Attended my first event there, Carol King & James Taylor musical show. Very interesting venue, it…read morewas built in 1918 and the design reflects the affluence of the time after WW1. It's a former movie theater in its time. The molding in the auditorium is fascinating. The venue seats 750, the show was sold out last night. The auditorium is white and yellow, These colors give it a sterile feeling. Whenever I go to a venue I always note the number of emergency exits. The auditorium had two on each side of the stage. This venue is located on a steep hill in downtown Tacoma, the entrance to the venue has not been altered to today's standards so it's two double doors with a several steps up from the sidewalk. When the show was over all 750 of us funneled out of the theater via the double door entrance. I was stunned, had there been a fire trampling would occur, the small lobby we funneled thru there was a set of emergency exit doors. I truly felt my safety was at risk as we were all trying to exit via a set of two doors. I was trying to understand why the two doors in the auditorium were not open as an option to exit. The show was great I just really question the exit strategy.

Pros: Came here for The Naked Magicians and had a blast; was able to find free parking fairly…read moreeasily (lots of parking lots/garages nearby that were inexpensive--$10 for the evening); smaller, intimate venue; pretty much every seat is a good seat with a good view the way the venue is set up; friendly customer service--both in person and over the phone; checked in quickly; would definitely recommend/return Cons: Kind of an older theater; does not have a parking garage if its own; built on a hill, which can be challenging for some; limited food options (snacks and alcohol, but no real entrees); I believe no food/drink allowed in theater

This is a dance community. My daughter started about 4 years ago, and soon after her older brother…read morejoined too. Aside from the regular class, my son also attends the Boys Class. How many studios have enough boys to do that?? This one! This is not a "competitive" studio. You compete against yourself to do your best. The Company (high schoolers) dancers are all different body types and even skill levels. They do it all together though. The older kids are serious about setting an example for the younger dancers. I started volunteering to Stage Manage (previous life for me) about 3 years ago, so I have a solid look at back stage behavior when other adults aren't looking. I have never heard a snide remark between any of them, only support and encouragement. I've written so much about the community and that probably isn't why someone is looking at these reviews! Instruction: the director is highly qualified and continues to take classes to grow. She understands the growing body and made it her focus to learn how to support highly mobile (flexible) bodies with muscle strengthening. Since my kids are hyper-mobile, this was critical to our decision. They are doing something right - I've yet to hear of a dancer getting hurt from dance. The performances are gorgeous. This is not a recital at the community center. This is full on lights, sound (sometimes live), tickets, and a story line. The youngest dancers are part of the compelling story, not a cute aside. Yes, they are cute, and the costumes scream, "Take a picture for graduation yearbook!" If you are interested or even curious, call the studio and ask to visit a class. We are looking for the next members of our community.

My kids are taking ballet from MBT for over 3 years and they really enjoy the classes. There is a…read morenativity ballet during the Christmas season, a spring company repertoire, and a June full production with all levels. The choreographers and teachers are excellent and work diligently with each age level. The shows produced are beautiful. We love the staff. I would recommend to anyone looking to enroll your children in basket to look at MBT.

This review only relates to the administration process. I received an e-mail offer on the 24th of…read moreDec of this past year. It offered two tickets for the price of one and included the following statement "With so many shows to choose from,head over to our website to grab your holiday gift." Since it was a one day only offer I did so and selected one of the near term events. When the discount was not automatically applied to my on-line purchase as the offer said, I called the ticket office which was closed and wouldn't open until Jan 18th. I left a message and someone called to tell me that the event I selected wasn't part of the offer. I think the lesson I learned is that one needs to be sure when responding to an offer from this group when buying on-line as they can be difficult to contact even during non-holiday periods.

Pros: Went to the Rialto Theater for The Naked Magicians and had a blast; was able to find free…read moreparking fairly easily (lots of parking lots/garages nearby that were inexpensive--$10 for the evening); smaller, intimate venue; pretty much every seat is a good seat with a good view the way the venue is set up; friendly customer service--both in person and over the phone; checked in quickly; would definitely recommend/return Cons: Kind of an older theater; does not have a parking garage if its own; built on a hill, which can be challenging for some; limited food options (snacks and alcohol, but no real entrees); I believe no food/drink allowed in theater

Beautiful venue! They also were serving beer and wine. We…read moresaw Ricki Lee Jones and the sound couldn't have been better. I wish I could see every show here as it accommodates just enough, people for it not to be too crowded. Super comfortable!

I've been wanting to check out the Vashon Center for the Arts for a little while and with the…read morewarmer months upon us and coming here on a weekend surely there will be some kind of activity here. While not exactly like a museum there is a small gallery that I found that you can go in and look at the art that is on display here. When I was here there were lots of vendors here selling all kinds of fun gifts of an artistic nature as well as a musician. But despite all of that it took up a fairly small space in the building. My guess is that the rest of the space is for some offices and perhaps an auditorium. This art center is right across (and diagonal) from the Vashon Mercantile so it's fun to just dump your car and visit the mercantile and the art center all in one foul swoop.

My partner and I had such a wonderful time at this theater watching the nutcracker! I was shocked…read moreat how gorgeous & timeless this theater was (as it was my first time in). The outside of the theater does not do the inside of it justice. The ornate beautiful walls and ceilings of the theater took my breath away! They had cocktails and some snacks for sale as well during the show which was a nice respite. Absolutely recommend booking a show here!

such a beautiful location. it reminded me of Vienna, Austria in Europe with the golden…read moreembellishments and intricate details on the walls. I caught myself staring at them during the intermission for The Nutcracker ballet show. the show is something else for me to review, so I will not do that her because this one is meant specifically for the location. as beautiful and grand that it was, I just disliked that the staff was not taking initiative to help with directions. you had to go up to them, and even with the directions that they provided, the reference points that they used were still unclear. I feel like the staff also could have done a better job of outlining how the show will go because they did not make clear of the intermission and how long it would be. they also did a horrible job with seating people because they moved so slow and got in the way of viewers who were watching the show. Not much social awareness from them :/ Location does a good job of running thru what they expect before you come on for your show so that you could logistically plan. lots of parking after 1800 or 6PM because no more law enforcement for street parking. also, the lights that just twinkle in front of the location make it such an awe to look at. I have not been here during daytime, but I bet you that it is better in the nighttime