Arvada Center For the Arts & Humanities

love… Love…LOVE this place!
So convenient, free parking, incredibly talented performers and first rate production. It’s a quaint venue, that puts you right on top of the performance, without a bad seat in the house and an even better audio system.
I have attended outdoor performances and concerts and was overwhelmed by the cast and conductor of White Christmas!
Unilocal needs to have an Elite event at the Center… a true gem in Arvada and it speaks so well of the suburban performing arts.

Gallery Exhibitions are something I always look forward to seeing at The Arvada Center. It’s never dull, highly informative, giving opportunity to view works of art some of us would never have the chance to experience otherwise.
The Gallery Exhibitions have been free of charge so far! That is so fortunate for me ~ raising four children on a sensitive budget severly limits our non-​necessity oppotunities.
A huge, grateful ‘thank you’ to The Arvada Center [for the Arts and Humanities] for allowing the art gallery viewings at no charge, and for the fantastic opportunity my daughter is partaking in, playing in the Front Range Youth Symphony. Her experience is proving invaluable!
So much more is offered here ~ you must check ‘em out.

After leaving work this afternoon, I went up here for a field trip to clear my head. I learned of their current gallery shows. There’s an impressive line-​up of concerts through mid-​September with all kinds of music. I’ll be back again.

This place is lovely. Aside from being a little far away from me, it is fun to attend events here.
They have a great concert series. Their food doesn’t cost an arm and a leg when you come. They also let you bring your own food in.
Their drinks aren’t that expensive either.
You can buy tickets for seating close to the stage, or you can enjoy yourself in general admission on the lawn in the back. I personally prefer the lawn. You can sprawl out on a blanket, and enjoy the stars AND the music!
This place definitely makes for a nice and affordable night out.

This review is not for the peformances but instead for their pottery classes. My wife and I have been doing ceramics here for the past 3 years and they have an amazing set of classes and instructors. The structure to the classes I’ve taken is a little more lax than pottery classes I’ve taken at other locations, but the instructors and other students are great when you want to ask questions or need help. Their selection of glazes is pretty good and they do firings quite often.
The price of the classes are on par with most other pottery studios in the area and they don’t charge by the piece or by weight like other places. They have open studio hours that are pretty good and allow you to come in quite a bit to work outside of classes.

I have been visiting Arvada Center now for years and feel fully qualified to give a review. I have been to multiple theater events and have found their performances to be top-​notch and nothing short of what I would see at DCPA for quite a bit more. Our daughter has taken summer classes at the center and has loved all of them. The instructors and class content were excellent and in the event that you have to cancel a class they have a very fair refund policy. Finally, last night I had my first experience at the amphitheater and had a fabulous time. The event was well organized. Although there is a challenge of staying perched on the extra slopey grass hill and particularly in walking up that hill in the rain with two beverages in hand, it did allow for excellent stadium-​type seating. The security team did a great job handling some misbehaving patrons. Everything that we have taken part in at the Arvada Center has been high-​quality!

We came to see Tarzan tonight. The play was not at all what I expected. It was MORE then I expected !!! The costumes were great! The props were fun to see in action. The cast were all very very talented and their voices when singing… amazing! Like something off of a Disney movie :))) Jane played by Jennifer Lorae —-wow! I haven’t been to a play since Easter and seeing this tonight has me in the mood to see many many more.
Seating was front and center thanks to Piper who was amazing in the play– (parking outside) more then enough. The auditorium staff were very friendly and the atmosphere of the theatre was just great.
I would recommend a play here anytime !

I’ve been to a half dozen or so shows here over the years. I’ve seen some good shows (Joseph and the Technicolor Coat), some not so good shows (as in I walked out at intermission), and now I’ve seen a GREAT show– Tarzan!
Took my *almost* seven year old son here as an early birthday present as he has been to some children’s theater productions and enjoyed them, and Tarzan is one of his favorite Disney stories (I’ve seriously read the book to him no less than 30 times in the last couple years). So, for his 7^th birthday I thought a «grown up» theater production of one of his favorite stories would be a fun surprise. And he LOVED it! He sat at rapt attention, leaning forward in his seat, almost the whole show. And the rest of us adults enjoyed it too!
The story was engaging, vibrant and entertaining with particular lines specific for an outloud chuckle, or songs that cut right to your heart. My son mentioned he liked the song «Two Worlds»; win to Phil Collins on the songs! The set was well done and had lots of «moving parts». The costumes were slightly odd to me, looking more like shaggy dog suits than shaggy gorilla, but I appreciated their way of highlighting the main characters using different colors on their costumes. The actors were all good; I’m no authority on those things but I liked what I saw and no one’s singing made me cringe.
The Arvada Center is a great place to enjoy the arts on a budget with easier parking and accessibility than DCPA. The building and grounds are well maintained and they have multiple theaters plus their amphitheater to guarantee there is always something going on in addition to showcasing art.

What a quality performance! Singing («Like-​a-​bility»), dancing (amazing tap), cute story and costumes/​set.
Highly recommend child-​appropriate Lyle the Crocodile.
My 19mo old watched and enjoyed the 1 hour performance.
Only $ 8 p/​adult.

Fantastic art opening three different shows. Couldn’t have asked for a more collective space or better finger foods! Just wish it was closer to home so I can have my own FREE museum nearby.

