The performing arts center offers many opportunities to see various art forms including galleries, plays, musicals and music. I've recently discovered the broadway subscription package and highly recommended. The packages offer varying price points with some around 50-60 per show. Arrive early and visit the free galleries throughout. read more

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It's been a while since I've been at the Overture and last time was for a Matt Nathanson concert so very different experience. Was very excited when it was announced that & Juliet was touring through Wisconsin. The speciality cocktails were great. Loved the photo back drop space and that they had staff helping to take your photo! We were in the Right Balcony row J. Note it is a very steep set up for balcony- great for view no heads in the way - get "closer" to the stage but for those with height or falling phobias do beware! Sound was really great and if you did have to pop out during performance for some reason- they actually have monitors out in the hallway showing the stage which is nice. Would definitely return for another show. read more

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The Overture is a fantastic venue! I love coming here for various performances - musicals, plays, ballets, etc. Most recently I saw The Kite Runner which was in the Capitol Theater inside the Overture. It was a such a great show and the theater is beautiful. The touring Broadway shows tend to be in the Overture Hall, which is the biggest theater. It is also a lovely space! read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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This is an amazing venue, great service, great seats, kind staff, and a great circuit of shows! The venue is beautiful, tickets are reasonably priced (they do have student discounts!) and I always have a lovely time there. read more

Went during the international festival and the size of this center is amazing. Huge and very clean. The theatre inside is beautiful and the chairs are comfy! read more

Super nice performance venue!! I was highly impressed with the interior of the building. The windows and natural light that were coming in honestly took my breath away for a sunny Sunday afternoon matinee performance! I purchased last minute balcony box seats for a performance I really wanted to see. The price of the tickets is definitely worth what you get. With the balcony box seats, you do have to leave forward to see much of the stage, and no matter what you will not see the upper portions of the stage and very far of the stage side which you are sitting, but honestly I think it's worth it for the price you pay. Bar/concession services were good with a nice selection and good prices. Bathrooms were very clean! read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Dear Evan Hansen from balcony box seats - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

My friends&family and I come almost every month if not every other. The fact that Broadway comes right to Madison is so amazing and one of the reasons why I love living here. Gorgeous architecture, lighting in all seasons, easy to get to no matter time of day, no bottlenecks inside or out even with huge crowds getting to their seats. I've seen Mamma Mia, Lion King (took my mum+bro after seeing it at Minskoff in NYC), Aladdin, Les Mis, Tootsie, Menopause the Musical (in Capitol Theatre), and tomorrow I will be seeing the Kite Runner! Their staff is seriously THE BEST, always so adorably dressed, happy to engage and help, well-trained for crowd control and ushering, and just all smiles, such a good vibe! (I realized this after a HORRIBLE experience during Whitney Houston in Orpheum) Happy to be in Madison because of the wonderful experience they add to, if you see this, thank you to you and your colleagues! read more

The film screening was nice and parking was reasonable. They checked my purse upon entry and scanned our tickets. Staffs were all friendly and helpful. Maybr the stairs inside the theatre should be covered in carpet as it was loud when folks walked up/down the stairs in the middle of the movie. read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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The shows are so good,drinks are overpriced but there are many great bars near by to stop by before the show. seating is good and reasonable in cost. Big fan of the plays. read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

First time at the Overture and my first impression was very positive from the moment we walked into the soaring light filled lobby. We made our way up to the mezzanine level where our seats were - I was surprised at how steep the seating bowl is compared to some other theaters I have been in. This steepness appears to help to provide good sight lines throughout the place. One knock is that if you have seats at the end of the row like we did you have to get up a lot to let everyone into the row since there are no middle aisles to provide other access points. If you are in the middle you have to shuffle passed many people to get to your seat given these very long rows. Also the areas outside the theater on the upper levels are a bit maze-like when trying to find rest rooms during intermission. Despite these minor gripes I really liked the acoustics and the overall atmosphere of the Overture. We will be back. read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Not quite the nose bleed seats - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

