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    Union Arts Center

    4.5 (111 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 4:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Urinetown stage
    Eva M.

    Just like 5th Avenue Theatre, the ACT theatre is a long time institution to the Seattle theatre scene. They produce their own shows and commonly cast locally. Come here often enough and you'll recognize a few actors. The ACT contains two theatres within, the larger Goodman Theatre and the smaller Falls Theatre. Two different shows can be performed at the same time. I have had mixed experiences with the shows I've seen at the ACT. Some are a bit too ambitious, some are just weird, some are perennially popular like the Christmas Carol. Today's show is "Urinetown", a humorous and sometimes cheesy musical with likeable actors and the entirely show-stealing "Little Sally". Parking is on your own dime. Plenty to choose from in the area. Be sure to have $3 handy to buy a chocolate chip cookie. It's one of the best theatre cookies. The water fountain is functional dispensing cooled water, saving the world from some plastic.

    Nicole Y.

    What a cool theater! I saw choir boy! Not mad at all about the steamy shower scenes! But back to the review. Lol. The Theater is amazing. I had no idea that they offer a limited number of value seats as low as $5 pr ticket and these were not obstructed view seats! The seating in this theater is so cool. Every seat has a great view! I highly recommend.

    Jim P.

    What a fun way to see "A Christmas Carol" ! Seating up to 400, there is not a bad seat in the house. With me being vertically challenged, it is not unusual to have a view of the back of a head, not an issue here! The theatre is in the round with the play in the bottom of the bowl. Fantastic acoustics, amazing ceiling, architecture and stage props. This Sunday matinee experience was beyond all my expectations for a local live production. I definitely will return to the ACT for other venues! Many dinner spots nearby for the "after show" experience into the late night. I also enjoyed seeing the young people working to assist in seating before the show.

    Choir boys
    Ryen M.

    I really enjoy the intimate setting this provides. My husband and I have been to two shoes at two different theater rooms. The one pictured we saw Choir boys was amazing. The boys had incredible voices was definitely a bit adult of you don't mind full male nudity for your children then your fine otherwise bits definitely an adult show.. the staff are really nice when we went one of the vendors was from a local winery the two gentleman were the owners cannot wait to visit it. I do think it's pretty silly they still wear masks but that's small they offer them when you walk in.

    Kirstin H.

    Interesting theater space in the heart of downtown Seattle. It's a pretty intimate space best described as a black box theater, and has two floors of seating. Parking is a nightmare though, so arrive early to troll the streets.

    yankee tavern
    Tom B.

    Well, it all depends on the play you're attending whether you'll like the theater, right? But if you want to go to a play, just go. ACT is a fantastic facility with a great large-theater approach to what they put on the boards. They know they have to sell a lot of tickets, and they program their plays accordingly. They commission plays. They premiere plays. They develop playwrights. They hire locally and nationally. They cast locally and internationally. They develop talent that goes on to significant careers in bigger markets. They also attract returning talent from big markets, and retain great talents that just like being where they are. Sometimes the plays they choose can seem a little tame, but, overall, every season has several things worth checking out. For a big place that really wants to draw as many theatergoers as possible, that's a great testament to their ability to be fresh and interesting without misfiring too often. In terms of the theater itself, you can't ask for much better. Huge attached underground parking garage, right on a million bus lines. Great small theaters with interesting seating. Awesome high-ceilinged upstairs theater in the round, with sets and lighting always to a high standard. I've seen many very moving and funny plays here through the years, and will support ACT as long as they keep putting up such good productions. I highly recommend seeing something here no matter how experienced you are as a theatergoer. I will caveat this by saying that Seattle has dozens of theater companies that are more experimental/avant-garde than ACT; ACT is aimed at a somewhat more mainstream audience given its size. But it's consistently entertaining and often hosts genuinely great productions.

    Mark O.

    ACT is a fabulous theater company performing in a wonderful performance complex. We've seen a couple of World Premiere plays here that were as good as anything I've seen in New York, LA, San Francisco, Chicago or Ashland.