Saw «A Christmas Carol The Musical» this afternoon. Could not have been better.

We just saw Noël Coward’s witty play «Blithe Spirit» at the Black Box Theatre and loved it. It compared very well with that old movie I remember from many years ago, with the wonderful English character actress Margaret Rutherford playing the eccentric Madame Arcati. The acting was great, the sets & costumes were elegant in the style of the times, intermission refreshments were right there, the audience really got into the spirit of the play, and all in all, a good time was had by everyone. Kudos to Rod Lansberry and the cast for a entertaining show.
In addition, this is a very elegant and interesting facility to see a play at. There are some most interesting pieces of artwork to look at before and after.

The Arvada Center is an absolutely amazing place full of creativity, music, and great times. I have been going to the Arvada Center for my entire life, for school field trips, summer camps, concerts, musicals, plays, and banquet functions. The staff is always friendly, the parking is ample and free, and the shows they have there are spectacular.
I really like the outdoor amphitheater that they use for summer series concerts and musicals. The seating is pretty cheap and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Plus, who doesn’t love taking a picnic to a concert?

Went to George Thorogood last night — $ 80 for a ticket — bought 4 tickets. Concert was to start at 7:30 — it started at 8. George rocked but at 9:30, the Arvada Center turned on the lights while GT was rocking and a rolling to signal (I guess) that the concert was over. GT finished up the song, said goodbye and walked off the stage. An hour and a half concert — crazy. Very, very disappointing. Will never attend another concert at the Arvada Center.

Love the Arvada Center! The quality of shows produced here rivals most at the DCPA, and you get to park for free! This past year I saw Cabaret, The Lady With All the Answers, Hairspray, and The 1940’s Radio Hour — all the shows were great.
There are two theaters indoors — The Main Stage, which has a large center section and two angled side sections, and The Black Box, which is standard arena theater seating. Both theaters are much smaller than the Buell, so you never feel like you have a bad seat. Since seats can be pricey, you may want to consider the «value» sections they offer. However, you certainly wouldn’t be disappointed paying the higher rate and sitting front and center — it’s a great experience.
The Center also has a concession stand upstairs where you can get some munchies or a quick drink. And, during intermission, you can wander around the building and check out the many artworks and costumes the Center has on display — some of the work is absolutely beautiful.
If you’re a fan of the Center, you may already know that they design and build everything in house, including the gorgeous sets and costumes. For Hairspray, they even had Denver based fashion designer (and Project Runway runner-​up) Mondo as their lead designer. He did a fantastic job, as everyone expected he would.
From what I’ve heard, auditions at the Arvada Center are quite a process, and most of the talent in the shows is local. They do hire folks from outside Colorado if they need that certain something — for example, Leo Ash Evens in Cabaret, or Jim J. Bullock in Hairspray. As much as I love supporting our local talent, it was a real treat to see both of these men perform.
If you haven’t yet seen a show at The Arvada Center, I highly recommend that you check out their 2012 lineup — the productions are top notch, and the size of the theater really lets you feel like you’re in on the action. I know I’ll be back several times next year, and I’m already looking forward to it!

We went to Hairspray~~ It was really good the show was really good! Best show I have ever seen here!!!

When it comes to musical theatre, I’m not easily won over. Not a musical fan, never watched a single episode of GLEE, so when I say «You gotta see HAIRSPRAY»… you gotta see it! It’s a pitch-​perfect evening, as colorful as a candy store with the nutritional value of a five course meal. What keeps this from being a bang-​out-​cheesey show with sentimental music of a bygone era (shows of this ilk to remain nameless) is that it shows us the beating heart of American morality. The music is original, the choreography is stunning, the casting is spot on! And then there are all those fabulous costumes by local fashion hero, Mondo!

We had tickets for a performance under the covering which is nice in case of the afternoon showers that seem to show up this time of year.
We had packed a light dinner but were happy to see tables to sit at and lots of food available to purchase too if you are running late.
They serve wine and beer so that is a plus since you can’t bring any into the venue.
Check out their summer program and see if there is something you might like to try this summer.

I was surprised when I found out that Concrete Blonde (the band) was going to play here at the Arvada Center. I actually lived in Arvada and always just associated the place as a place where they have musicals and plays. As I found out they occasionally have concerts here… like rock concerts. So that was the loud noise I would hear from my apartment from time to time when I had to go to bed early to be at work at 5am and try to sleep. I don’t live in Arvada anymore so this concert brought me back to my old stomping grounds for better or worse. Like I said I had no idea that the center had a small amphitheater here and was pleasantly surprised to see how small it was since I am a small venue kind of guy and have pushed aside my large amphitheater outings as a activity of the early 90’s. A thing of the past. While I was at the box office getting my ticket I also found out that they have art here to look at for free. That was a real perk for me for this place as well but unfortunately the show was already beginning so I was not able to examine it. The show itself was wonderful. Yes it was a amphitheater but very intimate and quite charming. I look forward to going back for another show sometime. In the meantime I am going to sneak back in there and check out the free art when I have time to kill and in the area. Who knew Arvada had this cool place… err probably quite a few.

Plays are always good here, but we especially liked The Second Tosca – now playing – very clever and very well acted.
Dana Naas — Golden Printing & Promotional Products