a CHRISTMAS CAROL. What a great performance. Told by the adult Tiny Tim, greatly acted and performed. Entertaining, and a joy to see a slightly new twist after seeing decades of the same thing ! Overture theater is wonderful. The 1927 Capital Theater now house 7 venue stages I am told. Spectacular. read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I love the Overture Center for great entertainment without having to travel far. This summer I've been blessed to see Hamilton and attend the Gladys Knight concert. It has been a long time due to the pandemic and I'm so glad to be back! read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Hamilton! - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Despite dozens of trips to Madison over the years, I finally had a reason to attend an even at the Overture Center, a stylish concert venue on state st near the capital square. Our event was National Geographic's Symphony for the World and include a small orchestra playing live music for amazing video footage of nature from Nat Geo. As a concert venue, the O.C. felt intimate even from the balcony (right circle in their parlance), and the seating was spacious with ample leg and shoulder room so I didn't feel all Jamed in like at venues we frequent in the Twin Cities where we live. The lobby is also very appealing with a soaring ceiling and beautiful sight lines (especially at night) of the capital and other downtown buildings. Plus there's ample room to spread out so it didn't feel crowded. Inside the concert hall, the feel is a bit danish modern with honey colored wood and beautiful lines. Bottom line both aesthetically and artistically, a top notch concert venue and a real asset to the city. read more

Overture Center For The Arts - A beautiful concert venue in Madison - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

We love coming here for shows! It's right downtown Madison, with lots of food options surrounding it if you want to grab a bite before the show. Parking is always hairy for the bigger shows, so make sure to come early! I HATE their stairs. They heard people up these architecturally pleasing staircases, that you can watch sway as you and dozens of others are climbing higher and higher. Then they try and pack as many people in as possible but making you go up 20 more flights of stairs if you are unlucky enough to be in the very top row of the entire place. It terrifies me to think if there would ever be a fire in that place. When we were in that top row, it took us all of intermission just to get to the main floor. read more

Highlights/Lowlights 1) Awesome ambiance 2) great location downtown 3) awesome Broadway show line ups! Talk about a gorgeous venue! The ambiance of Overture is sophisticated and its the perfect venue to catch a play or Broadway show in Madison. Located right on State Street, the Overture Center is conveniently located near many great restaurants to grab dinner before or after the show! Overture always has an awesome line up of Broadway shows! I just saw Newsies there which was INCREDIBLE! The 2015/2016 season includes Wicked, Kinky Boots, MoTown and Lion KIng. Definitely not a season you want to miss! Beverage stands are located in several places on all the floors. A glass of wine costs $8 but once you have the plastic souvenir cup you get $1 off of each beverage. You can bring it back the next time you go too. Woo! The staff is super nice and helpful. Always a great night at Overture! read more

The Overture Center has played host to some of my favorite bands, authors, plays, and comedians. I even saw Criss Angel here and it was among the most bizarre experiences of my life. Hands down, I love this venue. As a linchpin in the Madison community, it is a place I will gladly keep returning to. read more

Really struggling between a four and a five! So many things to love about the Overture: + home to a wide range of programming from Broadway to dance to rock and roll shows + amazing organs + clean, modern design that still preserved the old-world charm of the Capitol theater + free art galleries and connected to MMoCA + clean, easy to navigate, and accommodating for special events outside of the theaters + Frostiball + a lovely stage to perform from + reusable sippy cups Tiny things that keep me from truly being able to say "as good as it gets": - no center aisles, while supposedly improving sight lines, makes for a lot of awkward climbing over people - the lilac color scheme of Overture Hall does not do it for me, even though purple is my favorite color - I can't help but compare everything to the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, one of the most beautiful places (deep red interior, shaped like a stringed instrument) and hands-down the best venue I've ever performed in Minor quibbles, though, and I think that very last point weighs heavy on me. If I'd never fallen in love with the Kimmel I might only have eyes for the Overture. read more

4.5 stars if i could. this place is beautiful inside and out with an awesome vibe. If you see any performance here too, you can find cheap seats that still give you a great view and excellent acoustics. I saw Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella and it was absolutely wonderful. Clean, comfy seats, and a great view...we were in the balcony and still had a wonderful time with a great view of the stage and actors. I will be back as there are a ton of different shows that are coming into town for a really good price!! Happy Show watching! read more

I've been to a fair share of performances at the Overture and it's of course a beauty of a venue. Just pass by it on State Street and you'll know this is one impressive building. The Overture gives merit to the adage 'beauty attracts beauty' since this gorgeous place is always lit up with shows that are just as stellar. I was here for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (thanks to yelp!) and for the Broadway play Chicago last year, and both of these stood out as lovely performances in a setting that perfectly suited their brilliance. I'm typically not a big show-goer, but I find myself at more and more shows simply because they're held at the Overture. Doesn't take much to drag me there. Forever impressed! read more