    Front row is close in the Allen theatre. Go with rows 2 and up.
    Lindsey T.

    Update: After visiting several other venues in Seattle and coming back to ACT three times, it is hands down my favorite theatre in Seattle. My review below sums up many of the reasons why, but I will just add that the patrons at this theatre are very well mannered (no talkers or chewers), the seats have such a great incline that even shorties can see, and the bathroom never has a wait. Theatre wasn't as cold on subsequent visits so it must have been a fluke on my first one. I still wish you could take beverages inside but I'll take this theatre over the others any day of the week! Also, we had an event pop up and needed to change ticket dates. Really easy to do! 5 stars all the way. Previous: Wow, I was so impressed with the acting and special effects in A Christmas Carol. It's been one of the best shows I've seen since moving to Seattle. The children were just as amazing as the adults. It was really superb. Although there was no intermission, the 90 minutes flew by. Our seats were on the front row, and personally, I thought it was a little too close for comfort. I would say row 2 or 3 if you like being close. Really, even the last row I wouldn't mind. It appears to be all good seating. There was some street parking right outside the theatre and a garage right next door for $7. The negatives to this place were: 1) it was FREEZING inside. Dress in layers! Most people kept jackets on. 2) they only allow water bottles in the theatre (although I read online differently; perhaps each show is different?) 3) the ramp getting up to the theatre was pretty steep. It's 3 floors and some older folks were struggling getting up and down. It was pretty rough for some of them. I didn't see an elevator but I would call and see if you're someone who might need one. This performance has made me want to be a member. I have one more show this season so I suppose that will be the deciding factor. I highly recommend seeing something there. Although the show was 5 stars, I am deducting a point for my negatives. Having a drink and several layers of clothing during a freezing 90 minute show makes a world of difference!

    Trista H.

    I organized a group event for 13 people for Ham for the Holiday's. What an easy venue to work with. Group tickets had to all be purchased in one transaction. Since my party was over 10 people, the service fees were waved. Discover is an accepted form of payment when purchasing tickets. Parking can be found at: WA State Convention & Trade Center Garage Cost: $6 after 5pm and $7 during the day Payment Options: Cash and Credit Cards http://www.wscc.com/ Our show started at 8pm and the doors opened at 7pm. Theatre doors open at 7:30pm. At 7pm a lobby consisting of a full bar and snacks is available. Cash, Visa and MasterCard are accepted forms of payment BEFORE the show starts. At intermission, cash is the only payment accepted. You can pre-order/pay for additional drinks before the show and your drinks will be available for you at intermission, allowing you to also bypass lines. Drinks are allowed in the theatre; however, no food is allowed. This venue doesn't have a bad seat. Sound is great too. Thank you ACT for a night full of endless laughter and holiday cheer!

    Katy H.

    Blown the eff away! I sat on this review for a week because I couldn't even come up with words to describe my first experience here. And yes... I know, I've lived here for 4 years and haven't been to the ACT theater until now. Shame on me. And shame on YOU if you're not making plans to visit soon. The variety you get here cannot be compared to any other theater company in the city. We're lucky to have lots of great shows but ACT has all of the variety that 4 entire theaters have, all under ONE roof! ACT's history (and the history of the building) fascinates me. Did you know this old building was a giant gentlemen's club back in the day? Just think... I walked through a building that for decades was closed-off to women. Well, MOST women ;) The molding and small details of this historic building remain much the same. I love how it was important that during the remodel of this building to outfit it with various performance halls, they wanted to keep the charm and history in tact. Aside from the awesome array of shows that ACT offers throughout the year, there's also an equally awesome opportunity to catch them ALL for a discounted price. The ACT pass (much like a Netflix account) costs a fee every month and with the pass you can see ANY play you want for only $25!! Even plays that otherwise cost $55 a seat are only $25 if you're an ACT pass holder. What a fantastic deal! Additionally, if you bring a date or friend who isn't a pass holder, they still get a discount because they're attending with YOU. So even knowing someone with an ACT pass is a perk. I almost feel like I'm being paid to see shows here. Such good deals, such great theater.

