Akron Civic Theatre

This review is about a tour of the theater. There are a lot of stairs. Neil was our guide, and he was well informed. The building, designed by Marcus Lowe, is huge and was built over the canal. The Moorish style architecture is full of symbolism, including parrots on the carpet. In these gorgeous atmospheric theaters (moving clouds on the ceiling built in the 1920s) were popular aviaries. You could pet and talk to parrots! Since the latest fundraising campaign, money was available to open two small stages. They are for drama, poetry readings, parties, graduations, whatever is needed for a fee. The corridors are beautiful. The main auditorium is amazing. Donations are accepted for the one-hour tour, which is free.

The Akron Civic Theater is a magical space. The seats, lighting, sound, and atmosphere was brilliant. Lots of snacks and beverages. Servers were fast, friendly and easy to navigate. Definitely returning!

I loved this historic theatre! It reminded me of the theaters in New Orleans and Black American neighborhoods that I lived in and supported through the years. The theatre has the traditional massive stair case, several floors/mezzanines, gold overlays and murals that you would find from the 1940s/1950s. The icing on the cake and surprise was that this was the stop off for Andre 3000s tour?!?!? Akron?!!? Okay..... nevertheless we braved the unknown and got a room next to the theatre to be there on time. The bar service was great and everyone was cheerful. I would have liked to see a sold out crowd, but the 70% capacity allowed us to get closer PR tickets and move closer to the action. Maybe the capacity is reflective of the location or the lack of marketing, either way I know if in either of my hometowns listed above- it would have been sold out. Keep creating Andre! And people keep supporting music and theatre, do not let a beauty such as this civic theatre be subject to corporate greed. We do not need another chain 'insert name here'.

The theater is gorgeous! Plenty of security and ushers to help you find your seat. Seats are comfortable & the sound is good. Never used the restroom or got drinks, so can't speak on that. It was our first time and it was a great experience!

The Akron Civic Theater is a beautiful venue with great acoustics. My daughter, her hubby and I were there to see 'Who's Live Anyway' and if anything the sound was too loud. But it was crystal clear. The seats were comfortable and the decor was pleasingly ornate. The ceiling dotted with faux stars was lovely and unexpected.There was a big line for valet parking so we opted for street parking a couple blocks away. When we got in line to enter the venue, it was long, but the process to enter was quick and efficient and before we knew it we were in our seats.

First time here - great experience. Saw a holiday concert. Good seats center in the middle back. Nice bathrooms. Decor all around was classic & well maintained. Temperature was right & seats were roomy. Not too crowded so that helped. Artists were ok but the venue was real nice. Parking lot had long lines but we got free street spot. Wouldn't mind coming back here again.

The facilty itself is quite nice. Seating is comfortable, acoustics are good, etc. The staff however leaves much to be desired. They seem disinterested and we had one lady be downright nasty and rude when asked for assistance.

This review is not for Akron Civic Theater but Ticket Master. I got tickets for something at Akron Civic Theater that I was not able to attend because of Ticket Master. On Dec 6th I purchased tickets thru Akron Civic Theater and was asked to transfer them to Ticket Master the same date. This was done and tickets were in my possession. On Jan 22nd I received a text message to transfer my tickets. I went on the link to look at the tickets and decided that something weird was going on. Five mins later I got a text saying my tickets were transferred and claimed by some mystery person named Roxana Matinez. Do not know this person and I did not transfer anything. Called that day Ticket Master to complain and they put in a ticket. Did not hear a word from them. Called again 8 days later still under review. Called the next day under review. Went on line ( ticket master) and chatted with a customer service person. Under review. Called Feb 1st at 9 am (Day of Concert) I was told that I needed to change my address and email and phone number on my app and to call Ticket Sales where I ordered my tickets. Called them and they told me I needed to File a complaint with Ticket Master. Called back and told them that and they filed a complaint.. So they said. Told me they would call me in a few hours with what I needed to do to get my tickets. On my way to Akron, which is 2 hours away, I called at 3:00 and finally was taken off of hold 45 mins later.. told that still under review and I would hear how to get my tickets before the 7:30 concert time. They called me at 6:30 when I was a block away from the concert hall and no one was on the line. They called me back 5 mins later.. no one on the line. I called them at 7pm and waited 42 minutes on hold spoke to someone that informed me they decided it was not fraudulent that the same devise was used for the purchase and the transfer. NO ONE spoke to me at all. I called them on 2/4 to speak to a supervisor was told they would pass it on and it would be 24 to 48 hours. I called on 2/6 since no one called me within this perimeter and was told they would put this in escalation. Here I am a full 24 hours since I called and no phone call. They do not care.. They called me a liar they did not talk to me at all. I did not get to see the concert i wanted to attend. This is all on Ticket Master and the worst customer service I have ever experienced!!!!!!!!!!!!Cyndie S

