Durham Performing Arts Center

My girlfriend & I decided to book last minute tickets to see the Lion King & it was one of the best experiences. While we were in Section 10, the view was still great! The DPAC did a great job managing the crowd flow & offering a free Photo Booth ! I'd recommend this facility any day for a fun date night!Food: I grabbed a water & housemade cookie! the cookie was gone before the show started but overall, beautiful experience in a well kept facility.

I finally had the pleasure of visiting the Durham performing arts center and I was absolutely delighted. The environment was very welcoming and spacious. There were many vendors with many different options for snacks and drinks. The bathroom situation was wonderful. During the time between opening act and the main act, they had a line set up with workers directing women into the bathroom, so that there was never any time the bathrooms weren't full, which was absolutely amazing. I loved the seats in the performance hall. It was very roomy and very comfortable. The sound was amazing. The lighting was amazing. Everything was absolutely wonderful.

I love the diversity of talent we get at DPAC! I came with my adult children to several Broadway shows over the past year, but tonight we enjoyed NC's own Fortune Feimster! The staff has relaxed the weapons check and streamlined entry hugely in the last few times I've been here. I was worried I'd have to take my pocket knife back to the car, or check my keys, but I walked right through all the detectors and we trudged up to the third floor. Even at that height, the sound and sight lines are great. Ushers did a great job of seating latecomers during the warmup act, and the main show went off without a hitch. If you live in Durham, check to see if you can get community pricing for any shows you might consider. We went to Chicago and Les Mis for $15 a seat, and the seats weren't too bad. Much cheaper than if we'd have paid full price for the same seats!

Definitely add parking to your ticket to make your experience more enjoyable. The parking attendants were friendly and helpful. We got there a little early and didn't have to wait outside terribly too long. They have quick bits of food and good selection of drinks (alcohol and non-alcohol). The bathrooms were clean and the attendants helped move things along. There is nothing worse than waiting for a stall in the women's bathrooms. The seating was very comfortable and there is a cup holder in front for your drinks. The sound system and acoustics were pretty good. I saw the group Bush and their lighting was pretty good. There is a lower section and two balconies. I love the fact that even if you sat in the back row, you can see the stage pretty well. Overall the facility is clean, security is on point and the staff were very efficient. Can't wait to go to another show.

The Durham Performing Arts Center is a good venue for concerts, shows and musicals. They offer a good variety of performances. There are a number of parking garages nearby.Some of the seats do have an obstructed view which is surprising for a newer venue. They also need more restrooms as there are not enough for the Grand Tier as the balcony section uses these restrooms as well.I've enjoyed the backstage tours I've taken here.

This is a great venue. Almost all the seats are good. Parking is convenient and ingress and egress are easy.

This is a beautiful theatre, with excellent sightlines throughout and good sound. It is home to all kinds of performances from concerts by famous artists to plays, including Broadway favourites like Chicago and Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Wicked, Six! The Musical and many more.DPAC is located in the heart of the city at the head of the wonderful and historic American Tobacco District, it is served by two parking decks, with red-coated volunteer guides stationed all along the way, so you won't get lost or fall victim to crime. It is also surrounded by several dining establishments for a pre-show meal, including NanaSteak right outside the front door, plus it has snack bars and lobby cocktail bars. One major design gripe--for a $50 million dollar facility, they failed to provide rest room facilities for the upper balcony, which is where you will be unless you have been a subscriber for years, so you are forced to descend to mezzanine level and wait in a ridiculously long line (it is terrible for women) for one inadequately sized room and pray you can get in and out before intermission ends. The elevator lines are also long.This is owned by the city; it is operated by the Nederlander Organization, the second-largest owner of Broadway theatres in the USA. I call it the jewel in Durham's crown.We bought tickets to see Chicago. It was Olivia Holt's 2nd performance as Roxy and WOW! She was awesome! My fiancé and I are very familiar with Chicago the musical, we know musicals are open to interpretation of directors, and this show did not disappoint! The cast was amazing. They had great chemistry, Billy Flynn (Erich Bergen), Velma, Amos, and Fred were so so good.We loved the simplicity of the set with the interactive orchestra (bravo to the conductor!). There are not many costume changes, which did not bother us like other reviewers as we love seeing different takes on this long-running musical. It was fresh, modern, fun, sassy, and entertaining. The cast was spot on, never out of breath, amazing vocals (Mama (Charity Angel Dawson) and Velma (Kimberly Marble), on the vocals ... WoW! A MUST SEE!!

I can't say for sure that I'm DPAC's biggest fan, but if not, I have to rate up in the top few, as I've been coming for years and been a season member of their broadway series for years as well. All I can say is I recommend anything and everything if you love live entertainment. Having experienced many other theaters, I can heartfully say this is the best venue we've ever experienced anywhere overall. They do truly care and strive to give us the best theater experience possible. I truly believe that. TIP: Don't wait until the last moment to show up! You will need to park, walk to the venue, go through security, etc. Allow time and it will be much more enjoyable. There are tables on the second floor to lounge around and enjoy munchies and drinks, but there aren't many of them. It would be great if they had more as you won't get them if you don't get there super early.Do know it's important to follow the rules. Do not ever attempt to take a partially filled sippy cup of alcohol out of the theater. Ever. You will be treated like a criminal. So do not order anything you can't drink during the performance. Believe me I learned this one the hard way.Most importantly be prepared. Biggest frustration for us after covid is online tickets. No problem for most, but for those of us with androids it's not been easy. Try to figure it out before you go and if all else fails, know they are there for you to help out when you get there.I cannot be more grateful for this venue that they continue to bring the best and highest quality shows and talent to our area. They hire amazing people who will brighten your day with their greetings and caring.

We saw Jo Koy here and will be going back later this month to see Jerry Seinfeld. The parking situation was much better than expected, the food was reasonably priced, the seats throughout the venue were actually very good, the service was great. We really enjoyed our experience here!

Although I've lived in Durham for 5 years, this was my first time coming to DPAC. My wife and I came here for Riverdance. It was a great show and we had decent seats. The lines for restrooms and concessions get extremely long. The only real drawback is the cost. Not sure how many shows I plan to catch or can afford.