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    10 years ago

    The plays presented at ACT offer a wonderful variety of genres, and the ticket office staff is incredibly kind.

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    12 years ago

    Went there to see Beckett's" Waiting for Godot". It is a very intimate and lovely venue.

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    Page 3 of 3

    Ask the Community - Union Arts Center

    Review Highlights - Union Arts Center

    There are 4 theaters within this theater, but I've only been to the Theater in the Round to see 'A Christmas Carol'

    Mentioned in 25 reviews

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    Can Can Culinary Cabaret

    Can Can Culinary Cabaret

    4.3
    (735 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$$$
    Locally owned & operated
    20 years in business

    This place was pretty interesting. Met my aunt for brunch and they have a pretty solid wide variety…read moreof breakfast and lunch things on the menu. The staff were super cool and attentive. I think they have a room for shows and dinner too if you're into it. I had fried chicken and beignets that come with a spicy honey butter that was excellent. Spread it all over the chicken and you'll be happy. The beignets were a lil too firm for my liking but powdered sugar and syrup cures all. Definitely an interesting spot to hit if you're staying in the pikes place area. I'm sure it's fun to see a show too.

    Had a great time. From the moment we walked in, we were transported by the ambiance and lighting;…read morean escape right in the heart of Pike Place. We were served appetizers and drinks before the show. The coconut shrimp were fantastic, and large. I found the Clown Car almost impossible to drink because it was so sweet, but honestly that should have been expected. The absinthe is also fantastic. Now to the show! I was impressed by the caliber of entertainment. The announcer brought so much energy and humor, and brought in the crowd in just the right ways. The dancers were fantastic; basically the entire 3 hours was choreographed down to each step. My favorite number was the mermaid and sailor one. The singers were also good. A lot of fun and great for an event like a birthday or bachelorette.

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    Main stage
    Main stage
    Chicken & Beignet
    Chicken & Beignet
    Dinner with the Show

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    Dinner with the Show
    The Atomic Bombshells

    The Atomic Bombshells

    4.2
    (5 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    This is a very talented group of performers based in Seattle that is always a pleasure to see…read more I went last night to their Valentine's Show. I've seen several other shows, and I left just breathless about how they continue to be one of the most talented burlesque troops that I've ever gotten to see. It's a diverse group of gender/body/talent presentations, and it is easy to feel included in their show. Unlike other burlesque groups/theatres that directly compete with them, they really go an extra mile to play with the many different ways people can be sexy. Theatres they tend to play out of: Broadway Performance Hall, Triple Door, and I'm sure many others! I'm excited to see many of these talented performers in the Moisture Festival in March! Go see live theatre again and wear a mask! :)

    An incredible experience and well-done revival of burlesque. I love that sexuality has taken on a…read morenew mainstream twist of acceptability and that these style of shows are cropping up all over the country. It also pleases me that shows like this can hold sold out performances all over the country. I was so excited when I moved to Seattle to hear that the cabaret scene was alive and well. And one of the top groups I heard of was The Atomic Bombshells. The only problem was that they were off traveling the country and I kept missing their shows in Seattle. I finally got to see them with a group of friends and was most impressed. First off, they have a gorgeous group of women with a variety of body types and charms. They take their time on beautiful costumes and very entertaining routines. You can tell some of them are professionally trained and talented. And those that don't excel as well in traditional dance make up for it with va-va-va-voom. While they may not rank up there with the world famous cabarets, like the Crazy Horse or Moulin Rouge, they do stay honest to their craft with campy acts and some seriously talented tassel twirling. I would highly suggest them for a romantic night out, a fun time with friends, or a perfect stress release for a hard week. So cool that they hang around to talk afterwards and even came over to thank us for showing up. Classy ladies.

