Last year in 2025 we saw the Nutcracker. Such a sweet and well put on performance. Prices are much more affordable compared to the SF ballet. These are students...I think? I loved the different ages and talent. Parking is a bit of a headache. There isn't near enough for what this building can hold. Please give yourself enough time in case there isn't any parking stalls left. There are plenty of bathrooms, but during intermission, they have ropes set up for the huge line that forms. Snacks are sold, however can't be consumed inside the theater. Go figure? You can only eat outside in the lobby area. In the lobby is a table of Nutcracker/Christmas items you can purchase. I wish that there was a live orchestra, but this was my first time going and I don't understand much about this group. It was a recording that they danced to. I do recommend anyone to see this performance and let us know what you think? read more

This facility is top notch! We had a dance recital here after being in other venues, and wow! The stage was large and equipped with all the bells and whistles, lighting was great, audience seating was wonderful from all the vantage points and spacious and comfortable, and the backstage areas for the performers were ample downstairs. Having more bathrooms backstage would have been helpful. read more

Good venue. Got to get there early, parking is limited. Seating is adequate. Audio and acoustic is good.

Was here for carmina and then ended up with a bonus of ballet performance. Chairs were fine. Location of seats were fine. I think free parking in the back and next door at the school on Sundays. Women's line to the bathroom was really long. Wish there was a second bathroom. They sold snacks and drinks during intermission. read more

San Mateo Performing Arts Center - Performing Arts Near Me - San Mateo, California

This 1540 seat theater is a great small venue with good views from any seat. Last night we watched Swan Lake performed by the Russian Ballet Theater. Russian Ballet performance is the best in the world. I purchased my tickets before Russia invaded Ukraine but felt a little guilty for supporting them after the death and destruction in Ukraine. RBT's Swan Lake was cancelled in most states but not in San Mateo. I expected a small audience but the venue was quite full. Anyway, I'm here to review the performance and it was excellent! I've seen several Swan Lake performances but this show had more Royal Ball performances. Noticing the 'Swans' legs, they look like tall legged birds almost abnormal-like. Characteristic of a true ballet dancer. It was a glorious night! read more

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My first time to come here. I came to see Swan Lake performed by the Russian Ballet. The seats are roomy. There is plenty of legroom. We got seats at the very last row of the orchestra section. Even that far back the performance was still easy to see. The only thing that I didn't like much was the parking. I anticipated that the parking lot would get very busy ones the show is over. The good thing was we left as soon as the performance was over and we were able to drive off before the influx of people left the theater to go to the parking lot. read more

San Mateo Performing Arts Center - Performing Arts Near Me - San Mateo, California

There's a new parking lot right behind the art center so parking is no longer an issue. read more

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Can you believe I've never seen the Nutcracker until this year? How I went 23 years without doing so, I'll never know. My boyfriend's mom was so sweet and got us tickets to see it at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center. This place is VERY nice. I was surprised at how much parking there was behind the building. The first thing I noticed when walking inside was the beautiful Christmas tree they had. For the ballet, they also had a little area for your to purchase snacks because they don't allow outside food/drinks. They also had a gift shop area in which you could buy flowers for loved ones, actual Nutcrackers, and cute little tiaras. The auditorium inside was beautiful. We had seats right in the center. The show was humorous and the costumes were my favorite part. Don't forget to scout out where the bathrooms are! read more

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I must have pass by it and not even noticed it was right next to the high school. After winning tickets on the radio (Movin 99.7) for the Broadway by the Bay's production of "Little Shop of Horrors," I was so excited to attend my first musical performance. I arrived early ( 1 hour and 1/2, I was excited) As we picked up our tickets at the "will call" booth inside they recommended some local places to eat that gave a discount if you showed your ticket. Once we returned we waited for the doors to open up and we walked into the theater. It was a really large theater and very well kept. During the break, the snacks were yummy but they could have used an upgrade. Overall, I had such a great time and I would really like to return to this theater for some more plays and musicals. Also, the parking is shared with the high school and it is FREE. read more

San Mateo Performing Arts Center - Thank you Connie C. for the picture - Performing Arts Near Me - San Mateo, California

It was my first time here at san mateo performing arts center for a broadway by the bay production of the king and I. I was really impressed by this place in the middle of the peninsula. its adjacent to san mateo high school so i dont know if its part of the school or what but its pretty nice for a school theater if it is. the stage is pretty big and the sets are detailed. i got my tickets on goldstar the night before the performance at half price so $28 with the fees and still managed to get really good seats in the orchestra section. it really is an affordable way to check out different shows since i always see broadway by the bay billboards on 101 advertising different shows. the seats are assigned and available for pickup an hour before showtime. i showed up 1.5 hours before and still was able to pick up my tickets so we went over to down town san mateo for dinner before hand. for concessions they offer popcorn, ice cream. candy, drinks etc. maybe its the location or the productions following but the average age of the audience was about 70. my friend sat next to someone who kept passing gas and she had to move. it wasnt a full house so there is some flexibility in seating. the man behind us was either sometimes snoring or breathing really loudly. i would go back to see something else. read more

