This is always such a great venue to come and see a show. It has an underground free parking garage. It's easily accessible if you have any mobility issues. The theater itself is very intimate and allows you a good seat no matter where you are. The staff is friendly and helpful. All shows from my experience, have been reasonably priced. Before the show grab something to eat, a cup of coffee, or even a glass of wine at the Bean Scene Cafe which is linked to the theater. read more

Excellent location on Castro Street in downtown Mountain View. I come here for specific performances each year. Spacious theater with plenty of spots to practice or do rehearsals before showtime. Staffs are great communicators and are always helpful. This place has been around forever and City Hall is a great place to gather or use public restrooms as well. Cafe is easily accessible next door. If you come here in December during the annual Christmas Tree Lighting event, you won't be disappointed. Colorful Christmas vibes everywhere. There's a good sized local park behind it and you can easily park on the streets which are all walking distance. Besides ballerinas and dancers, you get to watch singers, group choirs, and many more colorful entertainments on the outdoor stage area. Inside stage is usually reserved for larger popular shows. Yes, dressing room and areas for practicing before performance time is well set and they're usually on time moving groups in and out as scheduled. Love the backstage area and scenes. Good feeling inside and outside. read more

See all

This small but spacious theater has a main stage seating and a spacious balcony. There's a cafe for your enjoyment that offers various snacks, drinks, alcohol, and miniature nutcracker ornaments. The Center presented Smuin: The Christmas Ballet with today's (12/8/2014), performance being the last showing. The performance center was decorated with holiday decor and nutcrackers throughout. The bathroom is small and became a tight squeeze when crowded, but I managed. The overall venue is nice and located in downtown Mountain View amongst businesses. read more

See all

The Shakespeare 12th Night was performed by an armature cast without any stage decorations and billed as a Silicon Valley love story for an AI age. Everything was extremely amateurish except for the ticket price of $55. read more

I went to the MV Center for the Performing Arts for the first time in years to watch Seussical. It was amazing! I have never even seen the interior before! It was so beautiful. I hoped to see the next performance in the summer!! I'll be sure to grab my tickets!!!! read more

I've come here for 3 different shows namely 39 Steps, Radium Girls and the Nut Cracker, all of which have been held in three different auditoriums. 39 Steps has been hands down one of the best live performances I've witnessed during my time on the west coast purely due to the seasoned performances and script. The place has free parking in addition to the ample parking in and around Castro Street. On most days, you'd be able to buy a ticket directly at the ticketing centre without having to buy in advance. The place has a small cafe that serves packaged food, hot chocolate, coffee and snacks during the shows. Pro-tip: Season premiers are followed by happy hours and the chance to mingle with the cast over a glass of wine and some cookies :-) read more

See all

I went to my first show this weekend and saw the Prince of Egypt and absolutely loved it! This was my first time at the theater and it's very beautifully designed. Also, the different theater staff are very friendly and helpful. We sat at the upper balcony, which we were able to see the entire stage very well. I thought the play was beautifully done and you can tell there was a lot of hard work put into making a successful show. The singing and the voices of the actors was just wonderful. I was pleasantly surprised on how artistic the whole production was and the incorporation of modern dance to tell the story. I was really happy that they included the important song called "When you believe" from the original soundtrack and I liked how they incorporated the whole production to sing the song. I feel they put on a really good production of the play and I'll definitely be back for more shows in the future! read more

Nice venue to see Smuin Ballet. Free parking. And small cafe to grab a snack for a young ballet fan.

********************* 1310 ********************** I came here for Smuin Ballet last weekend and the show was great, just as I saw it in San Francisco. Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts is a smaller theater than San Jose and SF. Will call line was long, even though we came 30 minutes before the show. The cafe next door serves only 1 red and 1 white wine, quite simple, a few more pastries and snacks, but nothing was it for this kind of theater and guests. We don't mind to pay more, with better option and quality of food and wines. The volunteer ladies are nice. We got to chat with Liz, she has been there for a long time. A sweet and kind volunteer that loves arts. She was kind enough to let us put our to go food in the office during the show. The theater is beautiful, clean, decent chairs. Although if you are 6 ft tall or over 200 lbs, it would uncomfortable to sit in these chairs. Free parking on Castro on Sunday! read more

See all

This is a beautiful building, great design. This is a fairly small intimate theater, I was here a few months ago to see a play called "Proof" which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you want to avoid the crowds in SF, be around nice people in a more relaxed environment and pay a fraction of the cost, check this place out. It is conveniently located in downtown Mt View, so they are a lot of food and drinks options after you are done. read more