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    Miss Indigo Blue
    Miss Indigo Blue
    The Atomic Bombshells
    The Atomic Bombshells

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    Kat Robichaud's MISFIT CABARET @ Hales Palladium

    Kat Robichaud's MISFIT CABARET @ Hales Palladium

    3.6
    (5 reviews)
    3.7 mi

    The Dark Cabaret Ensemble Invades Seattle !!! ["Is NO ONE…read moresafe at a Micro-Brewery anymore?!?"] SITREP Not content with conquering the City of San Francisco, Kat Robichaud lays sight upon Seattle too and takes over the night life when the Misfit Cabaret is in town! THE SETUP *Public Service Announcement!* Kat Bobichaud's MISFIT CABERET (aka "Kat's Cabaret") is NOT for everyone! [Nearly naked lady alert!] = NOT for the timid! (But you need it) = NOT for the weak of heart! (But there's medicine for that!) = NOT for moral or virtuous people, like clerics, priests, nuns, etc., but they need it! And oh hell, you MAY even see someone attired as such performing on stage here, as when a full-on EXORCISM is being conducted, so *BEWARE* oh yea, weak of heart. But if you can handle dirty talk, some raunch & nearly naked ladies, and you LIKE dirty talk, and raunch from these nearly naked ladies, and things excite you like horny life-size violin-performing dollies, and sexy bearded dancers, and demon-possessed aerial-suspension artists, than Kat's Cabaret, performing here at Hale's Palladium, is your Holy Place! "THE VOICE" Kat's voice is Sultry, Beautiful and AMAZING. And it should be surprise then that she was ON the show, "THE VOICE". So if you were scratching your head, trying to figure out why she looked so familiar, it's because she was on that show a few years back. THE MISFIT CABARET! The Misfit Cabaret is mainly in residence at the Z Space in the Mission District of San Francisco. For those of you following Kat and the Misfit Cabaret, you may remember that they were "in residence" previously at the Great Star Theatre in San Francisco's vaunted Chinatown. But Great Star had to shut down at one point, and so the Misfit Cabaret established a more stable residence at the Z Space. MY FUN INTERACTIONS WITH THE CABARET! Because Kat's Cabaret IS a traveling troupe of wacky misfits as well, to such far-flung international places like......Sacramento's Crocker Art Museum, I first met Kat and got to see the ensemble perform when they indulged SacTown with their performance of "Dark Cabaret". This was joy to the eyes & ears, as Kat and her ensemble paid tribute to the Cabaret-traditions of Berlin in the 1920s, but with a decidedly DARK edge to all of the performances. And so I've been hooked on the Misfits ever since. THE PROGRAMS! Always changing, shaking it up, hosted at fun venues, energized with BOTH resident & guest performers that love being part of Kat's world-renown Cabaret! And since they travel up and down the coast from SoCal and back up to Seattle, these kids have "STAMINA"! * A VERY SCARY MISFIT CABARET! Tonight's show was an Ode To The Magic Of Halloween! * No greater personage than Beetlejuice was our host! https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kat-robichauds-misfit-cabaret-hales-palladium-seattle?select=iuF0DcNXTjIpvCrsTche1A&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w * There was an aerial exorcism! https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kat-robichauds-misfit-cabaret-hales-palladium-seattle?select=8K2rko4rHNjBnj74fOp-eA&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w * A wonderful Bearded Dancer! * Sexy Burlesque Dancing! * Also Sexy Violin-plucking Dollie! * And what better way to conclude a performance than with the Final Scene of "Carrie" on Prom Night! (Oh YEAH!) Mad props to BAND and effervescent femme fatale WEDNESDAY from the Addams Family (deliciously bad Jordan Nathan, producer of Misfit Cabaret and MY favorite pinup). :D But it doesn't stop there: Kat & crew - besides creating new shows - keep other popular shows in rotation from their repertoire, such as... *CHRISTMAS STAR WARS GREMLINS EXTRAVAGANZA !!! My GAWD, it does NOT get any wackier & weirder, nor delightful & celebratory than a Christmas pageant with a female Wookie aerial artist, nasty Gremlins (puppets!!!), sexy burlesque performers, and KAT! All singing and/or performing their hearts out at Great Star Chinese Theatre in Chinatown - so there wasn't any surprise seeing a Chinese Dragon trooping down aisle and taking over stage - THIS ...is the kind of quality - and crazy - performances you can expect! *GRIMM I love "spooky!" I love "Maleficent". AND I went in March for my first time at Z Space, because, YES, I am a fan and I LOVE all things "KAT ROBICHAUD" now. Maleficent was a wonderful, kitschy twist on the tale of sleeping beauty, and it ALSO had puppets! Dark Dark Puppets! But it also had the whole host of OTHER exciting performances that you come to expect Kat, Misfit Cabaret, and the entire guest line-up artists, including in this instance, my friend THE UNWOMAN performing on her electronic cello. PATREON The site Patreon provides an avenue of participation to contribute - outside from mere ticket purchases and attendance - to the continued success of your favorite artists, which is why I am also a Patreon-contributor to the Misfit Cabaret. THE LOWDOWN The MISFIT CABARET is totally THE Kat's Meow!