Bought tickets for my wife and I to see Bob Dylan on 10/21/23 for her birthday. Showtime was 8:00 and Dylan is known to go on promptly. We arrived a little later than we would have liked, but thought we'd still make it to our seats with time to spare (we go to a LOT of concerts). To our amazement, the queue to enter the venue was still backed up out of the front doors and down the street! Upon entering, it became clear why. There was no clear system for the myriad security measures in place and the crowd was completely bottlenecked in the narrow foyer, with the Civic's generally rude and unfriendly staff trying in vain to wand, check tickets, write seat numbers on little sticky-note-like chits, lock cellphones in these mylar pouches, etc. (Dylan has a strict no cell policy). By the time we made it through this gauntlet, Dylan had already taken the stage and was playing. We walked upstairs to the balcony, where an usher told us which door to use for our section. Upon entering the theater itself, it was pitch black, and we joined yet another large group of people standing inside the door, in the balcony aisle, with no idea whatsoever how to find our seats. No ushers were present inside the theater itself. In the midst of this chaos, I suddenly became aware that I was POURING sweat. I had on a tee shirt and light jacket. I took the jacket off and was already starting to completely sweat through the tee. It had to have been almost 100 degrees in the balcony section, with no ventilation or air circulation whatsoever. Meanwhile Dylan is on his third song already and it's dawning on me that we are missing a large chunk of the show which - thanks to Ticketmaster and scalpers buying up every seat in the joint within minutes of going on sale - I paid at least three times more than face value to attend. Finally at my wit's end, I ran back out and down the stairs to where I had previously encountered the only usher thus far. I told her about the mob of lost souls in the dark with no way to locate our seats. "You're kidding", she said. "I'm not", I said. Finally she offered to help, but when we walked back into the show room, she just said, "Oh, but the show's already started. You're gonna have to wait until in between songs to get seated", and then she just walked away! At that point, my sweet wife had just about had enough and said, "that's it, follow me".We stumbled up the aisle and found a couple of seats in the sweltering darkness. Thank goodness her vision is better than mine. By some divine providence, no one ever came to claim the seats we settled into - probably because they couldn't find the damn things! Unlike seemingly the entire staff at the Akron Civic Theatre, Bob Dylan, at 82 years old, definitely showed up to work that day. He played for over two hours, putting on an incredible performance. The theater itself is uniquely ornate and beautiful, though seating is unusually cramped (even for my 6'4" frame). But the overall experience was absolutely unacceptable, especially given the inflated cost of secondary market ticket prices. I concede I am probably spoiled. I'm from Cleveland, 40 miles north, and we have an entire district of historic theaters that are welcoming, efficient, well-staffed, and climate controlled. As I creeped along through the crowded lobby toward the exit, drenched in perspiration, trying to find someone, anyone who could unlock the mylar pouch to regain access to my phone, I had plenty of time to contemplate if I would ever dare to attend another show at this aesthetically beautiful but woefully unpleasant venue.

We arrived a few minutes late. Doors locked, staff stared at us from inside. We walked away without seeing the show. Won't come here again.