What a great experience…read more.. This is a really nice set up for seeing small plays or musicals. We have never been to the Riffe Center before so it was a nice trip downtown. The studios are small so it makes for a very intimate experience which makes a musical even better. The staff was very helpful and friendly. We are excited to see something there again

Such a great theater and plenty of leg room…read more I had no Idea this place was here! My partner grabbed us tickets to see Tom Popa and when he told me it was the Riffe Center, I had to look it up. Parking was easy and used the Riffe Center Parking Garage at 78 South Front Street. It's a smaller garage so we lucked out but my back up was going to be the Ohio Statehouse Underground Parking Garage. Check in was easy and plenty of staff and ushers on hand. Seats were comfortable and nice legged room. I was completely impressed. Located downtown Columbus, the (Jo Ann) Davidson Theatre is part of The Riffe Center Theatre Complex. It is on the third floor of the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts (named after Vernal G. Riffe, Jr.) at 77 S. High Street.

The Lazarus building, an art work in-and-of itself, should have a seperate Yelp entry. The giant…read moreterracotta monster that takes a full city block with one million square feet has been around since 1909 and was renovated about a decade ago. It's mindboggling to think that one mammoth department store took all this space. But it did--a cosmopolitan cornerstone for decades. They made a right choice in preserving the building and by adding this challenging art gallery as a tenant. OSU's urban art space is access from Town Street through a gash in the building; once a section of Wall Street, the forgotten alley running through downtown randomly impeded by development, is now a wide non-enclosed hallway. Framed by a sequence of square arches and large vertical glass the hall dead ends in an gorgeous art deco backdrop centered by a diamond shaped clock. A great choice of design that harkens back to the cosmo cool tastes of the 1920s. The entrance to the gallery is to the right. Minimalistic and white by design, the gallery accents space with the atmosphere of a working studio. In several rooms that connect each other by 90-degree angles, it's seeming purpose is to throw visitors in the midst of art with no preconception by looking ahead. A sort of 'throw them in the deep end' philosophy that hit before psychological filtering; an exhibit is experienced before perceptions are edited by cognition. I saw the "Engineering Utopia", a look at the interaction between artist and engineer--a symbolic representation of the corpus callosum that connects left and right brain. (It ended July 15) They describe utopia as a place that is built for perfection but bound to fail yet makes discoveries of technology and the human experience--living up to Thomas Moore's ideas when he invented the term 'utopia.' The exhibits is connected with Ohio State art and engineering schools. I thought the exhibit was interesting, thought provoking and certainly challenged my idea what art could be. There were many restoration projects and old computer graphic art that intrigued. I also turned one of the blind corners and ran into a robot exhibit with the exhibition head and wife there. The robot moved toward me and when I was sensed it snapped a picture which displayed on a screen. Although I remain unconvinced that technology is art (then again who am I to say?) I had a good time. The exhibits are free and a must for any art lover spending time in downtown.

I often make this a 2 for 1 deal by not only taking in the current exhibits but also by taking…read moreadvantage of their fun monthly crafternoon events where you can let you creative flag fly as you are supplied with all the tools & instruction needed to create your very own masterpiece. My favorite project thus far was making ceramic coasters with paint & alcohol ink.

Right next to the justly-famous McCoy, on the New Albany Schools campus, is another great…read moreperformance space. The amphitheater faces 161, with a nice grass seating area and a paved pavilion behind that. Plenty of parking in the school lots or across 161 by the library and market. Saw the Reaganomics, an '80s cover band. Sound was great. Seating and sightlines were great. Big open stage, lots of lighting mounting area above. The place is new, and clean, with easy access and handy restrooms. Staff were helpful and friendly. Definitely coming to other events here.

We've been to tons of shows over the years as long-time Evolution Theatre and Six String Concerts…read morefans, but our most recent visit was our first time experiencing the black box setup on what used to be the stage of the big theater. It worked well for the intimate show we were seeing, and I hope it is a sign of the space being available to more performers in the coming years. It's nice to have a flexible space for the smaller theater companies.

