Got dance tickets from a friend. First time here. Parking at the Center Garage was very easy. Nice venue. They have a snack bar with sandwiches, salads, snacks and drinks. Can of beer $9 and wine $10. Would be a place to come back too! read more

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Compared to some of the bigger name performance halls, this one is quite simple and austere. However, it gets the job done and since the place is smaller, every seat has a good view. Some of the events are open seating, so come early for the best seats. Parking is nearby and it is $5 for weekday evening parking, and free on Sundays. read more

I'm giving 3 stars for this place but not because this hall is bad. When I think about rating Carnegie Hall or other wonderfully build halls in the world, it should be a 5 star rating. So if Carnegie Hall is getting 5 stars and giving this place 4 or 5, it does not seem right to me... Meany Hall is a great place for performing but it's too simple. There is no "wow" factor that I look for when I walk into any concert halls. Depending on the seat you are sitting, sometimes, you will have a hard time hearing music. like solo instruments for example. If the soloist is facing slightly to the left of the audiences, right side audience hears the slightly muted sound. So when you buy a ticket and select where you sit, make sure you know what instrument is featured. Seating is bit weird too... It's hard to get to the middle of the aisle and once the seats are filled, oh man, it is impossible to get out... Bathroom is located on the...basement of the hall... where you can get refreshments. Great thing is, there's always something to watch. UW symphony to world class performances!!! read more

This fantastic venue is located on the UW campus and a great place to visit! It has an intimate feel and amazing acoustics. There's two venues located here, 1,200 seat Meany Theatre and the much smaller Meany Studio Theatre that seats 238. Every time we've visited here, our sight lines have been perfect and the seats comfortable with ample leg room. Don't have time to have a full meal? In the main lobby and lower lobby locations, there's a café on site with wine, beer, cocktails, plus a rotating seasonal menu. If you've already eaten, there's cookies and desserts you can have during intermission and coffee with tea available also. You can pre-order a drink to be ready for you AT intermission. Sweet, eh? Limited covered parking is available underneath. They recommend arriving 30 minutes ahead of time to get a spot and make it to your seat. Get on their mailing list. We've seen Kodo here and they were exceptional. Before some performances, sometimes there are free talks about the performance so definitely check those out. read more

I've seen quite a few shows at the main stage, and I really like this venue. The acoustics are great, as well as the lighting, and the hall is spacious and modern. (There's no 'dark wood paneling' as the last reviewer claimed - the stage is surrounded with grey canvas flats designed to reflect sound and light.) There is paid parking directly underneath the hall. I also like that the entrances into the main stage area do not have doors, but are just tall openings - something about this makes it feel less claustrophobic. Overall it's just a really nice theatre. read more