This center is something Mt. View should be immensely proud of...the design of the building is award winning. There is not a bad seat inn the house and the theater is small enough that attendees feel included in the performance. The rotunda/lobby is a great place for an after-party or dance. I recently enjoyed Tango Addiction there and afterwards the lobby was a dance hall! There is a snack bar in the lobby which is a fun place to meet and chat during intermission or after a show. And ladies, the sparkling bathrooms have an ample number of stalls, so you don't need to be shut out after intermission! Parking is usually not problem... but that is a "usually." it's always best to leave ample time. read more

Quite a nice venue. First time here. Won't be my last. Enjoyed Warrior Class quite a bit. Enjoyed the fact that the line to grab a glass of wine at intermission was small. Four stars not five because as a tall (6'6) man, the seats were... cozy. read more

3 months old infant is charged for ticket. I don't no more words is needed. I'll keep it going because yelp won't post it otherwise. Can you believe three months old would have to have his own ticket? To "see" her big sister performing. Unbelievable. read more

Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Mountain View, California

"Rags" is the inspiring musical performed by an amazing TheaterWorks cast on through April 30th. Set design masterfully captures emigrants arriving at Ellis Island and their lives working in sweat shops and in the tenements of New York. This talented cast hits this musical out of the ball park accompanied by a small but powerful orchestra who can play a demanding range of music evoking the emigrant experience of the early 1900s. Where did they get the great Klezmer musicians? Plenty of laughter and love. Winning set design, great score with a professional orchestra to bring it alive, and wonderful voices and acting...what's not to like!? read more

I love this place! I love their regular performers (Smuin Ballet, Hershey Felder) as well as the season series of theater. Based on the quality of what we have seen there and the ease and pleasure of attending, we became series subscribers this year and (not surprisingly) have loved everything we have seen. When interviewed about the venue, many performers also state that it is a pleasure to perform there and easy of access. The stage is very wide and the theater not particularly "deep" so almost all seats are good (I have sat all over the place). The venue is also lovely! Parking and access to a very wide variety of local eateries are excellent. My ONLY complaint--how could they have done this, making themselves vulnerable to the same criticism lobbed at all of the classic theatre venues in San Francisco, from the Opera House to the Curran and the Golden Gate . . . . for a venue that consistently has sold out shows, why are there only 8 or 10 toilet stalls for women? This practice PUNISHES women. During intermission last night--after dinner and pre-show cocktails and coffee in the lobby (not me however not me because doing so will cause suffering during the show) the line to get into the downstairs women's room had at least 30 people in it! I ran upstairs but still had to wait five minutes to get in. I barely got back to my orchestra seat in time. Perhaps the show managers keep an eye on the lines and don't start the show until everybody has finished in the restroom, but even so . . . we may all have gotten in but the circumstances were terrible. Everybody feels rushed and tense in circumstances like that. This place was only built in 1991; by that time surely building planners had become more enlightened about providing adequate restroom accommodations for women? (Typically, there were no lines for the men's rooms.) Very disappointing, MVCPA! read more

The performing Arts Center in downtown Mountain View is exquisite. Every seat in the facility offers a good location for viewing and listening. It is located downtown at 500 Castro St and Mercy St. And it is near many restaurants and bars for those who seek it before or after the venue. The Performing Arts Center has an attractive snack shop for coffee, tea, sweets, and more. The snack shop has both indoor and outdoor seating. Next door to the Performing Arts Center are the gorgeous city offices. Those city hall offices are the most beautiful city hall I have ever seen. And there is a relaxing water fountain out front. Parking is plentiful: 1) Underground structure off Mercy Street underneath the Center for Performing Arts. 2) Street lot at Mercy and Bryant, and much more. read more

Regional Acting at its finest! Came to the Mountain View Center for performing Arts (aka, TheatreWorks) to see SUPERIOR DONUTS Super-powerful performances punctuated a tale about the owner of a donut shop in Chicago; the boy who comes to work for him; the relationship that builds between the characters & the patrons of the donut shop.... reminds us to follow our dreams of youth and persevere Really cool area - nice & open, lots of parking available, lots of restaurants around Lobby is large & open - very inviting; staff was laid back & welcoming Venue is intimate, seats were comfy & views were unobstructed, sound was okay - could have been just a teensie bit louder but still okay overall I'm liking this venue & want to come back for more!! read more

I watched "Prince of Egypt" here for the first time & was impressed at how well it was done. The theater is pretty low key compared to SHN Orpheum & Golden Gate and the acoustics on stage is okay. The price for the ticket for a front row seat is a lot less than what I normally pay for Orpheum shows, $70 for B center Orchestra seats. That's a steal fpr front row. Parking for guests is free. Restrooms could use more stalls coz the lines are always long during intermission. Restaurants across the street for dining before the show: Scratch, Shiva, Cascal, etc. Walking distance and so convenient. Its location on Castro St makes for a perfect evening for a dinner & a show. Def coming back! read more

