Pioneer Center For the Performing Arts

Having been able to perform at the Pioneer Center as a little girl (a long long time ago… ballet!!). It brings back instant memories every time I walk in here.
It really has not changed over the past 50 years (other than the basic, paint, carpet, walls…)…
It captivates the audience with the productions and keeps culture into the area.

First time here and I saw The Book of Mormon — LOVED! Thank you for bringing this here to us :)
I had great seats — perfect view. Everything was clean. It was easy to get in and out. Ushers got me to my seat quickly. Yes, the bathroom is small so there was quite a line for the ladies room but I still got in/​out during intermission (and a concussion stop!) Maybe I was just used to Candlestick ;)
I also loved that they had mini bottles of Chandon at the bar — perfect drink for a play! :)
I can’t wait to go back and see another show!

I saw Classix Series — Number Four tonight with my new Unilocal friends and it was wonderful! The Reno Phil never disappoints. We are blessed to have such a talented group of musicians in our community. The music was beautiful and I appreciated the new spins the Phil put on the classic pieces. The Pioneer theater is a nice place to enjoy the Reno Phil, Broadway plays and my most favorite, the annual Spirit of the Season. I appreciate the balcony seats as well as the main floor. All seats allow you to view the stage comfortably. I appreciate Michael T. letting my hub and I enjoy our very first Unilocal event! It was so nice to meet my fellow Unilocalers and I had a fantastic time.

Somehow I was lucky enough to snag two premium tickets to Book of Mormon just 4 days prior to showtime. This would be my first time inside the Pioneer Center and our seats were for Section D Row D (first row of the main floor).
We arrived 10 minutes prior to showtime and after a small wait to get inside we were seated and the show started. No complaints about the experience, lighting and sound was excellent. Show was funny and entertaining, and I don’t believe there was a single empty seat in the house. I definitely anticipate coming back to see another show or the orchestra.

Just saw Book of Mormon and I was blown away. They did a phenomenal job with the cast and set for this small of a venue. We splurged on orchestra seats but to be honest, I don’t think it was necessary. It’s an older venue and the restroom situation is a nightmare but helpful and friendly staff and a nice place to catch a show

Thank you for bringing such a great line up for the 2016 season! We had a great time at The Book of Mormon last night. My only gripe (and it’s been a gripe for years) is that there aren’t enough stalls in the ladies bathroom. It’s next to impossible to use the bathroom during intermission because the line is out the door. Other than that, we love Pioneer, and we’ll be coming back!

Beware of how they treat their season pass holders. Sold crappy mid-​week tickets to Book of Mormon with season subscription, so now if you want your regular premium seats, you have to go stand in line to exchange and hope that you can get your regular seats. Why? Just so they can have premium seats to sell for Valentine’s weekend.

My wife and I have been coming here for years! We have had seasons tickets off and on over the last 5 years. This year we weren’t a huge fan of the shows but I lucked into some tickets from a friend to see Chicago! I was thrilled and grabbed a fellow Unilocal friend Rain to join me for the evening.
This performance was fantastic! I loved the fact that the band was on stage for the entire show and interacted with the cast. It was really neat and added a little pizzazz to this great show. My toes tapped along to the music and I could feel my lips mouthing the words right along with the cast. I am a huge musicals lover thanks to my mom. She used to listen to the soundtrack for various musicals while vacuuming the house every Saturday morning during my entire childhood. I have yet to see a musical that I haven’t known at least one or two songs to! It may have driven me crazy as a teenager but as an adult, I am incredibly thankful for the education she gave me!
I am very much looking forward to this next season because the shows sound amazing and a few are ones I have been dying to see but haven’t had the opportunity.
This little theatre is a fantastic place to see a show. The ushers are always so courteous, helpful, and kind. There isn’t a bad seat in the house and you are never very far from the stage. I love seeing shows here!
The show schedule for next year includes: Annie, Riverdance, Ragtime, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Million Dollar Quartet, and The Book of Mormon. It will definitely be another amazing season at the Pioneer Center!
If you want to be alerted to when the tickets go on sale be sure to sign up for their emailing mailing list!

