Raleigh Little Theatre is one of the oldest theatres in the United States. It became incorporated…read morein 1936. The building is on land that was once the home to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds for a horse racing dirt track. In World War I, it was used as a training area for combat tanks. It is also land for the Lumbee Tribe and the Tuscarora Nation. Raleigh Little Theatre shares a campus with the Raleigh Rose Garden and an outdoor amphitheatre. The main stage was dedicated to Cantey V. Sutton in 2000, as she was the one who found Raleigh Little Theatre a permanent campus in 1939. She got a grant to build the campus and cut through the red tape. She is remembered as the "Grand Dame" and "First Lady" of Raleigh Little Theatre. Raleigh Little Theatre has three theatres, the Cantey V. Sutton theatre, which has 298 seats. The Louise "Scottie" Stephenson Amphitheatre, which seats 2000 on the outside on the terraced grass rows. And the Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre, a black box theatre that seats 150. I attended School of Rock at RLT. The performance was held in the Sutton Theatre, which has 298 seats, and the auditorium has a small slope. I found the sightlines good for watching the performance, as well as the sound and lighting. I did find the seating challenging as the seat numbers were not clearly marked, just the rows. I sat in the wrong seat and had to move. But I liked my new seat much better. As I was not familiar with the layout and had bought my ticket months ago, it would have been helpful to have volunteers in the theatre to assist guests, as many of us were confused. Parking was a little challenging for this performance because a downed tree and power lines had closed the parking lot, so off-street parking was the only option. The lobby was small, with some seating, restrooms and a concession stand that only takes credit cards. Drinks could go in the theatre, but not the food. I did like that we could go outside at intermission and sit on the benches. Overall, I give Raleigh Little Theatre a solid 4 stars. The production quality, acoustics, and historic atmosphere are easily 5-star material, but the seating confusion and lack of usher assistance held it back from being a perfect 5. It is a fantastic community asset, and I will definitely be back!

Volunteering at Raleigh Little Theatre has been one of the best decisions I've made! I started a…read morecouple of months ago, and it's such a great deal; volunteer an hour or two of your time and you get to see the show for free. Win-win! But beyond the perks, I've genuinely been blown away by the talent, the sets, the lighting, and the overall production quality. The cast members are phenomenal, and the passion they bring to the stage is palpable. It truly feels like you're witnessing professional-grade theatre in an intimate community space. The experience is super comfortable too; concessions are available at great prices, the bathrooms are always clean, and the venue is accessible for those with vision or hearing needs, which really shows their commitment to being inclusive. Whether you're looking to volunteer or just catch a great show, Raleigh Little Theatre is an absolute gem. 10/10 Highly recommend!

Full disclosure, a friend (Stuart A, what up!) of ours is a Durham Savoyard member and encouraged…read moreus to come out for a production of Princess Ida that was hosted at the Carolina Theater. Though he wasn't in it, he had rehearsed as an understudy and had great things to say about the performance (a quirky interpretation involving outer space!) and the cast. We really did enjoy the set and the creative costuming. Some of the voices were excellent, though a few didn't seem as well suited for opera. The most troubling thing was that several of the main characters either weren't able to project or enunciate, so we were sometimes struggling to understand exactly what was being sung. All in all, still great fun! And a wonderful local group to support.

Saw their production of Ruddigore at Carolina Theater this weekend and thought it was very well…read moredone! The cast was incredibly talented, and they did justice to the opera. I really enjoyed the show and would love to see more of what this company has to offer. Overall, a super great experience for local theater, and incredibly worth the money.

We are all entitled to our own opinions, right? Well here's mine:…read more Parking: 5 Location: 5 Decor/ambiance: 5 Customer Service: 5 I was able to visit this theater this pass weekend and really enjoyed this place. They have lots of awesome plays on their roster list. The location and parking situation is perfect. There is a nice big, clean parking deck off to the side of the theater and its full of parking spaces. We experienced FREE parking on this past Sunday. Looks like everyone at the play was able to park in that deck for free. The building serves as a theater for plays and its also a museum with lots of cool artifacts and trinkets. The theater was sorta cold but it was super clean. The ladies working the box office were super nice. The ushers who helped us find our seats at Titmus were super nice as well. NCSU fine arts department is some kind of awesome!

As a long-time theater fan, I'm usually at the DPAC or Raleigh Memorial Auditorium for shows. But…read morethankfully an invite to check out Hairspray at University Theatre came my way, courtesy of Yelp (thanks Holly!). Currently running at Talley Student Union, the University Theatre group did a fantastic job with Hairspray for this show. From the programs, sets, costumes and performance, I was really impressed with the entire production. Very professional and polished for a student group. The theatre itself is comfortable with good views everywhere. I would have liked a bit more oomph from the sound system but the audio mix did improve later on in the show. And a small wine and beer bar was pouring out adult bevvies for $4 to $5 a glass. So slow round of applause, NC State University Theatre, great performance and look forward to my next visit...

Playmakers SYT never disappoints! GO SEE "Hello Dolly" for…read moregreat, professional quality entertainment. Wonderful dancing, acting, singing, costumes, sets, humor, and the classic music performed live. You'll forget your watching high school students who've worked hard at all aspects of theater, n a summer intensive with the stellar, adult professionals Playmakers brings together. We have a world quality GEM, right here at home in Chapel HIll!