I come to many events at the Overture Center For the Arts. On my most recent occasion was for The Sound of Music. I was going to go earlier in the week with the other Yelp Elites but I had been ill and had to cancel. My pal wanted to see it and we started to plan on going on Sunday when I was starting to feel better. By Friday, the Overture Center realized the Super Bowl was keeping them from selling the Sunday tickets. I got an email from the Overture Center about 50% off tickets. Hot Dog! Perfect. It pays to be on a mailing list. The production of The Sound of Music was excellent! I was never one to enjoy the Julie Andrews musical (mainly it's Christopher Plummer's performance I think that is a turn off for me...anyway) but I really enjoyed this show. The Mother Superior's voice was incredible. All the other actors were excellent. The sets were beautiful and the scene changes were seamless. It was just a great experience. Only thing keeping this place from being a 5 star is the volunteer ushers. They, at times, make patrons go on a wild goose chase for their seats. My guest uses a wheelchair and we were to seat at the top of the Circle. The ushers on the ground floor told us to go to Circle but once there, we were told to go up to the Mezzanine. We really needed the Promenade floor. I am pretty forgiving but the three elevator rides was distressful to my friend. It was not the first time she's had to search multiple times just to find her spot. The venue is cool. They bring in top notch entertainment. They have many community events that are free or low charge. I will be back! read more

I love the Overture Center! Being a braodway and ballet fan I really appreciate the wide selection of shows available year round. Some of the ballet are even choreographed and performed by our very own Madison Ballet Company ~~ There are multiple concert halls in the Overture Center, though I have only been to the Overture Hall. The seating arrangement and sound system are well-designed, as expected. Regardless of where you are seated, you get a clear view of the performance below (or above) you. They clearly mark out the few seats with limited view, so you know what you are getting into before getting those tickets. On most occasions rush tickets are offered. Do keep a lookout for those as you can great seats at superbly awesome prices. The best way to be kept in the loop is to sign up for e-mail notifications, especially if you are a student since they offer great student deals from time to time. But note that most rush or special promotion tickets are in-person only, and you have to pay in cash. For student specials, a student ID is required, and each ID gets you two discounted tickets, so you get to bring a friend along. If you arrive at the show early, grab a quick bite or take a quick walk at the surrounding shops along State St, or visit the shop at the Overture Center for some nice souvenirs, then sit back and enjoy the experience! read more

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We are truly blessed to have a performing art center such as this in a town the size of Madison. I find the architecture of the building to be stunning-clean lines and the view of the capitol from the second floor to be second to none. The center itself houses a few theaters and puts on many different shows throughout the year. Much like the public areas, Overture Hall is absolutely eye candy. It's bright, sleek, and sophisticated. Seating is well laid out and acoustics are phenomenal. Why go to Chicago or Milwaukee when we have this in our back yard? Pro-tip: Keep and bring back your plastic overture glass for $1 future drink purchases. read more

The overture center is a gorgeous, gorgeous piece of architecture. Seriously, the atrium is beautiful whether it is dark or light outside, and the actual theatre is beautifully designed as well. I really don't think there is a "bad" seat in the house (ie. no hidden corners, no seats that are too far from the stage) Although, if you can afford an orchestra seat or a center circle seat, by all means GO FOR IT. It's worth it! Or you can do it like we did and find cheaper last minute tickets on craigslist. :P I went to the last West Side Story showing, and it was a great. The quality of the cast was not quite on par with the casts that I have seen in San Francisco or New York, but I can overlook that. Everyone's gotta start somewhere, right? Anyway, I am pretty stoked about the various musicals coming into town over the next few months!! (: I hope they don't disappoint! read more

The Overture Center is simply an amazing facility. The acoustics are unbelievable and the layout and beauty before you enter the auditorium is just as amazing. Giant glass walls open up the the outside with gorgeous views of the capital building. Floating metal staircases feel like a work of art. Everything about the building is beautiful. If you have not been, you should treat yourself. read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Weird Al concert, full orchestra - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Look out for rush tickets! If you're a student, sign up for the email specials. Otherwise, you might get the lottery rush too! Such a fun and exhilarating experience. Sadly, if you didn't get tickets like me, head over to the box office right away for specials :) Love the selection of musicals. Even balcony seats are great, you get a good overview of what's happening. It is a little scary for people afraid of heights.... Music concerts are also wonderful here. Andrew bird, yoyo-ma, the symphony, Rockafella. All different kinds of music thrive in the overture, great acoustics! And, you can get your own reusable cups for wine, beer or other drinks! Very civilised, clean and environmentally friendly!!! The venue is also available for special events like weddings, can't wait for my friend's wedding in a month! read more