So, I’m partial to the Pioneer Center because I volunteer there. And I do that because I believe we are lucky to have a place like this in our city, and I want to support it and do what I can to ensure it continues to exist in our community. It is a wonderful venue for Broadway musicales, for the philharmonic orchestra and ballet performances and for various other shows that bring culture to our city. It is not perfect, but it is better than nothing. And I personally know that people who work there, volunteers or otherwise, strive to provide good service and experience to the patrons.

Memphis was absolutely brilliant.

After 4 years I decided it was about time I update my review.
This theatre has come quite a distance in the past 4 years. Our first season as season ticket holders we were impressed more with the visiting additional shows than the seasons offerings. The seasons however have come full circle.
The past years have offered up amazing shows like West Side Story, Shrek, Peter Pan the ballet, Mannheim Steamroller, Flashdance, Fiddler On The Roof, Spamalot, Damn Yankees, Straight No Chaser… and the list goes on. Some have been additional to the season ticket prices and sold individually like Straight No Chaser and Peter Pan.
Ticket prices are quite reasonable. In the past few years we’ve seen many a show outside of Reno (New York, SF, Sacramento, Chicago, etc) and the season tickets in Reno cost the prices of some individual show tickets.
The quality of visiting shows is top notch. For shows that are auditory like Mannheim Steamroller or Straight No Chaser are fine from any seat. For some of the more visual presentations the seats on the floor level are better.
Overall, this center is great to have and the more support it is offered through increased patronage the more rapid the growth.
Aside from a great date night, supporting the arts is something we should all do.

As season ticket holders to the Pioneer Center we thoroughly enjoy coming to this 60’s era theater! The theater is not too big so every seat in the house is really a gem. We like sitting in the balcony for the best views and all the productions we have seen have all been very well done!
Hats off to the staff at the Pioneer for always being warm and friendly and it’s even nice to Elbe welcomed at the door a season ticket holders.
We’ll be back and looking forward to tonight’s production!

Worst service EVER!!! i think this place should be renamed the «Pioneer Center for Screwing Customers.» According to the Pioneer Center’s website, the Box Office Phone Center is open on Sunday from 11a-​4p. However, as of 1 pm on Sunday I was still getting the message that the phone center is closed. The message does state that the center is closed until 15 minutes after a matinée, but according to their calendar, there is no matinée today. (Apparently someone failed to show up for work) I left an urgent message in the box office voice mail box but no one has returned my call. Beyond frustrating.
The reason I was trying to contact someone is because when I attempted to order tickets through their site online, my request was declined twice for «fraud.» I tried twice, and both times I got the same message. I checked with my credit card company and both charges were APPROVED! However, I received no confirmation and the seats are still showing as available. My card is fine and there are no issues at all. My credit card company even provided me with the authorization codes they sent to the Pioneer Center.
So I finally reached some idiot at the Box Office and he stated that the credit card company declined the charge for fraud. He told me that he is in Phoenix and people in Phoenix have no problems, but apparently in Reno (where the Pioneer Center is located) the credit cards companies don’t know what they are doing! He says he doesn’t know how they could have provided me with than authorization number — even thought the card has been charged for $ 390!!! When I asked him what I could do, he said that apparently I can’t go to shows at the Pioneer center and hung up on me!
What a poor excuse for a supposedly community oriented venue. I sent them an email with this same information along with the credit card authorization codes provided to them by the credit card company, so I expect a call back and a PROFUSE apology by tomorrow. I will refute the charges with my credit card company and I am telling everyone NEVER to attend an event there.
Can you tell I am really pissed?

This review is based on my experience with the Box-​Office staff.
I have a friend who is a foreman for the Blue Man Group reserve tickets under my name. He sent the ticket form in after midnight on September 26^th for the show on Saturday September 27^th at 2 pm that still had open seats.
I called the Box Office at 12:25 pm and spoke to «Nicole». When I first asked if there were any tickets in the will-​call, before asking my last name, she just said no. I then asked her to look under my name, Shannon J***. Nicole, then said she would look again, while I was on the line. «I have some for Pamela J***, is that your name?» So, I kindly re-​told her my first and last name. Apparently, there weren’t any tickets under my name. I then called back a few minutes later and again spoke to Nicole. I asked her to double check to make sure that my friend had not accidentally reversed my name while filling out the form. Again nothing in the will-​call box.
Later that night I saw my friend and he asked why I wasn’t there. I told him that there weren’t any tickets reserved under my name. He then showed me his confirmation page, that there were in fact two tickets, under my name to that showing for 2pm.
Apparently the people that answer the phones have no idea how to deal with customers or to properly do their job. Good look calling to double check that you will have tickets available. They will tell you they don’t before even asking what your name is. Awesome!