Know what I liked about this place? That I didn't pay full price for my ticket. I bought them off goldstar for the Sweeney Todd Musical in October. I got balcony tickets for about $17.50, which isn't too bad for about two and a half hours of entertainment. Anymore than that, I would've been an unhappy camper. First let's talk about what was right about this place: - It's a small venue so the show seemed a bit more intimate - The tickets were easy to pick up from will-call - Seats themselves were pretty comfortable - Decor is nice. No special architecture here. Just clean. Okay, now let's talk about what could've been better: - The worst part about this venue is the seating. The seats aren't staggered, so the person directly in front of you could definitely block your view. Definitely a problem if that person is tall, wears a hat, or has big hair. I spent a good majority of the show leaned forward and swaying from side to side trying to see. - Sound doesn't carry too well in the theatre. I wish subtitles were an option for theatre performances. If tickets are cheap enough and it's a show I really want to see, I think I'll come back here, but I'd have to really think about it. read more

WILL-CALL (incl Goldstar) was INSIDE, not at Box Office outside. SEATS - read online that Balcony seats sucked, but we had second row ~2 o-clock and they were really fine. So, wouldn't spring the $$$ w/o some compelling reason. PARKING underneath was full on a weekday matinee. (Maybe people doing biz with City Hall?) If you say you're seeing a perf, the guy at the "parking full" sign gives you a ticket that validates you for a nearby lot (about 2 blocks away.) Also, noticed library (right next to center) has free underground parking...? Lovely facility, but there were an excess of semi-crabby ushers plus the guy at will-call who was very off-putting when I asked if this perf was heavily sold. After saying, no, he felt it necessary to remind me that it was reserved seating. Look, if there's empty seats that are way better than mine and I'm thinking of moving at the interval, why insult a potential repeat patron with that attitude? read more

Saw a fantastic performance of The Light in The Piazza and loved the Center. Free underground parking (always a plus for us city folks), a wonderful fountain in front of the entrance, decent cafe next door, and immaculate restrooms. Acoustics were great and the temperature controlled environment was not to cold or too hot. And of course this production of a Tony-award winning musical (based on the novella by Elizabeth Spencer) was extra special since a friend of ours sang the role of Giuseppe Naccarelli (the brother of Fabrizio the protaganist). A great story that left us asking questions and wanting more! read more

Great performing arts venue. Free parking, comfortable chairs, and a good variety of theatrical options. The husband and I have seen a few Smuin ballets, Hershey Felder's one-man play+concert of Tchaikovsky, and two plays, the most recent being Archduke. Solid acoustics and reasonably priced tickets. It is also located right on Castro Street, with a ton of restaurants to pick from for dinner before and/or ice cream after a show! read more

I really liked this venue. It seemed the kind of place that doesn't have a bad seat in the house. We had spectacular seats, but looking around the layout is very nice. Unlike other venues, I felt close enough to the stage to remain engaged, and I didn't feel smooshed up against my neighbors. The facilities were clean and functional. Always worth a star! Lastly, it's nice to see so much local support in the lobby. Art, menus, coupons, etc. In a non-cluttery, but full of life way. read more

I saw the Tony Award winning musical Sweeney Todd here and was pleasantly surprised at how well-run it is. I bought my tickets a couple of hours prior to the performance at the on-site box office. If I recall correctly, they accept all major credit cards. The staff was knowledgeable, efficient, professional and courteous. Definitely a pleasant experience. When it came time for the show, the staff was no different. TIP: You can avoid paying the $6 per ticket processing fee from TheatreWorks by buying your tickets at the ticket office rather than online. (The fees for buying on the phone through the box office are less. I think there are other ways to buy too, but the only way I know to avoid any fees is in-person at the venue box office.) There is a large staircase as well as an elevator to get to the balcony / upper level. On the ground floor near the main entrance there is a cafe with food and beverages. My only complaint were the carpet and restrooms could use some cosmetic refreshing. I hear this center is very well funded, so perhaps they should put some of that funding to good use! read more

Came one time and I'm a fan! My friend had an extra ticket to Spoonful of Water; a 2012 Pulitzer Prize winning drama. The actors were fun and believable. Awesome choice of music: Coltrane. The stage is multi level: perfect to keep you engaged. Decor: very nice. Customer service: very nice. Parking: ok Tip: they have a coffee/dessert/wine bar. Reasonable prices too. The desserts looked yummy. read more

A friend and I came here a few weeks ago and saw a play. The space was really nice. It was new, clean and comfortable. The seating was well planned so you could see above everyone's head and you were close enough to feel like part of the action. read more

