19 Best Performing Arts in Connecticut, USA

Built in 1883, this modernized 300-seat music hall with a world-class sound system hosts more than 200 shows a year by local performers as well as nationally known folk, soft rock, and jazz groups. The intimate setting puts you close to the stage. Before the performance, have drinks, snacks, or a meal at the on-site GoodWorks Smokehouse.

The well-regarded Long Wharf Theatre presents works by contemporary writers and revivals of otherwise neglected classics. The season runs August through May.

The orchestra (formerly Stamford Symphony) performs mainly at The Palace Theatre, but selected musicians also perform at smaller venues in Stamford and nearby towns.

In addition to national tours of major Broadway shows, concerts, comedy acts, and family theater, The Bushnell is home to the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.   The box office is open Monday through Friday, 10 am to 5 pm, and 2 hrs before curtain.

This historic, fully renovated, country playhouse presents national and local musicians, comedians, magicians, theatrical performances, classic and new films, and insightful lectures. Stars ranging from Gordon Lightfoot to Lyle Lovett, Dana Carvey to Amy Schumer, and performances such as Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Shakespeare's Henry V have been headliners over the years.

National and international opera and dance performances, concerts, comedy, Broadway musicals, film festivals, and children's events are all on the bill at this arts center—a beautifully restored, 1,440-seat, art deco theater.

Hartford Stage presents new and classic plays from around the world in an intimate (489-seat) setting.   Box office is open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 5 pm or curtain time. Discounted parking at adjacent garage.

The Jorgensen Center presents a series of roughly 25–30 music, dance, and theater programs September–May.

Spring through fall, one of the state's few remaining drive-in theaters (family-run since 1954) shows movies (double features) on its three big screens; there's a huge flea market held on the grounds every Sunday, rain or shine, from 8 am to 2 pm.  You can bring leashed dogs to the movies—but no barking!

Held at the Music Shed on the 70-acre Ellen Battell Stoeckel Estate, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival—under the auspices of the Yale Summer School of Music—presents world-renowned artists and ensembles on summer evenings in July and August. Stroll the 70-acre grounds or visit the art gallery, too.

Broadway musicals, dance performances, comedy, music concerts, and more are on the bill at the Shubert, a 1,600-seat theater that originally opened in 1914.

Enjoy an excellent series of mostly free outdoor summer concerts here that range from jazz to classical, folk to blues, and one night each week focused especially on children. (You must reserve or buy a ticket online.) Bring a blanket or beach chair—and a picnic, if you like, but snacks and drinks are also available.

Plays, comedy shows, concerts, ballet, kids' shows, and film festivals are presented at the 1,600-seat Palace, originally a vaudeville house, which is now owned and operated by Stamford Center for the Arts.

This is the Hartford equivalent of Off-Broadway, where new and experimental dramas are presented.

See modern dance or a provocative new play, hear top playwrights and actors discuss their craft, or take in an art exhibit or concert at this college arts center.

Long associated with local benefactors Joanne Woodward and the late Paul Newman, the venerable and intimate Westport Country Playhouse presents high-quality performances from April through November and special family programs from December through March.

Built in 1901 to commemorate Yale's bicentennial, the 2,650-seat Woolsey Hall hosts performances by the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Yale Symphony Orchestra, Yale Philharmonia, Yale Concert Band, and Yale Glee Club, as well as occasional guest recitals on the Newberry Memorial Organ.

This theater stages both premieres and fresh interpretations of classics from October through May.

Most of the 200-plus performances in the impressive roster of concerts by the Yale School of Music—featuring students, faculty, and guest artists—take place in Sprague Memorial Hall, and many are free, Other venues include Woolsey Hall, Sudler Recital Hall, and Marquand Chapel—all on the Yale campus.