For smaller theater productions, the Columbus Performing Arts Center does a good job. Small…read moreTheaters always carry a special place in my heart and I enjoyed the opening night production of "Rumors" that we saw. If you like smaller independent productions of local theater then this hits the spot. I went to support a friend but can't say that I would seek out other events here.

The Abbey Theater houses many community performances throughout the year, and is home to Tantrum…read moreTheater, currently presenting their second season. Some major acoustical treatments have made in the last year, so the theater has great acoustics for both plays and music. The Dublin Recreation Center is located within Coffman park; depending on which navigation app you are using, several different routes may be suggested. The Recreation Center does not permit alcohol, so there is none available at the concessions.

Home to Tantrum Theater for the second summer in a row, the Abbey Theater is so intimate that there…read moreisn't a bad seat in the house. Still, it's large enough for good companies (such as Tantrum) to build large, creative sets. Located within the Dublin Recreation Center, parking is ample. The Dublin community is beyond fortunate to have a professional company as creative and accessible as Tantrum's right in their own backyard. The facilities at the Abbey are top-notch, and the shows by Tantrum are worth every reasonably-priced penny. Check out tantrumtheater.org for information about shows at the Abbey Theater.

If you love musicals, this is the theater company to watch. If you don't think you love musicals,…read morethis is also the theater company to watch. Known for staging shows both traditional and outlandish, CSP's recent season included The Rocky Horror Show, She Loves Me, Sweet Charity and Reefer Madness. As you can see they're down with variety. Columbus' only all-musical troupe, they seem to have honed the art. Their current home is Axis Nightclub, which gives the shows a dinner-theater quality (the full bar is open during shows). Performances are always intimate, and frequently include audience involvement of one kind or another. Don't be surprised if a zombie brushes past you at some point or an actor lands in your lap. (Sometimes literally - the stage is unusually shaped and on the small side and actors have been known to fall off during rehearsal...) It seems the rotating group of directors each have their own style, but all have a wicked sense of humor and it shows. And while the quality of show can vary ever so slightly as the cast and production staff change for each show, I've never experienced a show here that wasn't highly entertaining and worth my ticket price.

I saw the Center Stage Players doing a street performance during a summer Gallery Hop. They were…read moreplaying show tunes from Little Shop of Horrors. I'm not much for show tunes, but they seemed to have a pretty fair gathering. Their performance wasn't half bad, but they were absurdly loud, like ear-bleeding loud. They were really belting it out. It didn't help that their amp was echoing off the neighboring buildings. I felt bad for the other street performers who were being totally overshadowed. Despite Center Stage's disregard of the city sound ordinance, I'm a big fan of community theatre and would love to see one of their traditional live shows. They billed Rocky Horror last month. It seems like everyone around here grabs onto that story. The venue is appealing as well. They perform at Axis nightclub. Tickets are usually under $20 and can be purchased at the door the night of the event or online beforehand.

Awesome place to come for a date night and watch some theatre! Shows are performed by Ohio State…read moreUniversity students. We were here on OSU alumni night. Seats are assigned and we paid $18 each per ticket. We saw legally blonde play and the students did outstanding! Shows range from 1.5-2 hours. There was one intermission. My husband and I are always looking for new date night ideas and this was absolutely perfect ! Can't wait to go back and see another show and support the students...their work is outstanding !

We enjoyed the performance and all the hard work the kids put into the show. Seating was…read morecomfortable and it was easy for us and our daughter to see. I like that it is inside the mall and therefore had plenty of parking. The only downside is the bathroom is a bit of a walk. I would recommend seeing a show here! Nice small time theater!

What a great opportunity to learn and grow in theatre! The owners are completely invested in these…read moreperformances! If you haven't been, you should check it out!!! My daughter absolutely loves it, she has taken voice and piano with Christina!