Very nice theater. We saw the barber of Fleet Street here and it was a great production but more importantly the facility was also great. Every seat has a great view and the stage is very modern with great lights and sound. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by this venue. My daughter performed in her ballet studio's production of the Nutcracker here. This isn't a huge theater, so all of the seats are good. It provides an intimate setting for the ballet and other performances. Free parking is available at the theater and across the street. read more

The seats are UNCOMFORTABLE. My knees touch the chair in front of me. I'm 5'8," which is not THAT tall! And the thin armrests are made of hard wood that bit into my elbow. I had to cross my arms, and shift about, to make it through a 100 minute long performance. Thankfully no one was sitting to my immediate left. The view was great, even from the back of the first level (I didn't check out the balcony). Great sight lines (though no one was right in front of me, and I noticed that the seats are not staggered). The bathrooms looked like they were from a 1990s high school, and could have used better cleaning. Parking was easy. Area is lovely. Theater looks nice on the outside. But I was miserable throughout the performance due to being so cramped. The production we saw was fabulous (*Fun House"). But no matter how good the show, I won't go see anything there ever again, even it it's free. read more

Overall my experience was pleasant at the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts. What I loved most was the underground parking garage that I dearly wish we had in San Jose since parking was FREE! The theater itself is smaller then most but I love the central, downtown location. We were there for the first time to see the world premiere of The Prince of Egypt. The inside of the theatre seemed a little dated and the downstairs bathroom was super tiny; these were my biggest negatives. However, my mom and I enjoyed the musical and would definitely come here again to see a show! read more

Came here to see my friend's kid perform. The place itself is big and has a nice underground parking. The elderly gentleman in the ticket booth was not nice and ruined my mood for the day. I wanted to buy one kid and one adult ticket. However, I asked him if they had a student discount for adults with the student ID. He stared at me and said, "anyone under the age of 21." So I asked again, because clearly I am way over 21 but it doesn't mean that I can't be a student. And most places have student discounts regardless of age. This is America-we don't discriminate. He stared at me again and just repeated himself like a recording. Seriously, just because I wasn't born in U.S and you were, doesn't mean that I don't understand English. At this point I gave up, because he was obviously doing this on purpose. So I handed my credit card to pay for the tickets and he said that I needed to sign my card. I never ever sign my card. So I showed him my ID and he insisted that I sign my card. Who the heck is this guy? So arrogant and disrespectful!!! I did not sign my card and ended up paying cash. I have never had any issues paying with my credit card and just showing my ID. I seriously hope that someone in the management will do something about this. Just remember, what goes around comes around! read more

This theater is fantastic because it is large enough to support serious performances, but small enough that every seat is good. The balcony seats are closer than orchestra seats in some other theaters. It's also easy to get here and park. read more

Came here to watch 'XXCENTRIC' last weekend and was impressed by the company and venue. I have no place critiquing the artists, but I have to say it was an entertaining show to watch. The venue was great and there doesn't seem to be a bad seat in the house =) read more

Gorgeous theater. Gives downtown Mountain View a sense of place and importance. Upscale, yet people friendly.

Watched sherlock holmes and the hound of the baskervilles on Saturday and I really enjoyed it. If you're into performing arts, the Mountain View Center is definitely an A+ for entertainment. =) read more

I've watched and performed in this place. The acoustics aren't too bad, in fact somewhat decent. The place is new and gives a feeling of cleanliness and tidiness. I like it. Better than some shabbier theaters. Ones like Flint have pretty atrocious acoustics. read more

This intimate theater is one of the venues used by Theater Works. I just had the great fortune to see "Daddy Long Legs." Every time I have visited this theater my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The facilities, including the parking garage are well-maintained. Parking is free and directly linked to the theater, so that is another plus, especially during our rainy season. The audiences are always polite and enthusiastic, There is also a lovely fountain and outdoor seating area, so if you want to sit and talk (or cuddle) after a show, there is an appropriate place! read more

Small stage but with very nice layout. The girlfriend and I went for Snow Falling On Cedars. The performance was great! Will definitely go again. read more

Great family event done annually. Wonderful way to spend time with the kids, grandkids etc. A tradition w us!!

Beware of the marketing on this site and read carefully! I was looking for tickets on their site and found they were doing a production of Cats. The photos on the site were of an adult cast and production so I fully expected a professional level show. When I got to the theatre I found out it was being put on by a youth group and clearly not what I was expecting at all! I tried to get a refund for the tickets and was refused. When I looked back at the site, it does say "presented by peninsula youth theater" in small lettering, but shame on their marketing team for presenting it with photos of a professional level show with regularly priced seats to boot. read more