The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts — Attraction in Louisville

🌟Venue was gorgeous. Went for. 🎼 🎶KMEA KY High School State Choir Showcase🎼🎶; as my daughter auditioned & made it.. I was blown away at the acoustics in the facility and how well the seating arrangements were. Also, how easy the seats were to get to. 🎼✨Had a minor problem with an event security guard involving my niece. Which truly ruined her experience and a big part of it for me as well... As we missed the second choir entirely trying to get her calmed down (He put his hands on her for no reason. She was doing what was asked by another event staff. When she walked off, he walked over and dragged her by her hood to a chair and forcibly pushed her down in it). It was taken care of quickly, professionally, & most important - quietly by the head of security. He was calling the owner himself when we left. We also have the his & the owners private numbers). They were a privately hired company, I later found out & I was guaranteed he no longer works for the facility. They were very compassionate to her experience, as he was very out of line. It made it hard with the mixed emotions I felt because my daughter was 3rd choir to go on stage... I was beaming with pride and ecstatic, watching her showcase, but directly after that incident just happened; we had to dry our tears so she wouldn't see us upset and we wouldn't ruin her pictures or the experience for my daughter...(we were 5 rows apart. She could definitely tell we were upset). I wish it had been different. 🎼✨Otherwise the venue itself was great. The other staff couldn't have been better. Everyone was very friendly, helpful and courteous. Everyone knew their job and their exact place. Especially the head of staff and the way said incident was handled. Everyone functioned like a well oiled machine. We will definitely return and for sure 10/10 recommend to a friend! 🎼🎶Thru the bad, we still made many wonderful memories and had an amazing time. Those children are blessed to be able to sing that way; and I thank you for allowing them to use your venue to showcase their incredible...

I was fortunate enough to get to see Hello, Dolly! on Saturday, May 18, 2019 the 2 p.m. Matinee Broadway in Louisville Presentation at Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center For The Arts at 501 W. Main Street in Louisville, Kentucky. This was my first time to attend this Theatre. The Dazzling, Brilliant, Tony Award Winning Legendary Performer Betty Buckley as Dolly Gallagher Levi was perfect. This was the best live performance of Hello, Dolly! I have ever seen. The 5 star + cast , crew, director and orchestra and conductor were tony award winning platinum. The costumes and sets were beautiful and grand. The chorography was excellent. My seat was orchestra right row n near the aisle to the entrance of the stage itself.The seats are tight and anyone over 6 feet tall with long legs will feel scrunched. I don't recommend any person of any age wearing sandals, flipflops or open toe shoes without heals to the theatre. I don't wear shoes like these at all. My shoes were stepped on by one person getting to her seat in the row I was in. I stood letting other people past to avoid this improper behavior. Several People including myself waiting outside the orchestra right row doors had to cover our ears due to the domineering loud speaker announcement. Volume needs to be lowered. This occurred thirty minutes prior to being permitted in to the theatre to sit down. Standing for long periods of time is not good for anyone. After the one and only intermission a unacceptable event occurred. The ingenious performer Lewis J. Stadlen who portrayed Horace Vandergelder was four minutes on stage alone when a belligerent adult man and woman seated in orchestra right p burst in. They were yelling in booming angry voices at one another disrupting 8 rows of people enjoyment of the show including mine. Trying to find their seats in the darken theatre. No person employed or usher put a stop to this. This lasted for 6 minutes. Ushers are volunteer senior citizens and a employed buffer/bouncer should have stopped this...

I always really enjoy performances at the Kentucky Center: within the past year, I have seen The Nutcracker, Les Mis, Chicago, Aladdin, and Harry Potter In Concert. This venue plays host to some incredible performances!

While the shows themselves are most often 5 stars, I'm knocking the KY Center down one star for the following reasons: accessibility and pricing. Being downtown, parking for any show is a hassle, but once you've found and overpaid for a spot, the congestion continues inside. The lobby is always wildly crowded with patrons and it can be difficult to make your way out of the building after a performance, especially with certain areas being blocked off due to the recent fire. The restroom line is always outrageous.

As far as pricing, believe me, I'm ALL for supporting the arts. I'm a professional actress with a theatre degree, so I get it: big productions have big costs! However, the box office fees for booking online (which, it should be noted, saves the venue the cost of paying a physical ticketing attendant) drive the ticket prices up tremendously. We paid over $70 in booking fees alone, not including our tickets, for purchasing 6 seats in a single transaction. The website supposedly explains where these fees go, but honestly, I think things like unnecessary expenses simply for the convenience of buying your tickets online - or the $3 plus tip that it costs for a simple, tiny dixie cup of Diet Coke from a bar soda gun at the theatre's lounge - prevent many people from attending the theatre.

Short of my two aforementioned points of contention, I do really love The KY Centre and am thinking of splurging on season passes in the future. I hope to see the venue recover from the tragic fire soon, and I also hope they will consider revoking the online...