The Overture Center for the Arts is a gorgeous performing arts center of which cities and people around the world should be jealous. Housing the gorgeous and state-of-the-art Overture Hall (2,251 seats), the Capitol Theater (1,089-seat renovated vaudeville venue), The Playhouse (347-seat black-box), and the Rotunda Stage (capacity 350), Overture is capable of presenting any genre of performance art. In addition to its 4 gorgeous theaters, Overture is also home to 4 visual art galleries, and has local artists' work hanging on walls all over the building. Furthermore, Overture plays host to wedding ceremonies and receptions, conferences, business meetings, reunions, community programs ... Literally, if you can dream it, Overture can probably present or host it. With a presenting season that spans Broadway to bluegrass, dance to children's puppetry, and everything in between, there are performances for every person. Add to all of this that OCA is, in and of itself, a gorgeous building worth walking around/through, you simply can't go wrong as a patron or visitor to this magnificent facility. read more

I recently attended Les Miserables at the Overture Center and had a wonderful time. The building itself is beautiful, and parking is easy right around the corner in the garage. We arrived to our show early and got some drinks from the lobby bar while we waited for the doors to open. The drink prices were ok at $7 for beer, $8 for wine, $9 for cocktails. Once the doors opened we took our beverages into the theater and settled into some of the most comfortable and spacious theater chairs I've sat in. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the Overture Center and look forward to returning. read more

Great venue. Great location. Great shows. Great prices. Great facilities. Great seats. Parking? No comment, but enjoy everything once inside the Overture Center. read more

If you have a chance to see a show or performance at Overture Center for the Arts - do it! I believe I saw Trampled by Turtles (among others) in Overture Hall and Fitz and the Tantrums in Capitol Theater. Both shows were superb and the venue only heightened the experience - to say the venue is classy isn't giving it enough justice. It's well maintained and if you're drinking - you get an adult sippy cup for wine. Bring it back and get a discount on your next visit. A few years back I DJ'd a wedding in one of their banquet rooms and for someone traveling behind the scenes - the load in was especially easy with their over-sized loading garage. But the wedding couple and guests had a fun time and I can only imagine how their pictures turned out! Now, not everything at Overture requires a ticket for admission. They do host MadCity Sessions that includes free music in Overture Hall's lobby from 6-8pm one Thursday a month (6 months a year). It's free music from local and larger musicians! Definitely something to check out if you are looking for free music to experience. You can also buy some food and drinks, while sitting around a table and enjoying the experience with a large group of friends! One last thing, check them out at night (I can't recall if it's just around the holidays or year round), when they light up Overture Hall's lobby with colored spotlights, it makes for a great photo op or just a spectacle to see! read more

Beautifully renovated with a good selection of shows each season. Don't overlook the smaller theaters the space houses - both the Capitol Theater and Playhouse host great smaller productions. read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The Overture Center is a very nice venue. I've been to the Madison Symphony Christmas concert for five years in a row. I've also seen Louie C.K. at the Overture Center (prior to his sexual harassment PR problem). I've sat in several different areas of the Overture Center, but I'd say the box seats at the circle and mezzanine levels are my favorite. I personally like the box seats because I get my own chair and my own space. I'm not sandwiched in between hordes of people in a box seat like I would be in the regular seats. Once you approach the balcony regular seats and/or box seats in the balcony level, you're so high up that it can be hard to make out the faces of the people on stage. That's probably okay for an orchestra performance, but I prefer to have a closer view for a headliner like a comedian. While it's easy to think that closer is always better, I would suggest otherwise when it comes to box seats on the orchestra (floor) level. I purchased those box seats for the 2017 Christmas concert, and I could barely see much of the stage because I watched the organist's back the entire time. While my seat was literally three feet away from the organist, the view was not good. Furthermore, the sound didn't seem to project as well as I remember other concerts where I sat higher and farther away from the stage. For the best acoustics and the best view, you're better off avoiding the very front -- front center or front side -- at the Overture Center. Get back just a little bit and move just a little higher. The venue is always pretty and very clean. The concourses are big enough that there's not much congestion. There are plenty of bathrooms, and I don't think I've ever found myself in a line at the bathroom. Parking is very easy if you park in the Overture Center garage. You have to walk just about a block. It's a great venue! read more