    The whole thing was based around Kat singing, but you can't just sing snip-its of a ton of songs…read moreand hope a plot will appear. The cabaret acts were much too short and too few and still they had Kat singing the whole time which would have been fine if they attempted to cohesively integrate it or pick songs that made sense with what was happening. Lots of people left after the first "half" but we stayed in the hopes that it would get better... it did not. If you bought tickets then try and get a refund. If you were thinking about going... don't. One of the worst things I've seen in a while.

    Photos
    Performance of "ASYLUM!"
    Performance of "ASYLUM!"
    "A Very Scary Misfit Cabaret!" | Oct 4 2018
    "A Very Scary Misfit Cabaret!" | Oct 4 2018
    Performance of "ASYLUM!"

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    Performance of "ASYLUM!"
    Visionary Dance Productions

    Visionary Dance Productions

    4.9
    (13 reviews)
    3.3 mi

    Ernesto is a miracle worker. We started off just taking a trial dance class. We'd originally…read morefigured we'd do a subtle sway for our song. Within that trial, Ernesto was able to show us a vision of our dance, and made us realize we could actually learn the skills needed to do something excellent. We had so much fun with our classes - Ernesto is fun, creative, patient, and thorough. The poor guy had to listen to our first dance song ad nauseam without a complaint! He was able to take two very basic dancers and pull together a fabulous and doable choreography- and we surprised all our guests at the wedding, including our parents and close friends. Definitely worth it - not only did it have purpose, but we had fun: it turned into feeling like a date vs another wedding task.

    I took a beginning belly dance class with Delilah. It actually was not my first class in belly…read moredance, which is probably good, since I think I would have a hard time keeping up if it was. Delilah is obviously very knowledgeable and passionate about belly dance. So passionate, in fact, that she often forgets that there are new comers and she just dances and doesn't always catch when people are struggling. When you do interrupt her trance-like state of dancing and ask her how the heck she's moving like that, she will give you a phenomenal explanation. I've taken belly dance with 3 or 4 different teachers now and NO ONE has been able to properly explain shimmies the way she has. The space is really cool. I like the Persian rugs all over the floor. They keep your feet from hurting. Much nicer than doing it in a community center on a hard gym floor. I was a little put off my how often Delilah was late to our class. Once, she was almost 20 minutes late. She'll make up for it by giving you more time at the end. But still, it's no fun standing around outside the studio waiting for her. The time she was 20 minutes late, she also seemed very frazzled when she got there, like she just woke up from a nap. And in the process of teaching us some moves, she flashed us her cooch. That was kind of entertaining, actually. It was pretty amazing how great of a dancer she is, even in a half-awake state.

    Photos
    Visionary Dance Productions

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    Union Arts Center - theater - Updated July 2026

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