Written about today: October 21st, 2014 About: Meany Hall and the Manager, Will, of the Philharmonic Orchestra Upset: Due to the lack of a phone number on the website or for the venue, lack of parking signs, lack of service, a donut that had ice in the middle, rude volunteers, no program handed to me, and treated with utter demhumanization and lack of respect when I did express my dissatisfaction for being 20 minutes late b/c I did not know where to park and drove all over campus and finally illegally parked in an off campus zone b/c I could not find street parking. I was really looking forward to enjoying the music because I bought this ticket on Living Social for 9.00. I have been wanting to enrich my life with music, but I am extremely poor. I also want to educate myself more about classical music, and I felt that this would be a great opportunity. However, I ended up being soured on the experience before it even started, because the Seattle Philharmonic does not advertise a phone number on their website for help for information about parking or about how long the event is, or if you just have general questions. I was pretty upset about this. I drove to the event at the UW Campus thinking there would be signs for the event, signs for parking and directing people where to go. There was none of this. Out of respect for the Seattle Philharmonic and the performers, I did not understand why both the performers and Meany Hall did not try harder in this regard. In the end, I, the audience member and customer, was the one who ended up suffering. I am pretty angry and upset that I had to walk around sweating on a hot day looking for a place to park. When I got there, after walking through a confusing bunch of steps, going up and down them, wandering through mazes in the courtyard and sweating even more, I was not warmly greeted. I knocked on the wrong glass door and the young girl who gave directions had a major attitude problem to me. Then, when I got to the other door, was not given a program. The volunteer took me to the manager of the Philharmonic and he was very rude and was very snide about the whole thing when I pointed out the lack of signage, the lack of a phone number, or any of the other things they could do better. When I asked him why he did not have a phone number, he just said they don't. He did not apologize, did not seem to care about my overall experience, did not offer a free ticket or anything. Meanwhile, the other people behind the glass were sitting there starting at me like Northwestern deers in the headlights as Seattleites often do. However, I had the right to express my very good points about the experience. When I asked Will if he would think of hiring someone to take phone calls for them for venues, he, as well as others behind the glass were smirking at me and laughing at me. As a writer and reporter who got a 4.0 in college, I felt insulted. As a human being, I felt insulted. Since I have 100 pounds to lose, I am used to being treated like a lesser human being, but this really took the cake. During intermission, I was even more insulted that I bought an overpriced Wal Mart donut for $4.00 that apparently had been kept in the freezer, b/c when I bit into it, it was frozen!!!! Horrifying!!! The ACTUAL MUSIC was very good and so was the quality of the musicians. The ACTUAL AUDITORIUM was ugly as sin, and the stage looks like it is falling apart. I am sad to see that. I am sad to see that there is no money that people would put into this group. I know that Adam cares about getting music to the masses, and I was very impressed with him and the fact that he came out afterwards to talk to the audience. I have NEVER seen a conductor more passionate about the music and dedicated to the craft. So I LOVED him. What made me sad is that the marketing and the customer experience is so bad that there really is no reason I feel compelled to come back...In fact, I am loathe to come back and go through a similar experience again. On the other hand, Adam kind of won me over at the end when he came out, but I did not want to ask him about the details of the parking and the lack of phone number and signage when this was supposed to be a question and answer session at the end about the music, of which I complimented him on his passion and the actual show which was Benjamin Britten and Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique". I LOVE how Adam is all about the music. I LOVE how Adam makes it that the MUSIC is what matters, not the add ons or dumbing music down, and as I said, he really won me, and many people, over. I am a liberal. I am a hippy. I am a poet. I am an artist. I am a writer. However, I cannot stomach the overall nastiness of the manager, and do not know how to process this in conjunction with the good experience of meeting Adam, the Conductor. So, can someone please explain why the service and experience was so bad, and why MY VOICE was not heard? read more

Meany Hall for the Performing Arts is an excellent overlooked venue. Since it's located on the UW campus, many don't seem to know of its existence. The hall boasts a 1,200 seat theatre with terrific acoustics, and hosts a variety of events year-round, from dance to music. It is home to the UW's School's of Music, Drama, and Dance. Their World Series programs feature internationally known artists. There are discounts for students, and for non-students they offer single tickets or subscriptions. If you love music and the arts, make this your new favorite venue. read more

I really, really wanted to like this place. We've been to the Symphony and the Philharmonic in many, many cities and it always appears that the Philharmonic is usually the less well funded younger half-brother. Nowhere was that more apparent than here in Seattle. After just seeing a show at Benroya Hall a few weeks ago we were shocked when we went to Meany Hall. The outside is pretty cool and the UW campus is very nice as well. Parking was hard to figure out but it turns out the permit parking right underneath is free. Apparently they sent an email to that effect be we had already left for the event so didn't get it. Really, everything was as expected until we walked inside. The venue seems extremely dated to me. Dark wood paneling lines the stage and it really seems to drag down the atmosphere. It really would have been nice to get a program. We didn't know two of the pieces so it would have been nice to have something in hand to tell us how many movements, some history, bios of the conductor/performers, etc. I can't be certain but something seems to be missing from the performance. I'm used to going to these shows and having the music just surround and engross me but for some reason I felt sometimes like I was listening to the music through a transistor radio. Weird, is that it wasn't the case for every piece of music. I feel like the musicians are generally quite talented so I have to chalk it up to the venue but I really don't know for sure. All in all, it was a bit of a disappointing performance. For a city this size, we really expected something better. That said, the second piece showcased a young local talent named Marie Rossano who was mind-blowingly good. We had no idea she was only 16 as she commanded the stage and was absolutely sensational. If you ever see her name attached to a performance I would try very hard to go see it. read more