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I took my GF here to watch "The Full Monty" year or so ago. I guess this review is to comment on the venue. Totally forgot to do so. The Arts Center was a great place for the performance. Box office was great, and had our tickets at will call. Ushers and rest of staff helped us find our seats. Even let us sit closer since there were unsold tickets. We sat about in the middle area, maybe even a bit further, and we were able to enjoy the show regardless. This is not really a multi-level. Unless you want to count the seats all the way in the back that require a few steps to reach. That far back I don't know how well one can really see without binoculars. The lighting and mics were fine. Effects team who was in charge of everything coordinated everything perfectly. The seats were ok. I can sit in them for a long period without any complaints, but it could be better, but I have been in A LOT worse. I guess depending on how much you pay for the ticket may skew your review on the venue. We got the tickets through a promo. So it wasn't much, but I will have to say if the ticket was $40-50, I may have reduced the star 1. read more

The San Mateo Performing Arts Center is a new (2013) spacious facility with comfortable seating and state of the art acoustics. Tonight, we saw the San Mateo High School Performing Arts production of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." San Mateo High School always has 3 great productions each year. The school is the top performing arts venue between San Bruno and San Mateo. Vocals are amazingly strong, and so is the dancing. An inexpensive ($20) live performance with free parking, right off 101. The production standards are much higher than I expected for a high school production. Dinner before or after in San Mateo or Burlingame. We've also seen the Peninsula Symphony, Peninsula Speaker Series and many local theater and dance productions in this comfortable theater. read more

Recently went to listen to California Youth Symphony perform two different concerts here. The venue appeared very spacious and well-maintained, although you could occasionally hear some squeaky seats during rests. read more

Bringing theater to the people. With ticket prices from $30-70 or so, this is an affordable way to hear impressive talent. While the venue itself is very "community theater" (a la high school auditorium), the performers are nearly on par with any large city opera house or symphony. Unfortunately, something is lost due to the less than stellar acoustics. However, it's open seating, so depending on how motivated you are (to arrive early), you can easily have the best seat in the house for a measly $34 (or whatever the ridiculously low flat ticket price happens to be for a particular show). Impressive line-ups too: the recent show I went to featured a jaunty piece from Tchaikovsky, a spectacular performance by violin virtuoso Tessa Lark, and the spine chilling opera, Carmina Burana. "O Fortune, like the moon, you are changeable," If you are singing this aria about the current economy, but you still long for a quality theater performance, this is a great option. Free parking even, what more can you ask for? read more

My home away from home after High School. This was my first real job ever working here. Very good friends were made here and still work here! Who knows, you may see me around here some time! Great facility though as somebody who's worked here, it could use some sprucing up (hence the four stars). The facility is run by the San Mateo Union High School District which explains why it is 1) next to a High School & 2) smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood. The facility is used by San Mateo High School and earns money for the District. read more

The San Mateo Performing Arts Center has just reopened after being closed for two years. The theatre underwent a 28 million dollar renovation. I was there for the grand reopening, and it is completely different than before! Spacious lobby, and theatre now has orchestra, mezzanine, and balcony levels. As a theatre goer, I would say this venue now rivals any professional theatre in the Bay Area. I will be there for Bay Pointe Ballet's production of The Nutcracker this year. Can't wait! Also, the best part is the ample free parking! read more

The renovation is excellent. The old arrangement resulted in such a deep theatre, but now with the addition of the balcony seating every seat has a great view. Update 2-21-16: I've visited the theatre a couple times now, most recently seeing Bay Pointe Ballet's production of "In The Mood". I am still struck by the fact that every seat has a great view, and also should mention that the new underfloor ventilation is a great way of keeping the space comfortable and not stuffy. read more

THIS PLACE IS SOOOOOOO NICE! I saw the PYB Nutcracker here and they were great. What made it better was the venue. Seats are pretty much brand new! It's like a mini Davies Symphony Hall...the outside looks great, the parking is free, the inside and the ceiling, everything in here is wonderful! read more

San Mateo Performing Arts Center - Performing Arts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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What a nice theater! Didn't even know it existed, though I've driven by San Mateo high school plenty of times. Saw a Broadway by the Bay production here and just had a lovely experience. The bathrooms could use a little spiffing up, and a few more stalls. I spent about 20 minutes waiting in line. read more

What a great venue. Spacious interior and well designed seating. We sat in the front row of the balcony to watch Bay Pointe Ballet's Nutcracker. It was a beautiful production. The attention to detail --costuming, special effects, scenery and of course the dancers was truly top notch. read more

San Mateo Performing Arts Center - On stage after the performance of The Nutcracker. - Performing Arts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Love this place, nice and cozy! I wish they had more shows, I would go there every month.