We rented the Promenade Room space on the second floor for an event recently and it was just absolutely BEAUTIFUL. The staff was friendly and professional and the atmosphere was elegant without being stuffy. Great place for a conversation-focused event! read more

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My favorite place to see a show. They get great broadway and plays. They also have a variety of different genres and options, along with a small art museum and gift shop. If you want to get involved, you can also volunteer to be an usher, which is a great experience. All around, favorite place to see any show! read more

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From Kids in the Rotunda to Broadway plays like the current running show - Mamma Mia, our family loves the Overture Center for the Arts. Thanks Yelp for the tickets to Mamma Mia this week! Thanks to the Overture for hosting a wedding with 1,000 of Madison's closest friends and family. What a cool idea. *Shout out to Carl's cake for delicious cake.* The Overture Center for the Arts provides Madison area with a high quality venue for the arts. Hard to find one better in the midwest. If you have kids and you haven't checked out the FREE, yes I said free, Kids in the Rotunda, please do. We have seen the Madison Ballet Company, music, magicians, all fantastic programming that held our two year olds attention and our seven year olds attention for an hour. If you have kids you know what a miracle that is. read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Wow, what a stunning room. The sound is exceptional, it is incredibly clean (thanks adult sippy cup) and the staff is incredibly friendly. I have seen stand up comedy (Louis Black), plays (Jersey Boys & Wicked), the Madison Symphony, and a few concerts and I have always been wowed. If you have not been, go, it is truly a treasure of our fair city. BTW: the Capitol Theatre is also fantastic for shows too, great sound, great energy. read more

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What a beautiful space, Madison is truly lucky to have a place for performing art and art galleries such as this. We've been here countless of times for shows, for weddings, for receptions, and other corporate, as well as special events. And each time, we've always been impressed by not only the space, but the staff working each event. There really is not a bad seat in the house, we've sat at the center, circle, and mezzanine, and still were able to make out details of each performance and characters. Pro Tip: depending on what show, don't be afraid to shop for the balcony seats. Sometimes they end up cheaper than the circle or mezzanine seats. Do keep in mind however that these are usually better fitted for the Orchestras or Symphonies. I've found that balcony seats can be obtrusive for live performances as the band or stage equipment can block your view. read more

This venue is gorgeous. The building itself is a work of art, now add amazing performances to that and you've got a great experience. I have seen a couple of acts here and I've never been disappointed. They host extremely talented actors, singers, and dancers. I saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat last night and I couldn't ever imagine pulling off what those performers did. The stage design was flawless. It is a definite must-see! The only thing that I would change would be the fact that in order to take beverages into the theatre, even the ones they supply, you have to buy one of their cups. They aren't super expensive, but I wasn't really a fan of having to buy one. And although the performance was amazing last night, the glaring lights that they pointed directly into the audience could have been nixed. The lights otherwise were breathtaking, but I could do without being temporarily blinded. Regardless of the things that could be changed, you still need to visit. They've got a great line-up... Jerry Seinfeld is coming! Woo! Go see everything you can there, you won't be unhappy. "These pretzels are making me thirsty!' That has nothing to do with the Overture Center, but now I'm thinking about Seinfeld and had to say that. But really, go, go, go! read more

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I always love seeing performances at the Overture Center. This past Saturday we went to the Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music and a few months ago we saw an AMAZING production of Once. I am also looking forward to Book of Mormon which we have tickets for this spring. Overture always brings it great talent and is always a wonderful experience. TIP: Get the plastic glasses and bring them with you each time so you can bring your wine into the show! read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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My first experience at the Overture Center was for the Mike Birbiglia show. The venue is impressive, clean and comfortable, and the staff were plentiful and very helpful. They were able to expertly guide the crowd in the door, to their seats, and then it was easy and quick to exit the venue when the show was over. Definitely planning to check out other events here! read more

Overture Center For The Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

We came to see The Nutcracker for my wife's birthday(Christmas Eve). Hoping to see some real focus on The Nutcracker. I realized it was put on by the Ballet Company, but not as much focus was on The Nutcracker. It was a great production, hoped for more. Was let down. read more