answer basic questions to assist me. The parking could pose a problem since it is not street level but rather in a garage, especially if you are handicapped. read more

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For a performing arts center in a moderately-sized town, the Phillips Center is impressive. There is a ton of seating. I've been to multiple productions and have yet to get a "bad" seat. There are usually two to three different performances per month. Ticket prices vary by performance, but student ticket prices are $20. You can now purchase tickets online, and it is super convenient! The only thing that sucks is the parking. DO NOT park in the parking garage. You will get stuck in traffic. Park at the Harn or natural history museum. Trying to park at Southwest Rec will be impossible. read more

I'm a student at UF and unfortunately, while the center itself is beautiful and well kept, event staff is organized, effective, and helpful, this is the 3rd time since January I've hit road blocks trying to pick up tickets I've bought over the phone or online. Today the Phillips Center box office was supposed to be open until 6pm. When I went to pick up my ticket with my brother at 5:28pm, all the windows were closed and the doors to the building were locked even though there was a sign directing visitors into the building for ticketing services from 12-6pm . Before that, a friend of mine and I both missed a performance we had paid for because the box office was once again closed when it was supposed to be open. Originally I had gone to pick up my ticket during normal hours of operation only to find it closed an hour early for no discerneable reason. I went inside to see if there were any employees available to help me, and though I clearly saw someone's sillhouette behind the blinds from the inside of the center, they refused to respond to me when I went up to the window and tried to get their attention. They literally pretended they were not there even though I could see them. Because of that, I had to wait to get the tickets the day of the show because of my class and work schedules. I was told that it would be open at least an hour or two before the show. When we got there 40 minutes before the show, it was closed. I called the office immediately only to be sent to voicemail because it was "past hours of operation." So the office doesn't issue refunds for tickets unless the event date is moved or canceled, but 3 times now it has caused problems for me and other attendees because its own staff has closed the ticket offices when they're supposed to be open (according to the website, phone staff, and signs posted on doors and ticket windows). I honestly don't recommend buying tickets from them unless you can manage to get them in person early, even if you don't get to sit next to the people you're going with since it will all depend on when you can each go individually and seat availability. Their customer service isn't even bad, it's nonexistent. read more

This is the best performing arts center in Gainesville and is very impressive at that since Gainesville isn't a huge urban area. There is a good amount of seating and the acoustics are great as well, making the Phillips Center home to a ton of concerts. Big name artists come here, as well as speakers, ballet ensembles, and UF performing groups. I've played in the center myself with the UF Symphony Orchestra and they always have staff available for our needs and best yet, my friends can come at a discounted student rate. read more