I was looking forward to this puppet show as they refer to it. It was creative, innovative and…read moreeducational. I loved the story they presented, the music was great and everyone loved the show. It's a little hairy getting to the actual location, as you have to walk along a very busy road on the UNC campus, and it's a narrow path to follow. I think they should figure out a safer way to enter the theatre, and they don't have safety railings on the steps getting in. But, I understand the theatre has been there a long time and I guess it works. Many of the puppets were ruined from the hurricane that came through here a few months back and a location near UNC volunteered to help rebuild the lost puppets and money was collected from the community. It's a wonderful example of community coming together to support such an amazing theater. I enjoyed the show and the interactive pieces were great for kids and adults.

North Raleigh Arts & Creative Theatre, otherwise known as NRACT, is located in the Greystone…read moreShopping Center in North Raleigh, located off of Lead Mine Rd. The shopping center is anchored by a Food Lion, so there is usually plenty of parking. It is to the right of Two Roosters Ice Cream and to the left of Greystone Recreation Center. The non-profit community theatre opened in 2002. I'm not sure exactly when I found this gem, but boy, has it changed since I started attending shows here. Seating was once all floor seats and has taken on many transformations since then. It currently has 8 rows of 12 seats, with row A being floor level and B-H as stadium seating, with an aisle in the middle. It has always been an intimate theatre, and you are never far from the stage. Besides the seating, professional-grade updates were made to both the lighting and technical side of things because of Liz Droessler. Ticket prices are reasonable, and there are reduced rates for educators, seniors and veterans. Seats are assigned, and the website makes it easy to select the seat you wish to sit in. Some of the seats are accessible. Tim Locklear became the managing artistic director in 2014. He welcomed me as well as those I introduced to this theatre. He strove to create an inclusive community and brought shows to venues I hadn't always heard of. He wasn't afraid to tackle the hot-topic shows and brought these issues to the forefront. These shows tackled alzheimer's, mental illness, PTSD, eugenics, abortion, race relations, and LGBTQ+ stories. Some of these shows were uncomfortable to watch, but the stories needed to be heard, and I left with a much better perspective. In 2022, NRACT won the NCTC Community Theatre Award for belonging, inclusion, and diversity. Tim retired in September 2025 but is still directing shows, most recently Boys in the Band. It is playing for a few more weeks if you want to see a deep show. The performances here are always high quality, from the talented performers to the sets and costumes. They've had Parade; Don't Bother Me, I can't Cope, Dot: Grown-Ups; Church and State; Next to Normal, Calendar Girls; Dogfight; Equus; Roe; Always Patsy Cline and Young Frankenstein are a few. If you want a story that stays with you, NRACT is where to go for meaningful theatre. It's the kind of place where you aren't just an anonymous seat number but a valued part of a community. Lormarev Jones recently took the helm as Managing Director, with Jess Barbour as Artistic Director, so I am excited to see what their energy brings to NRACT.

I grew up at this theatre and have watched it go from great to excellent. This hidden gem is…read morelocated in an inconspicuous place but that doesn't stop them from bringing in full houses. They produce a diverse array of polished and high energy productions. Very Strong sense of community with creative outlets for kids and teens as well. Check out their next production, you won't be disappointed!

Today 3/28/2026, Loved the performance by the kids. It was…read morea great show and fone fantastically. Our only drawback was it was so cold in there it made it a bit uncomfortable, was glad the 3 occasions when the ac cycled off for a moment. You should take this in account a bit more.

My children have been attending Spiritual Twist Productions' theatre program for over 8 years and…read moreevery year has been absolutely wonderful. The instruction and productions are quality and Christ-centered.

I recently saw Theatre Raleigh's production of Bull Durham at the Reynolds Industries Theater. It…read moreis located on the top level of the Bryan Center at Duke University. The theater seats around 600 people. Accessible seating is located at the top of the venue. There are stairs to get down to the other rows. They are on the steep side and the heights of the steps are uneven but there are handrails on the two sides. I sat in the front row so I'd assume the slope makes all the rows have a good view as you shouldn't be looking at heads. I'd recommend checking the sports schedules before buying a ticket with the box office as if there is an event you cannot park in the nearby garage but need to park in a lot further away which makes finding the venue harder if you are not familiar with Duke's West Campus.

Old theater on Duke's campus on the top level of the Bryan Center. We attended Theatre Raleigh's…read morerecent world premiere of Bull Durham (which was fantastic). Parking is at a nearby garage. Allow plenty of time for parking, especially if other things are happening on campus. Seating in the theater is quite steep. There's a wide aisle that goes down the middle with no handrails, then more narrow aisles on each side that have handrails. Steps are uneven and you do have to be careful. Be careful where your seats are if you have special needs. We had front row seats, so exiting for the restroom meant climbing back up those stairs.

North Carolina Theatre is one of Raleigh's gems. The President/CEO and the Producing Artistic…read moreDirector have done an excellent job at putting together fabulous shows in Raleigh. This season they will have produced six shows just for the Raleigh area. So far this season has been amazing with West Side Story; Having Our Say and Kinky Boots. The final three shows are Memphis; Edges and The Sound of Music and I can't wait to see those. I think it is really great that local talent can showcase their abilities in the Triangle area. Some of the cast does comes from New York City but others cast members are from the Triangle area. The orchestra is local as well and the crews needed to put the shows together. It takes a lot of people to put together these shows and NC Theatre is great for the local economy. But most importantly great for those of us who love watching the performances.

North Carolina theatre goes beyond the call of duty to provide a top-quality theatrical experience…read more Shows are entertaining, fun, and insightful. If you enjoy musical theatre or musical movies, you'll LOVE the North Carolina Theatre. Go see a show today!