Hey, it's not the Opera House, but it also doesn't cost near as much to catch a good performance. It's a bonus to the community to have this stage--some would never see live performances if not for this venue. Yes, it could use some improvements, but still delivers value. In response to Lawrence's review: It's owned by the San Mateo High School District (did you miss the fact that's it's right next to the high school?). Futhermore, if it was downtown, you'd better believe you'd be paying for parking and they wouldn't be able to keep the ticket prices so reasonable. Doesn't sound like poor city planning to me. read more

San Mateo is a very large and professional theatre that seats 1,540 people. While it isn't the prettiest theatre on the inside, it has good acoustics and very modern lighting and sound tech. The only bad part of the auditorium is the seating because there are no isles on the outside edges of the main floor seating. This means that if you are seated on the outer edges, you will need to navigate around the people who are are sitting next to you to get to the center isle. That being said, the seats are comfortable and viewing is good from all sections. For SMHS productions, students can sit in the balcony section for for a cheaper price. You can also come and see Bay Pointe Ballet, Peninsula Symphony, and Broadway by the Bay productions here. If you wish to book this venue for an event you can visit the SMUHSD theatre website at http://smuhsd.theater/smpac/. read more

This place draws a lot of cool local plays, musicals, and speaker series. I saw "Little Shop of Horrors" here recently. I sat all the way in the back. The theatre is spacious, yet I could still see the stage from where I sat, unlike other places in SF. The parking was FREE! Score! But the acoustics in there could use some work. I heard the music more than I heard the actors, so I didn't catch everything that was said during the performance. But it's still the nicest high school theatre I've been to. read more

i saw a very strong performance on Thoroughly Modern Millie here, which I really enjoyed. The theater is very nice, but I have two concerns: First, the theater was incredibly hot-- there was little to no air conditioning, and about half way through the performance, many people were using their programs as fans. Overall, it was a very uncomfortable evening. Second, the accoustics in the theater were poor. We were sitting in the third row and had a very hard time hearing the performers sing because of the positioning of the orchestra. read more

Great location for the Peninsula Symphony to play but why is it smack dab in the middle of neighborhood. The facilities are nice but should be closer to downtown. So much for any kind of city planning. read more

I came here to see the HS production of "hairspray". The kids did an excellent job again! I think they have 2-3 shows each school year. i brought 4 others who never attended community/school musicals with me and they were very pleasantly surprised that school productions could be so high-quality! It's great; I love supporting comm theater & our public schools. It's great that they have an email mailing list to let the public know of upcoming shows (which the other schools don't have). read more

Saw the Full Monty with my teenage daughter, last summer. It was a blast! I have seen theatre in New York, Ashland Oregon...etc...S.M. Performing Arts is in their league. Thank you for quality work. You want to get dressed up for a play at this special place. read more

Perfect renovations and created an even bigger theater than the last one! Spectacular layout that is easy to navigate. Seeing "Hairspray" here with family, I bet it will be great! The best theater in town... read more

San Mateo Performing Arts Center - Hairspray - Performing Arts Near Me - San Mateo, California

My son, Luke Andrew Chapman, got his start in show business there. ALL OF HIS PLAYS ON YELP WERE AT THE SAN MATEO PERFORMING ART CENTER . HE is now a actor / singer. HIS last play was at UCSB. If you enjoy the musical Jekyll & Hyde you are sure to enjoy his 9 short pieces(PLAYLIST) on YOU TUBE, myspace, mefeedia, metacafe, revver, facebook, yahoo and more channels. Please just type in matttchapman or Chapman Digital Motion Pictures. Luke Chapman is the actor/singer who attended San Mateo High School for 4 years! HE was the dude who drove around in that Silver Hot GTO. Luke enjoyed wearing pink pants and orange pants! HE graduated from SMHS in 2OO4. Please support MR..LUKE ANDREW CHAPMAN by viewing, rating and leaving comments on all those channels listed above! IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO forget FUNNY COOL HAND LUKE who wore that real bright shinning PINK JACKET AT THE PERFORMING ART CENTER;! WHAT IN the heck was the name of the beauty contest play! HELP me out people I'M middle age now! MR. FRIEDMAN who was LUKE'S drama teacher and still works at SAN MATEO HIGH SCHOOL WOULD KNOW??? THANKS MR. FRIEDMAN SMILE IS THE NAME!! ACTING IS LUKE'S GAME!! GIGGLE GIGGLE read more