Nice venue. It’s actually much bigger on the inside than it would seem, mostly because most of it is underground.

Great place to see a musical or ballet! The stage is very large, the seats are not too uncomfortable and there is always great shows traveling to Reno! Must check it out if u haven’t been.

Love the Event Center…
Been here three times and I enjoy the smaller center, makes it feel more cozy…
Plus, Sat show (Hochey Kochey Girls) danced their booties off…
Two thumbs up!

This is a great venue and we come here frequently for the Broadway Comes to Reno Series, the Reno Philharmonic, and AVA Ballet productions.
The geodesic dome design is fantastic and makes for an open space that is far larger than it appears. The volunteer staff are always friendly and helpful You can tell that they truly love the center and hold it dear. The box-​office staff have always been professional and accommodating.
We usually sit in the center section of the balcony — I think they are the best seats for the mid-​level prices. The biggest negative is sometimes the sound is a bit muddy for the musicals and the lyrics can be difficult to hear. For the Philharmonic performances, this does not seem to be an issue.
The bathrooms are small and grossly inadequate for the numbers who usually attend these events. Word of advice — go to the bathroom before you get there or when you first arrive. If you plan on going during intermission, you may not make it.
The seats on the floor to the sides, are not the best for Musicals as the sight lines are not always ideal.
There is ample parking on weekends and evenings in the large lot across the street and there is a great variety of fine dining available within an easy walk of the theater.
I think we are very lucky to have a professional Performing Arts center of this caliber in Reno.

Agreeing with Miss Tracy S. that this would be a great night out or date night! If I am visiting Reno, I would love to be taken to one of the many interesting looking dining spots/​coffee shops around the Pinioneer center before going and seeing a good show.
I was recently there for the Spamalot play in town and it was fantastic! They utilized every inch of that stage and even incorporated the audience when possible. It was a great show and the center is really big once your inside. I did not have seat on the upperlevel so I do not know how their view was, but I was close to the front on the right side and I would suggest trying to get the middle when going because part of the show was cut off from my view by a pillar.
Other then that I loved the place. They gave out wine, beer, water, juice, candy, and other goodies before the show and during intermission. Fairly cheap too. Bottle of water was $ 2, not 5 $ like the movie theater or concert venues.
I would like to try and see more shows here when I go back to Reno for visits.

I haven’t been here in several years, but, according to what I’ve heard, the Pioneer theater hasn’t changed a lot so I’m adding my review to the slim pile begun by Andrew S. in hopes that other Unilocalers will see a show, an opera, or even a classical music recital at this location. You know, It’s that building that looks relatively small from the street when judging by its signature gold dome. So kitschy, how can you not love it?
I saw STOMP and was very impressed by the theater acoustics — that are important to this show which is all about making complex rhythmic beats using unusual, but everyday items like wooden matchsticks. I paid $ 75 per ticket to take a friend with me, and we were utterly mesmerized. If you get the opportunity to see STOMP anywhere, go for it!
Onto the Pioneer auditorium:
I heart that the theater it isn’t too big, and that if you are diligent you can find street parking or garage parking within a reasonable walking distance. Nevertheless, I’d advise against wearing heels unless you like walking 2 – 3 blocks in them.
The will-​call ticket area is fast and efficient and the seating chart gives a very accurate depiction of where you will sit.
If you’re going to a concert, maybe it doesn’t matter, but when attending a live Broadway show, or an extravaganza such as STOMP, it’s worth forking out the extra $ 20 dollars or so per ticket to sit in the first or second sections in order to get a up-​close view of everything happening on stage.
Reno is lucky to have a smallish theater like this one — and I much prefer it to the large coliseum up at UNR — just in case you have a choice of venues.